Kit Review

Straight build +
panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body front shot. The color combination is really flashy.

Additional armor on the chest and skirt sections

Side angle view. Massive armor has been added to the shoulders.

A Celestial Being emblem seal goes on the shoulder.

Rear view. Quite complex, as expected.

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - The solar furnace area and the massive rear skirt section. There are quite a few seals, but the

The solar furnace area and the massive rear skirt section.
There are quite a few seals, but they don't look too out of place..

Added structure on the forearm.

Verniers added to the back of the calves..

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - When bending the knee, the verniers fold back as shown, so they don't cut into the articulation

When bending the knee, the verniers fold back as shown, so they don't cut into the articulation too badly.

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - A total of 4 beam sabers are mounted in a crossed arrangement — 2 on the shoulders, 2 on the ba

A total of 4 beam sabers are mounted in a crossed arrangement.
2 on the shoulders, 2 on the backpack.

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - The shoulder weapon units can move in multiple stages, and the vernier sections can open up as

The shoulder weapon units can move in multiple stages, and the vernier sections can open up as well.

The 2 GN Blades lock into a single mounting part and attach to the backpack.

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - Because of the added structure on the back of the forearm, the GN Sword can't be folded in comp

Because of the added structure on the back of the forearm, the GN Sword can't be folded in completely.

The GN Sword can also be stored on the backpack as shown.

The soft connector part on the back restricts the waist's horizontal rotation somewhat.

Since this is a variant, you end up with leftover parts from the Exia.

Articulation.
The added structures do limit it a bit compared to the Exia.

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - GN Sword action pose (1/4)

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - GN Sword action pose (2/4)

GN Sword action pose

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - Stand on! The upper body is pretty heavy.. I feel a lot better putting it on a stand rather tha

Stand on!
The upper body is pretty heavy.. I feel a lot better putting it on a stand rather than leaving it on the floor;

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - GN Sword Rifle action (1/3)

GN Sword Rifle action

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - GN Sword assault action (1/3)

GN Sword assault action

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - Drawing pose for the beam sabers. The shoulder ones look fine, but pulling out the ones on the

Drawing pose for the beam sabers. The shoulder ones look fine, but pulling out the ones on the back just doesn't work out at all..

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - Beam saber action (1/4)

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - Beam saber action (2/4)

Beam saber action

GN Blade action

It does look pretty cool though..

Together with the 1/100 Exia.
It's basically the Exia design with extra weapons added on.

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia - Three Exia variants have been released in no time at all. Like most variants, this one is prett

Three Exia variations have dropped in no time at all.
True to form for variations, this one is pretty flashy and over-the-top.

A set of 4 kits all based on the 1/100 Exia..

Straight build

As the third Exia variation, the Avalanche Exia has been released right on schedule, as if following a predetermined path. With this, all three variation Gundams announced back when the Astraea launched are now out.

First off, this kit is based on the Exia rather than the Astraea, and it actually includes every single runner from the 1/100 Exia. On top of that, about 3 additional runners for the Avalanche equipment are included as add-on armaments, so the basic structural characteristics are naturally identical to the 1/100 Exia. The added armament structures do limit the articulation a bit, though.

The design itself has such a busy and flashy color combination that, as you'd expect from a 1/100 scale kit with solid color separation, it looks quite pretty even as just a straight build. Normally, Gundam-type kits with a white base tend to look a bit washed-out before panel lining... but this Avalanche Exia looks surprisingly vibrant even without any panel lining~ The whole appeal of a side-story kit is exactly this kind of flashiness and uniqueness, and this kit delivers on that concept really well.

On the Avalanche Exia, you can mount a pair of GN Blades fixed to the back, with the GN Sword also attachable right alongside them. The beam saber mounts have all been moved up to the top of the shoulders... These changes to the armor and armaments give it quite a different feel from the Exia.

One thing to note — the polycaps used in the 00 1/100 line weren't all that strong to begin with, and it shows even more with this Avalanche Exia. The Exia and Astraea were slim enough that it wasn't really a problem, but the Avalanche Exia has a fair amount of added armament, so if you don't balance it carefully, it'll topple forward. It's probably made worse by the fact that most of the armament is concentrated on the upper body, giving it a very top-heavy center of gravity.

Anyway, Bandai already had a pretty good run with side-story kits in the SEED line, led by the Astray, so you can tell they're putting some real effort into the 00 side-story kits as well. Since the backstory is a bit thin, the kits themselves are designed so that the assembly process alone is plenty of fun..

If nothing else, I can't think of a better kit than this if you want something that looks great as just a straight build :-)

1/100 Gundam Avalanche Exia | 2008. 7 | ¥3,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.