Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + waterslide decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Various angles (1/6)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Various angles (2/6)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Various angles (3/6)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Detail shots (1/4)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removed

Internal Frame

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Frame detail shots. The frame itself is unchanged. (1/4)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Frame detail shots. The frame itself is unchanged. (2/4)

Frame detail shots.
The frame itself is unchanged.

An even more generous weapons loadout

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Same high beam rifle/bazooka and combination gimmicks as the existing MG Sinanju S

Same high beam rifle/bazooka and combination gimmicks as the existing MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.].

Beam axe newly sculpted and added for the Ver.Ka

The blade sections can be extended and connected in the middle for a combined form.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - The emblem on the top of the shield now has proper color separation, and the inter

The emblem on the top of the shield now has proper color separation, and the interior design of the shield has changed significantly.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - The interior sculpt was redesigned to accommodate the beam axe in two different mo

The interior sculpt was redesigned to accommodate the beam axe in two different mounting configurations as shown above.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - These fully articulated hands are a pain — fingers pop off every single time you p

These fully articulated hands are a pain — fingers pop off every single time you pose them..
They're ever so slightly better than the soft gold material from the Kshatriya, but they're still pretty flimsy.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - At least the fixed rifle grip hands from the previous kit are still included, whic

At least the fixed rifle grip hands from the previous kit are still included, which is a relief —
but for the beam axe, you're stuck using the fully articulated hands whether you like it or not.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - For the beam axe, the basic approach is to plug the peg on the palm of the fully a

For the beam axe, the basic approach is to plug the peg on the palm of the fully articulated hand into the axe handle to grip it.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - When connecting two beam axes together, you need to grip the center shaft — but it

When connecting two beam axes together, you need to grip the center shaft — but it doesn't hold at all. -_-
In my case, I ended up using double-sided tape to keep it in place.

Newly added Zoltan Akkanen figure

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - The cockpit hatch opening, beam saber storage gimmick, and leg block deployment ar

The cockpit hatch opening, beam saber storage gimmick, and leg block deployment are all the same as before.

A generous(?) pile of leftover parts

Articulation is also the same as before.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Beam axe poses (1/3)

Beam axe poses

Combined beam axe poses

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Poses with the beam axe mounted on the shield and beam parts attached (1/3)

Poses with the beam axe mounted on the shield and beam parts attached

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Beam saber pose (1/3)

Beam saber pose

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - High beam rifle + bazooka combined poses (1/4)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - High beam rifle + bazooka combined poses (2/4)

High beam rifle + bazooka combined poses

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Bazooka pose (1/3)

Bazooka pose

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - Together with the MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] (left). At a glance, they look

Together with the MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] (left).
At a glance, they look almost identical in sculpt aside from the increased decals.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - The Sodetsu-ki emblems on the chest, forearms, and shield have been cleanly change

The Sodetsu-ki emblems on the chest, forearms, and shield have been cleanly changed from seals to proper color separation.
It doesn't look dramatically different in photos, but the feel while building and the actual sculpt are quite noticeably different.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - The interior detail of the shield has also been significantly reworked to accommod

The interior detail of the shield has also been significantly reworked to accommodate the newly added beam axe.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - The elongated parts on the sides of the legs and the brown parts on the bottom of

The elongated parts on the sides of the legs and the brown parts on the bottom of the backpack were previously just slapped on with seals,
but with the Ver.Ka they've been properly changed to the correct molded colors without any seals needed.
That said, the red band on the verniers on the sides of the legs (left photo) is still handled with a seal just like before.

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka - It's a small detail, but the bazooka grip has also been changed from brown to a da

It's a small detail, but the bazooka grip has also been changed from brown to a dark gray tone, which makes it look a lot more fitting.

Straight build

This kit is the MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka, released in June 2024. It's based on the MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.]released in 2019, with new sculpting and waterslide decals added. The basic skeleton is the same as before, but it comes as an upgraded version that fills in some of the shortcomings of the original.

The biggest change by far is that the Sodetsu-ki emblems, which used to be applied as seals, have FINALLY been done in full color separation. It's less obvious in the comparison photos above, but when you actually handle it in person, the difference in feel is quite something. Naturally, the color combination achieved through parts separation looks much cleaner and more refined, giving a level of satisfaction that's bigger than it might appear.

Also, some of the leg side parts and backpack parts that were previously patched up awkwardly with seals have been properly changed to the correct molded colors. Beyond that, the calf rear vernier gimmick, backpack verniers, and upper waist armor have been updated with new sculpt parts — though the differences there are minimal. On top of that, a newly sculpted beam axe has been added, and the interior mold of the shield has been completely redesigned to store it. Finally, a figure of pilot Zoltan Akkanen has also been newly included.

Everything else — the frame, articulation, joint strength, standard weapons, and gimmicks — is the same as before. It still shows excellent articulation for its massive bulk, with joints that are rock-solid tight. That said, the fully articulated hands are still just as flimsy as ever, with fingers falling off left and right during posing. The high beam rifle and bazooka come with fixed grip hands so those are fine, but the beam axe — which is the whole point of this kit — has to be held with the fully articulated hands, which makes things tricky. In my case I even resorted to double-sided tape during the review, and I had to shoot with a serious amount of patience and persistence thanks to fingers that would drop at the slightest breeze. T_T

And since it carries the Ver.Ka title, a substantial amount of waterslide decals are included — roughly about 6 hours' worth to apply. At least unlike the previous MG Narrative Gundam C-Packs Ver.Ka there's no transformation gimmick, so the durability of the waterslide decals isn't much of a concern. This time around it seems I managed to get through the review without losing any decals.

So aside from the still-unimproved flimsy fully articulated hands, this is a solid and satisfying upgrade. To be fair, the base skeleton goes back to the MG Sinanju from 2008, so it does carry a slight old-school vibe. But it was such a well-made, top-tier kit back in the day that even building it now doesn't feel lacking at all. That said, if I'm being honest, for those who already own the MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.], it's worth asking whether the upgrades here really justify building it all over again. Either way, if you've never built an MG Sinanju Stein before, or if the upgraded features appeal to you, this is definitely a top-tier MG kit worth going for. :-)

MG MSN-06S-2 Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★☆	Based on a kit from over 10 years ago, yet not lacking in the slightest.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★★	Sodetsu-ki emblems now done in color separation + additional color separation to eliminate seals
Proportions	★★★★★★	Still large and imposing. A great-looking design as always.
Articulation	★★★★★☆	Same excellent articulation for its size as before
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	The body itself is rock solid, but the fully articulated hands drag the score down..
Internal Frame	★★★★★☆	Still a premium-feeling frame worthy of the MG line
Detail	★★★★★☆	Color separation + waterslide decals make it feel a bit more upgraded
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★★	Already generous weapons loadout plus the addition of the beam axe. Best-ever lineup.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	508 parts total. 63.5 parts per ¥1,000. Reasonable price given the changes.
Uniqueness	★★★★★★☆	Even the shortcomings have been upgraded. Big and beautiful.
Dalong's Point : 112 pts.

* The scoring system used only for MG has been carried over from First 1.0 twenty years ago,
so applying it uniformly even to the latest kits — whose quality has leveled up across the board — is honestly a bit ambiguous.
Since it's just my personal take and can't clearly capture the differences in kit quality over the years,
please don't read too much into it and just use it as a loose reference.
(For kits scoring above 100, take it to mean the quality is much better than kits of the past.)

MG Sinanju Stein [Narrative Ver.] Ver.Ka | 2024.6 | ¥8,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.