HGAnno Domini

GN-0000DVR Gundam 00 Diver [Golden Dive Sparkle]

The same sharp Diver frame, dipped in glitter and boxed as a Blu-ray bonus.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Gundam 00 Diver [Golden Dive Sparkle] · 1/144 · 2018

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2018

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuinely good HG wearing a novelty finish, and I think that combination works better than it has any right to.

The sparkle clear plastic is the whole reason to seek this one out over the standard release, but underneath the shimmer it is the same well engineered Build Divers frame that reviewers liked when it first hit shelves in 2018. If you already own the regular colorway, this is a shelf-trophy purchase, not an upgrade.

Best for: Build Divers fans who want the bonus-box color variant, or HG collectors who like a shimmer finish over just another gray inner frame

The full review

What it is

The 00 Diver is Riku Mikami's Gunpla from Gundam Build Divers, a GBN-native redesign of the original 00 Gundam with a new head, chest, backpack, shoulders, wrists, and lower legs built specifically to be a diver-friendly all-rounder. This Golden Dive Sparkle release swaps the standard color scheme for a sparkle clear gold and blue plastic meant to evoke the in-show GBN scanning effect, and it originally came bundled with the Build Divers Blu-ray box rather than sold on its own at retail. Building it feels like building a familiar, competent HG with a genuinely fun cosmetic twist, the glitter plastic catches light in a way flat colors never do, and it makes an otherwise ordinary HG feel like an event kit.

The catch

It is still an HG from 2018, so molded color separation only goes so far and you will want a paint pen or panel liner for the smaller details the sparkle finish tends to wash out under bright light. Because the 00 Diver's GN Drives and backpack were redesigned for the show, this kit cannot mount the 0 Raiser, GN Buster Sword II, GN Sword II Blaster, or XN Raiser from the original 00 Gundam lineup, and it skips beam saber blades entirely, which stings if you wanted to recreate specific 00 Gundam loadouts. Being a bundle-only release also means it was never cheap or easy to find outside the Blu-ray box, so pricing on the secondary market runs well above a normal HG.

Who it's for

Buy this if you are a Build Divers fan chasing the full color-variant set, or if you specifically want a sparkle-finish HG that looks different from every other kit on your shelf. Skip it if you just want a solid 00 Diver to build and pose, the standard release does that job for less money and without the scalper markup that limited bundle kits attract. It is also not the kit to buy if you want 00 Gundam weapon compatibility, the redesigned backpack rules that out regardless of which color variant you pick.

The build story

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

This shares its frame with the standard-color HGBD 00 Diver, so the build experience is the same either way: seven runners, one sticker sheet, straightforward HG-level gate placement, and nothing that trips up an intermediate builder. The sparkle clear plastic does show nub marks a touch more than a flat color would, so I cleaned gates a little more carefully than usual to keep the shimmer looking clean on visible surfaces.

The engineering is where this kit earns its reputation. The neck is a double ball joint, the waist spins a full 360 degrees, and the shoulder and elbow assembly lets the arms swing well past what you'd expect from an entry-level HG. The varied hand set is the standout accessory choice, giving the kit grip options for weapons outside the stock loadout, which matters a lot given how much of the Build Divers line is built around mixing parts across kits.

Lore & trivia

01The 00 Diver is piloted by Riku Mikami in Gundam Build Divers and is a GBN-native redesign of the GN-0000 00 Gundam, with new sculpts for the head, chest, backpack, shoulders, wrists, and lower legs.
02The Golden Dive Sparkle colorway was designed to represent the visual effect that plays when a Gunpla is scanned into GBN in the show.
03This variant was released on September 26, 2018 bundled exclusively with the Gundam Build Divers Blu-ray Box 1 High Grade Edition, rather than sold as a standalone retail kit.
04Because its GN Drives and backpack were reworked for the show, the 00 Diver cannot equip the 0 Raiser or several of the original 00 Gundam's signature weapons.