This here is the Real Grade Crossbone Gundam:
You know, it wasn’t that long ago that I said I was going to write shorter posts. But there is a lot that I could write about this mobile suit. Thankfully, I have an excuse that should (hopefully!) keep this relatively short.
About Crossbone Gundam (the manga)
Crossbone Gundam is a 1994 manga. It is a direct sequel to Gundam F91, and is set about ten years after the end of that story. Here is the synopsis from the Gundam Wiki:
The remnants of the Crossbone Vanguard wage a secret war against the Jupiter Empire, which seeks to subject all humanity to the same totalitarian rule as the Jupiter Fleet's own people. This control is based on chronic resource scarcity, and the story develops into something of a critique of the space colonization concept, i.e. abandoning nature's abundance in favor of a cold, cruel existence in the inhospitable realm of outer space.
The Jupiter Empire, with its great wealth, provides funding and technology to anti-Federation groups in an attempt to hasten the government's collapse. They originally supported the Crossbone Vanguard, then turned on them after Berah Ronah (AKA Cecily) took charge and renounced their aggressive ways.
So that’s the premise, but there are a few other important facts you need to know:
- Since this is a sequel to F91, all the mobile suits in Crossbone are miniature mobile suits that are small and speedy, with beam shields and other cool tech.
- For reasons I don't quite understand (beyond Rule of Cool of course), after Cecily reforms the Crossbone Vanguard into a force for good, she makes the entire organization pirate themed. Even their flagship is made to look like a pirate ship (complete with beam shield sails!)
And now for the craziest fact of all …
404 Manga Not Found
I don’t know what the sales numbers are of the original Crossbone Gundam manga, but I have to imagine that they were very good. Why?
Because it received not one, not two, not three, not four, but five sequel manga.
Because Mobile suits from the manga have shown up in Super Robot Wars, as well as in shows like Gundam Build Fighters and Build Fighters Try.
And finally, because mobile suits from the manga have also been turned into quite a large number of Gunpla (more on that later)
Clearly this story - and its mobile suits - is popular and notable.
And yet.
AND YET
None of the Crossbone Gundam manga have ever been officially localized for western audiences.
And none of the manga have ever been adapted for film or television.
If is one of the most baffling bits of trivia about the entire Gundam franchise.
Anyway, now that we know the basics about the manga, let’s talk about the titular mobile suit.
About Crossbone Gundam (the mobile suit)
This is the Crossbone Gundam:
Yes, it looks like a pirate.
Yes, its weapons are all pirate themed.
Yes, it’s basically the mobile suit equivalent of Captain Harlock.
Here are a few more facts that are worth knowing:
- It was built by SNRI, the same group that built the Gundam F91.
- Technically, the Crossbone started out life as the Gundam F97, so it’s actually a successor to the F91.
- It specializes in close quarters combat. According to the wiki, this is because melee weapons make it easier to take down a mobile suit without killing the pilot
- It’s technically not the only Crossbone Gundam. There are four of them; the one in the photograph (and which this model kit is based on) is the X1, which is by far the most well known and popular of the bunch. Then there is the X2, X3, and X0.
- It’s piloted by an older Seabook Arno, who now lives under the alias Kincade:
(though it’s also maybe sometimes piloted by Tobia, the kid who’s the true protagonist of the manga)
And that’s all I can really say about this thing. I haven’t read the manga, so anything else I might say regarding its use and performance during the events of the manga would be secondhand, and I’d rather not do that.
Weapons and Stuff
Since I haven’t read the manga, I don’t have any photos of its weapons in use. I’ll wait to write about them until the build, since then I’ll be able to cross reference the name of each weapon in the manual with its corresponding description on the Wiki.
The Many Crossbone Gundam Model Kits
Despite the fact that it originated from a manga, and despite the fact that the manga hasn’t been adapted for the screen, there are quite a lot of Crossbone Gundam model kits. Here are the ones I know of:
- There are High Grade, Real Grade, and Ver. Ka versions of the X1
- There are (Premium Bandai exclusive) High Grade, (P-Bandai exclusive) Real Grade, and Ver. Ka versions of the X2
- There are (P-Bandai) High Grade and Master Grade versions of the X1 Full Cloth
- There are (P-Bandai) High Grade and Ver. Ka versions of the X3
- There is a High Grade of the Crossbone Gundam Maoh from Build Fighters
- There is a High Grade of the Full Cloth Type.GBF from Build Fighters Try
- There are a bunch of SD kits too
That’s an incredible list of Gunpla to come out of some manga. Clearly the fans want their pirate themed Gundams. You’d think this would be a hint to Sunrise that they need to get started on an animated adaptation, right?
Right …. ?
No? …..
Well damn.
Gunpla Evolution Project
This kit was part of the Gunpla Evolution Project, which was half gimmick to promote the 40th anniversary of Gundam, and half genuine attempt at experimenting with new ideas to try and advance the state of the art. Each kit in the project had some sort of unique gimmick that could, if successful, find its way into future kits.
As far as I can tell, the only one that was successful in that regard was the High Grade Leo. It’s “Fine Point Build” assembly system went on to be used in Entry Grade kits, and even the High Grade Witch From Mercury kits.
Anyway, the Real Grade Crossbone’s gimmick was “Evolution Point - Extreme Detail”. Basically, Bandai wanted to prove that they could cram a Master Grade’s worth of detail into an even smaller than usual 1/144th scale kit. Just by looking at the promotional photos it’s clear that they succeeded. The only question I have now is at what cost?
About the Build
I’m serious - just how small are the parts going to be on this kit? And how much more difficult might that make the build? These parts could be easily to lose. And for that matter, so could the stickers! This could be a disaster in the making, but I guess there’s only one way to find out.
Other Thoughts
Assuming I’ve properly tagged all my posts, the last time I built a Real Grade was … the Exia in 2022?!??
How is that possible? Has it really been that long? And on a related note, did I really build nothing but High Grades and SD’s in 2023?
Well, like I alluded to before, 2023 wasn’t a great year for me. And it’s not like I haven’t bought other Real Grades since building the Exia - I actually have quite a few on the backlog. I just never got around to building any of them last year.
But that changes now! 2024 will be the year I build at least one Real Grade, and its name will be Crossbone.