GBT#14-RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode)

The RX0 Unicorn is my favorite Gundam of all time.  Granted part of this is due to me using the heck out of it in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3.  But I love the uniqueness of the design and its transformation into a more true to form Gundam.  It’s overpowered as heck and just a beast in combat when someone capable of putting it through its paces is in the cockpit (yeah not the biggest Banagher Links fan myself).  So what about it’s brother Gundam, the Banshee?  Well…it’s fine, I just think the Unicorn is better overall.  Still, I came across a nicely priced HG Gunpla of the Banshee and decided to assemble it.  I’ve built two Unicorns prior to this (three if you count an SD Model).  So I was curious how this build of a similar suit would go despite such a long gap between them (I built the armed to the teeth Full Armor Unicorn just after Christmas 2022, the Banshee at the time of writing this was almost a year later).  Turns out…I have gotten better at building Gunpla after all.

 
Suit History

During the Third Neo Zeon War in UC 0096, the Banshee was first deployed to capture the Unicorn Gundam after the Battle of Torrington. Built in conjunction with the RX0 Unicorn, the Banshee possesses similar capabilities as its fellow Gundam, including a Newtype Destroyer System (NTD).  It does possess a different weapons set, the Armed Armor Armaments.  These include the BS, a Beam Smart Gun, and the VN, a large claw that could be used for close combat or as a shield.  The Banshee’s first pilot Marida Cruz, a Neo Zeon Pilot who had been captured and brainwashed by the Vist Foundation.  During an operation by Neo Zeon to rescue Princess Mineva Zabi, Marida faced Banagher Links in the Unicorn but he managed to free her from her programming and she abandoned the Banshee aboard the Vist Foundation transport ship Garuda.  The Banshee would soon come to find itself in the hands of jaded Londo Bell pilot Riddhe Marcenas and eventually be upgraded to the RX-0[N] Gundam Unicorn 02 Banshee Norn for the remainder of the war. 

Build Experience

As I’d said before, it’d been about a year since I last tackled a Unicorn model Gundam.  Back then, I was using extremely large plyer cutting tools to snap pieces off their racks for assembly.  I think because of this, certain components didn’t fit as snuggly together as they should have, leading to some looseness in various joints and the outer armor.  However, I’ve since purchased a more standard cutting tool and am still using it today.  And man what a difference it makes.  Now that I can snip pieces off more accurately, it didn’t feel like I was in danger of pricking myself with the Banshee’s rather pointy armor.  Just like the Unicorn, the Banshee has translucent golden pieces to better show off its transformed state.  Peicing the exposed armor alongside it was tricky and I wasn’t sure if pieces were matching up like they were supposed to.  Given the final product, I did ok.  I could feel pieces coming together more securely and the possibility of the joints felt the right mix of tight and loose so nothing was coming off easily when I was ready to strike poses with this bad boy.  

However, towards the end of the build was when things got interesting.  The Banshee stands out not just because of it’s color scheme but also because of its weapons set and the Gunpla surprisingly focused on those weapons rather than its standard arsenal.  The Rail Gun and Claw Glove are meant to be the weapons shown off with this suit and they are fierce (though the claw could have been bigger).  So my question is: why include parts for the shield and beam rifle if you’re not gonna include sections on how to assemble them?  I really thought I had missed a step somewhere back during the weapons assembly sections or was missing a page altogether from the instructions.  But nope.  The Beam Rifle and Sheild parts are marked “X” in the blueprints of the racks, meaning they aren’t necessary for the final build.  Granted I could just pull out the old Unicorn manual and use that as a reference.  But yeah, why include them if you didn’t want them used?

Conclusion/Rating

The Gundam Banshee is a nice personal status update for how far I’ve come as a Gunpla builder.  Thanks to improved accuracy with tools, putting these things together feels more intricate and my eye for detail is getting better.  It looks appropriate fierce and bad ass…but I still cant get over the waste of rack space taken up by including standard weapons that aren’t meant to be built.  Really, the Rail Gun looks like its meant to stay attached to the Banshee’s arm so why not lessen the space on the parts racks?  Not sure what I’d put in their place though.  Still, not a bad build by any other means and I cant wait to see what other building fun awaits me in 2024
 
7/10

Next Week, we tackle a Gunpla of a Gundam that should be the most poseable of all, especially considering it’s supposed to mimic the moves of a Kung Fu Fighter.  Gunpla Builder Thursday Season Two is only just getting started.  See ya Next Thursday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.