Review: MG Unicorn Gundam w/MS Cage

 Hello Builders, 

Today I have for you a quick review of the MG Unicorn Gundam w/MS Cage that I actually completed about a month ago. I had been pretty busy with work and haven't had time to really update this blog. 

In any case, here is the MG Unicorn that I got off of eBay awhile back. It was really hard to find this kit for a good price, but I really wanted that MS Cage it came with.

Parts

Let's just say there's a lot... The box for this kit was huge.

There were a ton of extra runners, as you can imagine this kit is pretty big, and it has extra effect runners for all the psycho frame, and then even more additional runners for the MS Cage.

This kit will leave you with a mountain of runners...

Size Comparison

Here you can see the Unicorn on top of my shelf alongside some other Master Grade kits. The Wing Zero Custom doesn't even compare in size, even when it is on its base. Keep in mind that the Wing suits were fairly short compared to other Gundams. The Sword Impulse, which is a fairly tall kit, is also much shorter than the Unicorn in its destroy mode. 

Weapons and Manipulators

This kit comes with a Bazooka, a beam magnum, a shield, and four beam saber hilts, with two beam effect pieces. The beam sabers can either be deployed from the backpack and held in the hands, or come out of the arms. The kit also has extra ammo magazines that you can "reload" into the beam magnum. It is fairly loose so it can be a hassle to keep it in place. 

Articulation

I actually came into some issues with the elbow joint. As you can see, when the armor is shifted outwards in destroy mode, there doesn't seem to be too much of a problem with the armor getting in the way of the elbow bending.

However, once you put the armor back into place, for unicorn mode, the armor gets in the way and actually rubs and bumps into each other, making it difficult to bend. 

Interestingly, the hip joint separates from the... dare I say, crotch area? This was interesting as it gives more of a foundation for the kit to stand stably. 

Color and Quality

This kit is mostly white, however a nice touch was the blue parts that are included. Both the armor and the blue armor pieces are a little bit glossy, which gives you a little bit of a change from the standard flat colors. I really enjoyed this.

The kit looks really nice both in Unicorn mode and Destroy mode, and the psycho frame really pops out. If you know the Unicorn, then you already knew this. However, one part I was disappointed with was that they used gold stickers for the split horn. I wish they could have included two tones for that. 

I am also not a fan of the beam sabers, as they are clear light blue, and actually hard to see. 

One thing though, is you will struggle to transform this kit. I had heard from many builders and reviewers alike that the MG Unicorn in all of its iterations, is a pain to transform, which is why I waited so long to get a kit of a suit that I really loved. However, I really wanted to at least try it out myself. To be honest, they were right. I transformed it twice, and now I leave it in Destroy mode. 

Pros and Cons

The kit is beautiful, I must say. With its simplicity in Unicorn mode, and its extravagant clear red parts popping out around the kit in Destroy mode, this kit really stands out. It stands tall, and also can stand on its own without an action base. It has just enough weapons, that you can interchange for various poses, not to mention it comes with an MS Cage. 

However, this kit suffers in some areas. The elbows, as noted before, can be a pain to bend on the joint, as the armor gets in the way, and sometimes even forces the peg to come loose. The shield, with its one point connection and also transformation gimmick, can be kinda flimsy. The rifle is also flimsy with nothing really holding the magazine in it besides friction. The transformation is a hassle, and it also comes with almost identical extra parts that are slightly smaller. Make sure you pay attention and use the right parts...

Verdict

This kit is a long build. I remember struggling with the HG Unicorn Destroy mode because I had to pop on multiple psycho frame parts into the armor, and this kit is the same, but even more so you have to build in the transformation gimmicks. It suffers in some areas with flimsiness, but overall the kit is a beaut. If you love the Unicorn Gundam I would say get one of the higher end models, and don't just settle for the High Grade. Maybe a Perfect Grade if you have the money! To my knowledge, this kit is a tad older, and also discontinued. I would probably say don't jump on it for the hefty price tag, except for one thing...

BONUS: MS CAGE

 So this kit comes with its own gigantic MS Cage with movable parts, and a few mini figures of Banagher, Mineva, Cardeas, and Marida. The MS Cage acts as a weapon storage, and also an action base if you want to pose the Unicorn on the stand, for maintenance, or breaking free a la episode 1. 

The MS Cage is a great build, and its almost like another kit included in the package. You can get some great poses and play opportunity using this cage, however you do need an additional Action base 1 to turn the cage into a base. 

I love the cage, and it actually makes the kit a bit more worth it. As rrobbert184 said, its like including something worth about 20 dollars with a 50 dollar kit, so at about $70, its about right. 

Just a heads up, I actually have another kit that I finished recently, and will be posting a review soon!

TRY BURNING GUNDAM!