HGAfter Colony

OZ-13MSX1 Vayeate & OZ-13MSX2 Mercurius

One suit that shields, one that shoots, and a P-Bandai two-for-one that builds faster than you expect.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Vayeate & OZ-13MSX2 Mercurius · 1/144 · 2021

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2021

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this set more than I thought I would going in.

Two kits in one box that share almost the same underlying frame, so once you have built one the second goes together in a fraction of the time, and the payoff is a genuinely striking Leo-family duo that looks nothing like a plain Leo once the horns, shields, and cannon rig are on. It is a P-Bandai exclusive so you will pay import prices for what is fundamentally HG-tier engineering, and a couple of joints need gentle hands. But as a display pair depicting Trowa's covering-fire tactic from Endless Waltz, it delivers.

Best for: Gundam Wing fans who want the Vayeate/Mercurius offense-defense pairing on a shelf without hunting a retired standalone release

The full review

What it is

This is a P-Bandai HGAC 1/144 set that gives you both mobile dolls from the Vayeate and Mercurius pairing in one box. Because the two suits share most of their frame architecture (they were built off the same OZ-12SMS Taurus derived chassis Bandai already tooled for the HGAC Leo), the actual assembly logic repeats between them, so building the pair feels efficient rather than doubled. What sold me was how different they read once finished. Mercurius carries its Planet Defensor shield array and crash shield like a proper bunker unit, while Vayeate's oversized beam cannon and backpack generator give it real visual weight. For an HG-tier set, the character is all there.

The catch

This is a Premium Bandai exclusive, so you are paying import-exclusive pricing (typically in the mid 40s USD) for parts that are still HG-generation engineering, not MG-level refinement. Builders flag that the shoulder joints can pop loose when you pose the suit actually holding up the heavy beam cannon rig, since the connector was not built for that much cantilevered weight. The crotch joint is another soft spot, force it and it can loosen or pop off entirely, so you build with a lighter touch than you might on a sturdier HG. A few panel seams show on the shield and cannon housing where the parts are not split for perfect line concealment.

Who it's for

Grab this if you are building out the Gundam Wing side cast and want the Vayeate and Mercurius pairing without chasing a long out of print standalone kit, or if you like getting two builds worth of shelf presence for one afternoon of clipping. Skip it if you are strictly an MG collector who wants inner-frame engineering to match the price tag, or if you are not going to pose the beam cannon in an active stance, since the shoulder strain issue mostly only bites when you do. If you already own the HGAC Leo and want to see its frame reused in a more dramatic form, this delivers exactly that.

The build story

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

The build itself moves fast for a two-suit box. Bandai reused the Leo-family limb and torso logic across both figures, so gate cleanup and part fit on suit two goes noticeably quicker once you have the first one's joints figured out. Nub placement is standard HG-era, mostly on visible outer surfaces on the shields and cannon housing, so plan on a light sand or a hobby knife pass if you want clean panel lines there. Nothing about the assembly is fiddly in the RG sense, this is straightforward HG snap-together work with molded color doing most of the heavy lifting instead of paint.

Where the set earns its keep is the gimmick work. Vayeate's beam cannon deploys on a real telescoping mechanism fed by a translucent plastic cable running to a backpack generator, and getting that whole rig extended and posed is the highlight of the build. Mercurius counters with its Planet Defensor shield units and a separate crash shield, giving it a genuinely different combat read from its partner despite the shared frame. Articulation is HG-standard, enough for a solid firing stance, but I would not lean on the shoulders while the cannon is extended and loaded with its own backpack weight, that is where the joint tension shows.

Lore & trivia

01The Vayeate and Mercurius were developed by the five captured Gundam scientists for OZ, built off the same OZ-12SMS Taurus reference frame, with Vayeate tuned for offense and Mercurius for defense so the pair could cover each other in battle.
02Vayeate's beam cannon draws power through a cable-fed backpack generator, giving it essentially unlimited shots and output that exceeds the Wing Gundam's buster rifle, which was limited to three shots per charge.
03Trowa Barton piloted the Vayeate as a double agent inside OZ before it was destroyed fighting the Wing Gundam Zero, which was being flown by an emotionally destabilized Quatre Raberba Winner.
04After the originals were lost, White Fang built a second Vayeate and Mercurius pair as mobile dolls, running them on the recorded combat data of the original pilots.