Box shot. The box art doesn’t skip the teasing “hope torture” of featuring D-2 and D-3.Runner shot. The color scheme evokes memories of the First Gundam.The stickers are limited to the eyes, sensors, and the number “1” on the shield.You can choose the hat brim(?) part between the anime-opening style A1 or the standard A2.Since the overall sculpt doesn’t follow the so-called Barigona opening animation style, I opted for A2.Torso frame.An assembly style rarely seen in HG kits, where armor is mounted onto the frame.Arm frame.Arm armor attached. The fists inevitably reveal the HG-level detail.Upper body completed.Leg frame.The red and blue stripes on the legs, which had raised questions about whether they’d be stickers or molded parts, are cleanly color-separated.Dragona-1 completed.I’m very pleased with both the sculpting and the proportions.Lifter-1Preparing to attach the lifter.Lifter attached. I was worried it might tip backward, but it stands quite steadily.The lifter wings can be folded.The number “1” on the shield is a thick plastic sticker, offering better quality than standard foil stickers.Weapons.
Unlike Japan’s limited edition, the kit was released internationally, including Korea, as a standard edition. However, the quantity is small and it’s hard to find, making it practically equivalent to a limited edition.
I missed the Bandai Mall pre-order when it launched in 2022 and was stressed seeing “sold out” everywhere, so I ended up buying it from AliExpress.
The quality is top-notch for an HG kit: nearly perfect color separation, especially on the leg stripes, faithful weapons like the laser sword and rail gun, and a modern sculpt and proportion that respect the original design.
If I had to nitpick, it would be nice to have an extra intact hand for posing in addition to the weapon hand with the hole.
As someone who built the Academy version of Dragona in my childhood, experiencing this high-quality renewal decades later was a real joy.
However, I’m stressed again after missing the pre-order for Dragona-3, which was released as a limited edition.
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