Drew's Gunpla Tips: How to make your HG Hyper Mega Launcher fit RG Zeta Gundam Waverider

Wishing your RG Zeta has other stuff such as the HYPER MEGA LAUNCHER? Well you can, you just might need to get it from HGUC Zeta Gundam.

Bandai sure is clever when they made the RG Zeta. They didn’t include the Hyper Mega Launcher in it. So collectors and hobby enthusiasts like us, would fix this problem by getting the HG HML from the HGuc Zeta Gundam kit. Since both of them fit as 1/144 scale, the HML is really compatible.

Or so we thought.. little that everyone know, the HML can only be used as Zeta's main weapon when doing handheld poses. Never was it meant to fit the Waverider of the RG kit since the hilt cover of the HML hits the front skirt armor in the Waverider form.

Itching for the desired pose of the Waverider attached HML, I did some quick fix on this. Here’s how.

(I apologize for being so excited that I forgot to include the necessary tools needed for this project)

STEP 1: Remove the excess tabs and the grip holder. These are the actual pegs that connect to the shield of the HGUC Zeta Gundam. Converting the HML to RG use, we don't need them no more.

STEP 2: With the use of plaplates(various sizes depending on your desired thickness), create a tab that would fit the shield. This tab should be inserted to the part where the front landing gear should be.

STEP 3: Thoroughly flatten the area where you cut out the grip holder using a file or sand it down to a flat surface using sand paper.

Comparison to the original HML look included. (Lucky me, I got 2 HML’s)

STEP 4: Cut out a small portion on the back of the HML or the battery container to make it more slicker and more likely fits the RG style. In my opinion, the HGUC HML is a little bit bulky at this end, and trimming it down may help with the aesthetics of the RG kit itself.

Comparison when then battery container's thickness was cut down.

STEP 5: Cut a strip of plaplate. Make it the same size as the grip cover or the thickness of the whole part. This will be the new cover that will replace the old one.

STEP 6: We’ll now create a lever mechanism so that the new cover would swing open. Use plaplates of various sizes to achieve this as well.

Use plaplates to make a base for the swinging lever/hinge for the cover. This will be the part that will hold the peg of the hinge for the cover.

STEP 7: This time, we'll create or scratch build the actual lever that swings open, hinge for the cover.

Super glue the part for additional thickness of the lever or hinge. It's better that this hinge would be the same thickness as the gap from the HML.

When you achieved the desired thickness of the hinge, drill a hole on the hinge and cut away the corners to even out the swing.

STEP 8: Drill holes on the base of the lever as well using the same drill bit. Preparing the base for the actual hinge.

TEST FIT: Using flexy wire or galvanized wire, test fit the hinge and the base. Make sure to cut the exact length of the flexy wire so you can test fit it all together with the HML.

STEP 9 : Connecting the new cover to the hinge.

Cut out a smaller piece of plaplate that would match the thickness of the hinge. Then use super glue to have the smaller piece stick together with the cover.

Super glue the small piece and attach it to the actual hinge. Swing test it as well to see if it freely swings.

Attach a thin strip of 0.3mm plaplate to secure the attachment of the hinge to the cover. Super glue them together to strengthen the hinge and cover.

STEP 10: We’ll create a hinge for the grip itself this time. We will Drill holes on the inner part of the HML. Use a drill bit the size of a runner piece since we'll use this runner piece as a peg.

TEST FIT: Grip hinge

TEST FIT : Grip hinge with the new swinging cover.

TEST FIT : The HML to the RG shield

TEST FIT: RG Zeta Gundam hand held HML and shield attached HML

All seems to be in order. On to the next steps.

Since all looks great on the test fit..

STEP 11: Super glue the hinge base and the grip hinge. Reassemble the HML right after.

STEP 12: Cut out two plaplates same size and same shape of the cover. We copied somehow the shape of the HGUC HML grip cover. These are somewhat thinner than to what it is compared to.

When you’re satisfied with the shape of the new cover, super glue them together on the edge of the new swinging cover. This is how it will looks compared to the original.

TEST FIT: RG waverider with HML:

I'll have the waverider positioned this way to see if we were able to make it fit and avoid the front skirt armor hindering the HML.

As what we can clearly see, the HML modification was a SUCCESS!!!!!!

Now to finish the HML with one finishing touch..

STEP 13: Cut a strip of 0.3mm plaplate and super glue it to the battery container and seal off the whole we created earlier. File down the side of the HML to have a some what rounded edges on the battery container.

And that's done..

The next steps are optional but suggested because it is for appearance sake. Repainting the HML would be best to hide and seal away the discoloration from using plaplates.

Here’s another look on the modified version compared to the original HML without modifications.