Folks, I can’t believe it. They’re doing it. They’re actually doing it.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of After War Gundam X, Bandai is doing the right thing, and finally - finally! - releasing a High Grade Gundam Leopard:
And with that, the Freeden’s entire crew of mobile suits will be available in High Grade form. Well, mostly. If you want to get technical, there’s still one that’s missing … But let’s not let that get in the way of the happy news.
Anyway, I actually own the rest of the Gundam X High Grades, though sadly I’ve only built one of them. But since this is the show’s 30th anniversary year, and in anticipation of the Leopard’s release in August, I’m going to try and get through the rest:
I’m not sure if I’m going to build them all at once - though then again, maybe I will! My plan is to get through them all by August at the very least. We’ll see how it goes.
Non-Retail Releases
Prior to the announcement of the Leopard, the only Gundam X mobile suits to get regular retail High Grades were the GX itself, the X Divider, the Double X, and the Airmaster. But there have been a few other suits from the show that have appeared as Premium Bandai releases. One of them is the Airmaster Burst, AKA the Midseason Upgrade:
The other is the show’s main grunt suit, the Daughtress:
I would love to see even more mecha from the show over time, P-Bandai or otherwise. I’m almost certain now that we’ll see a P-Bandai release of the Leopard Destroy in the coming year or two. But beyond that, it’s hard to say.
Why did it Take so Long?
No seriously, why did it take so long for the Leopard to show up? I understand the show isn’t super popular, and thus isn’t a priority for Bandai. However, in 2015 they put out a model for the customized version from Build Fighters Try, the Leopard da Vinci:
While not identical, it seems similar enough that they could have repurposed some of the parts to create a genuine Leopard a few years down the line.
Or maybe not! Some smarter people than me have poured over the prototype HG Leopard that was recently shown on a Bandai livestream, and they are of the belief that it’s only now, with 2026 Gunpla tech, that they can recreate all the mobile suit’s gimmicks properly in High Grade form. If there is any truth to that, then maybe it was better for us all that it took so long.
