Gunpla Spotlight: MG 1/100 Gundam Sandrock EW (Armadillo Lizard) Gives Quatre’s Gundam a Massive Firepower Upgrade
Image by Charlotte Davis
Gundam Wing’s heavily armored Gundam Sandrock was built to overwhelm its opponents in close combat, but the Glory of the Losers manga gave Quatre Raberba Winner’s mobile suit a massive firepower upgrade, transforming it into a missile-packed powerhouse capable of taking on enemies from a distance.
The “MG 1/100 GUNDAM SANDROCK EW (ARMADILLO LIZARD)” captures this powerful configuration in Bandai’s Master Grade Gunpla line, combining Sandrock’s classic Heat Shotels with additional protective armor and two enormous missile pods mounted above its shields.
First introduced in the 1995 anime Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the XXXG-01SR Gundam Sandrock was one of five advanced mobile suits sent to Earth as part of Operation Meteor, with its young pilot Quatre Raberba Winner fighting alongside the Maganac Corps against the military forces of OZ.
Designed primarily for desert and ground combat, Sandrock was built with exceptional durability and powerful close-range weapons, particularly its pair of curved Heat Shotels, which could be heated to slice through enemy mobile suits.
Its appearance was subsequently redesigned by mechanical designer Hajime Katoki for Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, with the updated styling also appearing throughout the manga New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz – Glory of the Losers.
The manga retold the original Gundam Wing story while incorporating additional scenes, background information, and mobile suit equipment, including several specialized weapons that were never featured in the television anime.
Among these was the Armadillo equipment, which surrounded Sandrock’s upper body with additional armor and added shield boosters to its shoulders, reinforcing the mobile suit’s already formidable defenses.
The Armadillo Lizard configuration expanded on this idea by replacing the large shoulder shields with smaller versions based on Sandrock’s original shield design, each carrying an enormous missile pod containing 48 missiles.
With 96 missiles spread across both sides, the equipment gave Quatre’s Gundam a substantial long-range offensive capability while retaining the heavy armor and close-combat weapons associated with its earlier configurations.
Bandai’s 1/100 scale Master Grade kit uses newly molded components for the Armadillo Lizard equipment, including the modified shields, additional armor sections, and large missile launchers that dominate the finished model’s silhouette.
The missile pods have opening hatches that reveal their full payload, with the individual warheads molded in color to capture the detailed appearance of the manga’s weapon system.
Both shield assemblies are connected through articulated support arms, allowing the equipment to be repositioned around Sandrock’s upper body for different combat poses.
These arms incorporate multiple movement points and a locking mechanism that can hold the heavy equipment at selected angles, helping builders display the shields and missile pods without sacrificing stability.
The model also retains Sandrock’s signature pair of Heat Shotels, which can be wielded independently for close-range attacks, alongside a Beam Machine Gun that provides another option for ranged combat.
Additional armor around the torso and waist contributes to the machine’s imposing appearance, while the underlying Master Grade Gundam Sandrock EW design maintains the detailed proportions and mechanical structure of Katoki’s interpretation.
Water-slide decals designed by Hajime Katoki are also included, allowing builders to apply additional markings across the mobile suit and its expanded equipment.
Builders looking to add more versions of Quatre’s Gundam to their collection should also consider the “MG 1/100 GUNDAM SANDROCK EW (ARMADILLO UNIT),” which uses large shoulder-mounted shield boosters and additional thrusters in place of the Armadillo Lizard’s missile-heavy equipment, emphasizing Sandrock’s defensive capabilities.
For fans who prefer its appearance in Endless Waltz, Bandai also released the “MG 1/100 GUNDAM SANDROCK CUSTOM EW,” complete with the large anti-beam cloak that covers much of its upper body, offering another option for displaying the different designs of this popular Gundam.
Originally released in Japan in March 2026, the “MG 1/100 GUNDAM SANDROCK EW (ARMADILLO LIZARD)” is a Premium Bandai-exclusive Gunpla kit and is therefore not available from general hobby goods retailers.
It is, however, currently in stock through Premium Bandai US, priced at $81.
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