A Shining Example of Modern Gunpla Engineering: A Real Grade Shining Gundam Review

Getting ready to build, the builder lays out his tools. His brand-new orange-handled nippers and tweezers ready to cut and snap. (Photo credit: Jacob Harris) 

The Shining Gundam is a mobile suit, specifically a mobile fighter. Hailing from the show Mobile Fighter G Gundam, the Shining Gundam is Neo Japan’s secret weapon in the Gundam fight. 

Piloted by Domon Kasshu in-universe, the Shining Gundam is a martial arts–focused mobile suit operated via the Mobile Trace System. The Mobile Trace System uses the pilot’s full-body movements to control the machine, with motions copied down to the smallest movement of their fingers. 

Enough about the mobile suit itself—let’s talk about how Bandai translated it with near perfection to a 1/144 scale model. 

Enough about the mobile suit itself—let’s talk about how Bandai translated it with near perfection to a 1/144 scale model. 

Opening the box, you’ll see a beautiful array of colorful plastic, and the colors are accurate, too. All the reds, whites, greens, yellows, and golds are, in my opinion, perfect representations of how they appear in the show. But that isn’t all that matters—the build itself is most important. 

Starting with the feet and legs, the inner frame builds flawlessly. Although it doesn’t have a highly detailed frame, it still keeps you engaged. There are no pipes or wires, but that’s okay—the kit is small, and they aren’t visible once the armor is on. When complete, the legs look very good. 

When it comes to flexibility, the legs are just about “humane”—almost any motion a person can do with their own legs, the model can replicate. The colors are mostly white, with red on the bottom of the feet. Additionally, on the outside of each leg are thrusters you can pull out in shiny gold. The covers for the thrusters are red and blue. 

Onto the waist and skirting: the build is rather simplistic. You build the middle, then the part connecting to the torso, then the skirting. All skirt pieces, except the rear (which only moves up and down), are on ball joints, allowing a full range of motion for posing. The only color here is white, with a notable exception on the left side, where the beam sabers are stored. 

The torso is the most colorful part of the build, featuring blue, red, yellow, and green. It has an opening cockpit and a hole for the Core Lander in the back. Points of interest include the green chest gem and the yellow vents. Flexibility allows for a slight bend in the middle. 

The Core Lander features red, white, and blue. Its vents can move, though the purpose is unclear. The thruster on the back swivels up and down. The cockpit hatch opens, and the cockpit can change orientation to fit into the torso. 

The arms and shoulders are red, white, and blue. Flexibility is near-human, and the blue forearm armor acts as a shield, giving a slightly bulky look. The shoulders are sharp and triangular. 

The head, built in yellow, white, red, and green, is where Bandai clearly put the most care. The eyes are stickers, with vents below in the mouth area. The v-fin is sharp and small, with a front-facing camera beneath it. The back has additional yellow parts. Overall, the head demonstrates Bandai’s attention to detail. 

The real highlight of this kit is Super Mode. In Super Mode, the front of the face opens, yellow pieces on the head fold out, shoulder armor raises to reveal gold, and forearm armor moves forward. On the legs, the thrusters fold out, revealing gold. 

Super Mode is perfect for striking an iconic pose. In-universe, Super Mode allows Domon to use the Shining Finger, a highly concentrated energy discharge capable of tearing through almost any enemy’s armor. Using the included hand piece adds dramatic effect when posing. 

Overall, the Real Grade Shining Gundam provides a fun and engaging build for intermediate builders. The posing ability is astounding, making it a worthy shelf piece. Rating: 9.5/10. This kit is one of the best I’ve built, and it will definitely be displayed fully posed.