I have a history with the Gundam AGE-2. Other than a Gundam Maxter I built when I was very young, the AGE-2 was the first Gunpla I built that started my slow decent into the madness of my current hobby. I built the Normal, Double Bullet, Dark Hound, and even tracked down the conversion kit in order to build the Artemis. Funnily enough, only kits I ever got from Gundam AGE during its run. The nostalgia was really hard to suppress when the first AGEII Magnum was revealed, but when they showed off the SV Ver. I just couldn’t help myself.
The Good: The unarmored posability is great, with a good range in both the arms, legs, and neck. The waist only has a swivel due to the transformation, but I don’t find myself using the full ab-crunch most of the time anyway. It does come with a dedicated stand with an extension piece to account for those enormous legs.
It’s been a while since I handled one, but I was oddly impressed by the Phoenix Mode. Especially after handling the Shining Break and Zerachiel, I’d forgotten that some MS actually try when transforming. While it’s not perfect, the amount of added parts to the Hyper DOTS Rifle Magnum and F Funnels used exclusively for this mode are cool, and the new hip skirt Beam Vulcans add even more weaponry to it than its previous incarnation.
And on an odd note, The Magnum SV comes with parts to construct two Shiguru Shields; just not two arm adapters. I bring this up because I was planning to use four of them in an upcoming custom I have planned out, and was excited to find I only need to purchase two Magnums for that particular project instead of four.
The Bad: The shoulder mounted F Funnels get in the way of the arm posability. The size of the Shiguru Shield doesn’t help, as I found it liked to bump into the wings as I was moving it around. This was a problem present on the AGE-2 Normal, but the new shield helps exacerbate the flaw in its design. The Thielva’s T Bits SigMaxiss Funnels, while they peg into the back fine, have holes slightly too wide foe a traditional stand and will spin around very easily.
And my biggest sadness; there was no effect part to emulate FX-Plosion. The Higher Than Sky Phase variant of the 00 Sky came with extra Wings of Light effect parts, so I was hoping this variant would come with a large translucent piece as well, but no dice.
The Details: It took me a while to decide on a panel lining color, but eventually decided to copy the gold I’d gone with for the 00 Sky as both are rival high-performance machines. There are only a few minor touches of black in some of the recessed areas in the back and shoulders, as well as the face and chest, and some white and black to touch up the Thielva’s T Bits SigMaxiss Funnels. It looks a heck of a lot better than the last AGE-2 I built.
Overall, it’s good, it’s a main character and rival’s machine, and for me it has a ton of nostalgia, but it’s not the greatest. I’d suggest getting it if you don’t already have the original AGEII Magnum [if you do you can buy the HWS & SV Weapon Set to get the new parts in their original colors] and you want it in scale with the rest of your Build Divers Gunpla. If you don’t, get the Master Grade. That thing looks gorgeous.
This kit is a stark reminder that there can be too much of a good thing… unless done right, which I’m glad this is! I’m McMegane from SUTD Gunpla Club and today’s review is none other than the Champion Kujo’s final Gunpla of the season: The Gundam AGE 2 Magnum SV ver.
Right out of the box, there are a total of 13 runners [counting in the effect parts and polycaps] and many of these runners might be familiar to you as this kit is heavily based off of the Gundam AGE 2 Magnum, released early 2018, which in my opinion is one of the best AGE 2 kits to date. These runners come in shades of grey instead of a navy blue. Of course, there are some new runners specific to this kit which serve as the “upgrade” parts for this kit.
This kit is a stark reminder that there can be too much of a good thing… unless done right, which I’m glad this is! I’m McMegane from SUTD Gunpla Club and today’s review is none other than the Champion Kujo’s final Gunpla of the season: The Gundam AGE 2 Magnum SV ver.
Right out of the box, there are a total of 13 runners [counting in the effect parts and polycaps] and many of these runners might be familiar to you as this kit is heavily based off of the Gundam AGE 2 Magnum, released early 2018, which in my opinion is one of the best AGE 2 kits to date. These runners come in shades of grey instead of a navy blue. Of course, there are some new runners specific to this kit which serve as the “upgrade” parts for this kit.
Appearance
Despite being based on the same kit, this model gives a very different feel from its predecessor as it looks more regal and threatening due to the new leg parts, side skirts and additional weapons which bulk it up quite a bit, and that really makes the kit stand out even with the paler color scheme.
I’ve always been a big fan of the AGE 2 design and personally, I really dig that new look. The use of the grey on the SV Magnum really makes the clear parts stand out way more than on the original Magnum in a good way, though I would have liked for it to be blue instead of turquoise. The color choice is still a much-improved take on the AGE 2 Normal SP ver. which was entirely white.
However, the plainer colour and bulkier appearance might turn some people off with how the AGE 2 is supposedly the most dynamic and light among the AGE series story-wise and this does affect the articulation to a certain extent. The SV Magnum also looks horrible on land due to the extension from its leg armor even if it has a hinge joint to ensure that it can stand on land. Luckily, Bandai provided us with a stand and parts for displaying both forms in the air, where it is much better served.
Fortunately, the colour correcting stickers in this kit are almost non-existent and none of them are hard to apply. In addition, the paler color scheme really makes it easier to apply custom colour schemes to this kit. Just don’t forget to prime before you paint!
Build
The build is actually pretty good. The nubs are located in mostly inconspicuous locations and with the paler colour scheme, those nubs are hard to spot even if you screw up. The build can be a bit repetitive if you have built the Magnum before but otherwise it is relatively simple amongst HGs, being somewhere between a Force Impulse and the Zeta. However, it might take slightly longer than the standard HG with how many weapons this thing has. Be careful of the torso as it is prone to breaking over time since it is involved in the transformation and the hip joints will weaken over time.
The model itself is pretty solid, with no loose dangly parts as far as I can tell [except for that hip joint] unless they are meant to be detachable in which they are also stay in place nicely when you’re not trying to take them out. It also doesn’t require a stand to actually stand upright on its feet so that’s much improved over many other backpack-heavy models, thanks to its many front-facing blades.
Accessories:
This kit’s accessories aren’t really different from its original counterpart. It comes with: a Hyper Dods Rifle Magnum with new colour scheme but the same awesome moving parts, 2 extra hands: 1 open and 1 closed, 2 shields , 4 F funnels which can be used as weapons and of course the “main focus” of the kit, 2 SV funnels. These new funnels have a bit of articulation with which they can open up to do a shooting pose and attach the effect parts, which can look awesome!…… Provided you have parts for it.
If you do not like the SV’s look, Bandai has got you covered [somewhat] since they reuse the runners from the AGE 2 Magnum which includes a spare shield with no arm connector and parts that make up the original Gundam AGE 2 Magnum, which is nice for those who want a colour variant of the Magnum but are too busy to paint.
Oh, and extra poly caps are always welcome.
Articulation:
As someone who had the original AGE 2 Normal, this is a kit that can handle a lot of beating and has impressive articulation. However, this kit is a let-down for me in this department due to its new parts somewhat hindering the articulation of the kit.
Head
Pretty standard rotation and tilt, with a very slight double joint.
Chest/Shoulders
The shoulders can swivel back and forth while the shoulder armour can rotate 180 degrees from side to side as well which prevents them from blocking the arm articulation.
Arm
Decent. With the close-to-perfect double elbow bend and a 90-degree upward swing, this kit’s arms can be posed quite well.
Waist
Can swivel without any hindrance. All the skirt parts of this kit have hinge joints which enable a wider range of leg articulation.
Legs
The range of articulation on this kit’s legs is incredible but not as good as Magnum due to addition of “The Heels” which make it look awesome in the air but horrible on land while affecting its balance.
Back
Not much articulation aside from 2 holders for SV funnels, which, by the way, also serve as always-welcome weapon storage slots.
Transformation:
One of the best transformable kits in my opinion, with how few ‘parts-former’ parts it has and how well the robot bits are hidden, the SV’s sleek pointy jet mode just looks great [and kind of like the 00’s Ptolemaios]. However, it is unfortunately quite hand-grenade-like in this mode, with parts that tend to fall off.
Overall
Build: 8/10
Appearance: 8/10
Articulation: 6/10
Transformation: 6/10
Accessories: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
This is an awesome kit, and despite its extra bulk, it still has impressive articulation, though you need to handle it with care. However, as much as I like this kit, I would only recommend this kit to those who do not have an AGE 2 Magnum yet or are fans of the AGE series. But I can guarantee that you will have a blast with this kit if you decide to get it!!!