[Kit Insight] Bandai HGBD 1/144 MBF-PNN Gundam Astray No-Name (Ver.GPN) (Painted Build)

Model Number: MBF-PNN

Designation: Tsukasa Shiba's Customised Mobile Suit for Gunpla Duel

Arguably the best Gunpla design but highly debatable Gunpla model kit to come out of the Gundam Build Divers series!

Tsukasa Shiba's custom Gunpla designed and built wholly for Gunpla Duel, the No-Name can be considered the true essence of Gunpla Battle: brutal and relentless yet rife with boundless opportunity.

Build Notes

My version of the No-Name features an updated colour scheme, custom decals and sensor units as well as additional weaponry. Many people online have voiced out against the final colours of the No-Name model kit: a dark maroonish colour replacing the black as seen in prototype images of the Gunpla. To me, it really is a very simple fix: simply spraying all the maroon parts black would easily result in a great-looking No-Name that is more anime-accurate.

In keeping with the essence of the No-Name and its "corrupting purity" aesthetic, I used the following colours for this Ver. GPN build:

1. Mr. Hobby Char's Red
2. Tamiya Pure Metallic Red
3. Tamiya Light Gun Metal
4. Nippon Pylox Matt Black
5. Nippon Pylox Pearl White
6. Nippon Pylox Grey
7. Nippon Pylox Medium Grey
8. Nippon Pylox Deep Grey
9. CT7 Gold
10. Bosny Metallic Black
11. Red Fox Bright Silver

The HGBD model kit of the No-Name doesn't come with a large beam saber, although Shiba used that weapon right off the bat during the duel with Riku. I repurposed the beam sword handle from a HGUC 1/144 Re-GZ and shoved in the beam saber effect part of a HGBF 1/144 R-GyaGya, more-or-less creating a large beam saber that looks great with the No-Name. On top of that, I gave the No-Name a large revolver sourced from the Kotobukiya MSG Weapon unit MW24 Handgun set, as the cloaked look of the No-Name matches nicely with a gigantic handcannon.

The No-Name kit is gorgeous, full of mechanical detail and nicely-sculpted parts, particularly in the leg units. The great look however, comes at the cost of articulation. The cloak itself reduces articulation dramatically and the arm units themselves cannot bend more than 90 degrees. The No-Name is really a great-looking brick that still looks imposing in a standard standing pose.

Fictional Lore

The Astray No-Name can be said to be the physical embodiment of Shiba's Gunpla Battle journey. Accumulating battle experience from hundreds of battles, the No-Name has been extensively modified and customised to suit Shiba's play style, resulting in a Gunpla that is incredibly responsive and deadly.

The Silent One is a giant, solid shell firing revolver that was anything but silent. Used by Shiba during his final days of Gunpla Duel, the Silent One was intended to be a throwaway weapon that could still cause considerable damage. A well placed shot from the revolver could easily take off a limb from a standard Gunpla, causing gaping, permanent damage to enemy units. Once its small ammo capacity was spent, Shiba simply tossed the weapon away and charged ahead with his true primary.

The No-Name's primary weapon is the Unnamed Sword, a beam saber with a massive output. Generating a heavy beam that is half the height of the entire Gunpla, Shiba wielded this weapon with ruthless brutality, striking targets again and again until the enemy was nothing more than a sizzling pile of parts. Used in conjunction with the Nameless Shroud's anti-beam properties and various functions, the Unnamed Sword was a force to be reckoned with in its own right.

The Nameless Shroud was a custom piece of equipment painstakingly developed by Shiba after hundreds of Gunpla Duels. Derived as his answer to victory, the Nameless Shroud was essentially an all-in-one weapons system, capable of addressing any and all threats head on. One of its most powerful modes is the B-Smartgun configuration, whereby the dragoons and Shroud itself form up around the No-Name's right arm, converting the arm into a gigantic beam cannon. A single blast from the B-Smartgun could easily wipe out an entire division of mid-tier Gunpla, and the beam's trajectory can be altered mid-flight to wipe out fleeing targets.

As his final connection to his time with Gunpla Duel, the Astray No-Name remains as Tsukasa Shiba's crowning glory. Here's hoping that a HGCE 1/144 Lord Astray model kit will appear!

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