Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Base body front and rear

Torso

That handsome head

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Arm armor broken up into pieces just like a PG (1/3)

Arm armor broken up into pieces just like a PG

The forearms have metallic stickers to apply, just like other RG kits.

Back section

Front/rear skirt sections.
The front skirt even has color separation.

Side skirts

Legs

Leg armor with that PG-like feel.

The gold foil stickers on the back of the legs really catch your eye.

The inner skirt detail exists as separate parts too.

The Aile pack.
The detail is PG-level. @_@

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Wing detail. (1/3)

Wing detail.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The main body and lower booster section. Silver reflective foil stickers are scattered all over, maki

The main body and lower booster section.
Silver reflective foil stickers are scattered all over, making it quite flashy.

The vernier detail is pretty impressive for the scale too.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on the body (1/5)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on the body (2/5)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on the body (3/5)

Mounted on the body

RG Aile Strike Gundam - You can fold the wings downward like on the MG/PG, but they don't come all the way down — they only f

You can fold the wings downward like on the MG/PG, but...
They don't come all the way down — they only fold to about that point.

Weapons

The shield section.
10 gold/silver foil seals are applied to the inside.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The beam rifle with color separation. It even has a locking pin built in for a secure grip with the h

The beam rifle with color separation.
It even has a locking pin built in for a secure grip with the hand.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Two beam saber options are included — one for storing on the back and one for holding in the hand — s

Two beam saber options are included — one for storing on the back and one for holding in the hand — so you can build it either way.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The Armor Schneider is foldable as expected, and the gimmick of storing it in the side skirt is prope

The Armor Schneider is foldable as expected,
and the gimmick of storing it in the side skirt is properly implemented too. That's RG for you!!!

A joint part for connecting to the 1/144 Action Base is also included.

A 1/144 pilot figure of Kira Yamato, complete with a display stand.

Armor-off shot.
More impressive than the MG, honestly. ㅡ_ㅡ)b

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Inner frame shots (1/2)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Inner frame shots (2/2)

Internal frame

Upper body frame

Shoulder and arm frame

Leg frame

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Frame action poses (1/3)

Frame action poses

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A kneeling pose is no problem at all. (1/4)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A kneeling pose is no problem at all. (2/4)

A kneeling pose is no problem at all.

When you bend the knee, no fewer than 5 sections fold together in sync — it's absolutely mind-blowing. @_@

Articulation is top-notch, as expected!

RG Aile Strike Gundam - When you bend the arm, the armor on the back of the elbow slides rearward. The bicep armor section is

When you bend the arm, the armor on the back of the elbow slides rearward.
The bicep armor section is fixed.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The thigh armor has a sliding gimmick, and the knee is split into two stages that move in sync — a pr

The thigh armor has a sliding gimmick, and
the knee is split into two stages that move in sync — a proper PG-level gimmick.

The foot bends in 3 stages.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - They even recreated the shin armor cross-slide gimmick from the PG (whoa!!) Unfortunately, the PG's s

They even recreated the shin armor cross-slide gimmick from the PG (whoa!!)
Unfortunately, the PG's side-to-side slide gimmick didn't make it in — only the front-to-back slide is possible.

The ankle also bends quite a lot side to side.

Shoulder front/back and up/down range of motion

The waist also moves in multiple stages, though the range of motion isn't all that wide.

On the other hand, it bends quite a lot sideways.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The structure of the side skirt mounting points. Each side can move forward and backward independentl

The structure of the side skirt mounting points.
Each side can move forward and backward independently, so they won't get in the way.

The hands, like other RGs, have two-knuckle articulated fingers.

The cockpit hatch opening is properly implemented too.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The weapon pack mounting parts on the shoulders are also articulated.. which makes me think they migh

The weapon pack mounting parts on the shoulders are also articulated..
Which makes me think they might release a Sword Strike down the line.

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Kneeling Armor Schneider action pose. Just looking at the photos, it almost looks like a PG T_T)b (1/

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Kneeling Armor Schneider action pose. Just looking at the photos, it almost looks like a PG T_T)b (2/

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Kneeling Armor Schneider action pose. Just looking at the photos, it almost looks like a PG T_T)b (3/

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Kneeling Armor Schneider action pose. Just looking at the photos, it almost looks like a PG T_T)b (4/

Kneeling Armor Schneider action pose.
Just looking at the photos, it almost looks like a PG T_T)b

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on Action Base 2 (1/6)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on Action Base 2 (2/6)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on Action Base 2 (3/6)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Mounted on Action Base 2 (4/6)

Mounted on Action Base 2

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A super cool shooting pose. Can this really be 1/144?!! (1/8)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A super cool shooting pose. Can this really be 1/144?!! (2/8)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A super cool shooting pose. Can this really be 1/144?!! (3/8)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A super cool shooting pose. Can this really be 1/144?!! (4/8)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A super cool shooting pose. Can this really be 1/144?!! (5/8)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - A super cool shooting pose. Can this really be 1/144?!! (6/8)

A super cool shooting pose.
Can this really be 1/144?!!

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Naturally flowing beam saber action poses, as expected (1/7)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Naturally flowing beam saber action poses, as expected (2/7)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Naturally flowing beam saber action poses, as expected (3/7)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Naturally flowing beam saber action poses, as expected (4/7)

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Naturally flowing beam saber action poses, as expected (5/7)

Naturally flowing beam saber action poses, as expected

RG Aile Strike Gundam - The RG trio together. The Aile Strike Gundam shows a slight step up in quality compared to its predec

The RG trio together.
The Aile Strike Gundam shows a slight step up in quality compared to its predecessors, the RG RX-78-2 and Zaku.

Alongside the HG Aile Strike released waaay back in the day.
You can really feel the gap.. lol

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Alongside the MG Aile Strike with clear armor parts. Overall, the RG seems to have the edge in terms

Alongside the MG Aile Strike with clear armor parts.
Overall, the RG seems to have the edge in terms of gimmicks and quality.

Just looking at the wing detail alone — RG wins!

RG Aile Strike Gundam - Comparison with the PG Strike inner frame. The RG's internal structure feels like it sits somewhere b

Comparison with the PG Strike inner frame.
The RG's internal structure feels like it sits somewhere between MG and PG level..

Together with the MG/PG.

Straight build

Following the RX-78-2 and Zaku, the Aile Strike Gundam has been released as the 3rd entry in the RG lineup. Honestly, since the RG concept is pretty similar to the Super HCM Pro line, I figured the next kits would be things that had already gotten the Super HCM Pro treatment.. so the Strike coming out was a bit of a surprise. Personally, I was expecting something like the Exia or Unicorn. But anyway, true to the RG lineup's motto of bringing PG-level engineering to 1/144 scale, this kit delivers a level of detail and quality that's in a completely different league from your typical 1/144.

First off, the frame construction and various gimmick reproductions carry on the RG series tradition, but in a lot of ways the quality you feel in your fingertips seems to be a notch above the RG Gundam and Zaku. The overall fit and the reproduction of the various slide armor pieces are more precisely engineered than I expected. In particular, the inner frame — which I figured they'd just keep reusing — has been completely redesigned from scratch, following the RG Gundam and Zaku. The overall frame layout is similar, but it looks like each kit gets its own customized, freshly designed frame.

The design concept itself is built around a combination of small gray and white armor pieces, kind of like the PG, and seeing so many varied armor pieces fitted onto such a tiny kit — plus slide gimmicks on the forearms, knees, thighs, and more — you can't help but be impressed. I was especially blown away to see the cross-slide gimmick on the shin armor below the knee, just like on the PG;; It doesn't link all four panels (front/rear and left/right) together like the PG does — only the front and rear panels cross-link — but still, cramming this kind of high-end engineering into such a small scale is pretty remarkable. The one downside is that the shin cross-slide armor is a bit stiff, so it doesn't move naturally during posing — you have to manually push it with your fingers each time, which is a little disappointing.

The Aile pack also shows far more refined detail than the MG, giving off a vibe that's pretty close to the PG. There's a gimmick where the wings fold in, but unfortunately they don't fold all the way down — they stop at an awkward halfway point, which was a bit of a letdown. That said, the carefully reproduced internal vernier detail is definitely worth praising. Personally, I was hoping they'd throw in the Sky Grasper too... but anyway.

As for the downsides, the large Aile pack makes it tricky to hold a stable standing pose. The PG had the same issue, and the MG was a bit like that too — it seems like a structural problem that can't really be helped. In the RG's case, the internal gimmicks are so complex and intricate that it probably wasn't possible to also nail perfect joint strength. The body on its own has solid enough joint strength, but once you attach the Aile pack, you're better off putting it on a stand for your own peace of mind. And while it's not exactly a flaw, there are so many articulation points packed into such a small kit that whenever you go to strike a pose, there's a lot of spots you need to touch up ^^;

In conclusion, this is a kit I'd highly recommend if you're a fan of Strike Gundam or if you enjoy the precision of a smaller scale. I can't speak to everything, but value for money is exceptionally high with this kit. You get detail and gimmicks approaching PG level at a budget MG price, and one thing's for sure — it's a clear step above the MG Strike in just about every way. Aside from the slightly tricky standing poses, it's actually more stable than its predecessors too, so this is a great kit I can't help but recommend :-)

RG Aile Strike Gundam | 2011. 4 | ¥2,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.