MGUniversal Century

RX-9/B Narrative Gundam B-Packs Ver. Ka (full set)

A base Ver.Ka Narrative built right, plus a crank-wound wire gimmick that actually works.

MechaGrade Score

4.3/5

Narrative Gundam B-Packs Ver. Ka (full set) · 1/100 · 2024

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the best MG experiences Bandai has put out for the Narrative Gundam, and the full set earns its premium price by giving you the whole package instead of forcing you to hunt down the base kit separately.

The psycho frame clear parts alone make this worth building under any light source you have in the house. The B-Packs hand crank for the incom cables is the kind of small mechanical solution that makes you grin the first time you turn it. My only hesitation is the reality of what this costs and how much shelf space the finished piece with its two floating incoms actually eats up.

Best for: Katoki-Ver.Ka collectors and Unicorn/Narrative fans who want the definitive Narrative Gundam with working incom wires, not just another NT-D repaint

The full review

What it is

This full set bundles the base MG Narrative Gundam Ver.Ka with the B-Packs expansion, so you get the complete mobile suit and its wired remote attack terminal, the Incoms, in one build rather than chasing a separate P-Bandai add-on later. Katoki's redesign shows up everywhere, from the pull-out shoulder joints to the sliding hip blocks to knee fins that tuck in as the leg bends so deep squats do not bind. The clear psycho frame parts have engraved detail on every visible face and catch light like actual crystal when you tilt the finished figure, and Bandai includes a second gray frame set for builders who want the suit to read as dormant rather than NT-D-active. Building it feels like Bandai actually tried.

The catch

This is a full set of P-Bandai exclusives, so expect a real premium over a standard retail MG, and secondary market prices climb further once a run sells out. The incom units rely on a lead-style cable and hand-crank spool rather than a fixed rod, and while the Ver.Ka crank mechanism is smoother than the HG's part-swap version, the cable still needs patient handling so it does not kink or pop loose during posing. The core fighter transformation and B-Packs together mean a lot of small connector joints, so test the fit before you force a swap. It is also a big finished silhouette once the incoms are deployed and floating off the shoulders, so plan your shelf space.

Who it's for

Buy the full set if you already know you want the Narrative Gundam and do not want to track down a base Ver.Ka kit and a separate expansion on the secondary market later, or if the incom deployment gimmick alone is the reason you clicked on this kit. Builders newer to MG kits should still be fine here since the engineering is intuitive, but this is not the cheapest way into the grade and the P-Bandai premium is real. Skip it if you just want a display-only Narrative Gundam and do not care about the wired attack terminal, an HGUC version will get you the silhouette for a fraction of the cost and the frustration of cable handling.

The build story

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

The base Ver.Ka build carries Katoki's usual MG hallmarks: pull-out shoulder joints that free up arm movement, sliding hip joints for wider stances, and linked knee movement where the back-of-knee fins sink in so the leg can bend deep without the frame binding on itself. Gate placement is typical modern MG, mostly on non-visible edges, and the core block still transforms into the bird-like core fighter by rotating the nose section, with parts-swap options for either weapon loadout.

The standout engineering is the B-Packs unit itself. Each backpack arm moves on its own axis so the incoms can be positioned to match their on-screen firing poses without clipping into the shoulders, and the wired remote attack terminal spools out and winds back in through a crank on the pack rather than needing you to swap a shorter cable piece in. Bundling the base kit with the expansion in one full set also means the psycho frame, the Action Base, the incom display stand, and the water-slide decals all arrive together instead of as two separate purchases.

Lore & trivia

01The RX-9 Narrative Gundam is an Anaheim Electronics prototype built to test the Psycho-Frame ahead of the RX-93 Nu Gundam, and much of its internal structure reuses Nu Gundam parts.
02It is piloted by Jona Basta in the 2018 film Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, a direct sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn set in UC 0097.
03The B-Packs' twin wire-guided weapons are called Incoms in the film, a wired remote attack system unique to this backpack configuration among the Narrative's A, B, and C pack variants.
04The MG Ver.Ka B-Packs release includes an alternate gray, non-activated psycho frame set alongside the clear NT-D-active frame, letting builders choose which state the finished kit represents.