Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Detail shots (1/4)

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removal shot

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Internal frame shots. Not much different from the original Exia. (1/2)

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Internal frame shots. Not much different from the original Exia. (2/2)

Internal frame.
Not much different from the original Exia.

Cockpit hatch open.

Dark Matter reborn in MG style.

Together with the HG Dark Matter.

A Dark Matter-specific joint part is also included for mounting on Action Base 1.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Mounted on Action Base 1. (1/3)

Mounted on Action Base 1.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - You can also fit a separately sold LED unit inside the GN Drive attached to the bottom of the Da

You can also fit a separately sold LED unit inside the GN Drive attached to the bottom of the Dark Matter.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Maybe it's because the LED's exposed surface area is small, but the light-up effect is pretty un

Maybe it's because the LED's exposed surface area is small, but the light-up effect is pretty underwhelming..

To mount it in backpack form, you need to fold the head and legs as shown above.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - When you lower the head down, two pins that lock it to the back are linked and pop outward. Now

When you lower the head down, two pins that lock it to the back are linked and
pop outward.
Now that's a proper MG-worthy gimmick~

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - The wing sections are connected with two-stage joints, so you can bend them at a variety of angl

The wing sections are connected with two-stage joints, so you can bend them at a variety of angles.

Dark Matter folded into backpack form.

The small wings are articulated too.

The wing sections can be detached and used as Dark Matter Blades.

The back of Gundam Exia Dark Matter looks different from the original Exia.

You flip up the switch on the bottom, and the cover can be swung open as shown above.

And a separately sold LED unit slots right into that opening.

The light-up effect is so-so..

Look closely and you can actually see text lit up thanks to the LED.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Unlike the normal Exia, the clear parts extend all the way up through the neck, so in theory the

Unlike the normal Exia, the clear parts extend all the way up through the neck,
so in theory the light-up effect should reach the eyes in the head —
but the light output is too weak to actually illuminate the eye area.

In addition to the Dark Matter, a variety of weapon accessories are also included.

The weapons from the original Exia are included too..

A separately displayable GN Drive is also included.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Two newly added blades — the Brinicle Blade (left) and the Prominence Blade (right). The color s

Two newly added blades,
the Brinicle Blade (left) and the Prominence Blade (right).
The color separation and seals are done really well, as you'd expect from an MG.

The small wing sections have some articulation as well.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - These two blades can each be mounted beside the hip joints — you rotate a hidden locking peg ins

These two blades can each be mounted beside the hip joints —
you rotate a hidden locking peg inside 180 degrees and clip them on as shown above.
Thankfully the hold is really solid, so once they're on they're not going anywhere, which I love. ^^

The Dark Matter Rifle — a refined take on the original GN Rifle.

A 1/100 figure of pilot Meijin Kawaguchi.

Two types of MG backpack compatibility joint parts are also included.

A large amount of leftover parts from the MG Exia / Exia Repair remain.

The base body's articulation is naturally identical to the MG Exia.

Dark Matter Rifle firing pose

You can also plug a beam saber into the Dark Matter Rifle.

Prominence + Brinicle Blade draw!

Dual-wield action pose

Dual-wield action pose 2

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - Dark Matter Blade action (1/3)

Dark Matter Blade action

Dark Matter Blade action 2

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter - GN Blade action (1/3)

GN Blade action

Beam saber action

Together with MG Exia Gundam.

Together with HG Exia Dark Matter.

Straight-built state

Gundam Exia Dark Matter has been released as the fourth Build Fighters MG kit. With the MG lineup running low on source material, it makes sense to commercialize mobile suits from currently airing Gundam anime. And given the nature of Build Fighters — where kits are developed as variations based on existing kits — it's an even more natural fit.

The base body is of course built on the MG Exia, but with all the design changes and the sheer number of added accessories, more than half the parts are brand new. On top of that, the molded colors are completely different from the original Exia, so even though it's a variation, it really does feel like a fresh kit. I noticed it was taking strangely(?) long to build — and sure enough, the part count exceeds 500, making it the MG kit with the best parts-per-yen value in the lineup. (Though yes, there are quite a few leftover parts too;;)

Once finished, the proportions really make you go "now THAT'S an MG!" The red and black molded colors came out looking premium and sharp, and the color separation on the added Dark Matter and Prominence/Brinicle Blades is just gorgeous — the straight build looks fantastic. Also, thanks to the deep color scheme, the difference between panel lining and not panel lining is relatively small, so just slapping the seals on after assembly is enough to make it look great.

On the functional side, the various movement and transformation gimmicks of the Dark Matter, including the Dark Matter Blade separation, are faithfully reproduced. You can also use a separately sold LED unit to create light-up effects in the bottom of the Dark Matter and the Exia's GN Drive/eye area — but aside from the chest GN Drive, the light-up effects are pretty faint. In particular, the design was reworked so that the neck section gimmick was changed to allow the chest and head to light up simultaneously, but the amount of light reaching the head is so minimal that the gimmick feels almost pointless.

The MG Exia base body itself is high quality, so articulation and basic joint strength are solid — but once you mount the Dark Matter on the back, the hip joints start to feel a bit flimsy. It's fine just standing still, but the slightest nudge will throw the hip posture off, and in bad cases it'll slowly topple over. So this is really a kit that's better off on a separately sold Action Base 1 — except the problem is that the joint parts for the stand have really poor grip. T_T

So when you put it on Action Base 1, even the slightest shift in the center of gravity sends it crashing down. T_T The MG Exia body alone manages well enough on the stand, but with the big Dark Matter strapped to its back, the stand's already-weak grip becomes a glaring issue. There are a lot of action poses in this review shot with the kit in mid-air, and each one of those photos represents a long, painful struggle to get the balance just right..

On the other hand, the two large side-mounted weapons — the Prominence/Brinicle Blades — hold on extremely firmly, and even after falling off the stand countless times, those side weapons somehow stayed attached every time. These types of Exia kits have historically had a lot of problems with side-mounted weapon retention, but at least Gundam Exia Dark Matter has completely solved that particular issue.

To sum up, in terms of overall appearance, gimmicks, and looks, this is an excellent, up-to-date MG kit. However, you should be aware that the hip joints feel unstable given the weight, and in particular, getting it to stay on a stand is an absolute nightmare. If only the stand grip were better, this would be a perfect kit for dynamic mid-air display poses — but that one issue really takes a psychological toll on the score.

Anyway, the kit itself has a lot going for it, but given its origins, it's hard to see much appeal for anyone who isn't a fan of Build Fighters. That said, compared to the HG Exia Dark Matter, this is a whole different class of kit, and for Build Fighters fans, it seems like a pretty fun build. :-)

MG PPGN-001 Gundam Exia Dark Matter
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Seam lines are long gone...
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Premium red molded color and perfect color separation.
Proportions	★★★★★	Feels a bit loaded up, but still stylish.
Articulation	★★★★☆	Articulation is great, but all the extra bits limit it somewhat.
Joint Strength	★★★★	Overall solid, but the backpack makes the hip joints feel unstable.
Internal Frame	★★★★	Full inner frame, but the detail is a bit plain.
Detail	★★★★★	No complaints whatsoever about the external detail.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★★	Weapons and accessories are at an all-time best level.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★★	502 parts total. 100 parts per ¥1,000. Great value for money.
Uniqueness	★★★★★	The background is a bit lacking, but it's flashy and looks great.
Dalong's Point : 99 pts.

MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter | 2015. 2 | ¥5,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.