Heaven and Earth unite in another classic 1990s BB Senshi release.

The BB Senshi #128 Tenchi Gundam (天地頑駄無) is a wonderfully distinctive Musha-style SD Gundam from Shin SD Sengokuden: Shichinin no Chōshōgun-hen – New SD Sengokuden: The Seven Super Generals.

Originally released by Bandai in June 1994, Tenchi Gundam combines colourful samurai-inspired armour with transformation and equipment gimmicks typical of the golden age of BB Senshi.

Tenchi Gundam – Heaven and Earth

Tenchi Gundam is one of the warriors associated with the Seven Super Generals storyline.

The name Tenchi translates roughly as “Heaven and Earth”, and the design certainly lives up to the grand title.

Tenchi Gundam combines traditional Musha Gundam influences with an exaggerated helmet, enormous shoulder armour, decorative equipment and the chunky proportions that made early BB Senshi kits so instantly recognisable.

This isn’t a subtle Mobile Suit.

It’s a tiny armoured warrior wearing practically everything Bandai could fit onto the runners.

Exactly how a 1994 BB Senshi should be.

Classic Musha Gundam Styling

Tenchi Gundam comes from the period when SD Gundam designs were becoming increasingly elaborate.

The standard Gundam silhouette is almost completely transformed by the additional armour.

Large shoulder sections dramatically increase the width of the model, while the ornate headgear and extensive gold-coloured detailing create the appearance of a heavily decorated samurai warrior.

Underneath all that equipment is still a tiny Gundam.

Somewhere.

Probably.

Transformation Gimmicks

Like many characters from the classic BB Senshi era, Tenchi Gundam isn’t restricted to a single configuration.

Its armour and equipment can be rearranged to create alternative forms, giving the kit considerably more play and display value than its compact size might initially suggest.

This was one of the great strengths of the original BB Senshi range.

Bandai wasn’t chasing extreme articulation or enormous internal frames.

Instead, the kits were filled with transformations, removable armour and strange mechanical gimmicks.

Light Armour Form

Remove Tenchi Gundam’s larger equipment and you can reveal a simpler Light Armour configuration.

It’s a great way of seeing just how much the additional armour changes the character.

The lighter configuration gives Tenchi a much more traditional compact SD Gundam appearance.

Start adding the equipment back on and things become considerably more ridiculous.

In the best possible way.

Heavily Armed Warrior

Tenchi Gundam comes equipped for battle with an assortment of traditional-looking weapons and elaborate equipment.

Rather than relying on conventional Mobile Suit Beam Rifles, the emphasis is very much on the fantasy-samurai side of SD Gundam.

Swords and specialised equipment complement the elaborate armour, helping Tenchi Gundam feel more like a legendary warrior than a conventional military machine.

Armour Combination

One of the joys of older BB Senshi kits is figuring out what everything does.

Armour pieces often have more than one purpose.

Weapons can interact with other equipment.

Parts can move between configurations.

And something that looks purely decorative will suddenly turn out to be essential to another form.

Tenchi Gundam follows that classic philosophy, encouraging builders to actually handle and rearrange the completed kit rather than simply putting it into one pose and never touching it again.

Flash Crystal

Tenchi Gundam belongs to the generation of BB Senshi kits featuring the distinctive Flash Crystal system associated with The Seven Super Generals.

These jewel-like components became a visual signature of the storyline and help tie the individual warriors together when they’re displayed as a complete collection.

It’s another feature that screams:

1990s SD Gundam.

And that’s absolutely part of the appeal.

Bright Classic Colour Scheme

Tenchi Gundam uses the bold colours associated with classic Musha Gundam designs.

White armour provides the Gundam foundation, while stronger reds, blues, metallic-style gold details and additional accent colours transform the finished model into something much more decorative.

Straight from the box, you get that unmistakable retro BB Senshi appearance.

But painters can take things considerably further.

Perfect for Detail Painting

Like most BB Senshi kits of this period, Tenchi Gundam comes from a very different era of colour separation.

Modern builders shouldn’t expect every tiny gold decoration or armour detail to be individually moulded.

Stickers handle some of the colour reproduction, while builders wanting a more artwork-accurate finish can paint the smaller details themselves.

And Tenchi Gundam gives you plenty to paint.

Gold detailing alone can completely transform the finished model.

Add carefully painted armour sections, panel definition and metallic weapons and suddenly this little 1994 kit starts looking considerably more expensive than its original price would suggest.

Proper Old-School BB Senshi

This is important if you’ve only built modern SD kits.

BB #128 is a 1994 design.

That means the experience is very different from something like MGSD, SD Cross Silhouette or modern SDW Heroes.

Expect simpler articulation and construction.

But in exchange, you get something modern kits don’t always provide:

gimmicks everywhere.

Older BB Senshi were almost miniature toys disguised as plastic model kits.

Build them.

Transform them.

Swap the armour.

Change the equipment.

Combine things.

Then spend ten minutes trying to remember where the tiny piece you removed five minutes earlier was supposed to go.

Classic BB Senshi ownership.

Part of the Seven Super Generals Collection

Tenchi Gundam is especially appealing alongside the other warriors from New SD Sengokuden: The Seven Super Generals.

The lineup includes characters such as Kouki Gundam, Raimei Gundam, Zyuuou Gundam, Senriki Gundam, Bakuryu Gundam and Tettora Gundam, each bringing its own armour style, colours and gimmicks.

Individually they’re wonderfully strange little SD kits.

Together they become an explosion of gold armour, enormous helmets and increasingly questionable amounts of weaponry.

Which is exactly why collecting classic BB Senshi becomes dangerous.

You buy one.

Then it needs its friends.

Great for Retro Gunpla Collectors

Tenchi Gundam is particularly interesting for builders who enjoy exploring Gunpla’s history.

Modern Gunpla understandably focuses heavily on articulation, colour separation, surface detailing and increasingly sophisticated engineering.

Older BB Senshi shows another side of Bandai’s model-kit history.

These kits were about imagination.

Character.

Transformations.

Mechanical gimmicks.

And squeezing as much entertainment as possible into a very small box.

More than three decades later, that gives them a charm that’s difficult to replicate.

Product Features

Manufacturer: Bandai
Range: SD Gundam BB Senshi
BB Senshi Number: #128
Character: Tenchi Gundam
Japanese name: 天地頑駄無
Series: Shin SD Sengokuden: Shichinin no Chōshōgun-hen
English title: New SD Sengokuden: The Seven Super Generals
SD plastic model kit
Classic Musha Gundam design
Original Japanese release: June 1994
Removable armour
Alternative configurations
Light Armour configuration
Weapons and equipment included
Flash Crystal feature
Multi-colour moulded plastic
Sticker detailing
Snap-fit construction
Painting optional
Excellent potential for additional metallic detailing
Classic 1990s BB Senshi engineering

Why Add BB Senshi #128 Tenchi Gundam to Your Collection?

Because modern Gunpla simply doesn’t make them quite like this anymore.

Tenchi Gundam comes from an era when Bandai seemed determined to cram as many ideas as possible into each tiny BB Senshi box.

Armour.

Weapons.

Alternative configurations.

Flash Crystal.

Huge shoulders.

An enormous helmet.

And enough decorative gold detailing to keep anyone with a paintbrush occupied for quite some time.

It also sits right alongside BB #127 Zyuuou Gundam, making the pair a fantastic starting point for anyone collecting their way through The Seven Super Generals.

For BB Senshi collectors, Musha Gundam fans, retro Gunpla builders or anyone who thinks Gundams could benefit from considerably more samurai armour, Tenchi Gundam is a wonderfully nostalgic addition to the collection.

Heaven above. Earth below. An enormous amount of armour in between. BB Senshi #128 Tenchi Gundam is classic 1994 SD Gundam at its wonderfully over-the-top best.