MGAnno Domini

GN-001 Gundam Exia Ignition Mode

The first MG Exia gets a light-up GN Drive and a metallic sword upgrade, loose ankles and all.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Exia · 1/100 · 2009

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2009

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the definitive way to build 2009's Exia, and it earns that spot honestly.

I built mine expecting a straightforward reissue and instead got a genuinely improved kit, LED-ready GN Drive, chromed GN Sword blades, and a repair mode swap that the original release never had. It is not a clean sweep though. The ankle joints are the same weak point the base Exia has always had, and no amount of Ignition Mode polish fixes that.

Best for: returning Gundam 00 fans who want Exia posed mid-Trans-Am with a lit drive, not first-time builders

The full review

What it is

Ignition Mode is the 2009 MG Exia dressed up with two extra treats: an LED unit that lights the GN Drive from inside the chest, and a set of GN Sword blades recast in metallic silver instead of the original's flat gray plastic. The frame underneath is the same inner-frame engineering that made the first MG Exia a hit, full double-jointed elbows and knees, a rotating waist, and a torso that actually bends side to side instead of just twisting. Building it felt less like assembling a new kit and more like getting handed the good version of one I already respected, snap-fit inner frame first, armor panels clicking over top, GN Drive glowing once the LED batteries go in.

The catch

The core complaint every serious review of this kit repeats is the same one: the ankle joints are a weak ball-and-socket connection between foot and leg, and they get looser with handling. More articulation range means less stability once you push a dynamic pose, and the feet are where that trade-off shows up first. The LED unit is also finicky, the battery compartment does not always seal tight and some builders report flicker. And the clear GN particle pipes read as merely fine, not the standout feature the box art implies. None of this is a redesign of the base kit's problems, Ignition Mode adds shine, it does not add stability.

Who it's for

Buy this one if you already like the GN-001 Exia and want the version with presence, the lit drive and metallic blades are worth the premium over the plain MG release if you plan to display it rather than pose-swap it constantly. Skip it if you want a kit that holds an aggressive lunge pose indefinitely without repositioning, or if you are newer to MG-level building and want your first frame kit to be forgiving rather than fiddly at the ankle. Newcomers are better served by a sturdier MG before circling back to this one.

The build story

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

The build itself is enjoyable rather than tedious, snap-together inner frame first with the armor shells clipping on cleanly over it. Gate placement is reasonable for a 2009-era MG and cleanup is manageable with a basic hobby knife, nothing here demands sanding to hide a seam. The repair mode parts add real build value, you get a second display configuration in the same box rather than a single static pose.

Where the kit earns its reputation is the frame: double-jointed elbows and knees give real bend beyond a simple hinge, the waist spins a full 360 degrees, and the ankles pivot and tilt even if the joint itself is the weak point. Color separation on the inner frame is strong for its era, and the accessory loadout, GN Sword, GN Beam Saber constructed from the same blade, and the seven-sword Trans-Am configuration, gives real posing variety for a kit at this price band.

Lore & trivia

01Exia is piloted by Setsuna F. Seiei, one of four original Gundam Meisters deployed by Celestial Being in AD 2307 in Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
02Trans-Am mode releases all of the GN particles compressed in the GN Drive at once, tripling output for a limited window and causing the suit to glow red, a state this kit's LED unit is built to evoke.
03Ignition Mode was Bandai's second release of the MG GN-001 Exia, adding the light-up GN Drive, metallic GN Sword blades, and buildable repair-mode damage parts not included in the original 2008 MG release.