BB Senshi #127 Zyuuou Gundam

Bring some classic 1990s SD Gundam history to your collection with the BB Senshi #127 Zyuuou Gundam, also known as Juuoh Gundam / 獣王頑駄無, from Bandai.

Originally released on 1 May 1994, Zyuuou Gundam comes from Shin SD Sengokuden: Shichinin no Chōshōgun-hen – New SD Sengokuden: The Seven Super Generals. This wonderfully old-school BB Senshi kit packs transformation, spring-loaded wings, silver-plated parts and even a genuine metal chain into a compact SD build.

Zyuuou Gundam – The Beast King

Zyuuou Gundam is one of the warriors from the Seven Super Generals storyline and has a wonderfully distinctive design even by Musha Gundam standards.

Rather than simply taking a conventional Gundam and giving it samurai armour, Zyuuou incorporates a strong beast motif throughout its armour and equipment.

The huge shoulder armour, wings, horns and elaborate helmet give the completed model considerably more presence than its compact BB Senshi proportions might suggest.

This is classic SD Gundam at its weirdest.

Which is usually when SD Gundam is at its best.

Transform into Four Sacred Beasts Form

The biggest feature of BB #127 is its transformation.

By rearranging the armour and body components, Zyuuou Gundam can transform into its distinctive Four Sacred Beasts Transformation Form. Bandai specifically highlights this transformation as one of the kit’s main features.

The result is a creature-like configuration that looks completely different from the standard warrior form.

It’s gloriously strange.

Samurai Gundam one minute.

Mechanical beast the next.

1994 clearly had absolutely no interest in subtlety.

Light Armour Form

Underneath the elaborate equipment is Zyuuou Gundam’s simpler Light Armour Form.

Removing the larger armour pieces reveals a much more restrained warrior underneath and also demonstrates how much additional bulk the full equipment adds.

This effectively gives you several different ways to enjoy the kit:

Light Armour Form

Fully Armoured Zyuuou Gundam

Four Sacred Beasts Transformation Form

Not bad for a little BB Senshi originally sold for ¥500 before tax.

Spring-Loaded Wings

Here’s where things get properly old-school.

The Shippuu no Tsubasa – Wings of the Gale incorporate a mechanical spring gimmick.

Activate the mechanism and the wings can spring open in one action.

No electronics.

No complicated linkage.

Just a spring hidden inside a tiny SD Gundam.

Simple.

Completely unnecessary.

And therefore brilliant.

Metal Chain Weapon

Zyuuou Gundam’s Chain Saver isn’t recreated with a moulded plastic imitation.

Bandai included an actual metal chain.

That gives the weapon a completely different feel from conventional BB Senshi accessories and adds another unusual material to the build.

It’s also a reminder of just how experimental some of these older BB Senshi releases could be.

Plastic parts.

Silver plating.

Spring mechanism.

Metal chain.

All inside one tiny box.

Goujuu Shinken

Zyuuou Gundam also carries the impressive Goujuu Shinken sword.

The large sword fits perfectly with the exaggerated proportions of the full armour and provides a more conventional melee weapon alongside the Chain Saver.

Equip both and the little Beast King suddenly looks considerably less friendly.

Silver-Plated Components

The kit includes distinctive silver-plated parts, helping reproduce the flashy metallic appearance associated with classic BB Senshi releases of this era.

These provide an immediate visual contrast against the predominantly white and orange-gold moulded components.

For builders who enjoy retro Gunpla, the plated components are a huge part of the charm.

Flash Crystal

A Flash Crystal / Beam Crystal is also included as part of the equipment.

The crystal gimmick was shared across several machines from The Seven Super Generals storyline and helps visually connect Zyuuou Gundam with the other warriors from the series.

Collect the wider lineup and those shared design elements really start to come together.

Four Beast King Helmet Compatibility

There’s another brilliant gimmick hidden in this little kit.

Zyuuou Gundam can wear the helmets associated with the Four Beast Kings, expanding the customisation possibilities when combined with compatible earlier BB Senshi releases.

It’s exactly the sort of cross-kit interaction that made collecting the older BB Senshi range so much fun.

One kit gives you the character.

Several kits together start unlocking additional combinations.

Classic 1994 BB Senshi Engineering

It’s important to remember that this kit dates back to 1994.

Don’t expect modern SDW Heroes or MGSD engineering.

This is proper old-school BB Senshi.

Simpler articulation.

Large stickers.

Chunky proportions.

Mechanical gimmicks.

Plated parts.

And a lot of character.

Bandai officially records the original release date as 1 May 1994, making BB #127 more than three decades old as a design.

A Fantastic Painting Project

Older BB Senshi kits can be incredibly rewarding for painters.

The relatively simple parts separation means some of the smaller colour details rely on stickers or require painting if you want the finished model to closely match the artwork.

For experienced builders, that’s part of the appeal.

Try adding:

• Metallic gold armour details
• Silver highlights
• Black panel definition
• Red detailing
• Painted facial features
• Metallic weapon finishes
• Additional shading
• Gloss armour
• Matte fabric-style areas

With some careful painting, these older BB kits can look absolutely fantastic.

Part of the Seven Super Generals

Zyuuou Gundam sits alongside several other classic BB Senshi releases from New SD Sengokuden: The Seven Super Generals, including Kouki Gundam #123, Raimei Gundam #125, Tenchi Gundam #128, Senriki Gundam #133, Bakuryu Gundam #135 and Tettora Gundam #137.

Collecting the complete group creates a fantastic display of classic Musha-style SD designs.

And because each character has its own unusual gimmicks, they don’t simply feel like variations of the same basic kit.

Product Features

• Manufacturer: Bandai
• Range: SD Gundam BB Senshi
• BB Senshi Number: #127
• Character: Zyuuou Gundam / Juuoh Gundam
• Japanese name: 獣王頑駄無
• Series: Shin SD Sengokuden: Shichinin no Chōshōgun-hen
• SD plastic model kit
• Original Japanese release: 1 May 1994
• Original price: ¥500 before tax
• Transformation into Four Sacred Beasts Form
• Light Armour configuration
• Full-armour configuration
• Spring-loaded Wings of the Gale
• One-touch wing deployment
• Metal chain weapon
• Goujuu Shinken sword
• Chain Saver
• Flash Crystal / Beam Crystal
• Silver-plated components
• Compatible with Four Beast King helmet equipment
• Snap-fit classic BB Senshi construction

Why Add BB Senshi #127 Zyuuou Gundam to Your Collection?

Because this is exactly the sort of wonderfully over-the-top engineering that makes classic BB Senshi so collectible.

Zyuuou Gundam isn’t simply a tiny samurai Gundam. You can strip it down to its Light Armour Form, equip the full Beast King armour and then rearrange the entire thing into the bizarre Four Sacred Beasts Transformation Form.

Then Bandai adds spring-loaded wings.

Silver-plated components.

A Flash Crystal.

A huge sword.

And an actual metal chain for the Chain Saver.

For SD Gundam collectors, Musha Gundam fans or builders rediscovering the wonderfully strange world of 1990s BB Senshi, #127 Zyuuou Gundam is packed with retro charm.

Armour on. Wings released. Metal chain ready. Beast Mode activated. BB Senshi #127 Zyuuou Gundam is more than 30 years old and still wonderfully, gloriously ridiculous.