MG GN-001: Exia Review

Hey Builders,

I'm back with a review of a Master Grade for you! Today we'll be looking at my recently completed MG Exia from the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Series. This kit was released in Japan in July 2009. Many will remember this iconic mobile suit as being the primary weapon of Gundam Meister Setsuna F. Seiei. In the first episode, this was the first Gundam revealed. If you're like me, you were captured by its sleek design and of course, its unique physical weapons for close engagements.

The Exia is one of my personal favorite suit designs. I will probably end up getting the RG one day so I have one in each grade. I personally also prefer the physical GN Sword over the GN Sword II from the Exia Repair. 

If you'd like to see the photos, the album is here!

Without further ado, let's talk a little about this kit!

Parts:

First off, this kit has 12 Runners, complete with lots of clear parts, and the sheet you see above, containing the clear effect parts that are on the Exia's sides, thighs, shins, and arms. For example, you can see them extending from the shoulders to the biceps as you see below.

Weapons and Manipulators:

This kit comes with only one pair of manipulators that have the separate thumb and index finger, typical of a Master Grade, unlike the 00 Raiser which has a more sturdy holding hand for the GN Sword III. 

This kit comes with:

1x GN Long Blade

1x GN Short Blade

2x GN Beam Sabers 

2x GN Beam Daggers

1x GN Sword

1x GN Shield

Size Comparison

As you can see, the Exia is slightly taller than the 1/100 NG Astraea. It is also just slightly shorter than the MG 00 Raiser, when it is flat on the ground. In terms of width, it is the thinnest of the three kits, especially given the 0 Raiser attachment on the 00 Raiser.

Articulation and Posing

The Exia has a wide range of motion in its legs. The inner frame allows for great bends all around, and the foot is sectioned into 3 parts for more balance. However, this kit does not pose very well. It took a lot of messing around with to get this guy into some of these poses. The connection into the hip is fairly loose, and he kept falling over. 

The shoulders also get in the way of the range of motion for the arms, and you'll find yourself adjusting and readjusting to try to get the arm in a good pose with the shoulder armor not looking derpy. 

The head is also limited in its range of motion. It sits on a ball joint, which is typical, but that section itself is directly molded into the chest piece, so you won't get any extra movement from the neck, separate from the head itself. 

The chest section has the ability to tilt side to side, which is a plus, and the connection to the hip is secure.

Color/Quality:

What can I say? It's a Master Grade. The kit is molded in red white and blue, with accents all over to make it pop. Small yellow pieces stick out on the chest and head, and clear effect parts really add a lot. The only thing I would've done better was the color of the blades themselves. They came in a dull silver plastic, which I repainted so they would contrast better with the dark gray plastic that surrounds it. 

The kit comes with clear parts that sit over sections on the legs, arm and chest, and then you put a piece of clear green plastic on top of it as well, a very nice touch.

In terms of quality, this guy is true to Anime. I remember seeing pictures of the Exia online for the Master Grade and it looked disproportionate to me, and I wasn't sure if I would like it, but when all was said and done, it just looks great. Having it on my shelf with my Astraea and 00 Raiser just finishes off my display very nicely. There aren't too many fragile parts that you might break, besides the antennas on the chest. 

One problem I had was the cockpit cover wouldn't stay clasped, and there was nothing holding it there. Since I don't plan on ever opening it, I just glued it into place. 

Unfortunately, there is a bit that is flimsy with this kit. While trying to get it into various poses, pieces kept falling off. Though the sword doesn't give too many weight issues, the connection into the arm doesn't stay very well, and he just doesn't hold the sword well at all. The handle kept popping out of the hand, and the connection wouldn't stay in the arm. 

There are also pieces on the hips that you can mount the GN Blades, that always fall apart and have no locking mechanism to hold in place either. It was very annoying having those pieces constantly popping off, especially since they are small.

 Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Amount of weapons allows for various play/pose opportunities

Kit looks beautiful out of box

Variety of clear pieces provided

Sleek design

Great color contrast and quality

Cons:

Flimsy sections that fall off a lot

Difficult to pose, with cumbersome shoulder sections connected to arms

Loose hip connection to legs causes falling over and slipping while standing

Verdict:

I love the Exia and I'm excited to finally have it in Master Grade form. However this guy leaves a lot to be desired. If you've encountered the 00 Raiser, you'll know of all its weight issues, but that kit didn't have pieces falling off, and in its base suit, could stand without falling over. It was a very sturdy kit, all in all. However, the Exia is just frustrating in how not stable it feels at times. I would still advise picking up this kit since it is fun to build, and I am partial to its design. It still has great articulation, and still just looks beautiful. However, the falling over is definitely a turn off for me. Thankfully, Bandai includes an action base adapter, so you could pose him that way if you so choose! (i'm sure you could get some great action poses in the air with him)

And he won't break the bank! This is a fairly simple Master Grade coming in around $40 most places. I picked mine up on sale from Robot4Less for $39. 

also, Bandai, please fix the GN Swords. They're either too heavy, or aren't held correctly by the suits...

Here he is all armed up.

Until next time!

AMERICA BUILD: SD Freedom (Painted)

Happy "day after independence day" to all you Americans out there. And to everyone else, hello! 

It might be a day late, but here is my Freedom Gundam build for the 4th of July. 

I love to build Gunpla, that is no secret, but one of my favorite things to do besides building, is buying little projects like these. The SD Freedom is an older SD kit, lacking a lot of detail, and correct colors. Many of the pieces are molded in single color plastic, requiring stickers every which way to complete it. (and even after all the stickers, it leaves much to be desired)

I picked this kit up from a small Toy and Gift shop Moritaya, tucked in the Japan Center in JapanTown in San Francisco, while on vacation. 

I did my very best to try to paint this little guy up, from head to toe, front to back. 

The colors I used were: 

Gundam Markers: 

Red for all red sections

Black for all the navy sections

silver for the gray sections

Blue for blue sections

Metallic green for the rifle lens

White for rifle

light blue for head cameras

ultra fine black and gray for panel lining

real touch for grit

Testors:

Metallic Silver for priming white sections

Flat Yellow for V-fin

It came out pretty nice in my opinion, with a few hiccups. My trashcan looks like the American Flag made out of q-tips because of all the cleanup I had to do. 

I also used a real touch marker to dirty the kit up, because the white was way too bright for my liking. I prefer my Gundams (with the exception of Unicorn) to be more on the dirty white side. 

For the first time I painted up the shield and rifle as well. It came out very nice, but most of my hardship was had here. The shield would run and I would also slip and mark up the wrong places and have to clean it up. After it all, the topcoat ended up ruining some of the paint, so I had to repaint it again after. 

The Freedom is one of, if not my favorite Mobile Suit design. Bash Gundam SEED as much as you want, but in High School, this is what got me back into Gundam. I'm not a huge fan of the Strike Freedom as much, but the Freedom definitely is up there on my list. 

I love picking up older SD kits and really putting in some extra effort in painting it. The simplicity in the build allowed me to really focus on painting and not have to dread putting it all together afterward. 

I wouldn't suggest this kit for a builder. It is much to simple in its build and its colors. If you like to paint, however, this kit is like a blank canvas! Now he is proudly standing on the shelf, in all its glorious red white and blue. 

Til next time!

A look at the HG Brave Standard

Hey Builders, 

While on a family trip, I picked up two kits, one of which was the HG Brave Standard featured in the Gundam 00 movie, A Wakening of the Trailblazer.

I won't have a full on review for this kit, but instead just a quick overview and photos. 

The kit comes with only 4 runners with parts, and 1 runner with a stand. Thankfully it comes with a stand because its legs are pretty flimsy... If you can see, it only comes with two sets of hands, and one plain white beam saber. 

The kit itself is very simple to build, and lacks opportunity for detail. I decided to give it some white panel lining to contrast the black pieces, just to give it a little more pop. 

I've heard a lot about this kit, and kits like it. Most of which were fairly negative. However I'm a sucker for unique designs such as the Brave, and its predecessors. 

Not to mention, I'm a sucker for transforming kits that turn into flying mobile armor. 

Would I die for this kit? Definitely not. It's fairly lack luster and doesn't have a lot going for it besides its unique design. 

However, I really like the way it comes out, much more than say the Flags of the same series. 

I'm not really high on this kit, I didn't really feel it needed a full on review. It's a unique build, and definitely a change up from your typical HG. If anything, it adds a different color and style to the 00 section of my Gunpla shelf. 

Avoid it? I wouldn't go that far. I regret paying for it, but at the very least, he looks cool. The copious amounts of ball joints around the kit make it difficult to pose/stand upright. With everything going on, it is very cumbersome for such a thin kit. It also uses most of the stickers on the rifle, which are difficult to place on correctly. 

If you really like the design, go ahead and pick this guy up. He looks great and is easy to build. However, if you're on the fence about it, I'd probably tell you to lean the other way. 

Till next time!