HGUniversal Century

XM-X2 Crossbone Gundam X2

The pirate skull gets a bigger gun and a meaner-looking head, and that's exactly the upgrade this kit needed.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Crossbone Gundam X2 · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the X1 kit wearing a different, better costume, and I mean that as a compliment.

Bandai reused the proven HGUC Crossbone Gundam X1 frame and just swapped in the parts that actually change between the two suits: head, backpack, and a genuinely satisfying new Buster Launcher. If you already know that kit's articulation is merely fine for a High Grade, you know what you're getting here, but the new pieces are the best part of the box.

Best for: Crossbone fans who want the X2's silhouette and Buster Launcher without paying RG or MG prices

The full review

What it is

This kit takes the HGUC Crossbone Gundam X1 tooling and reworks the parts that make the X2 its own suit. The head sits lower and meaner with a reshaped blade antenna, the backpack thrusters are new, and the whole thing is built around a chunky new Buster Launcher that is easily the highlight of the build. I went into this expecting a reskin and came out impressed by how much the new head and shoulders alone change the read of the suit on the shelf. The skull motif on the chest and face still does the heavy lifting for presence, and it reads great even at 1/144.

The catch

The frame underneath is a mid-2010s HGUC, so don't expect RG-level inner detail or MG-grade knee and ankle engineering. Reviewers of the shared X1 tooling flagged the back thrusters as loose and free-spinning rather than clicking into fixed poses, and that carries over here. This was also a P-Bandai exclusive release, so secondhand pricing runs higher than a normal retail HG and stock is inconsistent. The molded color separation is genuinely strong for the grade, which is the good news, but the articulation ceiling is exactly what you'd expect from a kit built on 2015-era engineering, nothing more.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already love the Crossbone Gundam design and want the X2 specifically for its head sculpt and Buster Launcher, or if you're building a Crossbone Vanguard shelf lineup and want the X1 and X2 side by side without jumping grades. Skip it if articulation and posing are your priority, since the RG version in the same scale outposes it comfortably, or if you can't stomach P-Bandai aftermarket pricing. For a first Crossbone kit on a budget with better joints, the RG is the smarter buy. For getting the X2's specific silhouette and that weapon in hand, this is the one.

The build story

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

Because this shares tooling with the HGUC X1, the build feel is familiar if you've done that kit: clean gate placement, no glue needed, and the kind of straightforward runner layout that lets you focus on the new parts. The new backpack and head pieces snap in without a fight, and the skull-faced head in particular clips together in a way that keeps the paint-ready detail crisp without needing a wash.

The Buster Launcher is genuinely the reason to build this over the X1. It is a two-hand, oversized weapon with its own sculpted detail rather than a reused prop, and it gives the finished figure real shelf presence. Articulation stays in typical HG territory: a ball-jointed neck, workable shoulders and hips, but the back thrusters flop rather than lock, which is the one recurring complaint from builders of the shared frame. Play options are a step up from a bare HG though, with the launcher, the option to display it slung or in hand, and the redesigned head giving you two distinct looks if you also own the X1.

Lore & trivia

01The XM-X2 Crossbone Gundam X-2 is piloted by Zabine Chareux, second-in-command of Berah Ronah's revived Crossbone Vanguard in Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam.
02This HGUC kit reuses the mold of the earlier HGUC Crossbone Gundam X-1 release, with newly tooled parts limited to the head, backpack, and Buster Launcher.
03The kit was distributed as a Premium Bandai exclusive rather than general retail, which is why it trades hands for more than a typical HG on the secondary market.
04A Real Grade version of the X-2 was later released in the same 1/144 scale with a full inner frame, giving builders a second, more articulated route to the same suit.