Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Underside

EX Model Arch Angel - The stand is a bit iffy.. there's no peg or socket — it just sits on top, so it barely stays in place;;

The stand is a bit iffy.. there's no peg or socket — it just sits on top, so
it barely stays in place;; Touch it and it just falls right off..

Detail shots

The best-detailed and coolest part of the Arch Angel is definitely the rear verniers section.

Underside detail shots

Anyway, the verniers came out really nicely detailed.

The Arch Angel has an unusually large number of swappable accessories.

EX Model Arch Angel - First up, swapping out the Lohengrin. You disassemble the bow section, insert the Lohengrin body, then

First up, swapping out the Lohengrin. You disassemble the bow section, insert the Lohengrin body, then reassemble.

The detail is really impressive. Molds packed all the way into the barrel interior.

The highlight of the Arch Angel has to be the "Positron Blaster Cannon" Lohengrin!

EX Model Arch Angel - There are also swappable cannons that attach to the top of the bow section. The cannon's name is appare

There are also swappable cannons that attach to the top of the bow section.
The cannon's name is apparently the "225cm Twin High-Energy Rapid-Fire Plasma Cannon." Ridiculously long name..;

A set of all 4 cannons!

EX Model Arch Angel - Next, the cannons mounted on the rear flanks are also swappable. These are called the "110cm Singl

Next, the cannons mounted on the rear flanks are also swappable.
These are called the "110cm Single Linear Gun Valiant Mk.8."
I think the Valiant actually showed up in the anime under that name too..

The spot where the Valiant sits also has pretty decent detail once you pull it out.

Fully armed with all 6 cannons deployed

EX Model Arch Angel - Last up.. swapping in the linear catapult. First you lift up the front of the bow to open it, then swap

Last up.. swapping in the linear catapult.
First you lift up the front of the bow to open it, then swap out the structures on either side.

Linear catapult complete! This is where the MSs launch from.

All 4 swap options applied

EX Model Arch Angel - The Arch Angel comes with a bunch of 1/1700 figures. First up is the Aile Strike Gundam.. but the back

The Arch Angel comes with a bunch of 1/1700 figures.
First up is the Aile Strike Gundam.. but the back is so heavy it absolutely refuses to stand on its own -_- Gonna have to glue the feet down or something..

1/1700 Buster Gundam.

1/1700 Moebius Zero and Sky Grasper. Almost like a miniaturized version of EX No.15 SEED Mecha Set #1.

Recreating the MS launch scene through the linear catapult

A scene you saw so many times in the anime..

EX Model Arch Angel - Wait. There's one more option included in this kit — you can also build it as its sister ship, the Domi

Wait. There's one more option included in this kit — you can also build it as its sister ship, the Dominion.
First difference: the Arch Angel and Dominion have different ear sections on the bridge.

And the rear wing structures are different too..

So by swapping those 4 parts, you can build it as the Dominion instead.

EX Model Arch Angel - The Dominion — the sister ship that shows up near the end of the anime and faces off against the Arch A

The Dominion — the sister ship that shows up near the end of the anime and faces off against the Arch Angel.

EX Model Arch Angel - The Arch Angel is just massive by design, so compared to the same-scale Argama and Albion, it looks abs

The Arch Angel is just massive by design, so compared to the same-scale Argama and Albion, it looks absolutely enormous;;

The third entry in the ongoing 1/1700 EX warship series is the Arch Angel from Gundam SEED. Now, the Arch Angel's official length is a whopping 420 meters, which puts it in a completely different size class from other 200–300m warships. So naturally, even at the same 1/1700 scale, it looks way bigger than the previous Albion and Argama kits. Probably because of all the extra parts that come with it, this one is priced at ¥4,500 — a full ¥1,000 more than the other warships;;

Just like the previous kits, this one features really crisp panel lines and sharp detail all around, with the rear engine section in particular having excellent depth. The proportions and molding on those arch-shaped verniers are quite unique..

What really stands out about the EX Arch Angel is how generously it recreates all the swappable weapon options from the source material. The Lohengrin up front, the cannons on top, the Valiants on the rear flanks — all reproduced with great detail, and even the linear catapult at the bow, which looked pretty complex, is pulled off convincingly. On top of that, 4 Dominion-specific parts are included so you can build it as the sister ship instead.

Also, while most kits in this line come with around 2–3 1/1700 MS figures, this one includes 4: the Aile Strike Gundam, Buster Gundam, Moebius Zero, and Sky Grasper. They're all fine except for one issue — the Aile Strike Gundam is a bit of a problem. The Aile pack on its back is so heavy that it absolutely cannot stand on its own;; You'll probably just have to glue it down somewhere.

This is already the third warship kit to come molded in white for easy painting. They've carved out a nice niche with their high detail and clean proportions — but one thing I miss with the Arch Angel compared to the earlier kits is that the white metal option that was included before is gone here. Sure, you get a bigger ship and more swap options in return, but still, ¥4,500 is ¥4,500..;; (Hey, this is an EX model after all!)

Anyway, if you're a Gundam SEED fan, this is definitely one of the more worthwhile items out there :-)

EX Model Arch Angel | 2004.9 | ¥4,500 | 1/1700

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.