Kimi The Builder

At least this is better than their PG v Gundam showcase.

HELLO! We are back!

In today’s 648th edition of our ‘Let’s Talk Gunpla’ segment, we’ll take a moment to discuss the latest Gunpla release announcements from the retail side. Unfortunately, this time we are only getting two new Gunpla release announcements, and both of them are HG releases.

But even with that said, we still find them to be quite interesting releases.

So, without further ado. Let us get into it, shall we?

HG 1/144 ORX-139 Hambrabi (HGGQX)

Release Date: June 2026

Estimated price: JPY 2,860 (MYR 75.71* / USD 18.27* / EUR 15.85*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

If there is one kit that we all here look forward to getting, the GQX version of the Hambrabi is probably at the top of our HG want list. It is one of the best redesigns we’ve seen from the GQuuuuuuX series, and back when they teased us with the prototype, we were sure that we weren’t the only ones who were happy to see this finally getting the Gunpla treatment.

So imagine our excitement when Bandai finally dropped the release date and the CGI rendition of the final look of the upcoming HGGQX Hambrabi.

So, why are we so excited for this release, you ask?

Well, for one, the looks. We might not be the biggest fans of the original iteration of the Hambrabi in Z Gundam, but the one that we got here is probably one of the best-looking MS Redesigns that we’ve seen in the GQuuuuuuX series.

And my god, it looks so goddamn good!

But the question remains, will the HGGQX Hambrabi translate well into Gunpla form?

Well, so far we have a feeling that it might. Based only on our experience building the HGGQX Military Zaku (the only HGGQX we built so far), we’re confident this will be at the very least a decent kit.   

However, it’s not to say that everything is perfect here because, just like its HGUC counterpart, the HGGQX version of the Hambrabi also comes with a MA transforming feature. So admittedly, we are a bit concerned here since there aren’t any details or a sample picture of the MA mode.

We assume that Bandai is still working on sorting out the kinks since we haven’t seen or heard anything about this feature outside of what we read on its promotional materials. But we do hope that they’ll release more details on this, and we get to learn more about that feature.

But regardless, we are looking forward to this, and yes, it does look quite promising.

HG 1/144 XXXG-01SR2 Gundam Sandrock Custom EW (HGAC)

Release Date: June 2026

Estimated price: JPY 4,180 (MYR 110.71* / USD 26.80* / EUR 23.15*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

Honestly, this is one of those kits that we always knew Bandai would eventually release the modernized version of all the MS from the Endless Waltz series.

But that is not to say that there are things that we aren’t surprised about.

More specifically, there are three things that we’re surprised about when we heard about this release announcement.

The first thing that surprised us about this release announcement is the time that it took for them to finally start working on releasing the Endless Waltz Gunplas. Honestly, seeing how popular the series is in the Gundam fandom, we do wonder why Bandai didn’t go all out after they’ve completed the modernization of the first 5 Wing Gundam MS designs.

But even with that said, we suppose it’s never too late to finally see the modern version of the Endless Waltz version of the 5 Gundams.

The 2nd reason that surprised us about this new release announcement is that the Retail side is going to be the one to release all the Endless Waltz variants. Why is this a surprise to us, you ask? Well, the reason is that we have been getting the modern iteration of our beloved Endless Waltz Gunplas, but they were from the P-Bandai, and they’re MG kits. So, naturally, we all here assumed that if Bandai were planning to release the HGAC version, it wouldn’t be that surprising if P-Bandai were the ones to do so.

So is this a bad thing? No, heck no! We are all GLAD to learn that ALL five Gundams from the Endless Waltz series will be getting the retail treatment. And that alone is good news for both fans of the series and the MS designs.

But it is not to say that all is good here, because unfortunately, the last and final thing that we are all surprised about this release is its asking price. Never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined seeing a new HGAC kit like the Sandrock custom priced almost the same as the cheapest MG kit on the market.

Bandai’s reasoning for the steep price? It’s because Bandai includes a lot of big pieces of plastic in the form of the cloak and its cloak armor attachment. Honestly, if they didn’t include all of that, we don’t think that the HGAC Sandrock Custom EW Ver. would be that expensive.

But even with that said, we still find it hard to believe Bandai’s reasoning for this, because for one, we are paying so much for this kit, and Bandai still isn’t including a display stand? Really Bandai? Heck, even the HGUC Moon got a stand, and a lot of other stuff to make it worth it for anyone to spend RM 100 or more for it. The best part about the stuff the HGUC Moon gets is that the HGUC Moon Gundam doesn’t really need the stand to pose and make it look cool as heck, but Bandai decided to include it anyway. While the upcoming HGAC Sandrock custom that might be unstable due to the two heat Shotal’s length (and weight, maybe?) and its (maybe) heavy cloak attachments doesn’t come with one? Why the double standards here, Bandai?

But admittedly, we know that we are overreacting here since this is still a teaser, so there is a possibility that Bandai might reveal more to justify the price point in the coming months. So we shall refrain from saying too much until we learn more about it.

But man, if this is really all we are getting, we admit that Bandai will have a hard time trying to convince people to get the HGAC Sandrock at that price point.

With that, we conclude the 648th edition of the Let’s Talk Gunpla segment. Not the best retail announcements that we’ve seen this time around, but honestly, we have been seeing a lot of awesome kits lined up for next year, so we are not really expecting Bandai to announce anything mind-blowing so close to the end of the year.

But admittedly, spending time writing and discussing these two HG releases is time better spent than watching the disastrous PG v Gundam showcase that Bandai did the same week as the two Retail side HG release announcements.

Anyways, we will return with a new blog post, so do look forward to that!

Also, you may have noticed a slight change to our posts: we recently added a donation tab to help keep this site running and fund our future Gunpla-related projects. However, we want to clarify to all of you here that adding a donation tab doesn’t mean we will place any of our existing or future content behind a paywall. All of our content will remain free for everyone to access, whether or not you decide to donate to us.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have something special for those who helped us keep the site running. We do! However, we are still finalizing some details, and we will have something special planned for our donors! But for now, with everything that has been happening, we still need some time before we can confirm anything.

Also, the main reason why we decided to add the donation tab is that after managing this blog with our funds for so long, we’ve found that even with ads, it hasn’t been enough to maintain the site without putting ourselves in debt. We have tried our best not to resort to this, since we are doing this blog for fun and really didn’t plan to earn money from it.

However, since the start of the year, we have been struggling financially to keep this site running. Despite many difficulties, we refuse to give up on it after putting so much work into it. Not to mention, we do not want to disappoint our loyal readers.  

So that is why, for the first time after running this site for so long, we are finally asking for help from you, our readers.

If you appreciate what we do and want us to continue providing this content, we would greatly appreciate any support through donations to keep us afloat.

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Even on this donation tab.

We are incredibly grateful for your support, and we hope to see you again in the next post!

Once again, thank you.  

Also, we hope to see you again soon!

Ciao!