MGUniversal Century

RMS-179 GM II (Unicorn Ver.)

A grunt suit built on a hero's frame, and it shows in every joint.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

GM II (Unicorn Ver.) · 1/100 · 2017

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2017

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

I think this is one of the best-kept secrets in the MG line, because you're basically getting an RX-78-2 Ver.

2.0 level frame wearing a Federation mall cop's uniform. The engineering underneath is proven and excellent, the new Unicorn-specific tooling on the chest, waist, and feet gives it a silhouette distinct from the older Z Gundam-era release, and it holds a pose better than a suit this humble has any right to. The catch is that it's a Premium Bandai exclusive, so you're paying secondary-market prices for what is, story-wise, a background unit standing guard duty.

Best for: MG builders who want RX-78-2 Ver. 2.0 quality articulation on a suit nobody else on the shelf will have

The full review

What it is

This kit reuses the MG GM 2.0 inner frame, the same lineage that underpins the MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. 2.0, so the bones here are genuinely excellent for a suit that spends its screen time on base defense duty. The Unicorn Ver. tooling adds new chest, waist, and foot parts plus a GM Kai shield molded in red, and those changes add up to a noticeably different profile than the earlier Z Gundam-timeline GM II release. Assembly felt familiar and confident the whole way through, snug polycap joints, no surprises in the runners, and a finished suit that looks purposeful rather than generic once it's together.

The catch

This was a Premium Bandai exclusive at around 3,996 yen retail, which means you're likely paying import or secondary-market markup rather than a shelf price, and availability isn't guaranteed. Some of the shoulder and trim color separation still leans on stickers and foil seals rather than molded plastic, so a straight build shows visible sticker seams if you look closely. It's also, fundamentally, a GM, so if you want a suit with its own frame identity rather than a repaint-plus-retool of an existing MG, this isn't that.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already love the MG GM 2.0 / Ver. 2.0 family of frames and want a UC grunt suit with genuinely good articulation instead of the usual background-unit afterthought, or if you're chasing something visually distinct from the standard Zeta-era GM II. Skip it if you're new to MG and don't want to hunt down a P-Bandai exclusive at inflated prices, or if you'd rather put that money toward a hero unit with a unique frame. For most builders this is a rewarding second or third MG, not a first one.

The build story

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

The build follows the well-worn MG GM 2.0 assembly logic, so if you've built the Ver. 2.0 Gundam or an earlier GM 2.0 kit this will feel immediately familiar. Runners are clean, the polycap joints seat with confidence, and nothing about the fit felt loose or fussy across the frame, shoulders, or legs. The new UC-specific waist armor, longer foot units, and reshaped knees do change how the silhouette reads next to the standard release, and that variety made an otherwise routine grunt build more interesting to work through.

Where this kit earns its keep is articulation, wide hip and shoulder swing, a knee bend that goes deep enough to hold a kneeling pose, and a frame stable enough to support the included 360mm hyper bazooka without drooping. Color separation on the main body is handled well in plastic, though some smaller accents on the shoulders and sensors fall to stickers rather than molded parts. For the price point, the accessory count, beam rifle, twin sabers, shield, bazooka, and pilot figure, is generous for what is nominally a background mobile suit.

Lore & trivia

01This is a Premium Bandai exclusive that added new molds for the chest, waist, and foot parts specifically for the Unicorn Ver., plus a GM Kai shield cast in red, making it visually distinct from the earlier MG GM II release tied to the Zeta Gundam timeline.
02The kit is built on the MG GM 2.0 inner frame lineage, the same frame family used in the MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. 2.0, giving this grunt suit unusually strong articulation for its role.
03In the Gundam Unicorn story, GM IIs like this one were relegated to background duties such as base defense during the Laplace's Box incident, rarely taking center stage in combat.
04The optional 360mm hyper bazooka included with the kit is depicted as a mass-produced descendant of the heavy weapon originally used by the RX-93 nu Gundam.