Robot Damashii Gundam Exia Review - Part 1

Price: 2800 Yen

Now, time for more Exia! If you are a FB regular, you might already guessed that this review is next up but anyways, here's the review.

I bought this for RM90 at Hobby Kingdom (Star City, KK, Sabah) and it was the very last box. Never thought I could get one but luckily I was. A big thanks to Evaritus Lau, once again, for this opportunity. :X
This is my 13th Gundam Exia and, well, that's quite a lot and I'm still missing the HG 1/144 GN-Arms Type E, NG 1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia, MG 1/100 Gundam Exia (Normal), MG 1/100 Gundam Exia Trans-AM (only if I can get that 80% discount...)... yeah. Not really going to gun to get them all but just those I come across. Not crazy enough to go all out. XP

Gundam Exia, one of the most shown Gundam on this blog needs no introduction anymore. It is piloted by Setsuna F. Seiei and it comes with seven swords. One of the most extreme sword motive Gundam to date, if I'm not mistaken.

This first part covers the box, box open, articulation and gimmicks. Action poses and the conclusion will be covered in the next part. Most of the photos were taken in a room at the Promenade Hotel Apartment before my camera was sent off. So, you can see the annoying black spot at the following photos. ^^; That also explains the lack of comparison shots minus the mint bottle which I bought while I was there.

EDIT: Forgot to insert neck shot in this part.

Part 1: Box

The usual Robot Damashii box. Nothing out of the ordinary. Pretty much standard size too.

Part 2: Box Open!

Gundam Exia, GN Sword, GN Long Blade, GN Short Blade, GN Beam Saber (2), GN Beam Dagger (2), extra V-Fin, hand units, hip holsters to hold the blades and manual.
At default, it comes with the rubber composite V-Fin. I immediately switched to the solid plastic one since the default one was slightly bent. ^^;

The manual isn't so non-Japanese reading friendly though.

Part 3-1: Out of Box

Stiff pose since this is how it is posed when you take it out from the box. I found out that the joints were very stiff especially the right shoulder and both hip ball joints (got "cracking" sounds). Had to be careful when moving it about through the review and playing process. ^^;

Nicely detailed and the only most visible nub marks was at the rear torso area for the movable vents. Otherwise, great paint job. Unlike the usual Exia variations, Robot Damashii decided to paint some parts silver instead of gray which will be more visible after...

Part 3-2: Arms Installation Complete!

The silver isn't reflective but it has that nice not blinding shine which is pretty nice. One thing I like about this RD is that it is very stable and that really give a big smile on my face.

Part 4: Articulation & Gimmicks

Articulation from the sides is pretty good except for the hips. Due to the simple connection of the front skirts, it unfortunately limits how high the legs can go. From all the RDs I've had til now, this is a common glaring "problem". I wish they make the connection for the front skirts more flexible as well as make the pelvis more longer to allow the hip connections to be more flexible.

Everyone can do the splits now, even Exia. The MG can too.
Also, because the GN Cables on the shoulders aren't connected from the arm to the shoulder armor, it allows for better articulation. It is inaccurate to the actual design but makes sense for this figure.

As usual, the chest antennae (made of a flexible rubber composite material) can move in and out and the chest vents can go in and out and move up and down. The connection is very much like the HG for the chest vents so they may come off when moving the arms by the shoulder connection. Nothing too serious except if the connection is as stiff as mine. ^^;

As I said, very stable. The MG/NG can do this too but at least this one can stand on one foot without dropping down. :D

If you haven't notice, some parts of the body are removable. This is to allow part swapping to the Exia R2 which you have to buy separately... sadly it was limited. D:

I can't really spin the waist a complete 360 but it is flexible enough.

Great articulation on the neck. I'd expect nothing less from an RD.

Not really needed but you can wiggle the GN Drive... yeah.

You can open up the GN Drive to allow Burst Mode which was used by Exia R2 for the finishing blow.

See that? With that wiggling, you can leave the GN Sword stored on the arm so that Exia can hold the other swords in its arsenal. :)

Taken with the Samsung Champ. I was disappointed to find out that the rear skirt is one solid piece so there is no swing mechanism to grab the GN Daggers at the rear. ^^;

To be continued...