Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's got quite a bit of volume.

Size comparison in GN Arms form

Nice and chunky — love it.

Top and bottom

Enjoying it from various angles..

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) (1/2)

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) (2/2)

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode)

Detail close-up shots

The overall detail is solid and clean.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - HG Gundam Exia Transarm mode. Various parts related to the GN Drive have tu

HG Gundam Exia Transarm mode.
Various parts related to the GN Drive have turned red.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - The round seals on the chest, head, arms, and legs have been swapped out. A

The round seals on the chest, head, arms, and legs have been swapped out.
Also, just a heads-up — the face should've been pushed up a bit higher when attaching it, but I only noticed long after the review was done and couldn't fix it,
so please keep that in mind T_T

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - Comparison with the normal HG Gundam Exia. Going into Trans-Am mode, the in

Comparison with the normal HG Gundam Exia.
Going into Trans-Am mode, the inner seals on the round parts of the body and the lines on the arms, legs, and waist have all turned red.

Comparison of the legs and round parts.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - For good measure.. a Trans-Am action pose shot too. (1/4)

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - For good measure.. a Trans-Am action pose shot too. (2/4)

For good measure.. a Trans-Am action pose shot too.

Transforming into
GN Armor

Extend the bottom support strut all the way out.

Open up the claws and the foot stand..

Rotate the nose section at the front 180 degrees to the rear.

Lower the pin that locks Exia in place..

Raise the wings upright and unfold the smaller wings.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - Lift the large GN Cannon cover at the front and spread the large GN Swords

Lift the large GN Cannon cover at the front and spread the large GN Swords on both sides out wide.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - Pull the large GN Cannon on top forward and the internal gimmick is reveale

Pull the large GN Cannon on top forward and the internal gimmick is revealed.
(Of course it had to be the side with the worst gate marks showing;)

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - Raise the top verniers and adjust the angles in a few spots. (1/2)

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - Raise the top verniers and adjust the angles in a few spots. (2/2)

Raise the top verniers and angle a few sections.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - Slot Gundam Exia into the center. The fit is solid so it doesn't come loose

Slot Gundam Exia into the center.
The fit is solid so it doesn't come loose easily.

This is the GN Armor mode!

Absolutely insane looking..

The large GN Cannon section

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - The foot attachment point. Since it's already locked in firmly at the rear

The foot attachment point. Since it's already locked in firmly at the rear connection, the feet just rest in place for looks.

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - The large GN Sword section. The range of motion is actually quite a bit wid

The large GN Sword section. The range of motion is actually quite a bit wider than you'd expect.

A sneaky peek at Exia from the side

Rear view

Rear verniers

Exia action poses in GN Armor mode

You can cover it up like that too ^_^;

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) - A similar mech from Gundam SEED.. alongside the HG Meteor. The Meteor is wa

A similar mech from Gundam SEED.. alongside the HG Meteor.
The Meteor is way bigger, but the GN Arms wins on quality!

Either way, this is one seriously unique and awesome option.

The GN Arms — the power-up option that gave the Gundams a massive boost in the final stretch of Gundam 00 — has now been released as an HG kit. Honestly, when I first heard about it I thought, "are they really going to make a kit out of this too?" but here it is. Then again, if the even bigger and more outrageous Meteor got a 1/144 HG release, the GN Arms is no big surprise. ^^; It was a shame it didn't get much screen time in the show, but it definitely left an impression as one seriously charismatic weapon.

The kit itself is a combination of the all-new GN Arms parts and an existing HG Exia set configured in Trans-Am mode. Trans-Am mode is a function that momentarily pushes the unit's performance to the absolute limit in extreme situations. During this, various parts of the body glow red-hot.. (;) and the interiors of the round sections change slightly as well. The HG Exia Trans-Am version is identical to the standard kit — same runners, same parts — except the shoulder armor is re-molded in red, and the seals are different.

It's kind of cute how they're playing with the whole "red = 3x faster" thing here; Either way, the red Trans-Am Exia actually feels noticeably different from the regular version. Just the change in seals alone makes it look somehow more powerful. If seeing red makes you think "fast," then you're definitely a Gundam otaku! ^^;

The GN Arms perfectly recreates both its standalone flight form and the combined GN Armor mode with Exia. Everything that should fold folds, everything that should move moves. The overall color separation is excellent, the molded colors look great, and the detail work is superb — it's just a really satisfying build. There's something really fun about snapping together all those big parts and watching a massive structure take shape.

And once you've got it in GN Armor mode, the sheer presence and coolness factor is off the charts even without posing it at all. It's a bit pricier given the volume of parts, but the satisfaction and excitement after finishing it is well worth it. It makes for a truly spectacular display piece.

My personal favorite thing about it is how Exia locks into the GN Armor mode. With kits like this, securing the MS firmly can sometimes be a bit iffy... but here, you plug it in through Exia's rear polycap just like attaching a stand, so Exia locks in rock-solid. The legs just rest in place — you don't have to worry at all about the MS coming loose, which is a huge plus.

Compared to the HG Meteor, it's much smaller, but it's way more packed with detail, way better quality, and way cooler looking. ^_^;

Looking at the runner layout, the large GN Sword runners on both sides appear to use a system injection setup... which suggests a GN Arms Type-D for Dynames is probably on the way. The Type-D comes with even more massive weaponry.. (check the box art background~) That one's actually got me even more excited. ^^

With its unique design, surprisingly packed-in gimmicks, fantastic presence, and satisfying build experience, this could be just the cure for anyone suffering from Gunpla fatigue. And if you're a fan of regular Gunpla or mecha model kits in general, this is the kind of kit you'll almost unanimously love. :-)

HG GN Arms Type-E + Gundam Exia (Transarm mode) | 2008. 3 | ¥5,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.