Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + partial painting + decals

Size comparison with a fresh pack of cigarettes. The display volume surpasses even a PG.

It's chunky from the side too~

Upper body close-up. So much going on in a tight space..

MG Ex-S Gundam - The red on the butt and shoulder wing parts is still handled with stickers.. so those were the only areas I

The red on the butt and shoulder wing parts is still handled with stickers..
Those were the only areas I did any partial painting.

Those chunky leg sections.

MG Ex-S Gundam - The propellant tanks, first added in the MG Ex-S. Something you won't find on any of the other injection-mol

The propellant tanks, first added in the MG Ex-S.
Something you won't find on any of the other injection-molded Ex-S kits.

The Ex-S's signature oversized backpack

Shot looking down from behind. You can really feel the weight of it~

View from below looking up

The beam smart gun locks in nice and solid using a support brace at the rear end (;;) like that.

MG Ex-S Gundam - Basically, Ex-S is the S Gundam with additional weapons attached.. but the photo above shows it combined wit

Basically, Ex-S is the S Gundam with additional weapons attached..
The photo above shows it combined with the MG S Gundam.
In other words, the MG Ex-S cannot be fully converted back into the S Gundam configuration.
That's because this kit is missing the knee parts and backpack parts for the S Gundam.. Classic Bandai! ^^;;;

MG Ex-S Gundam - The inner frame, just like the S, is only in the legs... but what makes this kit stand out is the transforma

The inner frame, just like the S, is only in the legs...
But what makes this kit stand out is the transformation gimmick packed into every inch of the body.

The main body with the beam smart gun removed. Still oozing that heavyweight charisma!

MG Ex-S Gundam - The propellant tanks hanging under the shoulders are so heavy that.. even if you get them positioned like on

The propellant tanks hanging under the shoulders are so heavy that..
even if you get them positioned like on the left, they can droop and slide down on you.
There are some locking tabs and such, but physically they're just so big that it doesn't look like they can handle the weight easily.

MG Ex-S Gundam - So here's one of the known tricks.. if you wedge one end of the propellant tank between the white and blue s

So here's one of the known tricks.. if you wedge one end of the propellant tank between the shoulder's
white and blue sections, it holds in place pretty well.. (-_-;)

There's some kind of locking gimmick under the crotch..
if you lift that cover up, the lock releases and

MG Ex-S Gundam - the leg connection gimmick can extend and retract. This gimmick was already there on the original S, where i

the leg connection gimmick can extend and retract.
This gimmick was already there on the original S, where it just keeps the leg connection narrow.
On the Ex-S, it's used to push the legs further outward to match the overall larger volume.
So it's a gimmick that goes unused on the S, but was already built in ahead of time for use on the Ex-S~

MG Ex-S Gundam - Ex-S, standing on solid ground! The MG Ex-S is widely known for being too big and too back-heavy to stand on

Ex-S, standing on solid ground!
The MG Ex-S is widely known for being too big and too back-heavy to stand on its own..
but it's not completely impossible.
It just requires spreading the legs wide and pushing them back to compensate for all that rear weight,
so the standing pose ends up looking a bit... awkward.

Hmm.. pot belly;;

MG Ex-S Gundam - The rear view is decent enough, but spreading and pushing the legs back so far makes it look shorter than it

The rear view is decent enough, but spreading and pushing the legs back so far makes it look shorter than it should be;

MG Ex-S Gundam - Since a good chunk of the rear weight comes from the propellant tanks, with them removed the Ex-S in its bas

Since a good chunk of the rear weight comes from the propellant tanks,
with them removed the Ex-S in its base MS configuration can hold a reasonably decent pose.

A more stable side profile after removing the propellant tanks. Still, one wrong move and it topples backwards.. -.-
Might be easier to just tell yourself that Ex-S is a space-use MS and it belongs on a stand.

The Ex-S dedicated stand. A semi-transparent material that gives it a premium feel.

MG Ex-S Gundam - The body mount has locking points both front and back, and it grips really firmly — almost too firmly to pul

The body mount has locking points both front and back,
and it grips really firmly — almost too firmly to pull apart (meaning it can be a bit of a struggle to detach;)
Given how back-heavy this thing is, it seems like they made it extra secure
to prevent the center of gravity from tipping backwards even on the stand.

MG Ex-S Gundam - The stand can be adjusted to 3 different angles — MS mode is mainly set to angle 1, and G-Cruiser mode to an

The stand can be adjusted to 3 different angles —
MS mode is mainly set to angle 1, and G-Cruiser mode to angle 3.

Just like the S, the beam sabers are stored inside the knees.
The knee parts are noticeably bigger now.

Articulation of the knee incom units.

Those knee incoms are also detachable, just like the ones on the head.

Parts exclusive to the Ex-S for the beam smart gun. Very similar to the ones from the Zeta Plus C1.

MG Ex-S Gundam - Beyond the wing sticker issue.. the color separation is also missing on the white section of the backpack (a

Beyond the wing sticker issue.. the color separation is also missing on the white section of the backpack (arrow location).
I figured a 1/100 MG would handle that area too T_T.

MG Ex-S Gundam - Even the Ex-S can't escape the articulation test shots. The leg articulation is... pretty dire OTL. Thanks t

Even the Ex-S can't escape the articulation test shots.
The leg articulation is... pretty dire OTL.
Thanks to all that massive armor, it only bends as far as you see in the photo.
You can always argue that articulation isn't the point of this kit, but still..^^;

Powerful action po~se

That volume is just incredible..

The knee-side foot stance always looks a little off no matter how you look at it..

Beam saber action pose

MG Ex-S Gundam - This is the MG S Gundam fitted with the Ex-S's side beam cannons. The MG S Gundam originally comes with smar

This is the MG S Gundam fitted with the Ex-S's side beam cannons.
The MG S Gundam originally comes with smart gun mounts on the sides but no beam cannons —
though honestly, the style with beam cannons on the sides, like the old kit, is more familiar to me..
This photo is just meant to show what the MG S would look like with beam cannons attached ^^;

MG Ex-S Gundam - A shot with the MG S. They're actually the same height, but the stand makes the Ex-S's volume look way bigge

A shot with the MG S. They're actually the same height, but the stand makes the Ex-S's volume look way bigger.

Together with the HGUC S Gundam.

Volume comparison with standard scale kits. The display footprint is roughly equivalent to two or three PGs;;

Together with the MG Sentinel family.

MG Ex-S Gundam - The G-Cruiser mode, known for its legendary transformation process (^^;). See the page below for details. ▶

The G-Cruiser mode, known for its legendary transformation process (^^;). See the page below for details.
▶ View Transformation sequence

Ta-daaah!
Following the MG S Gundam, the MG Ex-S launched to overwhelming anticipation from fans everywhere.

Ex-S was a kit that people had very different reactions to — for old-school fans like me who had long been captivated by Hajime Katoki's Sentinel designs, it was an absolutely incredible gift. ^^ For those who weren't familiar with Sentinel, or who just don't like this kind of complex design, it might have just felt like "oh, another big release" — but this MG Ex-S carries a much deeper significance than that.

According to an interview with Bandai's MG development chief published in the 2001 MG data book, he stated that "creating a fully transformable MG Ex-S was the dream of the development team." Given that Hajime Katoki — who at the time was not just leading but practically dominating Bandai's Gunpla design direction — was also involved, and that the Bandai Gunpla development team itself were Sentinel fans, it didn't seem like a completely impossible dream.

However, whether it made commercial sense was an extremely difficult question, and there must have been considerable disagreement between the development and planning divisions within Bandai over this. The S and Ex-S feature the most complex and intricate transformation gimmicks of any MS in Gunpla history, requiring an exceptionally high level of engineering difficulty and mold production costs — so the market viability had to be thoroughly evaluated.

As a test of the waters, they first released FAZZ — which could reuse existing kit parts — and then instead of a Zeta 2.0 project, they released the ultra-high-quality MG Zeta Plus to gauge market response. Fortunately, the Zeta Plus received strong reviews and decent sales, and using that as leverage, the development team pushed forward against the planning division's objections to bring us the fully transformable MG S Gundam. And finally, the MG Ex-S — considered the pinnacle of the Sentinel MS lineup — was released.

The MG Ex-S, born from the dreams and aspirations of its developers, turned out to be a kit that truly embodies an extraordinary level of craftsmanship. The dazzling designs of the young genius Hajime Katoki — created in his early twenties in the late 1980s — had been brought to life in full, over a decade later.

The greatest virtue of the MG Ex-S is, without a doubt, the fact that it perfectly realizes that absurdly complex transformation sequence. It's a genuinely baffling transformation — nearly impossible without the manual, and even following the manual step by step takes quite a long time. That's exactly why the developers who engineered this inspire such awe. Just how many rounds of trial and error and mold revisions must have been needed?? It really does feel like the product of true craftsmanship and sheer determination.

I imagine many people took one look at the multi-page transformation manual (which isn't exactly easy to follow) and gave up on transforming it altogether. And honestly, just knowing that such a perfect transformation capability is built in there is moving enough on its own. The MS mode alone radiates an overwhelming sense of presence..

One of the controversies surrounding the MG Ex-S at launch was the stand — since the design makes it very difficult to stand on its own without one, a lot of people were disappointed. But once it was actually out, the stand ended up making it look even more impressive. Displayed on the stand, it can radiate its natural charisma without any compromise to the proportions.

Of course, it's not completely impossible to stand it on the ground.. but as you can see in the photos above, all that heavy stuff on its back absolutely wrecks the proportions. And if the center of gravity shifts even slightly, it topples backwards;; The base Ex-S configuration with the propellant tanks removed can manage to stand well enough, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking. Honestly, just putting it cleanly on the stand is better for your sanity. It's a space-use MS after all — no real reason to have it standing on solid ground under gravity, right? :-)

Thanks to all that thick armor, leg articulation is pretty much the worst you can imagine... The knees barely bend at all. But of course, Ex-S isn't a kit that wins on articulation — it wins on precision and sheer presence, so it doesn't really feel like that big of a flaw. ^^; The inner frame, like the S Gundam, only exists in the leg section, but since the entire body is packed with complex transformation gimmicks, you really don't miss it.

Unfortunately, the MG Sentinel Project didn't generate enough profit to justify its enormous production costs, and it was effectively shut down. I've heard that the key development staff who pushed the Sentinel Project forward even had to step down to take responsibility for the outcome. It may not have been a commercial success, but for Gunpla fans, it remains a truly precious gift.

For all these reasons, the MG Ex-S can be considered one of the most landmark kits in Gunpla history. Given everything surrounding it, it's hard to imagine a kit like this ever coming out again — one that's such a product of relentless craftsmanship that goes beyond commercial considerations. A kit where the developer got to realize everything they wanted, and then some, without compromising for cost-cutting or marketability — that's just not something we're likely to see anymore. No matter how passionate a developer might be, the reality of running a for-profit company means you have to do your best within the limits of a budget that at least guarantees commercial viability. The MG Ex-S feels like it was the last kit to ever transcend those limits, and that's a real shame. (If the MG Sentinel Project had been a massive hit, things might have turned out differently...)

Presence that surpasses even a PG, the most intricate transformation kit ever made, and the charisma of a perfectly recreated design spec... Sure, there are a few flaws if you look closely, but the strengths are so overwhelming that the flaws barely register — in that sense, it feels a lot like a PG.

This was personally my all-time favorite MS, and I'd been waiting longer than anyone for a fully transformable 1/100 Ex-S — so yeah, I may have gone a little overboard with the score, but honestly, this kit is more than worth it.
This is exactly what the word "Masterpiece" was made for. :-)

MG MSA-0011[Ext] Ex-S Gundam
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Almost completely hidden except for the head and the gun barrel~
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★☆	Excellent overall, but the sticker treatment on the wings is still a bit of a bummer T_T
Proportions	★★★★★	The sheer volume of it is just overwhelming.
Articulation	★★★★☆	Leg articulation is pretty hopeless, but the sheer presence more than makes up for it!
Joint Strength	★★★★★	Surprisingly sturdy overall given the size.
Internal Frame	★★★★★	The frame is legs-only, but the transformation gimmick packed inside is a work of art in itself.
Detail	★★★★★	Breathtaking...
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	A complete recreation of Ex-S, right down to the propellant tanks..!
Parts Count / Price	★★★★☆	639 parts total. Parts per ¥1,000: 79.9. The satisfaction from all those intricate parts is top-notch!
Uniqueness	★★★★★	A one-of-a-kind masterpiece in MG history, overflowing with true craftsmanship.
Dalong's Point : 97 pts.

MG Ex-S Gundam | 2003.03 | ¥8,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.