BANDAI Hobby HG #36 Bael Gundam IBO Model Kit (1/144 Scale)

Sometimes simplicity is the best. In other words, less is more. A good way to explain the brilliance of this kit.At first Bael seems like a very boring kit due to it's over all white color scheme. It reminded me of the Tallgeese back in the Wing MS line. I thought it was a boring design, but then over time the Bael grew on me once I figured out that the point of this kit follows this one line:"The suit only needs two unbreakable swords due to the finesse of the original pilot.". Thinking on that note, this gundam is ABOUT finesse. Just like the Tallgeese.The small traces of blue and gold/yellow do a great job complimenting the white on this designs. The 'v fin' gives off the impression of Bael being more akin to a devil rather than a samurai like the original RX-78 Gundam was based on. Fitting since Bael is one of the kings of hell. The wings on the back at first seem pretty dull, but they have something that clunkier backpacks don't have, easy articulation and MINIMIZING back heaviness. The wings are small and light, allowing better posing without Bael tipping over. The legs and arms have great articulation too. It might not be at MG/RG levels of articulation, but for a highgrade this is a solid kit when it comes it comes to posing.Which makes sense since due to the simplicity of the kit, it means you don't have to worry about Bael holding heavy weapons. All you need to worry about it Bael holding two golden bladed swords that show the polish within the lines. There isn't much panel lining on the Bael, but it is somewhat sticker heavy. The indents that remain that don't use a black sticker, I suggest you use a black/gray panel lining gundam marker to give it more spice.I also recommend getting a Kimaris Vidar and two 1/144 scale model action bases so you can get the full effect of Bael. Bael and Kimaris Vidar seem to be designed to go hand in hand due to the rivalry of Gaelio and McGillis. Their final battle is so iconic that I had to buy both kits so I can have them both duke it out on my shelf. I am VERY satisfied with that decision once I finished putting Bael together. And such a contrast in Gundams.Kimaris Vidar is a bulky and complicated Gundam. Bael is a very simple and straight forward Gundam. Kimaris Vidar is gray, representing Gaelio's way of seeing the world while purple representing violence and calming peace can be put at easy with a balance. Bael's white represents McGillis's childish thinking of only seeing Gallahorn as corrupted while he sees himself as a pure white knight reforming the system for a great cause. And blue and yellow representing a holy figure just as Bael revealed itself, McGillis contorts the machine with its arms held out in a messiah like pose. It's a clash of Realistic Logic and Idealistic Thinking. (Or I'm thinking way too into this. Probably am)My point is that Bael is a great kit for its simplicity and it compliments the Kimaris Vidar. I give this kit a seal of approval and recommend getting Kimaris Vidar as well. Have fun!

An unbelievably good model. Don't be fooled by the low price, the quality is shockingly good. Part fitment is perfect and really doesn't require any glue as advertised. The decals are proper stickers, not those pain in the neck dip in the water ones. My 4 year old plays with it quite a bit and nothing has broken. While not quite as detailed as the RG models, I think it was much more enjoyable to build, and is nearly as beautiful when complete. If you're thinking of getting into gunpla, this is a great place to start.

Looks very nice and after some panel lining looks fantastic and feels quite sturdy. Good kit for beginners IMO.

Pros: Very good figure shape, has a nice intimidating look to it, easy build, looks great with panel lining, swords are very clean looking, and I was especially impressed by how simple and effective the wings are! Overall very good kit.Cons: Only comes with one set of hands, fists that you can stick the sword in(really wanted some open ones for his pose ya know). Stickers, it has some pretty big ones for the head, and the shoulder ones that go under the power symbol are like...really wack. Easy fix by painting those instead of using the stickers.

Absolutely gorgeous looking, and uses some unique methods to provide awesome results. Excellent poseability. Only gripes with it are, as with most IBO HG units, the loose ankles, and the poorly designed wing stickers. One thing I'd like to note is that you should be careful when assembling the feet. I almost broke a piece on accident trying to connect the ankle parts together.

Good deal. Good quality. Very happy with this purpose.

Articulation is good, the arms and legs are a bit limited by the type of joint it uses, the biggest problem I had was with the waist - "too loose". I really liked the color, what I didn't like was the sticker that give color to the horns/antenas on the head - those are just awful. For maximum display-ability, use an action base; this model-kit looks way better in flying poses.

I’m fairly new to Gunpla and I like the IBO series and this one was my favorite to build. Bandai makes a lot of great kits and this is one of them!