HGUC 1/144 RX-0[N] Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn [Destroy Mode]

Time for another edition of Let's Build A Model! Today, is Bandai's HGUC 1/144 RX-0[N] Unicorn GBanshee Norn [Destroy Mode]. This new model was released this past March. The entire project was a strait build with zero customization.


Steps 1 - 3:  Assemble the upper torso.

Color separation is perfect. However, there are a lot of small parts that go into body, so be careful not to lose something important. The gold molded plastic bits comes off a bit flat though, some gold paint or marker will fix that.






Steps 4 - 10:  Build the backpack, then attach them to the back.

A pair of gold decals go with the mobile suit's wings. This step requires some precision because you'll likely see some edges sticking out, even if you're off by a millimeter.

Step 11:  Put the head together.

The head design is my most favorite feature of this mobile suit due to the gold crown. On the other hand, assembling the crown was a major pain. The crest is made of two pieces that don't peg on each other. Instead, the top half has to latch on to the bottom piece, then the finished crown pegs into the forehead. Getting the crown pieces to lock were very cumbersome.


Steps 12 - 18:  Build the arms.







Step 19:  Snap the arms and head onto the upper torso.


Steps 20 - 34:  Assemble the legs.

This is by far the most tedious and longest part out of the whole process, but I could clearly see why. Despite not having an inner skeleton, the joints, layers of solid and transparent armor, and amount of small stickers adds a ton of detail.

Steps 35 - 36:  Snap the waist together.



Steps 37 - 38:  Combine all of the parts together.

Steps 40 - 43:  Build the shield.






Steps 44 - 46:  Put the gun together.


Extra Pieces

The set included some swappable pieces to go with this mobile suit. One, is a gun barrel with a transparent blue projectile effect. There's also an extra hand designed to hold the gun and a snap on clip for when the shield latches on the arm.

Conclusion

When looking at the assembled model, I can immediately see why Bandai chose this mobile suit for their line of model kits. The look is stunning. Working with some small pieces were a bit tricky, and a major pain sometimes, but the hard work certainly paid off. As a fair warning, the trimmed sprue marks looks bad, even more so on dark colored armor. Either a touch up or complete paint customization would be more effective. If you're looking for another project to do, consider this one too.

A review of this model will be published soon!