Brilliant.

With the end of the year edging ever closer and with all the new awesome kits coming in its easy to miss a lot of awesome kits out there, in this month alone we have the MG GM Sniper, RG Zaku Johnny Ridden Custom and the HG Zaku Half Cannon not to mention as well from the P-Bandai front, the MG GM Command Space-Variant, MG Hazel and the HG Pale Rider (both ground and space-variant).

As I mentioned before in my previous Unboxing and First Impressions, from the point of announcements and up until its release, I was uninterested with the kit and was unimpressed by it when I first saw the promotional pictures of the Unicorn. I thought it was more like the HG variant, only with more details and even if they choose the route of making it transformable, with my previous experiences with the RG Zeta Gundam I believed that Bandai would never be able to make the unicorn stable enough to showcase the psycho-frame well. As the time passed and we get more details, the confusing promotional details led me to believe that Bandai decided to head towards the HG way of doing things and have the Unicorn come in two versions like its HG variant.

By then I was expecting this to be a disappointment, but alas my encounter with the anonymous Gunpla builder changed everything for me and I was glad that I did, if not I would miss this awesome kit completely.

Well, before I get into it further lets us first talk about the History of this MS

The history and development of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

Model name : RX-0

Classification : Prototype Full-Psychoframe Mobile Suit

Weapon systems : 60mm Vulcan Gun, Beam Saber, Beam Gatling Gun, Beam Magnum, Hyper Bazooka, Beam Rifle, Shield (w/ I-generator)

Height : 19.7m (Unicorn mode) 21.7 (Destroy Mode)

Armour Material : Luna Titanium

Powerplant : Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor (3480kw total output)

Total Thrust : 142600 kg

Effective Sensor Radius : 22000m

Crew : 1 (pilot only)

The unicorn is a very interesting MS that was ever been introduced in Gundam universe, the best way for me to describe the Unicorn is…….

Imagine you are a key maker (or a cobbler) and you are a person (or an organization) that was entrusted to keep a box that could shake the world that you leave in and one day you decided to make a key that would be able to open up the box. This key that you are making is no ordinary key, it’s a key that could kick ass and is able to turn anyone into an ass kicking badass with no effort required.

Basically, that’s what the Unicorn Gundam is, well the first version of it anyways. The unicorn is a prototype Mobile Suit first intended to be a key to lead and entrust the worthy to the Laplace box. Though, it wasn’t really built to be a key originally. The Unicorn was originally produced by the EFSF as the final piece of the puzzle for their Reorganization plan: which is the Unicorn to be the one to wipe all traces of Zeonism in the Earth Sphere.

And to achieve this The Unicorn was given a pretty interesting system to combat the Newtypes that served under the Neo Zeon forces, first of all, the Unicorn was given a full Psychoframe system, even though the Psychoframe system was first implemented in the Second Neo Zeon war it only saw limited use of the system. With the Unicorn however, the Psychoframe saw its first full complete use in a Mobile Suit. With the test data obtained from the experimental Sinanju Stein, the Unicorn’s frame was made from psycho-frame Material. With the full implementation of this system, it improves and enhances the pilot’s response to any situation.

For the Unicorn to maximise and to fully utilize the Full-Psychoframe system, the Unicorn Gundam was given the NT-D system or it was better known as the Newtype Destroyer System. Whereas the System as you may have guessed it was made to combat and destroy any new types that the unicorn Gundam may come in contact with when the system activates. The NT-D system is as well improves the overall performance of the Gundam Unicorn, as well transforms the plain shape of the unicorn mode to reveal what is it exactly, a Gundam. Though the biggest irony of this system is that, though it is a system made to seek and destroy other Newtypes the only people that are suited and is able to fully utilize the NT-D System is a Newtype themselves. What irony indeed.

Regardless the EFSF managed to complete two prototypes of the unicorn at Anaheim Electronics factory in Granada, not before the Vist Foundation took control of the Unicorn units and turned the Unicorn Gundam into a key in finding the Laplace’s Box. This was made possible due to the installation of the La+ Program. The program itself it’s actually a very unique form of OS that is made to slowly reveal the path to open the Laplace Box when only certain requirements were fulfilled. To prevent the Unicorn Gundam to fall into the wrong hands, it was given a biometrics registration system where when registered the Unicorn can only be operated by the pilot that the biometrics is registered to. Unfortunately, this system is only unique to the RX-0 not on the RX-0 [N] version of the unicorn unit.

In terms of weapons system itself, the unicorn was made to be able to use both the EFSF and the Neo Zeon beam, and projectile weapons. Even so, there are still weapons that are made unique only to the Unicorn Gundam, like the Beam Magnum Rifle, beam saber and the Shield system with an I-generator installed.

This is one insanely insane MS indeed.

With that ends the History lesson, and now finally let’s get into the Review.

* all the pictures were taken from the Gundam Wikia, do check them up for more detailed read up on the Unicorn or any other MS’s

The Review

Ahh the RG Unicorn Gundam, my second transformable RG kit right after the Gundam Zeta, I have my doubts and fears when building you and to see it all turn to dust it is really a satisfying feeling overall. I have no doubt in my mind that you are one of the kits I now considered to be my pick of RG and Gunpla of 2017.

The first thing that I liked about the Unicorn is definitely the overall build of this kit, never I find myself to be bored and always finding myself looking forward to just keep working on this. The one thing I really liked about this kit is that everything seems to fit snuggly and everything works as intended. As well I do find this kit to be fairly easy to get into even though I do find myself confused by the manual every now and then, then again it wasn’t a big issue. I always find myself having fun and never bothered by it.

Even with that being said, I’m still quite salty that they didn’t translate the Weapons and NT-D section.

Overall, when a part was completed it felt really firm and solid. Never I came across an RG kit that felt like this, a kit that could change its form without having to take them off (well for the most parts anyway) and even with its transformed form it still feels stable and awesome. Dang, not even the Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu Mina is this stable, and I really thought the Amatsu was the best RG I’ve made this year. Honestly, this is the second time this year an RG kit made me want to have more of it. At the time of writing, I’m already planning to get the Unicorn MG (if I can find the Ver.K.A is the one I’m looking for if it is possible. Haha).

That is how good building the RG Unicorn Gundam is to me and it’s not just building the kit, the articulation of the Unicorn is as well brilliant. Everything works as intended, though you would have an issue a bit when you first transform the Unicorn but overall when you managed to it would look as awesome in destroy mode as how it was when it is in its Unicorn mode. My only gripe with the articulation of the Unicorn is only on the feet section and the manipulator section. The feet are unable to move sideways, and it kind of limits the ability to further enhance the pose when you pose it up on the stand, but overall its not a big issue as I can understand the Design choice in making the Unicorn more stable when you want to pose it without a stand, and yes you are able to pose the Unicorn without a stand with no issues!

The manipulator, however, I kind of don’t understand why they make it fixed. Oh no I have no issues with the fixed manipulator sets its just that last time Bandai would give us an option to opt for and now, they don’t seem to care to include this one in. I knew a lot of Gunpla builders that loved using that RG moveable Manipulator set (though it’s even more fragile) that would find this to be a deal breaker for them. For myself, however? I don’t mind using the fixed set, it’s just that I do like to have options and flexibility.

Looking at awesome these two modes make me really want to get another Gundam Unicorn so I could have one kit posing as the Unicorn Mode and the current one as a Destroy mode. Honestly, that would just be going to awesome as hell. The best part of the transformation system? That is as stable in destroy mode as how it was in its unicorn mode.

Really an impressive feat from Bandai and I was genuinely impressed, what’s more, is that I don’t need to add or have any fixed parts to keep the transformation mode in place. It is all built and incorporated well into the whole build. I feel that whatever it is that the Gunpla evolution programme is doing I have to give them all the credit for making this into an awesome kit. Before this RG kits have been something of a mixed bag, a line of kit that has great details and fun to build but one that is plagued with very loose and unstable parts and one that for most of us feel its an impossible feat to make something at this scale as detailed and as stable as its 1/100 counterparts.

Now we have finally had an RG kit that is as good, stable and as detailed as its 1/100 counterparts and yet still manages to be as fun too. Finally, an RG that I can really recommend to a beginner builder and as well to the more experienced builder. I am really excited about the future of the RG lines, and I hope we will have more awesome RG kits in the future!

I can’t deny that the unicorn is definitely MY pick, not just as the best RG kit to date but as the best Gunpla kit of 2017. Yes, it has its issues and no gunpla is made to be perfect (honestly there is no such thing as a perfect gunpla in this world) but overall its just so much fun to be working with and I feel that this is without a doubt have the makings of the Gunpla of the year material.

That is until I get the RG 1/144 MS-06R-2 Zaku II Johnny Ridden or the MG ZZ Gundam Ver.k.a, then we shall see who would be taking that crown up. This is going to be a very close one indeed.

With that concludes my review of the RG 1/144 RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, what do you guys think of the overall review and of the kit? As well your own experience with the RG Unicorn, do you share my enthusiasm for this awesome RG kit? With the news of the banshee just sprung up, now I am really looking forward to getting the Banshee next! Though I do wonder if P-Bandai would have any plans for releasing the full armor conversion kit for the Unicorn if they do that would be really awesome!

More RG Unicorn is something I would really welcome now, the awesomeness of the Unicorn does make the prospects of the Exia to be an awesome kit to get into seem to be really promising. Since they both were developed under the same Gunpla Evolution programme, I do hope future RG, MG, PG and even the HG kits would benefit more from this programme since all I can see them doing a pretty good job here.

Regardless, we do look forward to reading more on your comments and thoughts here! We will be back with more Let’s Talk Gunpla Segment on Wednesday and we will be back as well this Sunday hopefully, with a new Unboxing post and possibly on the next Monday a coverage of the Upcoming Malaysian GWBC event in KL! So, do look forward to that!

Damn double feature? We are going to be busy indeed!

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We hope by sharing our love for Gunpla would be able to make your day!

Anyways, we shall see you again next week, and we hope that you all have an awesome week and weekend ahead! Have an awesome Gunpla building time there as well and till next time!

Ciao!