#RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

[dsiwares]

[argumentalist]

I think the newtype space-magic bullshit is by far the weakest part of Mobile Suit Gundam. And it taints the entirety of the Universal Century timeline.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn absolutely revolves around newtypes - so, clearly, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is not my favorite show.

But it's got some absolutely fantastic mobile suit designs. And this week I've built the Real Grade RX-0 Unicorn Gundam.

One of the many reasons I don't like buying gunpla on Amazon is that they don't seem to have any idea what appropriate shipping & handling is. They just slapped a label on the box and sent it on its way.

Needless to say - I exchanged it.

Right off the bat, this kit looks kind of weird. The A-runner is all a translucent pinkish-red ABS. The B-runner is also festooned with clear bits. It's all very striking even before building anything.

If you've spent any time on the /r/gunpla subreddit I'm sure you've seen the horror stories about broken Unicorn arms.

Well, I made sure to do my research. Made sure I was twisting in the right place. And I was able to successfully rotate those B8/B9 arm segments without issue.

Unfortunately they don't normally warn you that the G35 part in the chest is weak and that rotating the shoulders may break it.

I ordered some replacement G35 bits on AliExpress.

I also got some 80wt silicone shock oil to lubricate the arm joints. Just a tiny drop and some vigorous movement were enough to loosen everything up.

Like most Real Grades - this kit comes with a lot of sticker-style decals and an extensive marking guide.

I used the shiny green stickers for the eyes and cameras, but that's it.

I picked up some waterslide decals from Delpi Decal. The picture isn't great, but there's a neat holographic finish to these decals.

I also wound up painting the v-fin with a gold Gundam Marker. Nothing fancy, but it looks pretty decent. And I don't have to worry about a sticker peeling off.

I didn't love the accessories for this kit. The magazines for both the bazooka and the beam magnum are kind of loose. They were constantly falling out when I was posing the kit. And the shield feels very light and insubstantial.

At least it's got the solid, pre-posed hands.

The kit really looks pretty fantastic with decals and a matte topcoat. Obviously Unicorn mode is almost entirely white... But there's a good amount of surface detail. And it's got some subtle shades of white, grey, and off-white going on.

The transformation to Destroy mode is kind of a pain in the ass. Lots of fiddly little bits to deal with. And posing in Destroy mode is a challenge, too. It's hard to avoid closing up panels or yanking stuff off.

I've often seen people call this kit the first "good" real grade, and I think I have to disagree. This kit was a pain in the ass. It was far more fiddly than any of the real grades I've built previously. This is the first kit where I had to buy replacement parts or lube-up the joints. The first kit I'd really say needed more than just nippers to build. Definitely not beginner-friendly.

Still - it does look good now that it's up on my shelf.

I certainly won't be building any of the other Unicorn variants any time soon.

[amalgamasreal]

Remember that the true Gundam Jesus, Banagher "The Banana" Links, always believes in you. Unlike that pretender Kira Yamato.

[gerogerigaogaigar]

PG RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

Yay my second ever perfect grade and my first time installing led lights. Doing wiring on something that needs just enough slack to be able to pose and transform but not so much slack that the pieces compress the wiring is actually excruciating, but everything turned out fine obviously. He's so cool looking though. Genuinely a tough build in a lot of places though. Getting the legs and shoulders just right requires you to really grok the intended mechanics for transforming him while you're building and it can get stressful. On the other hand he's so cool looking.

[phoenixbrightheart]

My second, and only other one I want, mega size gundam. Also sdcs, rg, and mg. No perfect grade because I want the perfectability and it's expensive. All such lovely builds still need decals on the rg and mega size.

[armandg]

I edited this one.

[diurnaldaysart]

RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode (redo of a 2022 drawing)

[emaadsidiki]

Life Sized Unicorn Gundam At The Gundam Base Tokyo

[barb8tos]

part one of attempting gundam

admit it barbatos lupus rex is cool as fuck

closeups under the cut :]

get gundam'd

[gatormeister]

And that’s the High Grade Unicorn Destroy Mode built!

What a weird kit. I genuinely loved building the torso, arms, and legs around the Gundam’s Psycho-Frame. It was really cool and the result looks great, but my god what are these joints? I get this is slightly old by now, but they feel so limiting. Not to mention how the elbows start to come apart a little when moved a lot. And this kit was mostly reused for the high grade Phenex? A much more recent kit? That’s insane. I get it’s a model kit, not an action figure or something. It’s not meant to be moved a lot, it’s meant to be displayed, but putting a model in different poses is part of the fun of displaying them too.

Panel lining was left minimal. I only have the black fine liner to use and thought seeing that much black would be overwhelming for it.

I honestly don’t hate this kit, I like it even, but some of these design choices just seem baffling. It is a serious shame that the beam sabers and bazooka were left exclusive to the Unicorn Mode kit though. Would have been a nice option to have.

[alphamecha-mkii]

Unicorn!!! by theDURRRRIAN

[deathbyod]

[athena-gunpla]

HGUC RX-0 Unicorn Gundam [Destroy Mode]

This was a long build, mainly because there's a lot of panel lining and lots of small parts to get the layered "open armor" effect. Overall a really fun project though. The red effect glows under UV light!

[amalgamasreal]

A Gundam getting just fucking space dropkicked, a tale as old as time:

[gerogerigaogaigar]

High grade Kshatriya and also my entire shrine to Unicorn. Tried to sorta recreate their first fight. I've got HG, RG, and PG unicorn all in destroy mode. I need to get one in unicorn mode too.