Gundam’s Sega Saturn Era Officially Returns With Exclusive New Gunpla Re-Release
Image by James RichardsonBandai has officially reopened pre-orders for an exclusive Gunpla kit based on one of Gundam’s classic Sega Saturn games, giving collectors another chance to build a powerful Zeon mobile suit from the One Year War.
The returning “HGUC 1/144 Efreet Custom” recreates the heavily modified machine piloted by Nimbus Schterzen in Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny, complete with its signature blue armor, red shoulders, and powerful close-combat weapons.
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny follows Earth Federation pilot Yuu Kajima during the closing stages of the One Year War and was originally released as a trilogy of games for Sega Saturn between 1996 and 1997, before later being adapted as both a manga and as part of the PS3 game Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories.
Unlike many earlier Gundam games, the SEGA Saturn series uses a first-person cockpit perspective, allowing players to experience mobile suit battles through a series of missions against Zeon forces.
The story revolves around the mysterious EXAM System, an experimental technology designed to enhance a mobile suit’s combat performance, although its immense power comes with dangerous consequences for its pilots.
Yuu eventually takes control of the Blue Destiny Unit 1, an experimental Federation machine equipped with the system, putting him on a collision course with Nimbus Schterzen and his rival Efreet Custom.
Many of the mobile suits featured in the Blue Destiny story have been turned into Gunpla model kits, including the experimental GM Dominance piloted by Philip Hughes, which recently received an exclusive Master Grade Gunpla restock in the United States.
Bandai originally released the “HGUC 1/144 Efreet Custom” in September 2017 as a Premium Bandai exclusive, recreating Nimbus’s modified mobile suit with its specialized armor, additional thrusters, and weapons.
Based on the MS-08TX Efreet, the machine was extensively modified to accommodate the EXAM System, requiring a more powerful body and increased mobility to handle its enhanced combat capabilities.
The model recreates these changes with enlarged shoulder armor, a specialized head and powerful thrusters built into the legs, alongside six-tube Missile Pods mounted on either side.
Its blue armor is contrasted by the red shoulder sections associated with Nimbus Schterzen, with the coloring reproduced through the kit’s molded plastic components.
The Efreet Custom’s primary weapons are its two Heat Sabers, allowing builders to recreate the dual-wielding combat style seen during its encounters with the Blue Destiny Unit 1.
Clear blade parts are included for the weapons, along with dedicated mounting joints that allow the sabers to be stored on the waist when not in use.
The model can also be displayed alongside the separately sold “HGUC 1/144 Blue Destiny Unit 1”, recreating the confrontation between the two EXAM-equipped mobile suits.
The Efreet family has appeared in several other Universal Century stories, including Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn’s Efreet Schneid, which received another exclusive Gunpla re-release earlier in 2026.
That later version carries fourteen Heat Darts across its armor and is based on an older Zeon machine that has undergone extensive modifications during the decades following the One Year War.
The Efreet Custom’s latest production run is also joined by two other exclusive Gunpla re-releases inspired by Gundam’s early video game history, the “HGUC 1/144 Gundam Pixy” and “HGUC 1/144 Efreet” from 1995’s Super Famicom game Mobile Suit Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079.
Those kits recreate the rival Earth Federation and Zeon machines from the game’s original storyline, offering another opportunity to collect mobile suits introduced during Gundam’s ’90s console gaming era.
Pre-orders for the “HGUC 1/144 Efreet Custom” are now open through Premium Bandai Japan, priced at ¥2,200 (approximately $14 / £10), with orders scheduled to ship in February 2027.
Bandai has yet to confirm a corresponding re-release through Premium Bandai US, although American listings for exclusive Gunpla kits sometimes follow their Japanese counterparts several days or weeks later.
If you enjoyed this article, you can see more from us directly in your Google feed by adding us as a preferred source.
This post may contain affiliate links, and Essential Japan may earn a commission if you purchase through them.
