MG Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka

Some people may think it's a bit cliché to review what might be their favorite Gundam ever as a first review, but I say screw clichés.

This is the MG RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Ver. Ka*, and let me tell you, this is one of the most amazing gunplas I've ever interacted with. Ever. I say "interacted with" because, sadly, this is not my Unicorn Gundam. Shortly before returning to college, a friend asked me if I could do the stickers and marking decals and some other cosmetic stuff to it, since up until that point it had just been sitting in his living room with an upsetting lack of personality. Being the good friend I am, I said "Why sure, I'll fix it up for you!" and here we are now. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the Unicorn Gundam pre-detailed, but in my opinion it's nothing special if it doesn't have the red marking all over the place. It adds to what makes this gunpla absolutely amazing, and that's exactly what this fantastic Gundam is. So then, on to the review!!

~*~UNICORN MODE~*~

Yes, that's right folks. It's called Unicorn Gundam for a reason, and that would be its Unicorn Mode. Specifically, the single horn protruding from its head that, you guessed it, resembles a unicorn's. Just looking at it in a static pose, you can tell that this thing means business. It doesn't look all that intimidating because it has a grand total of 3 constant colors, and most of the Gundam is white. At the same time though, it has a powerful feel to it. Just look at that face. There's got to be something under that facemask.

 

In this mode, it's about as tall as any other MG kit [the horn does help it cheat though]. As far as articulation goes, it's actually pretty decent. The skirt plates are all on ball/socket joints to allow for a wide range of leg movement. The knees are double-jointed, but unfortunately they don't bend that far back [but that's ok, because the posability of Unicorn Mode isn't that big of a deal]. The ankles are on some bizarre double-joint thing,  and frequently like to move the wrong joint of the two when I'm trying to pose it. I couldn't figure out how to get a picture of the frustrating ankle joints, so enjoy this instead: the open cockpit with the pilot inside [though you can't see him all that well].

The waist is similar to that of a HG's in that there just isn't much flexibility. It mostly just swivels, but once again, that's alright. I find that kits with, like, four waist joints [I'm looking at you, MG Exia] tend to frustrate me a little bit because posing it becomes more complex than it needs to be. The head/neck is incredibly articulated, and has a ball joint connecting it at the shoulders and what I assume to be a polycap connecting the head to the neck. It's got a full 360˚ range of movement, which is pretty sweet.

The arms and shoulders are also very articulated, which I like, because nobody likes arms that can't do anything. The shoulders can turn 360˚ and have a little bit of forward/backward action going, but nothing all that noticeable. The elbows can bend well, and unfortunately the Unicorn Gundam's wrists are trapped behind its large forearms. Being a MG, the fingers are all articulated [rather, the thumb and index finger get their own joint and the other three fingers are all stuck together, but I've seen people cut them free].

 

 In its arms, the Unicorn Gundam has some nifty beam saber storage panel things that flip out, though not all that far.

But when the Unicorn Gundam gets angry...

and wants to break things...

you'd best...

not be...

in its way...

~*~DESTROY MODE~*~

Yes folks, that's right. All of those mysterious panel lines had some meaning behind them, and this is what happens when Unicorn Gundam transforms. The red psychoframe beneath the white plates of Unicorn Mode's armor is revealed, and damn does it look good. This is where Unicorn Gundam truly shines. The facemask is pulled back to reveal - yes, that's right - the traditional face that no Gundam is complete without. Unfortunately, my friend forgot to give me the Unicorn horn that opens up into the gold V-fin that, once again, no Gundam is complete without, so just imagine it's there. Originally, the psychoframe was supposed to be pink, but one of the cosmetic touch-ups involved disassembling the entire thing, coloring the pink frame with a red sharpie [turns it red but keeps it clear] and then rebuilding it. Thus the red frame.


In Destroy Mode, Unicorn Gundam is much taller than your average MG. The articulation of this red and white goliath has stayed somewhat constant from its mythical beast form. The feet can actually move much better [and resemble high heels, but it's alright because it just looks so damn awesome]. Other than that though, articulation remains pretty much the same.

The beam saber panel things can now flip all the way forward, basically giving him swords attached to his arms.

And with his backpack unfolded, he gets access to TWO more beam sabers. How awesome is that?

And how freaking awesome do those marking stickers look now, huh? SO awesome.

~*~ACCESSORIES~*~
The Unicorn Gundam comes with three accessories [though in my case, two. My friend forgot to give me the hyper bazooka].

First up is the Unicorn's signature weapon, the Beam Magnum. This gun was constructed brilliantly. The gun slides open from the middle, in which a cartridge can be placed. The gun is closed, then support handle is pulled out, and you're ready to break EVERYTHING. It also has another handle thing that you can pull out and use to store the gun on Unicorn's backpack.

And what Gundam is complete without some sort of shield? That's right, reader, only the stupid ones. Presenting the Unicorn Gundam's shield... which doesn't actually have a spiffy name or anything.

BUT WAIT. THE SHIELD TRANSFORMS TOO!

~*~FINAL VERDICT~*~
I absolutely love the Unicorn Gundam. I think it was an incredibly clever idea, and other than the slightly hindered articulation I'd say that this MG is perfect. That's right, perfect. Hell, if I could I'd already have every single other Unicorn Gundam kit and toy, but currently my funds are far from allowing such a purchase [tear tear]. It looks like it's a really interesting build too, and I even had fun just putting the stickers on it. I highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a high quality MG kit for $50ish that, while can't do too many dynamic poses without an action base, looks so damn awesome.

And that's all for now, folks. This is Baby TheEnd, signing out~


*Ver. Ka means Version Katoki. This is one of the Gundam kits that was designed by an expert... designer by the name of Hajime Katoki. His kits are notorious for being made of win and happiness and have lots of stickers and decals. In my opinion, his kits are some of the best looking ones out there.




~*~UNICORN GUNDAM UPDATE~*~

Over the holidays, I got a Unicorn Gundam Titanium Finish as a gift from my awesome mom :D. I figured that people who read my blog might be interested in seeing it, because it doesn't seem like many other gunpla review sites care to purchase the Titanium Finish version. So, some photos!!

You'll notice that I chose not to add any of the decals, and this is my reasoning behind that: I don't think that the marking decals would add to the kit as it is presently. I developed a rule that I plan on keeping as long as I build gunpla: if it's a metallic version, don't ruin the shininess with stickers.

And since I now own my own Unicorn Gundam, I can show you all its third weapon: the hyper bazooka!

I think it's a pretty handy piece of engineering that uses a lot of the sliding action already present on Unicorn Gundam. I like that the barrel can extend for when the Gundam needs to use the bazooka, and it's also got a little storage tab like on the beam magnum.