For the Christmas of 2009, My dear uncle in Hong Kong has gotten me a Master Grade, Gundam Exia! This is not to be confused with the Master Grade Ignition mode Exia.(photo not by me)
First Thoughts: I was overjoyed to get a really recently released model kit(released in 2009) I couldn't wait to see how extremely articulated it was, as I have not made a master grade ever since the RX-178 MK II Titans V2.0. I was worried though, wondering if the weapons would be chrome plated like they were in the Ignition mode release. Unfortunately, they are not.
Starting from the head, there's a sticker on the forehead which is actually very detailed and has this 3-d pop-up effect, along with those holographic stickers on top of the head. There's also another sticker for the eyes of the gundam, and both are holding very well, considering this review is 2 months after building this thing. There are also clear green pieces on both sides which have indents in them; indents of actual text. Bravo to Bandai for detail! there are also cheek-vents(separate parts now) on either side of Exia's face, which I have painted gold with some gundam marker. The yellow plastic wasn't an abomination to look at, but I just like shiny things. The head unit is able to turn a full circle, but you have to maneuver his chin over the fins. The fins on either side of Exia's head are also painted gold, and can move up, down, or can rest all the way downwards. The shoulder plates are independent of the arm itself, but are connected to them through that holographic "sticker" which will pop up throughout the rest of the gundam(it also shines a green/rainbow color when light hits it just right!) You'll also see some gray underneath the blue shoulder plate because of the gray colored frame underneath. The shoulder has a mechanism where it allows the arm to come out of its socket to bend even more forward. Also on the back of the shoulder plate is a peg for holding the beam saber handles, which do go up and down. The arm itself is capable of a
360 turn; Up, around, and back again. The elbow is double jointed, allowing for Exia to touch his own shoulder, but the
armor on the forearm hinders it from it's full potential. The hand is something that's been appearing more recently in newer models, like the force impulse, where the hand has it's usual ball joint, but now also can move it's palm up/downwards. Also included are the single index finger on it's own, other 3 fingers on three ball joints all connected to move at once with the thumb also on it's own. The peg in the
palm fits into slits in his weapons for a much tighter grip; an effort not wasted on Bandai's part.The chest vents can move in and out on the point where the arm meets the torso. The chest has a machinery-like mechanism in which his chest can
bend left or right, and seems to be able to lock in the middle. The back of the chest is one of the selling points; You have the option of placing either a red cover or a GN drive into a gaping hole in the Gundam!
Three clamps will keep either of them securely in place. Now back to the front. The blue piece protruding through the clear plastic in the chest from the bottom can
open up to reveal a cockpit with a little white figure of Setsuna F. Seiei, who is barely see-able with the camera I have now. Moving even further down, the waist connects to the torso through a simple ball and socket deal, allowing the torso to move left and right, but only to a certain degree, since the front and side skirts all seem to block off the articulation. You are, however, free to keep trying to maneuver the torso OVER the skirt armor.
Now for the waist unit. Advertised on the box art of this kit is the ability to bend down Exia's leg joint so he can attain yet another level of mobility, so his legs kick out to the side even further, bordering on splits. His front skirt armor also has a mechanism in which the entire armor piece lifts upwards so the legs can kick fully forward. On the back of the skirt, you'll find 2 saber handle holders,
they articulate up, and to the sides. The thighs! The thighs have replaced the 1/100's rubber purple pieces into more of those holographic "stickers" and being that they're see-through, you'll be able to see yet another mechanism under the sticker. As you bend the leg at the top of the knee, you'll see something pulled down through the sticker. A rather simple mechanics thingamajig that Bandai put in there.As for the knee itself, it is able to pull off a "
full bend" although the lower leg technically can't touch it's own thigh. Nothing too special on the shins, just another holographic sticker. Now the ankle is a little different.
The ankle itself has two ball joints, one on top, one on the bottom, with ankle guards on the front and the back, both moving separately. The foot is attached to the ankle's bottom ball joint, allowing for even footing even when his legs are pretty far apart on the ground. The feet themselves have 2 points of articulations, the front half of the foot can curve upwards with the toe going upwards as well.
Color palette thoughts: It's perfect. Aside from panel lining, it is an exact replica of Exia, down to the very little details in Exia's cockpit. Personally, I painted the yellow pieces gold because I had gold gundam marker. The shade of yellow actually matches pretty well with the red white and blue, although there is very little yellow(only 6 pieces). The dull silver Bandai used for the edges of the GN blades and the GN sword is alright, not at all as good as chrome plating, but the fact that they had a mix of dark gray and dull silver parts really does satisfy the lazy modeler. Not a single drop of paint required.
Weapons: This guy comes with
a lot of things. They don't call him seven swords Exia for no reason.
#1: Gn Sword/rifle.
This thing is massive. I got hype just building this hulking hunk of "iron". In the manual, there is the tip of painting certain parts of the shield frame gold and some of it silver, something I actually took the liberty of doing.
The sticker-decals aren't too bad, but they are a pain to put on. I remember having this sticker string dangling from my thumb for the longest time. It takes alot of precision to put that sucker on. Anyway, The articulation on this sword is actually surprisingly high. The sword flips forward and covers up the rifle's barrel very nicely. The blue piece under the forearm locks the handle of the gun securely into place but also can move down, and then back up. The entire unit connects into the arm at two points, one in the peg of the hand and another into the hole into the hole in the forearm. the tab that goes in the forearm's hole can rotate all the way around, and the connection between the shield and sword/rifle part has a shocking 3 points of mobility. One at the base of the connections, another at the other end, and one more on this polycap that the side of the gun pegs into like so:
Yup, it can shoot out it's own shield.
With the blade extended, the GN sword measures out to about 16.5 cm:
#2 and 3: The GN Short Blade and GN Long Blade. These two have gotten a major upgrade from the 1/100 in the fact that their edges are now a dull silver(It's silver chrome in the Ignition mode) They also peg into the hands no problem, and without even closing the hands around the handles, they won't fall out. Shake him, stir him, Catapult him to the moon, Exia's not letting go of those swords. The handle itself is actually a white piece you slip over a gray piece like a condom, so you can see the gray through the holes in the handle. And if you don't need them in Exia's hand at the moment, you can stow them away into the pegs that slide out of Exia's leg joint and clip in very securely. Although you should be very careful when pulling out the white piece over the slide. One of the pegs attaching the white piece to the slide on my kit has broken off, leaving it hanging only on one peg, which still works.
Measurements on the GN Short Blade, just barely reaching for 10cm there:
And for the GN Long Blade, you could call it 13.5 cm:
#4 and 5: GN Beam Sabers
Nothing too special about these. The clear pink beams should be standard by now. You get two long pink beams for these.
The GN Beam Sabers are about 16 cm each, handle and beam included:
#6 and 7: GN Beam Daggers.
These are the shorter, more agile versions of the original long beam sabers and are, obviously, much shorter. Like the GN Beam sabers, you also get two short pink beams for the saber handles.
Both GN Beam Daggers will measure out to about 7 cm each:
Technically not a weapon, but #8: The GN Shield.
Nothing too different about the shield from the 1/100 no-grade other than the 2 blue pieces on either side of the shield can click in or out. Something that wasn't really necessary, but is in there.
And now for a shot with every bloody Thing that Exia has on him.
And now for some final thoughts along with some action shots.
When I first saw the review of the ignition mode by
rrobbert184, I was excited. I loved the design of the Exia ever since I first saw it destroy the test type-EU Flag in the very first episode of Gundam 00.
Looking back, I'm really glad my Uncle got me this kit! The joints are very tight, the feet can stay flat even in the most bizarre poses, and posability, posability, posability!
Although the kit should be a golden standard for future model kits, there are some flaws that do stop this kit from being perfection itself. As payment for the super mobility, the Mobile Suit seems to have given in some stability, as with the GN sword, where if you have it fully extended, you might tip Exia over because of all the weight of the blade going forward. You can fix that completely, however by just putting him on a stand. I don't have one, but I wish I did.
The Inclusion of damn near every weapon Exia has ever used is quite a nice touch. Toss in alot of detail into them and you have a winning model kit worth every 3800 yen. I don't use yen though, as I'm American, and in NYC, this kind of thing is hard to find, and if it is found, I doubt it'll be for a reasonable price. If you find it at 40$, buy it. If you too have an undying love for Exia, 50$ should be worth the risk. But any higher and you should avoid it unless you have nothing better to do with your money.
The stickers that come with this kit stick very well, as only two of them are exposed to open air(The eyes and the thing above his V-fin)and the rest go into the sides of his elbows, knees and also into the side of his head, which are then covered by a clear piece followed by a much thicker clear green piece. The dry transfer decals are just tops, as they go on without a problem(be sure to rub real hard though) but the decal stickers are a different story. They're nice and all, but putting them on is a whole other story. The amount of patience and precision needed is quite tiring, as I spent 20 minutes trying to stick the decal on without bending the delicate strip of white.
All in all, I've enjoyed this mecha very thoroughly. Thinking up poses for this review was hard only in the fact that I had too many options to go with. "How about a rocker slide?""Maybe I should try imitating the box art pose" All of these, I COULD do. And as apparent, I DID do them.
And that's about all I have to say on this guy. Real fun to build, and the playability of this kit? Through the bloody roof. Although just a bit of advice for those who are going to buy the normal master grade exia and not the ignition mode, don't put on the chest sticker. It's really pointless to do so. There's text on the sticker and then there's text on the green piece too! What a joke. That's all. Rock on.
How hard is it to build: between level 1(real easy, shouldn't take more than an hour. Think one of the SD Kits) and level 6(Clear your plans for the month and buy yourself a pack of red bull, you'll be busy. Think PG 00 Raiser) This would qualify for a solid 3, maybe 4. I made it seem like a 5 just because I wanted to enjoy this build.
"Impressive-ness": On a scale of 1(a white brick) to 10(Centerpiece of your collection) the exia easily hits 8. The stand-alone gundam looks normal, with the shoulders making him look kinda intimidating, but bulked up with all his weapons, he's got a really big "Jagged" theme going on. Not something you want to run into in space.
Prices to go for in the Master Grade Gundam Exia:
Below 35$, and you got yourself a steal.
Anywhere between 35$ and 40$ is good.
46$ to 50$ is reasonable...
but anywhere above 50$ is probably a rip-off
You can also view all these photos and more at my
Photobucket.
This is a poll on Bandai America's website. It is a poll about Gundam. To the normal person, it's just a poll about who likes which gundam series. 2Old4Toys however, sees this as a chance that America will have some Gundam Love again! I concur with him, and therefore, plead all readers to go to 
http://www.bandai.com/ and VOTE. Doesn't matter if you vote for F91, Seed Destiny, whatever. JUST VOTE. This could be a chance for more than just Mobile Suit in Action Figures on the shelves of Toys 'R Us, and maybe some REAL MODEL KITS like they used to be, back in the old days. Join me, my fellow Gundam-loving brethren. Vote for the love of gundam, even if you're european or Middle Eastern, do it for us Americans, and maybe one day, it might even spread to other parts of the world!
