HGBuild Divers

AGE-IIMG Gundam AGEII Magnum

A cheap, easy HG that hands you a full arsenal and a transformation gimmick without asking much in return.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

AGE-IIMG Gundam AGEII Magnum · 1/144 · 2018

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2018

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is exactly what an HG should be: fast, cheap, and generous.

I built it in an evening without ever reaching for glue or paint and still ended up with four F Funnels, a beam rifle, a beam saber, and a shield stand to pose everything on. The transformation into Phoenix Mode is a genuine bonus, not a gimmick tacked on to sell the box. For a kit that street prices around 20 dollars, the amount of stuff in the runners is a little surprising.

Best for: Newer builders or budget-conscious Build Divers fans who want a heavily armed Gundam that snaps together fast

The full review

What it is

The AGE-IIMG Gundam AGEII Magnum is Kyoya Kujo's signature machine from Gundam Build Divers, a heavily upgunned evolution of the AGE-2 Normal, and Bandai built the HG version to be almost frictionless. The color separation is good enough out of the box that I never felt forced to reach for paint, and the parts fit together with the kind of confidence that tells you Bandai has been running this basic AGE-2 frame through revisions for years. What got me was how much gear comes in the box for the price. The rifle, saber, shield, and four separate F Funnels all have a place to mount, and none of it feels like filler.

The catch

It is still an HG, so the elbows and knees are single-jointed in the way most kits at this price point are, and the smaller accessory parts (the funnels especially) are fiddly to clip cleanly without leaving a visible nub mark if you are not careful with your cutters. Some panel lines and detail call for a marker or wash if you want the finished look the box art promises, since molded detail alone leaves some areas flat. The transformation into Phoenix Mode is fun to fidget with but is not something you will re-pose constantly once the novelty wears off, and a couple of the smaller connector joints feel like they could loosen with repeated transforms.

Who it's for

Buy this if you want an inexpensive, quick build that rewards you with a loaded weapons array and a display stand, especially if you like the Build Divers aesthetic or want an easy gateway into HG kits before stepping up to something with an inner frame. Skip it if double-jointed articulation and paint-free color accuracy at a premium level matter more to you than speed and value, in which case the later MG release of the same suit is the better call. As a straightforward weeknight build with real bang for the buck, it earns its spot in an HG collection.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

Assembly is quick and low-stress, the kind of build where you never have to stop and hunt for a part that doesn't want to seat. Gate placement on the main body parts is reasonable, though the funnel components and their tiny joints need careful clipping and a bit of patience to avoid stress marks. Nothing here requires glue or paint to look presentable straight off the runners.

The standout is value: for an HG at roughly 20 dollars, you get a full weapons loadout (beam rifle, beam saber, shield) plus four removable F Funnels and a stand that can hold the spare hip joints and hands, all on top of a working Phoenix Mode transformation. Articulation is standard HG fare, single-jointed but stable enough to hold the aggressive poses the character is known for in the show.

Lore & trivia

01The AGE-IIMG Gundam AGEII Magnum is piloted by Kyoya Kujo (also called Kyoya Kisugi), captain of the team Avalon and the reigning GBN champion in Gundam Build Divers.
02The suit is built as an upgraded, heavily armed variant of the AGE-2 Normal from Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, repurposed for the Build Divers setting.
03The kit can be rearranged into a Phoenix Mode configuration, and Kyoya is shown using the F Funnels offensively, including downing Riku's Gundam 00 Sky during an aerial engagement in the anime.
04Bandai later released a Master Grade version of the same suit with the full transformation gimmick and improved waist stability over the HG.