MGCosmic Era

GAT-X105B/ST Star Build Strike Gundam (RG System Ver.)

A P-Bandai reward kit that turns a neat in-fiction gimmick into a genuinely clever build.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Star Build Strike Gundam (RG System Ver.) · 1/100 · 2016

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This one earns its price tag.

The whole concept, an MG built to look like it swallowed a Real Grade inner frame, actually pays off on the shelf, with exposed pearl and clear sections doing real work instead of sitting there as a novelty. It is not for everyone (P-Bandai exclusivity and a premium price see to that), but for anyone who already loves the Build Strike silhouette, this is the version to chase.

Best for: Build Fighters fans and MG collectors who want the RG System gimmick expressed as an actual engineering choice, not just a paint job

The full review

What it is

This is Sei Iori's championship-round upgrade of the Build Strike Full Package, reimagined so the in-story RG System, the thing that gives it an exposed internal frame like a Real Grade kit, actually shows up in styrene. Bandai molded chunks of the frame in clear and pearl plastic and left them visible through cutaways in the outer armor, so the joints and inner structure you'd normally hide are part of the finished look. Building it feels like assembling two kits welded together, a standard MG shell over a frame that wants to be seen. When it clicks into its final pose with the Universe Booster mounted, it reads exactly like the show's climax, not a generic upgrade repaint.

The catch

It was a Premium Bandai exclusive, so it never sat on regular shelves and secondary market prices run well above a typical MG. Builders working with the clear and pearl runners have reported occasional bubbles or inconsistencies baked into the molding on those particular parts, which is a manufacturing quirk rather than a design flaw but still worth knowing before you commit a whole afternoon to careful gate cleanup. The frame-on-frame construction also means more sub-assembly steps than a standard Build Strike kit, so this is not a quick weeknight build.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already like the Build Strike Full Package and want the version that actually looks like it earned its upgrade, or if you collect Build Fighters Try kits and want the design that ties the RG naming joke back into real plastic. Skip it if you are P-Bandai averse, price sensitive, or want your first MG to be something with better parts availability and community support for troubleshooting. This is a kit for someone who already knows they want it, not a kit to stumble into as a first build.

What works

The exposed pearl and clear frame sections make the RG System concept a real visual payoff, not just a color scheme
Full accessory loadout carried over and expanded, including the Universe Booster backpack that can be displayed split into an independent flight unit
Posing feels purposeful once assembled, the frame visibility gives the silhouette presence a plain Build Strike shell does not have

Worth knowing

P-Bandai exclusive means aftermarket prices run high and it is not something you can casually pick up
Some clear and pearl parts have shipped with minor molding bubbles, which is out of the builder's control
More sub-assembly steps than the standard Build Strike release, so build time runs longer than a typical MG

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

The build reads like two kits stacked on top of each other. You are assembling a full frame and then wrapping a Build Strike shell around it with deliberate gaps left open so the frame shows through, and that means more runners and more careful test-fitting than a standard MG of similar size. Gate placement is typical Bandai quality, but the clear and pearl parts need a gentler touch during cleanup since scuffs are much more visible on the reflective and translucent plastic than they would be on a matte color.

Where this kit earns its keep is articulation and shelf presence working together. The exposed inner frame is not just for looks, it is functional structure that holds the pose, so you get MG-grade range of motion with a display gimmick layered on top instead of competing against it. Weapon loadout carries over the Build Strike's beam rifle, beam saber, and shield, then adds the twin-cannon Universe Booster backpack, which can be displayed mounted or split off as its own separate unit for a diorama-style shelf setup, giving this kit more accessory value than its price band would suggest at first glance.

Lore & trivia

01In Gundam Build Fighters Try, the Star Build Strike Gundam is Sei Iori's upgraded entry, adapting the Absorb and Discharge Systems from the original Build Strike Gundam Full Package plus a new Radial (RG) System that exposes an internal frame reminiscent of Real Grade kits.
02This MG kit was released as a Premium Bandai exclusive in 2016, priced at 6,480 yen, and was never sold through regular retail channels.
03The Universe Booster backpack carries two beam cannons and is designed in the fiction to detach and function as an independent flight unit, a feature the kit preserves for display.