MGEX RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

After six months of work, I finally finished the extraordinary MGEX Unicorn Gundam model kit. This beast of possibility was truly a labor of love, though I admittedly didn't work very steadily on it during the half year it took from project start to completion. 

This was a fully painted build (including the hangar) and, as such, required some extra planning and attention due to the complexity of the Unicorn's transformation mechanic. I pre-shaded most of the more visible elements, like the hangar and the Unicorn's white exterior armor. 

Much to my distress, just as I was reaching the finish line and doing my final build, I managed to tear the delicate LED sheet, which set the project back a few weeks as I waited for an aftermarket replacement to arrive from South Korea (which added roughly another 50% of the cost to this already expensive kit). It was worth it in the end, as this model makes for an especially stunning display when lit up. 

Paint Details:

• Gaianotes lacquers for nearly all airbrushing
• Alclad II products for metallic colors and hot metal effects
• Tamiya Weathering Master Kits and a bit of Tamiya Flat Aluminum for weathering effects (hangar bay only)
• Vallejo Model Color for hand-brushing of Pilot Figures
• Gaianotes and Mr. Color top coats
  
  

Turns - Unicorn Mode

This kit comes with a mountain of waterslide decals (over one hundred, I believe) and I applied them all. Decal application can be tedious, but it's actually one of my favorite parts of any build, as I feel it's where the model really starts coming to life. 

Turns - Unicorn Mode in Hangar Bay

The hangar was the first part of the model I worked on, followed by the weapons and pilot figures. "Weapon fatigue" is very real and I learned a few kits back that it's important to leave the mobile suit itself for last, so as to avoid burnout. 

I didn't originally plan on weathering any aspects of this kit, wishing for the Unicorn Gundam to look very clean. After spraying, the hangar appeared flat with just paint, so I reasoned that even though the Unicorn itself might be fresh off the assembly line, the hangar would have been used by lots of other mobile suits before, and would thus show some wear and tear. 

Posed Shots - Banagher Links and Cardias Vist

I think it's hilarious that Bandai included a figure for "exploding Cardias," so I did my best to do the anime justice by roughly recreating the sequence in which Cardias bequeaths the Unicorn Gundam to Banagher, and then dies shortly after. 

Pilot Figures

This kit comes with a whopping six pilot figures (five standing and one of Banagher which sits in the Unicorn's cockpit). I think I've greatly upped my figure-painting game here, as some of these (Banagher, Mineva, and Marida specifically) represent my best work so far. 

Each figure was primed, then gloss coated and washed with black Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color. I cleaned up the excess, and then hand-painted with Vallejo Model Color acrylics, being careful to leave some of the black TPLAC in the cracks for definition. Rather than painting solid colors, I attempted to incorporate shadow and highlight values, which you can see most clearly in the folds of Mineva's purple dress. 

Open Hangar w/ LED Unit Activated

I love how the light of the LED shines through the cracks in the armor while the model is in Unicorn mode. 

One minor disappointment I had was that the Unicorn's "horn" didn't stay fully closed in Unicorn mode (which you can see clearly in these shots). I'm not sure if that's an issue with the kit itself, or if perhaps the plastic warped slightly with my paint job. The kit did come with an interchangeable solid horn, but I chose not to paint it, not realizing in advance that the two separate pieces wouldn't stay closed completely. It wasn't a big deal, though, since I knew I would be leaving the model posed in Destroy mode (and thus with open V-fin) in my display case. 

Beam Rifle w/ Shield

A classic action pose. Here you can start to see some of the detail I attempted to put into the kit, like the pre-shading (most visible on the shield detail shot), copper and iron metallic details (like on the leg), and more.

Dual Beam Gatling Cannons

The six(!) beam Gatling cannons were probably the most laborious part of this whole kit, but boy am I happy with the outcome. I used a variety of gray shades and metallics to break up the sameness of the cannons themselves, and Alclad II Hot Metal effects for the barrels, which was quite a process: first you lay down a layer of Gloss Black Base, then a layer of Chrome. You have to be careful with the chrome, as its reflectivity comes from the underlying gloss black - meaning, the more you spray, the more silver it becomes, but also the less reflective. So there's a balance you have to strike. Then you gently spray the hot metal effects one by one, blending them into a gradient as you go. The hot metal is very thin, so if you overspray, as I did the first time, you will get noticeable runs or even melt the underlying chrome layer. I ultimately had to strip my pieces and start over. I also added a gloss coat between the chrome and hot metal paint for extra protection. 

Quad Gatling Cannons

I think it's really cool that the Unicorn can either hold the individual Gatling cannons or have them attach to the undersides of the shields. 

Bazooka

While I'm thrilled with how the bazooka itself came out, I had to kick myself after the photos were taken because I realized that I had forgotten to extend the barrel of the weapon while posing. So the bazooka looks a bit stubbier than it should. I had already cleaned everything up and didn't feel like going back to do reshoots. Oh well. 

Turns - Destroy Mode

I held my breath as I performed the steps to transform the model from Unicorn mode to Destroy mode. I nearly had a major disaster, as I stupidly decided that the head transformation would be easier to perform if I removed the head from the model - completely forgetting that the LED sheet was in the head! I nearly tore the LED off at the neck, but managed to stop myself before doing any damage. Funny how our brains fail us sometimes! 

Beam Tonfa w/ Shield

It was late in the parts prep step of the build process when I got to the hands. I took one look at the fully posable hands and just said, "nope." Fully posable hands are a great option, of course, but I just didn't have the gas left in me to do the painstaking nub removal and cleanup on them. As such, I had to stick with the pre-posed hands, which meant the Unicorn would not be able to hold its beam sabers. I was ok with that, though, since I knew it could still wield them in this "tonfa" style. 

In these shots you can also see some details of the backpack, specifically the metallic details and how the LED lighting reflects off them. 

"Wolverine" Poses

I couldn't resist doing a double beam tonfa setup and posing the Unicorn in classic X-fashion. 

Awakened Mode - Shield Funnels

The effort put into the engineering of this kit is truly staggering. You can recreate the scenes from the anime where the three shields activate and fly independently as funnel weapons, reacting to Banagher's mastery over the Unicorn. 

Awakened Mode - Tri-Shield Configuration

Another amazing gimmick, and also the way I chose to leave the Unicorn for its final pose in my display case. I realized too late that I accidentally attached the shields in the wrong orientation, but it doesn't make a huge difference. I will say that the weight of the shields on the arms does cause them to sag a bit if they're leaning too far forward. 

A video showing the multi-stage lighting cycle you can opt to use: first just the head lights up, then it goes into Destroy mode (red), followed by Awakened mode (green), then back to blank before starting over. It cycles through the different looks for a few minutes before automatically turning off completely to save battery life. 

Weapon Details

This was by far the most advanced and detailed kit I've worked on to date. When they say "Master Grade Extreme," they really mean it! Though at times frustrating (mostly due to my own mistakes), this was an incredibly rewarding build experience and the final model looks incredible in my display. That said, I need a break! My next kit will likely be a much simpler one. Whew!