RD 1/60 Gundam Exia Review

Price: 4500 Yen

I actually bought this a while back, so the runners and building process was not snapped fully, just partially to highlight the sheer size of this model kit. I tell you, when you are building this, you will feel that its incredibly huge for the price(that price is pretty much MG standard price). XP

Also, I only snap-fitted this kit and it roughly took 2-3 hours. I did take my time to hide the nubs though. =P I might do simple panel lining in the future though, or maybe sometime this month since I have some free time. =D

If you want further details about the Gundam itself, just click here to go to an earlier review I did on the HG Exia. =)

Now, onto the short review.
Note: References; "HG" is to the "HG Exia" while "NG" is to the "NG Exia". =)
EDIT(22/7/09): Fix some typos and added some better comments. More pictures hopefully by end of month after I finally finish panel lining the arms... =P

Note: RD = Real Detail. RD is also known as the No Grade(NG) 1/60. Not to be mistaken with the other RD - Robot Damashii.

Part 1: Box

Part 2: Box Open!

If this was the first time you see a 1/60 scale Gundam model kit, you'll feel in disbelief at the size. You just won't get used to it straight away, thus I compared the runners with my handphone. XD

Huge, huge... oh a cockpit! Look at the second runner close-up, Bandai gave this kit a cockpit! I didn't expect that a first... but the placing of the cockpit seems a little wrong, but whatever, cockpit! =D

The stickers are extra detailed with some wordings. Because of this I didn't paint the clear orbs as so that I can preserve the words. XP

Part 3: Buildin'
Part 3.1: Torso

This is only but the inner frame of the torso, really big already! It i almost as tall as my handphone! =O

The torso is very nicely detailed. However, the shoulder parts cannot be moved up and down unlike its HG counterpart which lowers the shoulder articulation, though not such a big problem.

Part 3.2: Head

Nothing much to say, the head has slightly more parts than the HG and NG with added details such as the yellow cheek parts. However, at such a size, I expected some detail to be given for the grey part of the cheeks also which was not given.

Part 3.3: Hands

Very nice way of putting together the hands thought by Bandai. This way, I did not really need to cut them out one by one and pain myself in putting together such small and fine parts. =P

The hand is pretty nifty. I has MG like details and goes a bit beyong MG in joint movement. Quite impressed. It also incorperates a connector on the palm so that it can connect to the weilded weapons firmly. Very nice. The hands are probably the best detailed and articulated part of this kit. =)

Part 3.4: Arms
Why must the grey part(GN Vulcan) still need to use a sticker? Lazy Bandai. It would have been so much better if they made extra parts for the GN Vulcan area. =/

Also, what is up with the arm's articulation? Its the same as the HG, I soooo disappointed. The NG at least can bend 180 degrees! This is only 90 degrees! Why, Bandai, why? D=

Exia is also disappointed at its lack of articulation in the arms. D=

Part 3.5: Feet, Legs, Waist

More detailed but the articulation is still the same as the HG. WTF, why can't it have double jointed feet like the NG?

The legs are nicely detailed and is very similar to the NG.

The waist is practically the same as the NG as well. Still, a sticker is needed for the grey part...

Part 3.6: Armaments

*gasp*The blade is made of two parts! Bandai is trying to conserve plastic by making it hollow inside?

Sigh, still one piece of white plastic for this part. Why can't they make the circular area has it own grey colored part? D=

Freakin' huge and quite heavy... heavy... heavy... uh-oh.

GN Shield, GN Short Blade, GN Long Blade, 4x GN Beam Sabers and the hip parts to hold the GN Short & Long Blades. Notice the two rectangular holes on the handles? That is used to connect to the hands so that the weapons can be held firmly. =)

Part 4: ITS ALIVE~!

"I conquer this bottle in the name of Exia-sama!"

Cockpit open! I didn't put the 1/60 scale Setsuna inside though, just didn't feel like it. XP

The cockpit looks smaller than I thought... hrm...

*pew**pew**pew*
Exia shooting is okay...

But when it comes to holding the GN Sword up... it runs out of luck. The sword is just too heavy and the arm will move downwards until the tip of the blade touches the ground. D= Nonetheless, the 1/60 Exia looks damn nice. XD

Part 5: Comparisons
To be added soon...

Part 6: That's It? Conclsion Already?
I will add more pictures and comments later but right now I'm not in the mood to pose the huge Exia around and taking many pictures of it. Sorry. v.v

At any rate, I think you get the gist of this kit. But I'll made the pros & cons in point form this time. I think it will be much easier to read.

Pros

• It's huge!
• It is nicely detailed.
• It is fairly "cheap" for the size and bulk.
• The GN Blades connects to the hips very snugly!
• The blade for the GN Sword has a lock when in rifle mode, nice!
• It has a cockpit!
  

Cons

• Articulation is between HG and NG, NG is still superior.
• Failure in holding the GN Sword(sagging).
• Legs has the same faults as the NG, they are weakly joined by polycaps and the legs will open up wide easily.
• Dynamic posing is limited and can get frustrating. Due to its own weight, its stability is rather low...
  

In the end, I guess the pros outweight the cons! XP Well, not really...

So, verdict? Buy it or not? If you like the Exia and love em' big model kits, I say go for it! RD kits are less common than other grades as they have less variety in models as Bandai normally push forward the main character's mobile suit such as the Strike Gundam, Freedom Gundam and Force Impulse Gundam. Moreover, if you want to try modding, I heard that the larger kits are easier to mod due to their size. =)

Even if this kit is not very well articulated, at least the sheer size and bulk can make you happy owning it! Well, I'm quite content with it! =D I guess this kit became a preview for PG kits for me. So huge and it didn't really fit well into my display cupboard... XP
Ah... PG Exia, shall you be my first PG? =O

At any rate, with the release of the MG Exia nearing closer, this RD isn't such a great deal anymore, unless you just like to have a big Exia virtually standing in a statue like pose in your display case. Which is not bad if you take the extra effort to paint and panel line it fully. It can really be a good "statue". =P

Well, that's it for now. Like I said before, I will be adding more pictures and clearer comments later~ =)