RGAnno Domini

00 XN Raiser

The RG 00 Gundam you already love, wearing a second flight unit and carrying two swords too big for its own good.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

XN Raiser · 1/144 · 2024

GradeRG

Scale1/144

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a great RG frame wearing a genuinely absurd amount of extra hardware, and I love it for exactly that reason.

Bandai took the proven RG 00 Raiser (which borrows the Exia's advanced MS joint frame) and bolted on a whole second XN support unit and a pair of GN Buster Sword IIIs, and the novelty of that combination carries the kit even when the engineering underneath is a decade old. It is not the cleanest RG in the line, but it is one of the most fun to just sit and stare at once it is standing.

Best for: 00V side story fans and RG collectors who already want a 00 Raiser but want the version that comes with two extra arms and giant ramming swords

The full review

What it is

This kit is the 00 Raiser I already knew, given the full 00V glow up. You get the standard 00 Gundam and 0 Raiser molds plus a newly tooled XN Unit that clips onto the back, adding a second pair of manipulator arms and a mount for two enormous GN Buster Sword IIIs that combine into one blade. Assembling the XN add-on after the familiar Raiser is a fun back half of the build, it genuinely changes the silhouette rather than just tacking on a sticker's worth of extra detail. The included decal sheet is a step up from the vanilla release too, with new water slide options instead of leaning entirely on foil stickers.

The catch

The frame under all of this is still the RG 00 Raiser from 2015, so the waist and some of the smaller frame joints are noticeably weaker than Bandai's newer RG lines, and the shoulder armor has a known habit of popping off during posing. Loaded out with the XN Unit and both Buster Sword IIIs the kit is seriously back heavy, to the point that Bandai includes a dedicated display stand and a weight support stand for the swords, and you will want to use both if you pose it in flight mode. It is also a Premium Bandai exclusive, so it costs more and is harder to source than a standard retail RG, and the smaller XN Unit parts are fiddly even by RG standards.

Who it's for

If you already own or love the standard RG 00 Raiser and want the version with real presence on the shelf, this is worth tracking down, the extra arms and swords make it look like nothing else in the RG line. It also makes sense for 00V readers who want the side story unit specifically rather than the more famous television design. Skip it if you are newer to RG kits and just want a sturdy first 00 build, the vanilla 00 Raiser is cheaper, easier to find, and has a friendlier frame. It also is not the kit to reach for if backpack-heavy posing without a stand bothers you.

The build story

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

The core 00 Gundam and 0 Raiser sections build exactly like the well known retail RG kit, so if you have built that one before this half will feel familiar, gate placement is clean and part fit on the inner frame is tight. The new territory is the XN Unit in the back half of the build, smaller sub-assemblies that clip onto the existing Raiser frame to add the second arm pair and the sword mounts, and that stretch is noticeably fiddlier than the rest of the kit because the parts are small and the tolerances are tight.

Articulation carries over from the RG 00 Raiser's advanced MS joint frame, so the legs in particular have real range, and the head can rotate and tilt on its double neck joint. The XN Unit's extra arms are functional rather than just decorative, they can actually grip the second GN Buster Sword III, and the two swords combine into a single oversized blade for display. Value is strong for what you get in part count and novelty, two extra arms, two new swords, a display base, and a weight stand, but the Premium Bandai price tag and exclusivity work against it compared to a standard retail release.

Lore & trivia

01The 00 XN Raiser first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam 00V, a side story manga that explores alternate mobile suit designs and battles not shown in the main 00 television series
02The GNR-010/XN XN Raiser is an upgrade plan built from the standard GNR-010 0 Raiser, meaning in-universe it is literally the same support craft with new equipment attached, which mirrors how Bandai built this Gunpla kit from the existing RG 00 Raiser molds
03The RG 1/144 00 XN Raiser was a Premium Bandai exclusive released in early 2024, priced at 4,800 yen, and it can be built down into the standalone XN 00 Gundam by removing the 0 Raiser support unit