HGBuild Divers

Ex Valkylander

A dragon that folds itself into a knight, and somehow the hinge that does it never feels like a gimmick.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Ex Valkylander · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit a lot more than a 1,430 yen HG has any business being liked.

It is a dragon-type Gunpla that transforms into a humanoid mode with sword and shield, and the transformation is the whole reason to own it. The mouth articulates, the pose range on the dragon form is genuinely fun to mess with, and it never feels like Bandai just bolted a gimmick onto a normal kit skeleton.

Best for: Build Divers fans and transformation-gimmick collectors who want a cheap HG that actually does something clever with its parts

The full review

What it is

This is Parviz's upgraded Valkylander from Build Divers Re:RISE, a dragon-type Gunpla that folds down into a bipedal mode carrying a sword and shield. The core trick is that it is not two separate builds glued together, it is one skeleton that reconfigures, and getting that transformation to click into place the first time is a genuinely satisfying moment. The head and jaw articulate so the dragon can open and close its mouth, and there is enough joint movement in the wings and neck to pose it mid-flight on an action base. For a kit this cheap, the engineering ambition caught me off guard.

The catch

It is still an HG at HG price, so do not expect MG-level part fit or thick, satisfying molded color everywhere. There is a foil seal sheet doing real work on the color separation, particularly on smaller trim details, and if you want a fully clean paint job you will be filling gaps rather than just clipping and building. The transformation joints, because they are doing double duty as both dragon and humanoid connectors, can feel a little loose or finicky compared to a joint built for just one job. Skill level 2 assembly means some gate cleanup on visible surfaces, and the sword and shield are nice but not a huge accessory loadout.

Who it's for

Buy this if you watched Build Divers Re:RISE and want a cheap, honest version of a mechanic the show clearly cared about, or if you collect transforming Gunpla and want one more clever hinge system in the display case. Skip it if you are chasing pure shelf presence or MG-grade detail for the price, because this kit's whole value proposition is the trick, not the polish. As a beginner-friendly transformation kit it earns its price tag, but it is a novelty piece first and a display centerpiece second.

The build story

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

Assembly is skill level 2, so expect the usual gate cleanup on visible faces, nothing unusual for an HG. The parts that make up the transformation hinge are the most fiddly to seat correctly the first time, so I took it slow through that section rather than forcing anything. Once it clicks, though, folding it between dragon and humanoid mode becomes almost addictive to demonstrate.

The standout engineering here is the shared-joint transformation system itself, it is a smart bit of design for an HG price point. Mouth articulation on the dragon head is a nice detail most kits this size skip entirely, and the wing and neck range give the aerial pose real presence on an action base. The sword and shield round out the humanoid mode without padding the box, and for the part count and price band, the transformation gimmick alone makes this feel like a fair trade.

Lore & trivia

01The Ex Valkylander is Parviz's second-generation version of his original Valkylander, redesigned around GNY-001 Gundam Astraea parts with elements inspired by the Sacred Beast Cuadorn.
02It debuted in Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE's second season, which premiered April 9, 2020.
03In the show, the kit's dragon form is called Gundragon mode, and it can shift into a wing-heavy Dragon Fusion mode alongside its own Trans-Am-style boost called Gundrans-Am.