Gundam Wing Model Kits

Gunpla Build - High Grade Sandrock Custom 2026-04-16

I can’t believe it’s been almost seven years since I built the High Grade Sandrock. I’ll be forever grateful for it, as it made me realize just how much I actually like this mobile suit design.

However, I’ve come a long way as a builder since then, and looking back at my work, I’m not exactly proud of it:

It’s got some seamlines, and the panel lines are way too dark and heavy (also, I’m pretty sure some of them bled due to me using cheap topcoat). And I didn’t even bother to clip off the safety nubs on the V-Fin!

Suffice to say that I’ve wanted to redo it for a while now, to use all my current skills and tools and everything to make it better and really do the design justice. So let’s do exactly that:

Barnes and Noble came in the clutch for the second time in a row, stocking this Sandrock Custom at a good price.

Gunpla Build - Real Grade Wing Zero 2026-03-14

I know what you’re thinking - “You had three downer builds in a row, and you need a rebound. So your solution is to build Wing Zero, a mobile suit that you’re on record as disliking? Make that make sense.”

Hear me out. Remember how I built the Real Grade Wing Gundam, and it made me (finally) appreciate that design?. The same thing’s got to happen with Wing Zero! Right?

Right … ?

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Wing Gundam Ver. Ka (Build) 2025-08-27

Shield

I really like the design of the original Wing Gundam shield. I like the shape, and I also really like how it open up to reveal its singular Beam Saber:

Much to my disappointment, not only does the Ver Ka shield get rid of the Beam Saber gimmick, but the shape has also changed:

Yes, I know there are some flecks of paint on the right edge. I’ve since scraped them off

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Wing Gundam Ver. Ka (Preamble) 2025-08-24

This turned out to be quite the build.

Before we really get into it, there’s a couple of things I want to go over. The first is the color of the model. It’s not exactly what you think of when you think of Wing Gundam:

The first thing that stands out is that the entire inner frame is brown. Not black, not grey, not black-grey, but brown.

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Wing Gundam Ver. Ka 2025-08-19

It’s time to build another Gundam Wing Master Grade. You’d think that after the success I just had with Master Grade Sandrock that I’d be pretty excited, but I come to this kit with at least a little bit of trepidation.

Most of the Gundam Wing Master Grades - including Sandrock - were released between 2010 and 2013. That’s not exactly new by any stretch, but in my (admittedly limited) experience, most kits from 2010 and onward have a certain baseline level of quality that you can rely on.

But today’s kit is the oddball of the bunch. According to my research, it was the first Gundam Wing Master Grade ever released, all the way back in 2004:

And that’s the cause of my trepidation. I can’t tell if the Wing Gundam Ver. Ka here is going to feel different (read: older) than its brethren, or if it somehow laid the groundwork six years ahead of them.

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam Sandrock EW (Photos) 2025-08-10

There is a lot about the original Sandrock design that I like. There are things that, techncially speaking, I think it does better than the Endless Waltz redesign.

For instance, I think original design does a much better job at leaning into the whole “Ancient Persian Warrior King” theming. And I admire how much more colorful it is.

But having said all that, in the end I think I like the EW version more. Yes, theming may be weaker, and yes, it is less colorful, but it has a sense of presence that I find undeniable.