MGAnno Domini

GN-001 Gundam Exia [Recirculation Color/Neon Purple]

The same lean, sword-swinging Exia frame, dipped in recycled black plastic and a shot of neon purple that photographs like nothing else on the shelf.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Exia · 1/100 · 2022

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2022

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a color-swap release of a genuinely 2009-old mold, and it shows in both the good and bad ways.

The original MG Exia engineering still holds up as fun, characterful, and full of great gimmicks like the seven-sword loadout and the linked knee-elbow cord mechanism. But it also still carries the original's two known weak spots, tight elbow bend and a loose hip joint, that reviewers have been flagging for over a decade. Buy this one for the color, not because you expect a modernized frame underneath it.

Best for: Gundam 00 fans and MG collectors who want the Exia in a striking neon-on-black recycled-plastic finish and don't mind a 2009-era frame

The full review

What it is

This is the Recirculation Color version of the classic MG Gundam Exia, part of Bandai's Eco-Pla line that molds kits from recycled plastic paired with a bright accent color, here a black main body against neon purple. Underneath the new finish it is the same 2009 GN-001 tooling, roughly 309 parts across 12 runners, with the seven-sword arsenal (GN Sword, GN Long Blade, GN Short Blade, twin GN Beam Sabers, twin GN Beam Daggers) and a GN Shield with a slide gimmick. I like that the frame still has that linked cord mechanism tying knee and elbow movement together, it is a small touch that makes the suit feel mechanically alive in a way a lot of static MG kits from the same era do not.

The catch

The elbow only bends to about 90 degrees, noticeably less than the 180-degree elbows on newer MG kits, so dynamic sword poses are more limited than you would expect from a melee-focused Gundam. The hip joint connection is on the loose side out of the box, and builders have reported the suit tipping over or the arm not gripping weapons as firmly as it should. Joint tension across the kit is inconsistent, some points are loose while others are stiff. None of this is new to this release, it is the same base mold's long-documented weak points, just wearing a new coat of neon paint.

Who it's for

Pick this up if you already like the Exia's design and want a striking recolor for a Gundam 00 shelf, or if the neon purple on black finish appeals to you more than the standard colorway. It is a genuinely fun build with a great weapon loadout and a slim, muscular silhouette that still reads as one of the better-looking suits from the Anno Domini era. Skip it if you specifically want top-tier posability or a rock-solid stance for dynamic photography, the 90-degree elbows and loose hip will fight you there. If frame performance matters more to you than color, the RG Exia is the sharper engineering choice at a smaller scale.

What works

Full seven-sword loadout (GN Sword, GN Long Blade, GN Short Blade, two GN Beam Sabers, two GN Beam Daggers) plus a slide-gimmick GN Shield
Distinctive neon purple on recycled black plastic finish that stands out on a shelf full of standard colorways
Linked cord mechanism ties knee and elbow movement together, a nice bit of mechanical character for a 2009-era kit

Worth knowing

Elbow articulation caps around 90 degrees, well short of the 180-degree bend on newer MG kits
Hip joint tends to run loose out of the box, and some builders report stability issues holding weapon poses
Joint tension is inconsistent across the kit, some points loose, others stiff, so plan on adjustments if you want it to hold a stance

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

The build itself is straightforward and enjoyable, this mold does not try to hide an inner frame behind complicated sub-assemblies, it gets you to a finished Exia without much fuss. Gate placement is typical for its era, nothing that will surprise anyone who has built an MG before, and the leg assembly in particular rewards the effort with a wide range of motion thanks to a proper inner frame and a three-part sectioned foot that helps with balance.

Where the kit earns its keep is the accessory set. Seven distinct swords plus a shield with a slide gimmick is a lot of loadout variety for the price point, and molded color separation on the frame and armor is solid enough that this is a display-ready kit with minimal paint needed. The tradeoff is posability, the elbow's limited bend and a loose hip connection mean you will spend more time propping the sword poses than you would on a kit with a more modern frame.

Lore & trivia

01Exia is one of four Gundams deployed by Celestial Being in AD 2307 to end armed conflict through direct intervention, piloted by Setsuna F. Seiei.
02The suit's semi-perpetual GN Drive generates GN Particles used for propulsion, beam weapons, and stealth, and its Trans-Am system triples output for a short burst at the cost of a steep performance drop afterward.
03This Recirculation Color release swaps the standard colorway for the Eco-Pla concept, molding the kit in recycled plastic paired with a bright neon accent, black and neon purple here, as part of Bandai's circular-plastic initiative.
04The name Exia is widely read as coming from the Koine Greek exousia, meaning authority, tying into the suit's angelic-order naming scheme alongside its sister Gundams.