EGGundam Build Metaverse

Build Strike Exceed Galaxy

An Entry Grade that hands you twenty hardpoints and says go nuts.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Build Strike Exceed Galaxy · 1/144 · 2023

GradeEG

Scale1/144

Released2023

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I think this is one of the smartest Entry Grade kits Bandai has put out, and it earns that by refusing to just be a simple starter suit.

It reuses the EG Strike Gundam frame but bolts on the Galaxy Fighter booster unit and twenty hardpoints for extra parts, so you get a snap-fit beginner build that still rewards fiddling once you're done. The tradeoff is that some of that ambition outruns the EG engineering underneath it, especially at the shoulders and hips.

Best for: beginners who want their first kit to double as a display piece with real customization options

The full review

What it is

This is the Build Strike from Gundam Build Metaverse translated into Bandai's snap-fit Entry Grade format, and it is built on the same skeleton as the standalone EG Strike Gundam from a few years back. What makes it worth a look past that base kit is the Galaxy Fighter, a backpack unit with wide antenna-like wings that splits apart and can be mounted across the arms, legs, and shoulders. No runners to hunt through for tiny screws here, just big satisfying clicks, and because the frame is molded in its actual colors there's genuinely no sticker sheet needed to get a clean, fully color separated suit out of the box.

The catch

The part that gets flagged again and again is the shoulder and hip joints. Most Entry Grade kits use tight ball joints that hold a pose reliably even without inner frame parts, and builders report this one is noticeably looser there, so dynamic poses can sag or the arms can droop under the weight of the boosters. There's also a small design gap where the ankle armor has an open hole that the original Build Strike filled with a clear part, left empty here. At around fourteen to fifteen dollars it also costs more than a typical Entry Grade, closer to HG pricing, which is fair given the extra parts but worth knowing going in.

Who it's for

If you have never built a Gunpla before and want something that goes together fast, looks fully painted without paint, and still gives you something to fiddle with once it's on the shelf, this is a genuinely good pick, better than the plain EG Strike it's based on. If you're chasing tight, pose-locking joints or you already know you want an inner frame and full articulation, step up to an HG or RG version of the Strike line instead and treat this one as the gateway kit it's built to be.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

The build itself is classic Entry Grade speed, everything clicks together with barely any nub cleanup and no tools required, so it is realistic to finish in under an hour. Fit between the main body panels is tight and confident, it is really only the big shoulder and hip ball joints carrying the booster's added weight where things start to feel loose rather than locked in.

The Galaxy Fighter is the real standout, a two-piece backpack that separates into wing boosters you can clip onto the forearms and shin armor for a completely different silhouette, and combined with the Ex Shield and beam rifle's own hardpoints you end up with a legitimately different looking suit depending on how you rack the parts. Color separation straight off the runners is excellent for the price point, no painting or stickers required to get the finished look this suit is known for.

Lore & trivia

01The Build Strike Exceed Galaxy is piloted by Sei Iori in Gundam Build Metaverse, the 10th anniversary Gundam Build Series project.
02It runs on the fictional EG, or Energy Glitter-circulation, System, a nod baked into the fiction that mirrors the kit's real-world Entry Grade product line name.
03The kit reuses the frame of the standalone Entry Grade Strike Gundam and adds the Galaxy Fighter booster unit plus twenty separate hardpoints across the legs, arms, shoulders, waist, shield, and rifle for weapon and part customization.