While I mainly collect 1/144 scale Gunpla, my actual bread and butter are High Grade kits since I’ve been so used to them and the pace I have when building them. I’ve also stopped purchasing all Real Grade lead Gundam kits and just focused on those I really want since they’re really marketed as “event kits” with all the hype that surrounds those notable kits. These also include designs that would likely never a standard High Grade release, like the RG 00 XN Raiser that was announced late last week.
To those unfamiliar, the 00 XN Raiser is a variation of the standard 00 Raiser from the Gundam 00V side story/design variation series. The main variation in this design comes from the XN Raiser support craft, which is the vanilla 0 Raiser with the GN-021XN XN Unit attached.
The main changes with the XN Raiser are the addition of two GN Buster Sword IIIs that can be used for high-speed ramming attacks. Two arm units are also added for transporting weapons to other mobile suits, and to allow the XN Raiser to use the weapons itself.
The XN Unit can also combine with the 00 Gundam as a stand-alone unit to form the XN 00 Gundam or combine everything to form the 00 XN Raiser (yes, the “00” and “XN” positions are flipped). As you can see, it will need the included display stand to support the convoluted backpack it now has. And I don’t think any modifications were made to the standard RG 00 Raiser kit, meaning the only new components are those to build the XN Unit.
You will also need the same display stand for flight poses like this one, and the addition of the XN Raiser allows four weapons to be wielded as seen. I’ll leave it to you on how to make the best pose out of this kit, but there are options.
Speaking of best poses, the set also includes a smaller display stand to support the combined GN Buster Sword IIIs that even rival the GN Buster Sword II of the 00 Gundam Seven Sword.
Since the majority of this kit is the standard RG 00 Raiser release, everything comes from that set, including the GN Sword III which pales in comparison to the GN Buster Sword III. This gives a total of nine swords overall if you count the individual components of the GN Shield as bladed weapons.
I still have the RG 00 Raiser kit in storage, but this release provides me with even less reasons to build that kit. In any case, note that this is a Premium Bandai exclusive, so proceed with your usual channels when purchasing such kits.
RG 1/144 00 XN Raiser
January 2024 / ¥4,800
Premium Bandai Exclusive
