HGBuild Divers

Gundam AGEII Magnum SV ver. (FX Plosion) [USA REISSUE]

Kyoya Kujo's rival machine gets a pearlescent glow-up, funnels and all.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Gundam AGEII Magnum SV ver. (FX Plosion) [USA REISSUE] · 1/144 · 2024

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2024

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

This is the same solid HGBD Age II Magnum frame Bandai has been running since 2018, dressed up in a pearlescent white and metallic blue FX Plosion colorway that genuinely earns the reissue.

I like it more than I expected to. The floating funnel display stand is a real gimmick, not a gimmick on paper, and the pose range holds up to the character's decisive-battle energy from the anime. It is not a refined kit by MG standards, but as an HG it delivers a lot of presence for the money.

Best for: Build Divers fans and funnel-display nerds who want Kyoya's rival suit without committing to the MG

The full review

What it is

I went into this expecting a reskin and came out liking the actual design more than that. The AGEII Magnum is Kyoya Kujo's souped-up take on the AGE-2, and the SV FX Plosion version pushes the Build Divers finale colors, pearlescent white body panels against metallic blue binders and a translucent shield and funnels. It comes with the Hyper DODS Rifle Magnum, two beam sabers, the Shiguru shield, and four F Funnels plus a stand that lets you hang the funnels in the air around the suit like they are mid-attack. That display stand alone changes how this kit reads on a shelf. It is not just standing there, it looks like it is doing something.

The catch

The frame underneath is the same 2018-era HGBD tooling, so you are getting HG-standard engineering, not anything cutting edge. Gate placement is a known weak point on this mold, some of the thicker gates land right on visible faces of the parts, so cleanup takes more care than a typical HG. Detail work leans on the sticker sheet for panel accents and a few small color call-outs, and builders who skip stickers and paint will notice the difference more than usual. The funnel stand is a nice extra but it is a fiddly little sub-assembly, and losing one of those small connector parts in carpet is a real risk.

Who it's for

If you already like the Build Divers cast or you want an inexpensive, good-looking display piece with a genuine posing gimmick, this reissue is worth grabbing, especially since the lighter pearlescent colors hide the mold's usual nub-mark problem better than the darker original release did. Skip it if you want frame engineering on par with a modern HG or RG, this tooling is showing its age in the gate and part-fit department. For newer builders it is still approachable, just budget extra time for gate cleanup and the funnel stand rather than expecting a five-minute snap build.

The build story

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

The build itself moves fast, this is still fundamentally a beginner-friendly HG snap job, but the nub cleanup demands more attention than the runner count suggests. The gates on the newer K-series runners in particular sit in the middle of visible panels rather than tucked at an edge, so a hobby knife and some patience go a long way before you get to the satisfying part.

Articulation is a genuine high point for the grade, a double ball-jointed neck, shoulders that tilt and swing, double-jointed elbows and knees, and skirt armor that swings out of the way of the legs. That range is what sells the dynamic Build Divers poses this suit is known for. Color separation is decent for an HG and gets a real boost from the FX Plosion pearlescent and metallic plastic doing a lot of the work stickers usually have to cover.

Lore & trivia

01The AGEII Magnum is the personal customized mobile suit of Kyoya Kujo, the top-ranked GBN player and leader of the clan known as The Champ in Gundam Build Divers.
02It is written as Age II with a Roman numeral specifically to mark it as a next-generation evolution beyond the original AGE-2, even though it is built from an AGE-2 base unit.
03FX Plosion is a special mode built off the FX Burst system from the separate AGE-FX Gundam, giving the suit an enhanced offensive mode for one-on-one aerial and space combat.
04This SV ver. FX Plosion colorway was originally a P-Bandai exclusive release before being brought back as a wider USA reissue.