PGUniversal Century

RX-0(N) Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn [Final Battle Ver.]

The green psycho frame version that finally lets the Banshee glow the way the OVA promised.

MechaGrade Score

4.4/5

Unicorn Gundam · 1/60 · 2018

GradePG

Scale1/60

Released2018

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the PG Unicorn platform at its most theatrical, and I think it earns the extra shelf space it demands.

The Final Battle coloring, with its green clear-molded frame and green metallic decals, is the one Banshee release that actually matches what Riddhe's suit looked like fighting alongside Banagher, and building it feels like assembling a small piece of engineering rather than a toy. It is not a casual purchase and it is not a first PG, but for what it sets out to be, a display-grade recreation of the Banshee at its most dramatic moment, it delivers.

Best for: Experienced builders who already know PG assembly and want the Banshee's green psycho frame done properly, ideally with the optional LED unit

The full review

What it is

This kit shares its inner frame with the original PG Unicorn Gundam, so what you are really buying is that same advanced engineering wrapped in Banshee Norn's black and gold Armed Armor DE loadout, but recolored so the psycho frame runners are cast in translucent green instead of clear. Building it, I kept noticing how deliberately the frame is laid out for the LED unit, with light channels and clearances everywhere even though the light kit is sold separately. The transformation from Unicorn Mode to Destroy Mode is fully reproduced, faceguard included, and there is a magnet in the V-fin so the antenna sits flush and closed until you want it open. Finished and posed with the Beam Magnum and Revolving Launcher in hand, it has real presence.

The catch

This is a big, expensive, time-consuming build, and Bandai does not make the transformation gimmick easy. Getting the body, arm, and leg panels to fold cleanly into Destroy Mode takes real patience because the tolerances are tight by design, and more than one builder has found the process genuinely tiring even after the parts are properly cleaned up. Over time the ball joints in the hips and shoulders can loosen enough that the arms sag under the weight of the Beam Magnum, which is a known PG Unicorn issue and not unique to this release; a thin coat of topcoat or clear nail polish on the joints is the usual fix. The LED unit that makes the green frame actually shine is a separate purchase.

Who it's for

I would point this at builders who already have at least one MG or PG under their belt and know what a full inner-frame kit demands in terms of time and care, plus anyone who specifically wants the Final Battle green frame rather than the standard clear Banshee Norn release. If you want your first PG to be forgiving, this is not it, the transformation fiddliness alone will test a newer builder's patience. But if you love Gundam UC and want the definitive display version of Riddhe's Banshee at the moment it mattered most, this is the one to save up for.

The build story

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

Parts on this kit are undergated and fit each other with real precision, which makes cleanup and assembly satisfying rather than tedious for anyone who has built a PG before. Where it slows you down is the transformation engineering itself, working the body, arm, and leg panels through their full range to shift between Unicorn and Destroy Mode is a genuinely fiddly process because the tolerances have to stay tight to keep the finished silhouette clean.

The standout here is how much of the frame is clearly built around lighting, the green clear-molded psychoframe runners have channels and clearances laid out for the optional LED unit even though you have to buy it separately. Articulation in the knees and elbows is pushed further than earlier Unicorn releases without breaking the proportions, and the weapon loadout, Beam Magnum with its revolving launcher, twin beam sabers, and the Armed Armor XC and DE shield system, gives you a lot of posing options for the part count and price point of a flagship PG.

Lore & trivia

01The Final Battle Ver. recolor represents the Banshee as it appeared once Riddhe Marcenas had fully synced with the suit and fought alongside Banagher's Unicorn in the climax of Mobile Suit Gundam UC.
02The green psycho frame is cast in translucent green plastic with green metallic water-transfer decals, a deliberate departure from the clear frame used on the standard PG Banshee Norn release.
03This kit shares its core inner frame engineering with the original PG RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, with the Armed Armor DE backpack and shield system swapped in for the Unicorn's gatling and bazooka loadout.
04Insignia and marking details on the kit were designed by Hajime Katoki, the mechanical designer behind much of the Unicorn era's suit designs.