Gunpla Build - High Grade Victory Two Gundam (Part 1)

A bit of housekeeping before we begin.

While I did this build back in December 2021, I recently went back and took some comparison photos between it and the High Grade Victory Gundam. As a result, the photos throughout this build are a bit scattershot, and come from different periods of time.
Since I built this model so long ago, my commentary about the build is entirely from memory. I may get some details wrong in the process.

Good? Good. Let’s begin.

Parts and Pieces

The High Grade Victory Two has eight runners:

Two white
One red
One blue
One Yellow
One Grey
One sheet of polycaps
One clear red with beam effect parts

Compare that to the High Grade Victory, which has …

… eight runners, in the exact same colors. Remember that these two mobile suits are more similar than they are different, so I don’t think this is a coincidence.

Granted, almost every single one of the V2’s runners is larger, so it’s at least somewhat more intricate, but the point stands. These two mobile suits are more alike than different.

Core Fighter

Visually, the V2’s Core Fighter is very different than the V1’s, but their respective models are roughly the same number of parts (ten pieces as opposed to twelve). You’ve got the fuselage, the nose, and the thrusters (and once again we have to paint the cockpit glass):

*This blurry picture is one of the only “in assembly” photos I have*

*The cockpit glass with a bit of metallic blue paint*

*It’s not hard to follow how all the pieces fit together. In this photo, all that is left to add are the two white pieces underneath the thrusters*

And here it is fully assembled:

*I used the base from one of my small Star Wars models to prop it up - thank goodness for general parts compatability*

Overall, this is a pretty good scale model, but I don’t think the V2’s Core Fighter looks all that impressive unless you see it in motion. The model itself doesn’t really convey the sense of speed with which it moves.

Comparison with the V1

There’s not much of a comparison to do here, but rather a study in contrasts. The Core Fighters are strikingly different, not only in size but in shape:

This makes sense considering that the Core Fighters make up most of the chest area on each respective mobile suit - and the chest is the one area that’s most different between them.

Beam Rifle

The Beam Rifle has a grenade launcher attachment, and not one, but two different scopes.

Comparison with the V1

They’re not identical, but they’re pretty close:

The V1 lacks the second scope and the grenade launcher, and there are a few minor tweaks to the visual design. But they’re more similar than they are different.

Beam Sabers

These are the same as the V1’s. The exact same:

Beam Shield

Also the same:

*I know this is a picture of just one of them. Trust me when I say they’re the same*

Conclusion

So far this has been rather uneventful. For all intents and purposes, the gear is the same.

I’m not literally surprised by this, since I knew about it going into the build. But I am figuratively surprised that someone made this decision. Throughout the 70’s and 80’s, most Gundams had their own unique weapons (or at least a unique rifle), but the shows and OVA’s of the 90’s kicked off a trend in which we started to see weapons become more universal and compatible. For instance, within Victory Gundam itself, there are other non-Gundam mobile suits that use the type of beam rifle. We see a similar reuse of weapons in Stardust Memory and later on in 08th MS Team.

I have no idea if this is pure coincidence, or a deliberate attempt to make these 90’s stories more realistic. Whatever the case, it’s an interesting little footnote that gives the era a bit of a unique flavor.