Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Various angles (1/6)

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Various angles (2/6)

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Various angles (3/6)

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

Detail shots

Weapons & accessories

The inside of the shield has some pretty detailed molding too.

The beam rifle can be mounted on the rear skirt.

Three hands are included in total,
but the wrist connection uses a thick pin instead of a ball joint.

Stand joint parts. Holds nice and secure.

Shoulder gatling and beam saber unit articulation

The backpack verniers are also poseable.

Shoulder hard point articulation.
This part is a bit loose, so it can drift open on its own while posing.

Leftover parts

Excellent limb articulation

You do have to twist the thigh sideways to raise it up high.

Hip slide mechanism

Forward/backward shoulder articulation

The waist doesn't have a very wide range of motion.

The wrists are poseable too.

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Beam rifle firing pose (1/4)

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Beam rifle firing pose (2/4)

Beam rifle firing pose

Shoulder gatling attack pose

Drawing pose

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Recreating that imposing entrance pose from the show. (1/3)

Recreating that imposing entrance pose from the show.

HG Gundam EX (RFV) - Kneeling beam saber pose (1/3)

Kneeling beam saber pose

Together with the HG Zaku II Type F Solari Custom, released at the same time.

Together with the HGUC RX-78 Gundam Revive version.
They look pretty mismatched side by side.

Having weapons on the back, it actually feels more similar to the HG Origin Gundam than anything else.

Straight build

The Gundam EX from "Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance" — the Netflix original CG anime that dropped in October 2024 — has been released as an HG kit. It launched alongside the HG Zaku II Type F Solari Customas a simultaneous release. It comes with flashy panel lines and a design that feels quite different from your typical Gundam.

Starting with build quality — as you'd expect from a modern kit, the overall finish is clean and tidy. The polycap-less joints deliver great articulation and joint strength. Compared to the stiff HG Zaku II Type F Solari Custom that came out at the same time, this kit has joints that are smooth yet hold their position perfectly — it's hard to believe they're from the same release wave.

The shoulder cannon and beam saber holder on the back work well, and the shoulder cannon can rotate 90 degrees together with the drum on the backpack. The beam saber holder, which stores three beam sabers, does tend to pop off during posing, so you might want to glue the part where it connects to the back. There's also a hard point on top of the shoulder that opens up, but it's a little loose and can pop open or rattle around for no reason. Aside from these minor nitpicks, the kit is solidly built overall.

The biggest talking point with this kit is probably the divisive design. A lot of people feel it's over-detailed compared to a traditional Gundam, and that the face is just plain ugly. It's like... a grumpy-looking Gundam, if that makes sense. But once I actually watched the anime, I kind of got it. It's literally portrayed as the Federation's White Devil, and given that the story is Zeon-centric, a design that fits the role of the villain actually makes sense. Since the source material goes for a military-style war story from the start, it makes sense that this Gundam came out feeling more like a weapon than a hero.

That said, as you can probably tell just from the photos, the panel lines and over-detailing are intense — panel lining this kit is quite a workout for an HG. The straight build already looks great on its own, so you don't necessarily have to panel line it, but if you do, I'd recommend going with lighter, more subtle panel lines like I did.

So yes, it's a pretty unconventional design — but flip that around, and it's a genuinely fresh Gunpla that stands apart from everything else out there. Build quality-wise there's not much to complain about, so if the Netflix series left an impression on you, this is definitely a kit worth picking up. :-)

HG Gundam EX (RFV) | 2024.10 | ¥1,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.