BANDAI SPIRITS has announced the latest addition to its BANDAI HOBBY HG (High Grade) Gunpla lineup, the "Gundam Lfrith Jiu II" from the official side story "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury—Vanadis Heart." Scheduled for release in January 2027, the 1/144 scale model kit will be sold exclusively through the Premium Bandai online store.
"Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury—Vanadis Heart" takes place five years after the Vanadis Incident. GUND medical researcher Vilda Miren and her young assistant, Kiyu Lavot, travel to Earth aboard a massive container ship carrying a mobile suit known as the Gundam Lfrith Jiu. Built by the Vanadis Institute, this GUND-ARM was never intended for combat. Instead, it was developed as an experimental machine for researching Human Expansion technology.
When piloting the mobile suit, however, Kiyu Lavot disables its strict safety systems and links his artificial heart directly to the machine. This effectively turns the Gundam Lfrith Jiu into an extension of his own body, giving him an unusually high tolerance for Data Storms and allowing him to wield the external composite weapon known as the Tiger Hand. The connection comes with a serious limitation: moving more than 800 meters away from the mobile suit causes his artificial heart to shut down. The machine is later upgraded for combat with a Flight Unit, a Beam Rifle, and a booster-equipped version of the Tiger Hand.
The "Gundam Lfrith Jiu II" builds on the previously released "Gundam Lfrith Jiu" with numerous newly molded parts. These recreate its revised head, shoulder armor, and other design changes, along with the Flight Unit, Beam Rifle, and a more refined Tiger Hand. Swappable parts allow the Tiger Hand's boosters to be displayed in deployed or stowed configurations, while all five fingers feature individual articulation for a wide variety of dynamic combat poses.
HG 1/144 Gundam Lfrith Jiu II
Suggested Retail Price: 2,860 yen (tax included)
Scheduled Release: January 2027
Specifications: 1/144 scale model kit
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