Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Detail shots (1/4)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removed

Frame shots

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Frame detail shots (1/4)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Frame detail shots (2/4)

Frame detail shots

The frame articulation is excellent, as you'd expect.

There's a gimmick where the shoulders fold forward and backward with a satisfying snap.

Probably because of the LED wiring, the legs can't be spread all the way out.

The waist articulation also doesn't move as much as you'd hope — likely due to the LED unit.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Since the hip joint sliding gimmick was dropped because of the LED wiring, they added a gim

Since the hip joint sliding gimmick was dropped because of the LED wiring,
they added a gimmick where you can open a locking pin to tilt the entire waist forward instead.

Still, you can pull off a kneeling pose without too much trouble.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - The solar furnace light-up sections on the legs and arms have seals applied in two layers o

The solar furnace light-up sections on the legs and arms have seals applied in two layers on the inside.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - First you apply a black strip seal, then an opaque reflective seal on top — it's all design

First you apply a black strip seal, then an opaque reflective seal on top.
It's all designed to maximize the LED unit's lighting effect.

The light-up sections on the sides of the head only get the black seal.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - The chest section features three different colored clear parts, with black seals added on t

The chest section features three different colored clear parts, with black seals added on top.

Cockpit hatch open

Three anchor parts open up on the bottom of the feet.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Hatch open gimmicks on the head, shoulders, forearms, legs, and torso. (1/5)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Hatch open gimmicks on the head, shoulders, forearms, legs, and torso. (2/5)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Hatch open gimmicks on the head, shoulders, forearms, legs, and torso. (3/5)

Hatch open gimmicks on the head, shoulders, forearms, legs, and torso.

The GN Drive in particular has a spectacular total of 8 hatches that open up.

With only the left side hatches open.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Full hatch open shots. (1/5)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Full hatch open shots. (2/5)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Full hatch open shots. (3/5)

Full hatch open shots.

The weapon loadout is the same as the original Exia.

GN Sword articulation

True to PG standards, a hatch open gimmick has been added to the shield section.

There's also a gimmick where the barrel section slides out.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - The forearm mounting section also slides, but the hold is way too loose and it keeps fallin

The forearm mounting section also slides, but the hold is way too loose and it keeps falling off.
It barely functions as a mount at this point — feels like a design oversight, honestly.

The GN Blades have a gimmick where they deploy slightly forward and backward.

The green strip visible on the inside is actually a green clear part inserted there.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - You can open the side of the hip joint to mount the GN Blade there, but the rear skirt gets

You can open the side of the hip joint to mount the GN Blade there,
but the rear skirt gets in the way and makes it a real pain to attach.
Even once it's on, the hold is weak and you can't adjust the angle well — it's just not great in a lot of ways.

The GN Shield has a gimmick where it spreads open in four directions.

Looking at the interior, you can see that the parts in all 4 directions are linked together.

Interior of the GN Shield

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Each weapon's grip has a locking pin, and it interlocks with a corresponding pin inside the

Each weapon's grip has a locking pin,
and it interlocks with a corresponding pin inside the palm to secure them together.
It's a method that's been used before, and since it locks in two places, it holds together pretty solidly.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - The fully articulated fingers are reproduced as an assembly-type build. The one-piece molde

The fully articulated fingers are reproduced as an assembly-type build.
The one-piece molded hand unique to PG kits looks great, but in terms of joint strength, the assembled hand is actually better.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - On top of that, 4 sets of fixed hands are included — and honestly, when it comes to holding

On top of that, 4 sets of fixed hands are included,
and honestly, when it comes to holding weapons, the fixed hands are way more convenient than the articulated ones.

You can also remove the GN Drive and swap in a cover part.

The big, sturdy dedicated stand

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Like an Action Base, you can release the locking pin and adjust the height. Just note that

Like an Action Base, you can release the locking pin and adjust the height.
Just note that the angle can't be adjusted — only the height.

Inside the stand's column, there's a support bracket stored for mounting the GN Drive.

GN Drive mounting prep shot

The stand's locking pin secures firmly into the T-shaped slot on the inside of the back.

You can neatly store the weapons and accessory parts in the bottom of the stand.

1/60 Setsuna figure

Due to duplicate runners, some leftover parts remain.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - The limbs fold up with great articulation. Possibly due to the LED unit, the hip joint's ra

The limbs fold up with great articulation.
Possibly due to the LED unit, the hip joint's range of motion is a little disappointing.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - The front skirt opens up in two stages, so it doesn't get in the way of leg movement at all

The front skirt opens up in two stages, so it doesn't get in the way of leg movement at all.
It's got the best front skirt articulation ever — but since the hip joint itself only lifts to 90 degrees, it doesn't really mean much.
On top of that, when you actually try to raise the hip joint, the front skirt gets pushed and pops off,
and you end up having to readjust the skirt's joint and reattach it pretty frequently..

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Shoulder forward/backward articulation with armor on. If you've installed the LED unit, the

Shoulder forward/backward articulation with armor on.
If you've installed the LED unit, the wiring is routed in a complex way inside the shoulder joint, so you need to be careful when posing.

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - Kneeling pose. The lower body joint strength is oddly lacking and it keeps falling backward

Kneeling pose.
The lower body joint strength is oddly lacking and it keeps falling backwards.

Drawing the beam saber from the shoulder

Exia's signature rear skirt beam saber draw pose

GN Sword action pose

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - GN Sword shooting pose (1/3)

GN Sword shooting pose

Beam saber action

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - GN Blade action (1/5)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - GN Blade action (2/5)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] - GN Blade action (3/5)

GN Blade action

With the 1/60 Exia released back in 2007.

With the RG and MG Exia.

With the PG RX-78-2.
The proportions are wildly different — especially the foot size.

With the PG 00 Gundam fitted with clear armor.

Straight build

* A lot of people have been asking why the per-section review pages that were in previous PG reviews are missing here. The thing is, there just isn't as much to cover section by section compared to other PGs — so I rolled everything into the final review. It doesn't have anything like the unusual clutch joints on the 00, or the complex transformation gimmick of the Unicorn. The LED wiring is really the main highlight, and that's covered separately in the Lighting Model review.

Bandai, who occasionally drops a Christmas tree-worthy (?) Gunpla around year's end, released the PG Exia in December 2017. Unlike the PG Unicorn where the LED unit was sold separately, the Exia launched simultaneously in both a standard version (¥18,000) and a Lighting Model with the LED unit bundled in (¥32,000).

The standard and Lighting Model versions are identical in content — the only difference is whether the LED unit is included. The box art design is the same, just with different coloring. The manuals also come in two versions: one that covers the LED unit and one that doesn't. This review page is written from the perspective of someone who bought the standard version, so anything LED-related is covered in the separate Lighting Model review pagefor that.

First off, as you'd expect from a PG, there's a huge number of parts and it takes quite a while to build. The material is pretty rigid — probably for durability reasons — and there are a lot of chunky gates, so cleaning up the gate marks takes some real effort. That said, the parts are well-engineered as befits a PG, and the satisfaction of putting it all together piece by piece really does make you go "yep, this is PG alright!"

The highlights of the PG Exia are the hatch-open gimmicks and the LED unit. The various hatch-open features that had pretty much disappeared after the early PGs are back, which I'm sure a lot of people will be happy to see. Hatches open all over the body — head, shoulders, forearms, torso, legs — and the GN Drive section with its eight opening covers looks especially impressive.

As for articulation — the arms and legs achieve full bend as you'd expect from a PG, and there's a gimmick where the entire hip block separates so the waist can fold forward, along with a two-stage front skirt that lifts all the way up. Normally you'd see a gimmick where the hip joint itself slides, but since the LED wiring runs through the hip joint, it looks like they designed it so the hip stays fixed and the waist moves instead.

The body is relatively light, so joint strength is generally sufficient across the board. Surprisingly, even though the feet are tiny — almost dainty — standing poses aren't much of a problem. That said, when you try things like a kneeling pose, the lower body joints feel oddly weak and it tends to topple backwards. Overall articulation and joint feel still hasn't been topped by any PG since the PG Strike, but the Exia has the LED unit as a powerful selling point to make up for that.

The weapons are the same lineup as other Exia kits, though a few small gimmicks have been added as befits a PG. Things like the GN Sword's hatch opening, a gimmick to spread the GN Shield in multiple directions, and a slight extension on the GN Blades.

There are a few disappointing points too. For one, armor pieces and parts tend to fall off here and there during posing more than you'd expect. The GN Blade mounting gimmick on the side of the hip joint is a particular offender — the mechanism feels off and it's oddly awkward to attach, and even the slightest movement causes it to get in the way and pop off. The forearm fixing pin on the small shield attached to the GN Sword also has a loose fit and keeps falling out of the shield, so it's basically not doing its job as a fixing point. And when you raise the hip joint, the front skirt sometimes just falls off rather than being pushed up. The front skirt itself is designed with a double-articulation system that should let it rise properly, but you're probably better off extending the front skirt first before lifting the leg.

It seems like so much effort went into nailing the dynamic LED lighting effect that some other features ended up feeling a bit lacking. Still, the overall look is sharp and edgy like you'd expect from a modern PG — it has that statue-like quality that looks even more impressive in person than in photos, with a really strong sense of depth. It gives you that same visual satisfaction as looking at a sculpture, kind of like the MG ZZ Gundam Ver.Ka.

As for the included dedicated stand — it only adjusts in length without any angle adjustment, but it's actually quite functional. The connection to the body is solid, and with the seals added it looks pretty good too. Its main role is really as a base for the LED unit, but it also comes with special gimmicks like the GN Drive detach feature, so overall the stand is quite satisfying.

Anyway, the PG Exia body itself — without the LED unit — doesn't have any huge differentiating points compared to previous PGs, but it's still a PG through and through. As befits Bandai's top-tier lineup, the overall quality is quite polished. If you're looking for a large, complex, and detailed Gunpla to build, this delivers a thoroughly satisfying build experience after quite a long wait.

Either way, this would make a fantastic gift for anyone who's always loved the Exia — and if your budget allows, I'd actually recommend going for the Lighting Model, which delivers a truly legendary LED effect. :-)

PG Gundam Exia [Lighting Model] | 2017.12 | ¥20,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.