Best HG Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans Model Kits!

Let's take a look back at the High-Grade Iron-Blooded Orphans line up and some of my favorite kits from a series packed with awesome mobile suit designs!
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Thanks for watching!
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:42 Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex
00:02:19 Graze/ Carta’s Graze Ritter
00:03:07 Hyakuri
00:03:59 Man Rodi
00:04:48 Grimgerde/ Sigrun
00:05:42 Julieta’s Reginlaze/ Reginlaze Julia
00:07:45 Gundam Vidar
00:08:35 Helwige Reincar
00:09:20 Gundam Astaroth
00:10:25 Conclusion

[@Colin_Nelson]

the greatest sin IBO ever committed was not being willing to commit to Chunky Gusion

[@nekotesla3628]

I really love the rotund design of the gusion. They really didnt need to re-bake it XD

[@chrisyoung1576]

@@nekotesla3628man the HG rebake is soo bad

[@da1t0u]

Imma be real with you, Rebake Gusion is good. Love the muscle look

[@NeoGato2point0]

One aspect I like about HGIBO is that the inner frame is pretty modular between kits. I took some armor and parts from Lupus Rex and kitbashed with the Astaroth, one of my favorite.

[@bloodstreak2001]

I agree Gundam iron-blooded orphans are the best kits for customizing I love mixing matching different parts and combining any leftover parts with any leftover kits I have

[@KrisHomemadeBaking]

I love love love love the HG IBO, that I'm four kits short of collecting the entire regular releases and would have gladly completed the whole collection had Bandai reissued them (graze ryusei go, barbaros transport booster, marchosias, and kimaris). Due to their affordable price they were my gateway from transitioning as a straight builder to someone who paints and airbrushes. My favorites (in no order) would be: 1. Barbatos Lupus 2. Man Rodi and especially the Landman Rodi variety (wc I didn't buy as p Bandai but custom painted with option set) 3. Graze Ritter 4. Grimgerde 5. Helmwige Reincar 6. Gusion Yeah building these kits eventually got repetitive to the point that I could probably snap a Graze without looking at the manual, but they're quick and fun!

[@MechaBorne]

I love the retrospectives! I'd love to see ones comparing all the MG RX-78's, Zaku II, Char's Zaku II and Evangelions

[@switchxb]

I think HG IBO was great for bringing new fans into the hobby. You paired an exciting, fresh, mostly stand-alone anime with inexpensive and relatively high quality hg kits, it was a recipe for success. Also gotta shout out Gusion Full City Rebake for having the super fun HG Hand of God nippers.

[@BLAZE084]

Astaroth Origin is one that I would definitely want to pick up someday. The Man Rodi I would pick up only if I can also find the add-on set to make it into the Landman Rodi. Asmodeus is another cool, more recent one.

[@First-Name_Last-Name]

If you're thinking of getting Astaroth Origin, I recommend getting ready to do ball joint strengthening on the shoulder and feet. Built 2 Origins and both have the same problem. Shoulder "wing/boosters" are heavy and the "top heavy" design affects the feet ball joints too. Rodis and Asmoday are stable kit, but Asmoday is better painted (the stickers included sucks a bit)

[@PaszerDye]

If you can find one for a good price, I recommend the Pbandai HG Gereil Scharfrichter + Landman Rodi set. Saves you the trouble of painting, and you get extra parts you can swap in and out to change its color on the fly.

[@BLAZE084]

@@First-Name_Last-Name Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated.

[@BLAZE084]

@@PaszerDye I forgot about that set. Since I paint my kits it wouldn’t be an issue. Thanks for the info!

[@a.p.studios8713]

6th form is personally my favorite due to the 5th form ground type config But astaroth (not origin nor rinsciamento) holds a special place in my heart because it was the first kit i customized with legit kitbashing and custom armor And gusion og was my first ever gunpla i ever built over 7 years ago

[@redheads604]

The most surprising thing is the price. HG Barbatos being only 1000 yen is a great deal when you compare to the price of a HG kit nowadays. Hell even EG is creeping to 1000 yen. I also don't doubt that the development of the IBO kits in one way or another led to the 30MM line. They both have similarities with reusing same frames, joints, and connection points. The Build Fighters line had compatibility issues depending on if it was rehashing an old kit.

[@vustvaleo8068]

let's not forget the unsung heroes of IBO that are the Mobile Workers, those tiny tank-like vehicles that can jump from a spaceship to another spaceship despite lacking actual legs, lol.

[@user-jp6yo1gz8s]

What i like about these kind of Gundams are the fact that it looks like this kind of Technology could possibly be built in this reality sometimes I wish the series got a third season or at least a spin-off story so much as an OVA but I hope the next series will be similar to the iron-blooded orphans franchise

[@sanictheedgehog]

an IBO movie based on the mobile game that takes place during the original series was announced. MC looks pretty awful in it and it looks like it's going to be a compilation film of the animated scenes but it's more IBO content.

[@viperson9818]

The IBO line is one of my favorites. Especially the many many Graze variants. Such a good grunt mobile suit something that the Gundam series does very well. Hopefully Bandai reissue the variants soon.

[@Masked-Hero-Acid]

As a newer Gundam and Gunpla fan, i missed the release for these kits but have been able to find a good amount for a decent price, but now im on the hunt for a Graze Ryusei Go

[@Delfydoo]

I personally like the Chonky Gusion, it's such a unique MS to my eyes, as well as ManRodi, they're just so round and looks cool with any Big Melee weapons. I have my Hg Gusion and can't stop looking and admiring at it, it was a fun built too. This is a great video Zaku and I love your takes on this. Hopefully we get to see more of it

[@bensalzbergguitar]

frog boys FTW! Love both those kits

[@ZestyZaku]

I completely missed that Hyakuri. If I knew now back then, I would have immediately bought the kit. The top half "transformation" and asthetic is exactly what I'm looking for

[@AndreaDoesYoga]

Love your top picks, the detailing on these kits is incredible! 🤩👏

[@ixaframe5212]

I got a manrodi and turned it into a land manrodi using the option set, really a beginner friendly kit perfect for my very first fully painted kit

[@9999999999999dragon]

Just finished building Bael this weekend, I loved it!

[@senpaikennzo8926]

Vidar is just chef's kiss🤌

[@serpventime4690]

if it was released as regular release, otlinde would be making it into the list as well. there's just something about valkyria frame that screams elegant. gotta have to do with its sleek proportion (save for heimwige, but the legs are still thin as hell)

[@rayhanmajid7008]

My fav hg ibo was astaroth origin. But now it's asmoday. It's just my all time fav Gundam design in general currently. Subtle colors, sleek design without looking way too over the top. Such a beautiful master piece

[@constantinebratanata]

As someone who's built most of the HG graze variants, I have to say the Io-Frame Shiden. It took me way to long to get and build one for how much better it is than the graze. I could point to a few different things being off with the graze such as the lack of back of the calf thrusters and the sideskirt armor being attached to the upper torso rather than the waist but I can't think of anything wrong with the Shiden. Another I want to mention is just Hajiroboshi just for how beautiful the design is. Definitely a personal top ten design-wise in Gundam overall.

[@First-Name_Last-Name]

Shiden. Simple, beautiful and stable kit. Had to be extra careful moving the side skirts though, or you could end up stressing and breaking the C-clip (happened to me lol)

[@NeoSlashott]

I like Landman Rodi that's almost round-like design plus its Orange and Off white color scheme, reminds me alot of RB-79 Ball with tiny arms and legs.

[@PaszerDye]

If you have the Pbandai HG McGillis Graze Ritter and the retail HG Graze Schwalbe, you can kitbash them OoB because the blue parts are exactly the same color.

[@bensalzbergguitar]

Hugo! But probably barbie, gusion, man rodi, really loved kimaris trooper. As someone else mentioned they were all so cheap too I bought many of the line 'cause like $12 delivered was amazing

[@chymickgaming]

Great video! I'm currently kit-bashing a few IBO Gundams for a diorama. You are spot-on about how easy it is. Parts across the line are very interchangeable (with only some minor exceptions). I'm not the biggest fan of poly-caps, but that is my only major complaint. The poly-capped joints need to be re-worked to hold up over time. Other than that, great line.

[@elricdee4821]

I love the man rodi. I got one originally to butcher for a custom that didn't happen. Glad I didn't have to butcher it. I love my chonky boy

[@mechaotakugamer]

My favorites are the Luous Rex, Astaroth Rinascimento , Shiden, graze and the Marchosias/ Hajiroboshi

[@bntrs]

Shoutout to the original HG Barbatos! Solid build and looks great painted up. The graze kits are great too

[@SteveForteGMR]

Have been hoping for them to reprint the Man Rodi for what feels like forever. Not sure why but that spud of a design has really grabbed my attention.

[@bensayeed953]

Nice1 Zaku, obviously Vidar a great sleak, sinister design but yes, Julia's Reginlaze such a cool seemingly underrated kit! One of my first HGs and posing always looks cool. 😊

[@BoodyCheek]

I hope we'll continue getting more IBO/Post disaster kits. One day I wanna make my own Gundam frame with the ASW-G-25 Naberius' name, maybe ill kitbash the Vidar and Asmoday together to come up with something.

[@vinnycent007]

I just love the grunts mobile suits in IBO. The design of Gjallarhorn's Graze is sleek and modern.

[@a.jdurga3110]

I wish they would have given more MG kits. Mg barbatos lupus rex would be amazing or even a conversion kit for the mg to lupus.

[@g.holmes9930]

IBO had really really good kits. Really hope we get reprints soon

[@joshualemon8422]

Amen to that dude

[@jasoncallair5171]

My current favorites are the Astroth variants,barbs lupus and the gusion full city.

[@HobbyWorksbyRani]

I equally love the lupus and lupus rex, then the "turtle version" of gusion. i like the design of the grimgerde becuase it reminds me of escaflowne. my runner ups are astaroth (all versions) and dantalion

[@neohybridkai]

I have Helwige and painted it in metallic black and the result is very satisfying, wish I had more bulky gunpla in curvy armor

[@jamesgeorge2852]

Your picks are my exact favourites in the line the graze frame and Valkyrie framed kits are all amazing nice and tight inner frames I have 4 man rodis along with vidar also loved the gundam flauros kits have 2 versions of astaroth only thing I won't agree with is the lupus rex I'm a fan of the lupus myself

[@allenllabore4745]

I think the HG Io Frame Shiden is one of the best looking grunts in IBO.

[@JohnnyBurnes]

Coincidentally, I finished IBO today...I didn't like it. Some designs are rad though! Love the Lupus Rex tail, and the dog thing with the beam.

[@Hybrid2009]

ah man this is great! IF ONLY THEY WERE IN STOCK

[@alrighty323]

ONE PLUS FOR BARBATOS REX, the chest frame(with shoulders) is universal with any gundam frame though the chest armor may need to be glued on or modified in a small way so if you hate the arms for the Astaroth then use Barbatos Rex!

[@monsieurtasse4463]

Love the Astaroth, it's Nightmare from Soul Calibur as a mech (even it has the name of another character from Soul Calibur haha) Reconguista could be nice to do next, lots of unique designs too - but no reprint...

[@mistertililing5933]

The Graze, Astaroth and all its forms and Asmoday are the best design-wise for me.

[@GeorgeK340]

I like a lot of IBO Gundam design. If they restock next time I'll gonna grab some.

[@HereticalKitsune]

I only have Vidar so far, but I really liked the build. Sure, a bit weak joints, but the design and build was great.

[@mellihampebrianco.d9481]

Hope Bandai make RG IBO soon

[@PaszerDye]

Love the Hyakuri too. Apart from the head which feels a bit too simple, the rest of the mech gives the impression that it's fleshed out as a design, much more so than the other mechs that use the Teiwaz frame. And I feel the Hexa frame gets the least love out of all the IBO designs too. The Hugo feels like a boss though the legs seem like they needed more time on the drawing board. Also I'm surprised you mentioned the Helmwige separately from the Grimgerde & Sigrun, but didn't mention the Shiden.

[@duyanh8981]

I just love the Val frame, they look like dark souls moblie suit 🥶

[@Doodlebob563]

IBO was truly the golden age of gunpla

[@birumerah2896]

kimaris vidar it's a underrated kit imo needs a full mechanics or mg

[@igetoys]

Well...lately i really missed about those IBO era, and i kind of have some urge to buy and build again those HGIBO kit like Barbatos, Vidar, Kimaris etc... but now it's hard to find in the marketplace. Maybe Bandai not doing any reproduction again for this line? IBO is so nostalgic!

[@mrmeow2297]

Raise your flag !!

[@DK_Bricks]

Man I just finished that anime 2 weeks ago and you just had to open that WOUND....I only have the 1/144 grimgrade

[@AzraelThanatos]

I've only built the basic Barbatos set, though ended up with a mixed form because of the included parts that looked better together. I've been eyeing one of the Hajiraboshi kits with the Urdr Hunt stuff, keep wondering if the rumors of an IBO Urdr Hunt OVA or Movie are true there

[@golasticus]

Still waiting for Bandai to announce a MG Lupus Rex and MG Vidar.

[@superarbychief1]

I would pick up some of these kits… if HLJ ever restocks

[@YU_ZU98]

Really hoping a lot of them will be reprinted/reissued especially helmwige reincar and vidar. They're especially hard to find in my country. I just got into gunpla a year ago and I started with IBO. Wish I had started when these kits were printed.

[@josephdonnluna4483]

I hope Bandai Spirits will reprint and reissue the IBO line in conjunction to the upcoming final trailer for the Urdr Hunt film...

[@infernalsaxon]

Hoping for reprints of grazes and grimgerde second half of this year

[@nervedamage3097]

I built a version of a barbatos as only my second or third kit ever last year and to date it's the only kit I've hated, so much so that I threw it in the trash. Also watching this video...I hate the feet on almost all the IBO kits I've seen.

[@primeagila3047]

Built all of the version of the HG Barbatos, and my favorite is still the Lupus. Something about the regal and elegant design of the Lupus just pleases me. The lupus rex is fine (I love the tail backpack), but it's not as close to the lupus imo.

[@johnc2631]

I like the Shidens, we need more Shidens reprinted

[@ToonamiT0M]

Does anyone know if the Gusion Rebake and Gusion Rebake Full City will ever be released? I preordered them like two years ago and I haven't heard anything since.

[@2099Oz]

I feel bad that my favorite IBO kits (Dantalion, the Gusions and the Kimaris) aren't even mentioned. I guess Man Rodi sort of counts?

[@Supercohboy]

I hope they're reprinting the ManRodis, they were unobtainium last I checked :(

[@mrrider3247]

i pick up one for each gundam frame,

[@shujinzo]

I was wondering how you all deal with old hg kits breaking down after a couple of years because the rubberlike joint lose hold.

[@classicalthrasher]

It's too bad most are out of print, and I do not believe they are coming back (at least does not seem likely, unless they are the most famous suits.) I wanted to purchase the Julia, the Gusion, and the Reincar, but not a priority due to the current "collectible" high price. I do not have all I wish I had, and some I love but are still on my backlog, but my favorites are: 1)Barbatos Lupus Rex 2)Bael 3)Carta's Graze (on backlog, happily overpaid, of course out of print) 4)Astaroth Rinascimento (on backlog) 5)Barbatos 6th form (do not have it yet) 6)Original Gusion (do not have, OoP) But there are many I like from what you mentioned. Enjoyed building de Kimaris Vidar as an antagonist to my Bael-uniquely strange, but was fun to build and detail with markers. Only annoying thing-and very much so-was posing the darn spear/rail gun combo in shooting motion/action-everything was falling out, and was truly a pain in the neck. On that subject, most of them look better with even humble Gundam markers than with the provided stickers with some exceptions. Bael looks amazing when given proper "build love"-otherwise a bit plain. LOVE mine, and the Lupus Rex, but spent hours on their details and substituting most stickers with Gundam marker paint. All the extra, many hours of work were worth it. The low price means color separation wasn't always the best, but with TLC, all these unique designs shine quite a bit. So do not allow "negative Nancy" reviewers spoil the fun for you, as these are great platforms for awesome builds (not referring to Mr. Zaku Aurelius, they know who they are.) The joints/torso/etc. can be reinforced in many ways as well, so I find the common "flaws" of these kits can easily be circumvented, and often unfairly emphasized as "issues." Love the in print price point for the HG IBO kits too, for even the Rinascimento at $23 is not too expensive, IMHO.

[@firelordemperor]

I joined into the gunpla hobby so late that I missed out on the IBO kits. Are there any places that still have a majority still in stock?

[@ZakuAurelius]

Probably not. Unfortunately you’ll have to wait for reprints 🫤

[@randomnetizen7065]

Since I started in this hobby back in October 2020, I have collected 13 IBO HG 1. barbatos 2. barbatos lupus 3. Barbatos lupus rex 4. graze schwalbe 5. bael 6.vidar 7. gusion rebake full city 8. gremory 9. gerail 10. astaroth 11. flauros 12. kimaris vidar 13. astaroth my target now is hajiroboshi, helmwiege, astaroth origin, marchosias and grimgerde..those are really hard to find

[@muhdizai]

😮woww that is nice of collection of ibo kits yeah right now is very-very hard to find ibo kits 😅

[@Geekeric]

Love these "best of" lists! IBO really has lots of creative designs, I liked the Gusion. I think the Barbatos should be disqualified because people can't agree on how to pronounce it. 😛Seriously, I also thought that line has good quality kits, too.

[@johnchristian9933]

Ibo is definitely what got me into building models but really enjoy1/100 scale fat fingers dont help on 1/144 lol

[@Jirujan]

NGL, IMO, Reginlaze is the 2nd best GunPla in HGIBO toyline. the only problem is the hand. you can't open it. so it can only hold the weapon that can slide in the gripping hand

[@Corveux]

Graze ritter and striker gnx looks so similar i want to kit bash them..

[@therapscallion23]

Graze Ein for me

[@loyglecyalbertalmonte8212]

barbatos!

[@daws761]

Does someone know what statue/figure is behind zack? The red one

[@ZakuAurelius]

2/1 scale Megami Device Asra Ninja from Kotobukiya!

[@dagaalka6091]

anyone know what anime figure is in the background? the one with the red clothes

[@ZakuAurelius]

You’re probably referring to the 2/1 scale Megami Device Asra Ninja?

[@kissypascual7132]

Anyone else like the hg Gregory or just me?😅

[@user-rd6wc5hu5d]

How is barbatos lupus not here

[@ZakuAurelius]

It’s sticker heavy, seam line heavy, and doesn’t come with as much weapons/gimmicks as other kits. It’s popular because it’s a lead Gundam from the anime but the kit objectively isn’t really one of the best in the line imo.

[@PaszerDye]

One thing I dislike about all HG IBO gundams is that the upper leg is just so disproportionately smaller than the rest of the leg. Sure, gundams across all series timelines do tend to emphasize shins more so than the upper leg for that aesthetic appeal, but IBO gundams skew those proportions unreasonably. And while they can do get the full knee bend, it bothers me that 3cm of the shin and foot stick out from behind when doing knee bend poses. The problem is even worse in the NG/FM IBO gundams, and they were able to make adjustment and mechanical compromises that fixed the issue in the MG Barbatos, although I'm not keen about the upper lip of the knee armor just staying there and yawning. The MGSD arguabily executes the knee design of the IBO gundam frame better than all the rest, and even pulls off a separating knee armor gimmick. I wish this was the design they went with for the MG.

[@Proseless]

IBO was a sensational line that did not age gracefully, literally. The reused inner frames got old quick, and they got looser and looser with each reused graze and gundam model. The stickers got worse and more gaudy. But those things can be amended if you’re committed enough. After my third gundam, and having to deal with the fragile joints, I lost my interest in building more. But overall, after almost a decade in retrospection, the IBO line was a very aesthetically attractive line that was also very creative, but the questionable quality (albeit for a cheap price!) of most of the kits is what I’ll remember it by. Thanks for the video!

[@ZakuAurelius]

Hey you said it best man! 👍

[@chaotickvs]

Something must be wrong with IBO, most of those kits aren't reproduced 😅

[@ramstrk5113]

I prefer Lupus over Lupus Rex, HG Lupus Rex's torso too small for my taste😂

[@josephhernandez3722]

Favorite is the hg Vidar and I dislike the hg Gusion Rebake full city because the parts on the Gusion Rebake full city started to break on me

[@Jangmo_SC]

I really disliked the lupus Rex personally due to all the stickers and flimsiness

[@manosfor]

Yes but to be fair painting those was so easy to do once out from the runner. No special skills needed just paint or marker

[@jaypeedelapaz6486]

I have a grudge against Julieta so I didn't bought her suits. 😅

[@ridhoojozz694]

All grunt are good and all gundam half of them are bad