Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Destroy Mode. (1/8)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Destroy Mode. (2/8)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Destroy Mode. (3/8)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Destroy Mode. (4/8)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Destroy Mode. (5/8)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Destroy Mode. (6/8)

Destroy Mode.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Detail shots of the body. (1/5)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Detail shots of the body. (2/5)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Detail shots of the body. (3/5)

Detail shots of the body.

Outer armor removal shot

Internal frame

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - The frame and design are identical to the original — only the psycho-frame color has changed to

The frame and design are identical to the original — only the psycho-frame color has changed to blue.

The wet decal grind on this kit is no joke... easily the most of any MG ever. -_-

Configured as a standard Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode.

Front and rear shots of the upper body.

The large shield-shaped Armed Armor DE
is built by adding extra armor onto the existing shield.

You just clip it onto the top and bottom of the existing shield like this.

The Armed Armor DE in Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode.

Front and rear in Unicorn Mode.

Front and rear in Destroy Mode.

The large plated surface combined with the decals makes it look pretty impressive.

The Armed Armor DE mounts onto the backpack via a separate joint part.

The original shield.

The rifle and bazooka are the same as before.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - The Action Base 1 joint part that came with the original kit is included here too... but on the

The Action Base 1 joint part that came with the original kit is included here too...
but on the Phenex it's basically useless. -_-
The grip on the crotch joint is too weak to hold it securely,
and with all that heavy weaponry on the back, there's just no way to get it to stay up properly.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - In my case, I spent two hours wrestling with it trying to get it onto the stand before giving u

In my case, I spent two hours wrestling with it trying to get it onto the stand before giving up,
and ended up using the type of joint part shown above that came included with Action Base 1.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Aerial firing pose (1/4)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Aerial firing pose (2/4)

Aerial firing pose

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - The Armed Armor DE can be detached and used as a giant shield like this. (1/3)

The Armed Armor DE can be detached and used as a giant shield like this.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Double beam saber action poses. (1/4)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Double beam saber action poses. (2/4)

Double beam saber action poses.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Transformed into Unicorn Mode. (1/5)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Transformed into Unicorn Mode. (2/5)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Transformed into Unicorn Mode. (3/5)

Transformed into Unicorn Mode.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Close-up detail shots in Unicorn Mode. (1/5)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Close-up detail shots in Unicorn Mode. (2/5)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Close-up detail shots in Unicorn Mode. (3/5)

Close-up detail shots in Unicorn Mode.

Configured as a standard Unicorn Gundam.

Front and rear of the upper body in standard Unicorn configuration.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Unit 03's head antenna comes in three versions: Unicorn Mode, Destroy Mode, and a transformable

Unit 03's head antenna comes in three versions: Unicorn Mode, Destroy Mode, and a transformable one.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Aerial firing pose (1/3)

Aerial firing pose

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Bazooka action pose (1/3)

Bazooka action pose

The pilot figure also has a gold coating applied.

Leftover parts.

Comparison with Unicorn Unit 01 in Unicorn/Destroy Mode.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Together with the Unicorn / Banshee Titanium Finish versions. The gold coating is just on anoth

Together with the Unicorn / Banshee Titanium Finish versions.
The gold coating is just on another level when it comes to shine.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Straight build shots (Destroy Mode / Unicorn Mode). (1/4)

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex - Straight build shots (Destroy Mode / Unicorn Mode). (2/4)

Straight build shots (Destroy Mode / Unicorn Mode).

The most glamorous of the Unicorn Gundams — Unit 03, the Unicorn Gundam Phenex — has arrived as an MG. As you can see, it's a kit with gold coating applied all over the armor, and thanks to the Unicorn's signature fragmented armor panels, it radiates a brilliant, multi-angled shimmer like a diamond. It's a stunning piece.

Normally, the larger the plated surface area, the more uneven the finish tends to look due to consistency issues — but since the Unicorn's armor panels are all quite small, the coating quality actually feels even better as a result. ^^ On the flip side though, because there are so many armor pieces, there are inevitably more gate marks too, so you'll notice more white gate scars than on other plated kits, which is a bit of a shame.

The newly added Armed Armor DE has great style and functionality, and the transformation between Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode is perfectly reproduced. The gold coating alone already gives it a really premium look, and the Armed Armor DE takes the overall coolness factor up another notch.

In terms of style, proportions, and overall appearance, there's no doubt this thing looks absolutely fantastic... but it's also a kit that comes with some pretty serious problems.

First up, the sheer amount of decals can be a real issue. It requires more decal work than any other MG released up to this point. Roughly speaking, we're talking about the combined workload of applying decals to both the MG Sazabi Ver.Ka and the Nu Ver.Ka at the same time. Fortunately the decal surfaces are flat and the individual decals are small, so the work itself isn't particularly difficult — it's just that the sheer quantity is absurdly overwhelming. ㅡ_ㅡ In my case, I watched the Winter Olympics every night and chipped away at it for about a week, but honestly the reflective coating surface makes the payoff feel a bit underwhelming relative to the effort involved.

Anyway, since I always do panel lining and decals on every MG official release, I approached the decal work with a kind of solemn, meditative mindset — and despite how long it took, I actually had fun with it in its own way. That said, unless you're the type who absolutely can't rest until the decals are done, I'd honestly recommend not even starting them.;;

Whether or not to do the decal work is really a matter of personal preference, but the biggest issue with this kit is the joint strength and stability. The MG Unicorn base kit was already among the worst MGs in terms of articulation and joint strength to begin with. The wobbly ankle joints and waist locking pin were always a problem even with nothing attached to the back — but the MG Phenex, with its massive backpack load, delivers truly hopeless (-_-) stability.

Destroy Mode is especially bad, since keeping every panel open across the whole body while just standing it on a flat surface is already an incredibly frustrating task. And it gets even worse when you try to pose it. Honestly, this is the most defeated I've ever felt by any Bandai Gunpla kit in terms of holding action poses. I burned through an entire weekend just to get the handful of action pose photos you see above... T_T

The extremely weak ankle joints combined with the top-heavy upper body make it nearly impossible to pose it standing on the ground. But trying to pose it on a stand isn't much better either — the crotch joint part included with the kit has such terrible grip that it couldn't hold any pose at all. It's kind of like trying to balance seven ping-pong balls stacked vertically. I ended up gluing a few of the weaker parts with bond before shooting, but even then it was a constant struggle. The body kept falling apart and needing to be reassembled, all while being careful not to knock off the wet decals plastered all over it, and on top of that having to handle it gingerly to avoid fingerprints on the plated surfaces — it was an absolutely brutal photography session. Hours went by without a single usable shot...

After repeatedly reassembling the kit every time it collapsed on the stand, I eventually managed to get some aerial poses using the old-style joint part from Action Base 1. That said, the articulation is so limited that you can't really get all that dynamic a pose out of it anyway. ^^; But it's such a good-looking kit that just having it in a basic stance already looks great.

In the end, between the insane decal count, the constant fingerprint battle, and fighting the worst stability I've ever encountered, this kit left me completely drained for over a week — so it's hard to give it a good score. -_- The stability in particular gets the worst rating I've ever given. On top of that, the price is a whopping ¥12,000 — practically PG territory — which makes the value proposition pretty embarrassing. In short, this is a kit I really can't recommend easily. As you'll see in the score breakdown below, the pros and cons are so wildly polarized that it swings between Whoa~ visual satisfaction and What the heck is thispure frustration.

Anyway, as you can see from the photos, it's undeniably a kit with great style and presence just to look at, so if you're a Unicorn fan, it's probably worth owning at least as an unopened box. Plated kits don't tend to get reprinted all that often, after all. But if you're planning to actually build it, be prepared to glue the ankle joints, think carefully about whether you want to tackle the decals, and absolutely do not attempt action poses without serious mental preparation. You might end up more frustrated than watching Yuna Kim get robbed of her gold medal. :-)

MG RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Thanks to all those fragmented armor panels, seam lines are a non-issue~
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★★★	The coating quality and shine effect are genuinely impressive.
Proportions	★★★★★★	It's a pain to get standing, but once it's up, the look is absolutely top-notch.
Articulation	★★★	Articulation was never great on this kit to begin with.
Joint Strength	★	Weak joints plus a massive backpack — worst combination ever. T_T
Internal Frame	★★★★★	The psycho-frame in a distinctive blue color.
Detail	★★★★★	The varied angles of the plated surfaces give it even more depth and dimension.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★★	The Armed Armor DE itself has excellent style and functionality.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★	466 parts total. 38.8 parts per ¥1,000. Value for money is... questionable.
Uniqueness	★★★★★★	Stability is the worst, but the style is genuinely great.
Dalong's Point : 96 pts.

MG Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex | 2014. 2 | ¥12,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.