I'll admit, the Gundam TR-1 isn't a design I've collected before, and I'm not deeply versed in its lore. It's a bit of a blind spot for me. But when the official photos for this Metal Robot Spirits release dropped, the figure looked so impressive that I knew I had to pick it up and put it through its paces. Now that it's in hand, it's time for a full review. Let's start with the good stuff.
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1. Excellent Paint and Markings
While some might have mixed feelings about the paint job, I find the overall application to be quite solid. The extensive decal markings, in particular, are a highlight for me. The markings on the shield are absolutely gorgeous and deserve special praise, which is why I took a few extra photos of them.
Another detail worth mentioning is that the fingertips on all the included hand parts are painted red, which is a fantastic touch!
2. A Massive and Versatile Loadout
This release isn't just the mobile suit; Bandai made sure to emphasize that it comes bundled with an Option Parts Set. Does this hint at more option sets to come? We can only hope! The amount of gear included here is substantial, giving me flashbacks to the fantastic Metal Robot Spirits Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex.
Four Shields
The Hazel Custom comes packed with four shields: one standard shield and three Shield Boosters.
The standard shield can be held in the hand or mounted on the forearm. In the past, hand-held shields have often been a pain to pose, but this one features a thicker handle that provides a more secure grip. While it can still wobble a bit, it's a definite improvement. The forearm mount is standard and works as expected.
As for the three Shield Boosters, you can mount them on the backpack and both arms, creating an imposing three-shield configuration. Despite their size, the boosters are surprisingly lightweight and don't significantly hinder arm articulation, making them a joy to pose. The connections to the backpack and arms are all firm and secure.
One Beam Rifle
The included beam rifle is a well-proportioned mid-length weapon. It can be held in one hand without issue, and thanks to the excellent shoulder articulation, achieving a two-handed firing pose is surprisingly easy.
Sub-Arm Unit
A port on the front skirt armor allows you to attach the Sub-Arm Unit, which looks a bit like a sumo wrestler's mawashi. The two arms can unfold, and each ends in a three-fingered claw designed to hold the included beam saber hilts, though they can't grip the rifle. This unit is one of the figure's most unique features and looks menacing just by being deployed. However, its design isn't without flaws, which I'll cover in the "Drawbacks" section below.
Three Beam Sabers
Why not four? It feels like a small missed opportunity! With two main arms and the Sub-Arm Unit, a four-saber assault would have been epic. Still, I'm not about to buy a whole second set just for one more saber. The beam effect parts feature a nice gradient color effect.
Shoulder Grenades and Saber Hilts
The shoulder units feature four swappable parts for either grenade launchers or stored beam saber hilts. Swapping them is a bit of a hassle, as the manual instructs you to remove the head first. The V-fin feels delicate, so I was a bit nervous pulling the head off and snapping it back on.
3. A Solid and Well-Proportioned Design
As someone less familiar with the TR-1, I found its design to be very unique. The upper body is relatively sleek, while the lower body is incredibly bulky and powerful—a look I really dig. This gives the figure a strong presence and makes for some great, powerful-looking poses.
Now, after covering the highlights, let's get into the drawbacks. Some of these are recurring issues we often see with Bandai's releases.
1. Limited Articulation
It's tough to decide whether to classify the articulation as a pro or a con. Some limitations are an unavoidable result of the bulky design, but other areas feel like they could have been better engineered.
Head
The range of motion in the head is quite poor. It can barely look up or down, though the side-to-side rotation is acceptable.
Arms
The arm articulation is actually pretty good. The butterfly joints in the shoulders allow the arms to pull forward, making two-handed weapon poses a breeze.
Waist
The side-to-side tilt at the waist is decent. However, the forward and backward crunch is almost non-existent, which is a shame as it prevents you from achieving more dynamic action poses.
Skirt Armor
The range of motion on the skirt armor is okay and doesn't interfere too much with the legs. However, the side skirts pop off very easily during handling, which can be frustrating.
Legs
With those incredibly thick calves, it's no surprise that the knee bend is severely limited. Thankfully, the hips have a good range of motion for spreading the legs apart.
Ankles
This is probably the weakest area. While the figure stands perfectly fine, the ankle pivot is insufficient. When you move the legs, the feet often can't stay flat on the ground. This also creates problems when trying to get it into convincing flight poses.
2. Terrible Display Stand Connection
Given the figure's heft, posing it on a stand is preferable, but this presents its own set of problems. The connection port on the figure's rear is very shallow. Once you plug in the adapter and attach it to the stand, it comes loose with the slightest adjustment. This made trying to pose the figure on the stand an incredibly frustrating experience.
3. The Sub-Arm Unit Struggles to Grip Anything
Another source of frustration is the Sub-Arm Unit. You have to rely on the three tiny claws to pinch the beam saber hilts, and the grip is very weak. Why not design the hilts with a small peg and the claws with a corresponding slot to secure them? It seems like they prioritized a sleek design over functionality, and as a result, getting the sub-arms to hold the sabers is a real chore.
4. Quality Control Could Be Better
Just look at the mouth vent on my copy. That sloppy black paint application is a real blemish on an otherwise great-looking head sculpt. It's a shame.
Overall, this is still a very good release. Neither the Robot Spirits nor the Metal Robot Spirits lines have tackled this mobile suit before, so for collectors looking for something fresh, it's definitely recommended. Hopefully, we'll see more Option Parts Sets down the line to expand the playability even further.
Here are some more photos:
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