Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Front leg detail. The panel lines are noticeably sharper compared to the old EX.

Front section of the hull.

Bridge.

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - Rear of the hull. The detail is incredibly intricate and has great depth. A clear improvement o

Rear of the hull. The detail is incredibly intricate and has great depth.
A clear improvement over the old EX.

The detail on the rear side sections is extremely precise and impressive.

The engine nozzle detail is great too.

Wing detail.

The rear looks way cooler than the front, I'd say..

Underside detail.

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - The detail on the center of the underside is almost reminiscent of Star Wars. The hole is where

The detail on the center of the underside is almost reminiscent of Star Wars.
The hole is where the stand attaches. There's a cover to hide it when the stand is removed, but...
Hanging it in the air without a stand is a bit...;;

The mega particle cannons on the sides are done with swappable parts.

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - The highlight of this kit! The MS launch catapults are made of white metal. Each one consists o

The highlight of this kit!
The MS launch catapults are made of white metal.
Each one consists of 3 parts and needs to be assembled with super glue.

You can really feel that rough, weighty presence that's unique to metal parts.

Hmm.. looks great. (painting required, of course;)

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - Now, the star of the show — the 1/1700 scale MSes.. This kit includes the GP01 Zephyranthes and

Now, the star of the show — the 1/1700 scale MSes..
This kit includes the GP01 Zephyranthes and GP02 Physalis.
They're only about 1cm tall.. absolutely adorable little guys ^^;

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - GP01. Being so tiny, you can't really expect much detail.. but still, despite being smaller tha

GP01. Being so tiny, you can't really expect much detail..
But still, despite being smaller than a fingernail, you can more or less tell what it's supposed to be.

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - GP02. Tiny as it is, it's got a nice sense of weight and looks pretty good. (1/4)

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion - GP02. Tiny as it is, it's got a nice sense of weight and looks pretty good. (2/4)

GP02. Tiny as it is, it's got a nice sense of weight and looks pretty good.

MSes getting ready to launch from the white metal catapults.

Looks great.

With the 16th entry in the EX series, Bandai made a bold move and tried something revolutionary. They started releasing warship models at 1/1700 scale — roughly the same size as an MG kit. And this EX warship sub-series took the EX line, which had previously been little more than a way to release minor items as kits, and elevated it to a whole new level.

The first release in this warship series is the Albion from 0083.. and in terms of detail, it's up there with the best Gunpla has to offer. It's almost like looking at Fine Molds' Star Wars series, yet it has that distinctly Bandai feel — clean, intricate, and precise molding. Don't go in expecting the old vintage warship kits! This is a completely different level of quality, with a real military model vibe.

First off, the overall proportions of the ship stay faithful to the source material while being refined with a more modern, polished look. And the intricate detail packed into every corner — detail you'd never have seen in the original animation — gives it a really fresh feel. It's that distinctly Bandai kind of precision you can only get from the EX warship series. Of course, all the parts snap together easily and securely in true Bandai fashion, though the white metal parts do require super glue.

No matter how detailed MG or PG kits get, they're ultimately designed as poseable action figures, so durability has to be factored into the design — which puts a ceiling on how fine the detail can be. The EX warship series basically throws durability concerns out the window to focus on precise molding and detail, so the feel of the detail is just on a different level from regular Gunpla.

The intricate bridge section, the bold and crisp panel lines running across the entire hull, and the detailed engine and nozzle areas are all excellent. Sure, it falls a little short compared to precision military model kits, but then again, this is a "warship," so you have to look at it from a slightly different angle.

As a bonus, six white metal parts are included, letting you build some really cool-looking MS launch catapults. Using multiple materials like this gives it a premium feel. On top of that, you also get some rather wild 1/1700 scale MSes — only about 1cm tall — thrown in as extras. This kit includes both the GP01 and GP02. They're so tiny that the detail can't be super fine, but they still have their shapes intact.. and they're cute just for being so small. :-)

As you can see, the molded color is basically pure white — clearly designed with painting in mind — and the white metal parts also need to be painted. So honestly, a straight build doesn't look all that impressive and the detail isn't super easy to make out.. but looking at that clean, pristine white molded color, you can really feel the urge to paint it welling up inside you ^^;

Of course, that pure white molded color makes taking review photos quite a challenge. The white tends to make the detail and molding look softer and blunter than they actually are in person. I did my best to adjust the lighting and sharpen things up to bring out the detail, but please keep in mind that the photos don't quite do it justice compared to seeing it in real life.

Anyway, the EX series had a reputation for releasing minor items at high prices with mediocre detail, but launching this warship sub-series with a massive detail upgrade at around ¥3,500 — similar to previous entries — is something very much worth welcoming. At this level of detail, it finally starts to feel like you're getting your money's worth.

It does require painting, but even as a straight build, the Albion is put together so neatly and precisely that I think most people would want one. :-) Especially if you're a fan of 0083 — the purchase value shoots way up!
One day I'll paint mine too... (though when exactly, your guess is as good as mine~)

EX Model Mobile Ship Albion | 2003.9 | ¥3,500 | 1/1700

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.