Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Upper body front and back (1/7)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Upper body front and back (2/7)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Upper body front and back (3/7)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Upper body front and back (4/7)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Upper body front and back (5/7)

Upper body front and back

Head

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - The backpack, rifle, and shield are different from the original Banshee. (1/3)

The backpack, rifle, and shield are different from the original Banshee.

The legs are 100% identical to the original Banshee.

Leftover parts

Articulation is the same as before..

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Beam saber action (1/3)

Beam saber action

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Beam Magnum + Revolving Launcher action (1/3)

Beam Magnum + Revolving Launcher action

The Armed Armor XC can be deployed via a detachable mechanism.

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - You can also mount weapons in that spot — in the case of the shield, the lower section

You can also mount weapons in that spot —
In the case of the shield, the lower section can be spread open left/right.
The official name for this updated shield is Armed Armor DE.

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Aerial launch pose using Action Base 2 (1/3)

Aerial launch pose using Action Base 2

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Aerial beam saber action (1/4)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Aerial beam saber action (2/4)

Aerial beam saber action

The deployed Armed Armor VN for Destroy mode is included.

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - The one on the left is the original HGUC Banshee, and the one on the right is the VN in

The one on the left is the original HGUC Banshee, and the one on the right is the VN included with this Banshee Norn.
The Banshee Norn version has slightly longer fingers than the original, and each finger moves individually.

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - As you can see, all four fingers are connected via ball joints, so while the range is l

As you can see, all four fingers are connected via ball joints,
so while the range is limited, they do move in all directions — up, down, left, and right.

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Armed Armor VN action (1/4)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Armed Armor VN action (2/4)

Armed Armor VN action

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] - Together with the HGUC Banshee. Along with some structural changes, you can see that th

Together with the HGUC Banshee.
Along with some structural changes, you can see that the molded color of the yellow on the head antenna and around the neck has been changed.

Following the Unicorn and Banshee, here comes yet another variation — this time it's the Banshee Norn, an enhanced version of the Banshee, released as an HGUC kit. Just like before, the Unicorn mode and Destroy mode are sold separately, and this time around only the Unicorn mode has come out first.

Going by the lore, this unit has three weapons changed/added compared to the original Banshee — a Revolving Launcher has been added under the Beam Magnum, the shield has been expanded into the larger Armed Armor DE, and a device called the Armed Armor XC has been added to the back. The molded color of the main body is unchanged, though the yellow around the head antenna and neck has been slightly tweaked.

On top of that, a deployed Armed Armor VN unit — the kind that would've been included for Destroy mode — has been added as a bonus, and it's designed completely differently from the one that came with the original HGUC Banshee Destroy mode. The fingers are slightly longer overall, and each knuckle is connected by a ball joint so they each move independently. The original HGUC Banshee had it completely fixed in place, which was a bit of a letdown, so it makes you wonder why they didn't just make it poseable from the start.

Everything else about the main body is 100% identical to the original Unicorn/Banshee — clean build quality, average articulation, but solid joint strength throughout.

At this point I've built the HGUC Unicorn body so many times (^^;) that it doesn't really excite me anymore, but adding weapons to the heavy yet sharp-looking Banshee does give it a bit more presence. The large shield — the Armed Armor DE in particular — can be mounted on the back as well, and since it can spread open left and right, action poses end up looking a lot more dynamic.

One downside is that the Armed Armor XC on the back uses gold stickers pretty heavily, which creates quite a bit of visual inconsistency. Not only do they take a long time to apply, but the end result doesn't look all that great either.

All in all, it's a solid variation kit in the best sense — reliable quality, and you get a more fully-loaded Banshee out of it, so if you're a Unicorn fan it's a perfectly enjoyable build. It's exactly what you'd expect — not more, not less. :-)

HGUC O2 Banshee Norn [Unicorn mode] | 2013.3 | ¥1,700

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.