Kit Review

Straight build + partial paint + panel lining

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - The universal measuring stick — size comparison with a cigarette pack. Absolutely top-tier backpack presen

The universal measuring stick — size comparison with a cigarette pack. Absolutely top-tier backpack presence.

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - The backpack is so heavy that you'll have trouble keeping it upright unless you push the feet way back lik

The backpack is so heavy that you'll have trouble keeping it upright unless you push the feet way back like that. -.-;

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - Absolutely terrible articulation. That's as far as the knees bend.. ugh.. Well, it's a unit built for look

Absolutely terrible articulation. That's as far as the knees bend.. ugh.. Well, it's a unit built for looks anyway, so whatever..

Action-style fixed hands included with Ex-S as an extra. Both hands are included.

On top of the original color Sentinel source material. Hard to believe this was a design from the '80s..

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - Just like the HGUC S Gundam, getting the official colors right requires a lot of partial painting.. Before

Just like the HGUC S Gundam, getting the official colors right requires a lot of partial painting..
Before and after partial painting, front view

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - Before and after partial painting, rear view. I actually should've painted part of the backpack white too,

Before and after partial painting, rear view. I actually should've painted part of the backpack white too, but skipped that.. ^^;

The classic gun-holding pose that's always recreated with Ex-S.

Gun-holding action po~se~

From this low angle, the sheer presence of that backpack is just intimidating..

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - When holding the gun itself, Ex-S has a support clip on top of the forearm that connects to the barrel to

When holding the gun itself with Ex-S,
there's a support clip on top of the forearm that connects to the barrel.

You can also use the beam smart gun accessory included with the S Gundam to lock it in place.

Real beam smart gun action pose

Beam saber action pose

HGUC S vs. Ex-S

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - Ex-S weapons laid out in front of the HGUC S Gundam. Unlike the MG, the HGUC doesn't include the arm prope

Ex-S weapons laid out in front of the HGUC S Gundam.
Unlike the MG, the HGUC doesn't include the arm propellant tanks for Ex-S, so it looks a bit sparse..

The center torso and knee sections are different, right.

The backpack got massive.

The legs got bulkier too.

The stylists of the Gundam world, S & Ex-S

The HGUC Sentinel series trio

HGUC Ex-S Gundam - A shot with the MG Ex-S. Maybe it's the stand, but the MG Ex-S is so ridiculously huge that the HGUC Ex-S

A shot with the MG Ex-S. Maybe it's the stand, but the MG Ex-S is so ridiculously huge that the HGUC Ex-S looks tiny next to it..

Straight build photos before panel lining

Following the release of the HGUC S Gundam, Ex-S came out as the natural next step. Ex-S-exclusive additional weapons are added on top of the S Gundam kit, and action-style hands for both arms are included, but the Core Fighter has been left out. One disappointment is that the massive arm propellant tanks included in the MG Ex-S are not here.. Oh, and of course, just like with the HGUC S Gundam, transformation into the Ζ Cruiser is not possible due to scale limitations. ^^:

First of all, as you can tell just by looking at it.. Ex-S is a unit that's all about looks, looks, and more looks. ^^;

Don't expect much beyond that — this thing has the worst articulation of any recent Gunpla, bar none. The knees.. ugh.. as you can see in the photos, the Ex-S armor barely lets them bend even 15 degrees. (You might as well think of the legs as fixed.) On top of that, the massive backpack makes it incredibly hard to get it standing in any kind of pose. And just like the S Gundam, the knee joints are so weak that the slightest nudge sends it toppling backwards. T_T Sure, if you push the legs way back it'll manage to stay standing, but the weight distribution on Ex-S just seems unavoidable given its design. Still, when you consider that the MG literally can't stand on its own at all (though it does come with a nice stand to compensate), the HGUC version is at least a little consolation. At least this one can stand, right?

The articulation is ultra-terrible, but the design is so sleek and complex and just oozes presence that even the slightest twist of the body gives off an insane amount of charisma — Ex-S really is a strange one.. Raise one arm, tilt a leg slightly to the side, turn the head once, and the charisma just pours out.

Just like with the HGUC S Gundam, the HGUC Ex-S has such a complex color scheme that there are tons of spots where the color separation just doesn't cut it, so quite a bit of partial painting was needed. (Pretty much the same areas as the S Gundam, just a few more.) Also worth noting — the HGUC Ex-S doesn't include the S Gundam knee parts or backpack, so you can't convert it back into the S Gundam. It'd be great if they let you do both, but I guess that's not how they play it from a sales strategy standpoint.

To think that this incredibly stylish Gundam was designed all the way back in '89, a full 15 years ago — you really have to give it up for Katoki-san's ahead-of-his-time design sense. He's still leading Bandai's Gunpla lineup as the top mecha designer in the Gundam world.

The downsides are plenty — terrible articulation, weak joints, molded colors that leave a lot to be desired, and so on — but Ex-S's unique charisma, detail, and well-captured proportions make it impossible to write this HGUC Ex-S off as just another mediocre kit. With a little touch-up work and some proper coloring (or a full paint job), this thing has more presence than just about any other HGUC out there..

HGUC Ex-S Gundam | 2002.4 | ¥2,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.