MGUniversal Century

MSN-06S-2 Sinanju Stein (Narrative Ver.)

Zoltan Akkanen's ride redone as a proper MG, darker, meaner, and packing a bazooka the older Stein never got.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Sinanju Stein (Narrative Ver.) · 1/100 · 2019

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2019

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the Stein I actually wanted the first time around.

Bandai took the MG Sinanju Stein frame, borrowed the sharper silhouette cues from Sinanju Ver.Ka, darkened the palette, and handed it a Sinanju-style beam bazooka instead of leaving you stuck with just the rifle. It builds clean, poses hard, and looks meaner off the runners than the original Stein ever did. The only real friction is that it is a remix kit, so a chunk of the sprue is recycled tooling rather than anything new.

Best for: MG builders who liked the original Sinanju Stein but wanted better color separation and a real bazooka option

The full review

What it is

This is a reworked MSN-06S-2 that leans on the Ver.Ka Sinanju's design language, longer fuel tanks, sharper single-point shield, cleaner chest emblem trim, over the boxier original Stein look. The kit ships with the big beam bazooka from the standard Sinanju alongside the signature rifle, so you get two very different silhouettes depending on loadout. Assembly is straightforward MG-standard fare, snap tight, panel lines land where they should, and the Neo Zeon sleeve emblem is molded in separate parts so you get it in proper color without a sticker or a decal. Finished, it reads darker and more sinister than any prior Stein release, and that alone sold me on it.

The catch

This is fundamentally a parts-remix kit built from existing MG Sinanju and Sinanju Stein Ver.Ka tooling, so you end up with a pile of leftover runners you will never use, which feels wasteful for the price point. The mega beam rifle, once you have every add-on module clipped onto it, is heavy enough that it needs the display stand to hold a raised pose without drooping. It is also, at its core, the same engineering as the 2015-era MG Sinanju Stein, so if you built that kit already, the frame surprises here are minimal.

Who it's for

Get this one if you want the most complete, best-looking version of the Stein without hunting down the pricier Ver.Ka reissue, or if you are a Narrative fan who wants Zoltan Akkanen's suit specifically. It is also a solid pickup for anyone who owns the plain MG Sinanju and wants a running mate with a different color story and a bazooka in the box. Skip it if you already have the original MG Sinanju Stein and are not fussed about the Ver.Ka-style trim, since the core skeleton underneath is the same kit you already built.

The build story

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

Assembly follows standard modern MG conventions: parts click in cleanly, panel lines are pre-engraved rather than relying on painted detail, and the sleeve emblem and chest trim come as separate colored pieces so you are not stuck applying a sticker over a curved surface. Nub placement is typical Bandai, mostly hidden on inner frame faces.

The suit inherits the Stein's double-jointed elbows and knees, independently moving leg thrusters, and a foot and ankle assembly that splits to avoid binding at deep knee bends, so it holds dynamic poses well. Hand parts use the Emotion Manipulator style joints so each finger articulates on its own, which pays off when posing the beam bazooka two-handed.

Lore & trivia

01The Sinanju Stein is piloted by Zoltan Akkanen, a Republic of Zeon lieutenant and a failed Cyber Newtype from the same project that produced Full Frontal, in the 2018 film Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative.
02This Narrative Ver. retool borrows its longer fuel tanks, arm trim, and single-point shield shape from the MG Sinanju Ver.Ka rather than the original 2015 MG Sinanju Stein release.
03The kit includes the Sinanju's mega beam bazooka in addition to the Stein's own beam rifle, giving builders a weapon option the original Stein kit never had in the box.