HGUniversal Century

RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode) Ver.NIKE SB

The same great Banshee mold dressed in Nike SB colors, built to make a psychoframe glow under sneakerhead lighting.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Unicorn Gundam · 1/144 · 2021

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2021

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a great HG sculpt wearing a fun, collector-bait paint job, and I mean both halves of that as a compliment.

The underlying HGUC Banshee (Destroy Mode) mold has been a fan favorite since 2012 for a reason: the split armor over the orange psychoframe looks genuinely striking once assembled. The Nike SB colorway (a deep thunder blue with metallic gold trim and the swoosh molded onto the shoulder) is a novelty flex more than a display-shelf classic, but it does not compromise the engineering underneath it at all.

Best for: Gundam Unicorn fans and sneakerhead crossover collectors who want the Banshee's psychoframe reveal in an unusual, conversation-starting colorway

The full review

What it is

This is the P-Bandai Ver.NIKE SB release of the HGUC RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee in its Destroy Mode form, meaning the armor panels are already open to show off the clear orange psychoframe running through the chest, limbs, and V-fin. It came packaged in a shoe-box-style container as part of the 2021 Gundam x Nike SB Dunk collaboration tied to the Unicorn franchise's anniversary. Building it, the appeal is immediate: the moment the chest and shoulder armor click into place around that glowing orange frame, it looks like nothing else in a standard HG lineup. The blue-and-gold Nike scheme reads more like a designer sneaker drop than a battle-worn mobile suit, and honestly, that is the point.

The catch

The armor color is so dark that panel lining barely registers, since most of the visual interest already comes from the exposed psychoframe rather than surface detail. The included Armed Armor VN claw on the left arm is a static, non-articulating piece rather than a working claw, which undersells what should be a signature weapon. Knee bend is on the shallow side for a suit this dynamic-looking, and the deployed Armed Armor XC can bump into some wider poses. This being a P-Bandai exclusive also means it shows up used or resold well above the original price once stock dries up.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already like the Banshee Destroy Mode sculpt and want a genuinely different-looking version of it, or if the Nike SB tie-in itself is the draw for you. It is also a reasonable pickup for anyone who wants a taste of Unicorn-line psychoframe kits without stepping up to an MG price tag. Skip it if you specifically want the Banshee's claw weapon to actually function, or if you are chasing the most screen-accurate Neo Zeon colorway, since the standard HGUC releases handle that better. As a display piece with a story behind it, though, it earns its spot.

The build story

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

The build itself follows the well-worn HGUC Banshee runners, so gate placement and part fit are mature and predictable, nothing fights you here. Cleanup is straightforward since the dark blue plastic is forgiving of minor nub marks, and the handful of stickers are limited mostly to the leg thrusters, the V-fin front, and two chest-mounted parts, so sticker reliance stays low for an HG.

The real engineering win is how the split armor design snaps over the clear orange frame parts without looking like an afterthought; the psychoframe was clearly the design priority on this mold, and it shows. Articulation includes a hip swivel and rod-jointed shoulders that let it hold decent dynamic poses despite the knee limitation, and the loadout (Beam Magnum, spare magazine, extra Multi-Launcher, two saber hand types) gives you more posing options than most kits in this price band.

Lore & trivia

01The base mold is the HGUC RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode), originally released in 2012 as kit number 134 in the HGUC line.
02This Ver.NIKE SB edition was released to commemorate the 2021 Gundam x Nike SB Dunk High 'Project Unicorn' sneaker collaboration, which marked an anniversary tie-in for the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn franchise.
03The Nike SB Dunk High counterparts to this kit retailed for $110 USD and used matching colorways, one drawing from RX-0 Unicorn and one from Banshee Norn's Destroy Mode palette.
04This kit depicts Banshee in Destroy Mode only; it does not transform, so a separate release is needed for the Unicorn Mode configuration.