OLD Victory Gundam 1/100 V2 Gundam

Release 1993.9

Price ¥1,500

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

System insert runners are included.

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - System insert runner close-up (1/3)

System insert runner close-up

The same beam parts and polycap runners as the 1/100 V Gundam are included.

Clear runners and stickers

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - Parts diagram (1/4)

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - Parts diagram (2/4)

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + waterslide decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Same beam parts as the 1/100 V Gundam.

Beam shield mount on the forearm

Leftover parts for the 1/100 V Gundam.

Limb articulation is better than the 1/100 V Gundam.

V-shaped booster articulation

Articulated fingers

Beam rifle + beam saber pose

Beam saber + beam shield pose

To transform, you first need to separate the body piece by piece.

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - Fold up the vertical tail fins from the back, then plug in the separately included cockpit section to c

Fold up the vertical tail fins from the back, then plug in the separately included cockpit section to complete the transformation into the V2 Core Fighter.

V2 Core Fighter

Underside

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - To transform into the Top Limb, pull the shoulders outward and fold them, then rotate the wrists 180 de

To transform into the Top Limb, pull the shoulders outward and fold them, then rotate the wrists 180 degrees.

At this point, attach the rifle mounting structure to the end of one arm.

Fold the side/front skirt assembly as shown above, then...

Rotate the beam rifle's grip to prepare for attachment.

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - Attach the various sections to the separately included transformation joint parts to assemble the Top L

Attach the various sections to the separately included transformation joint parts to assemble the Top Limb.

Attach the V2 Core Fighter to the assembled Top Limb to complete the Top Fighter.

Top Fighter

Underside

Now, to build the Bottom Limb, tuck in the foot structure and fold it as shown on the right.

Attach both legs to the separately included transformation joint parts to assemble the Bottom Limb.

Plug the V2 Core Fighter into the Bottom Limb to complete the Bottom Fighter.

Bottom Fighter

Underside

OLD 1/100 V2 Gundam - Since only one V2 Core Fighter is included, you can't display the Top Fighter and Bottom Fighter at the

Since only one V2 Core Fighter is included, you can't display the Top Fighter and Bottom Fighter at the same time.

Leftover parts after transformation.

Together with the 1/144 V2 Gundam.

Together with the 1/100 V Gundam.

Comparison with the 1/100 V Gundam's Top & Bottom Fighter

Together with the MG V2 Gundam Ver.Ka released in 2015.

The fourth entry in the old V 1/100 series is the V2 Gundam. Just like the 1/100 V Gundam, the highlights of this kit are the system insert runners and the transformation gimmick. It comes with noticeably improved quality compared to the V Gundam in several areas.

For starters, the shoulder and knee articulation has been improved over the stiff V Gundam, making posing a lot easier. The head transformation gimmick is still a bit iffy in terms of how securely it locks in place, but it's at least better than the V Gundam.

The transformation process feels slightly more complex than the V Gundam's, but the parts hold together well enough after transforming that it's actually pretty satisfying to do. The one downside is that, per the lore, you need to attach the V2 Core Fighter to both the Top Limb and Bottom Limb to form the Top Fighter and Bottom Fighter — but since only one V2 Core Fighter is included, you can't build both at the same time.

All in all, this kit is an improvement over the V Gundam in terms of both articulation and stability, and it's the best-quality kit in the V 1/100 series. The MG version was released in 2015, but that one had a certain mix of precision and complexity to it. If you want a V2 Gundam that's simple yet still transformable, giving this old 1/100 V2 Gundam a build is definitely worth it. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.12.23]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.