HGUniversal Century

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

A decade-old mold in a shoe box, and the glowing pink frame still sells it.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Unicorn Gundam · 1/144 · 2021

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2021

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the classic 2010 HGUC Unicorn Destroy Mode wearing a Nike SB tracksuit, and I mean that as a compliment and a warning in equal measure.

The translucent pink psycho-frame is still a genuine trick, the Destroy Mode silhouette still looks sharp on a shelf, but the joints underneath are exactly as dated as you'd expect from a mold that's over ten years old. You're buying this one for the collab novelty and the frame glow, not for cutting-edge engineering.

Best for: Unicorn fans and Nike SB collab collectors who want the shoe-box packaging and don't mind a slightly older HG under the hood

The full review

What it is

This is Bandai's original HGUC Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode) kit repackaged in 2021 with new NIKE SB marking stickers and a special box styled after a sneaker box, released to tie in with the Gundam x Nike SB Dunk High collaboration. Underneath the branding it is the same suit builders have known since 2010: the elongated, opened-up Destroy Mode armor sitting over a psycho-frame molded in translucent clear pink plastic. Building it, the frame is the moment that gets you. Hold it up to a lamp and the pink glows through the joints and chest the way the anime's NT-D activation does, and that alone makes the assembly feel worth it.

The catch

The engineering shows its age. Elbow and knee joints max out around a 90 degree bend, the arms can loosen up with repeated posing, and the whole kit feels a touch more fragile than a modern HG despite being sturdier than the old MG version of the same suit. The tiny clear pink armaments that mount near the shoulders in Destroy Mode are genuinely miniscule, easy to lose during clipping, and a pain to keep track of on the sprue. Foil stickers are included but subtle, since most of the color separation actually comes from molded plastic rather than decals, which is good, but don't expect the panel-line payoff of a newer release.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you're a Unicorn Gundam completionist, a Nike SB collector who wants the packaging as much as the plastic, or someone who just wants that psycho-frame glow without paying MG money. Skip it if you want best-in-class HG articulation or a rock-solid pose-holder, since newer HG Unicorn releases and the RG version handle both better. I'd also tell first-time builders to go in patient about the tiny shoulder weapon parts, because losing one of those small clear pieces is the single most common complaint I found from people who've built this kit.

The build story

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

The build follows the standard early-2010s HGUC playbook: some armor pieces use undergates to hide nub marks, which is a nice touch for a kit this old, but the polycap joints are the earlier generation Bandai used before its more recent HG lines, so don't expect the snug, click-into-place feel of a current release. The Destroy Mode gimmick means you're deliberately sticking white armor panels slightly out of position to get that opened, elongated look, which is straightforward but fiddly in a few spots.

The standout is unquestionably the psycho-frame, molded in clear pink with surface detailing meant to catch light and look like it's pulsating. It provides real contrast against the white armor even without a light source, and with one it becomes the centerpiece of the whole build. Articulation is decent for the era and holds poses well once you commit to one, even if the range itself (roughly 90 degree elbow and knee bends) is behind what a modern HG offers. For $27 including the NIKE SB packaging and marking stickers, the part count and detail payoff are fair value, just don't expect it to compete engineering-wise with anything Bandai has released in the last several years.

Lore & trivia

01This kit is a special-edition rerelease of Bandai's original 2010 HGUC Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode), repackaged in 2021 with new Nike SB branded marking stickers and a shoe-box-style package to tie in with the Gundam x Nike SB Dunk High sneaker collaboration.
02It launched alongside a companion Unicorn 02 Banshee (Destroy Mode) Ver.NIKE SB kit, each matched to a different colorway of the Nike SB Dunk High Gundam sneakers released the same season.
03RX-0 Unicorn Gundam is the titular mobile suit of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, a prototype psycho-frame machine that shifts from Unicorn Mode to Destroy Mode when its NT-D (Newtype Destroyer) system activates.
04Pre-orders for the Ver.NIKE SB kit ran through Premium Bandai from September to November 2021 ahead of a December 1, 2021 release at $27.