MGAnno Domini

GN-0000+GNR-010 00 Raiser Color Clear

The best engineered MG of its era, now cast in glass so you can watch the Twin Drive System actually work.

MechaGrade Score

4.3/5

+GNR-010 00 Raiser Color Clear · 1/100 · 2015

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the smartest MG engineering jobs Bandai has ever put out, and the clear recolor turns that engineering into the whole point of owning it.

I built the standard color version years before I got my hands on this one, and the trans am clear treatment does something the original release never could, it lets you actually see the twin drive linkage working instead of just trusting it's in there. The docking sequence alone justifies the price for me. It is not a cheap or a small kit, but nothing else at 1/100 does a full transformation this cleanly.

Best for: MG builders who already love the standard 00 Raiser and want the twin drive mechanism to be visible, not just implied

The full review

What it is

The 00 Raiser combines the GN-0000 00 Gundam with the GNR-010 0 Raiser support craft into one release, and you can build, pose, and display both halves separately or locked together as the combined form. This clear color version, sold as a Gundam Base limited item, casts the GN condenser parts and other key frame pieces in translucent plastic with hand applied metallic decals meant to evoke the sparkle of an active GN particle field. Docking the Raiser onto the Gundam's back is the moment the kit earns its price, watching the twin drives rotate into position and lock is genuinely satisfying, and I found myself redoing the sequence more than once just to watch it happen again.

The catch

This is a Gundam Base limited release, so it runs harder to find and pricier than the standard color MG at typical retail around 90 to 95 USD, and the hand applied clear coloring means Bandai's own product notes admit to slight unevenness kit to kit. The neck joint is the one real engineering miss, it only tilts up and down and can't do a proper chicken head turn, which stands out on a kit this otherwise clever. Assembly of the clear frame parts also demands patience, the notches that show where parts seat are subtle and it's easy to force a part in slightly wrong, so slow down on the internal GN drive assemblies specifically.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already appreciate the standard 00 Raiser's engineering and want to see the mechanism instead of imagining it, or if you're building a Gundam 00 shelf and want the trans am moment represented properly. Skip it if this would be your first MG, the symmetrical but repetitive build and the fiddly clear-part assembly reward patience more than a first timer usually has, and skip it if you just want a display piece on a budget, since the standard color 00 Raiser gets you the same articulation and drive mechanics for less money and less hunting.

The build story

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

The build leans symmetrical and repetitive since you're assembling near-identical GN drive and frame sections twice, but the part fit is tight and confident throughout. The clear frame pieces need a careful hand, the seating notches that tell you where a part goes are subtle, and forcing a part in slightly off can make it hard to remove and reseat correctly, so take the internal drive assemblies slow.

The twin drive system is the engineering centerpiece, the drives swing forward and back through a clean range and spin a full 360 degrees so you can recreate the Raiser Sword combination pose from the show. Docking the 0 Raiser onto the 00 Gundam's back is smooth and satisfying, and the binders on the Raiser pop open to reveal the inner frame, which lights up red with the included LED unit.

Lore & trivia

01The 00 Raiser is the combined form of the GN-0000 00 Gundam and the GNR-010 0 Raiser support unit, introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 to stabilize the Twin Drive System and open up the 00 Gundam's full output.
02This clear color version was sold as a Gundam Base limited item, using hand applied metallic decals to simulate the sparkle of active GN particles inside the condensers, styled after the suit's trans am activation.
03The kit includes an LED unit usable in the GN drive locations, and the limited edition comes packaged with a Gundam Base branded display pedestal not included with the standard color release.