RGAnno Domini

GN-001REIV Gundam Exia Repair IV

A battle-scarred Exia rebuilt with the full New Seven Swords loadout, squeezed into an RG frame that mostly earns the ambition.

MechaGrade Score

3.9/5

Exia · 1/144 · 2016

GradeRG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the more loaded RG kits Bandai has put out, and I mean that as both compliment and warning.

You get an Advanced MS Joint frame, a huge sword arsenal, and a genuinely clever left arm gimmick, all at 1/144 scale, and most of it works. It is not a clean, relaxing build though. It is a kit that rewards patience and punishes rushing.

Best for: RG builders who already know their way around foil stickers and want the definitive, fully-armed Exia in a small footprint

The full review

What it is

The Exia Repair IV is Graham Aker's late-series Gundam 00 movie rebuild, and this RG translates that busy, battle-worn silhouette into a kit that reuses about three quarters of the Advanced MS Joint frame from the RG Exia line while giving the left arm and shoulder a totally separate, more complex build to represent its GN Drive Tau upgrade. Building it feels like assembling two different kits that snap together into one suit. The right side goes together with the confidence you expect from RG engineering. The left arm is where the kit shows off, with a Trans-Am gimmick built into the sculpt and noticeably denser part breakdown than anything else on the frame.

The catch

The nub placement is the biggest complaint I've seen echoed across builds, with a handful of gates landing right on visible surfaces (the shins and upper thighs in particular) where cleanup marks are hard to hide even with careful nipper work. The kit also leans hard on foil stickers under clear parts for the GN power lines and Trans-Am accents, and if you don't lay them down carefully they read as exactly what they are, a foil sticker under plastic, rather than a glowing GN line. At around 4,950 yen and P-Bandai exclusive, it isn't cheap or easy to find secondhand at a fair price either.

Who it's for

If you've built a few RG kits already and know how to handle small foil stickers without air bubbles, or you're willing to panel-line and topcoat to hide sticker seams, this is a rewarding, weapon-heavy display piece that stands out next to a plain Exia. If you're newer to RG or you hate sticker work, I'd point you toward the base RG Exia first and treat this as the kit you graduate into. Skip it if gate marks on visible plastic are a dealbreaker for you, since this one asks for real gate-cleanup discipline.

What works

Full New Seven Swords loadout (GN Tachi, Bayonets, Battle Swords, Battle Blades) with deployment gimmicks off the GN Shield rather than static add-ons
The left arm's GN Drive Tau rebuild is genuinely clever engineering for RG scale, including an off-center polycap in the forearm that buys extra elbow clearance
Reuses the proven Advanced MS Joint frame on the right side, so the articulation you already like about RG Exia kits carries over

Worth knowing

Nub marks land in conspicuous spots, especially the shins and upper thighs, and are genuinely hard to fully erase without sanding and re-scribing
Heavy reliance on foil stickers under clear parts for the GN lines, which look great done carefully and flat and fake if rushed
P-Bandai exclusive pricing and scalper markup make it a harder kit to just pick up on impulse

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

The right side of the suit builds like a familiar RG, tight polycap joints, satisfying click-fit armor, panel lines that pop the moment you add a wash. The left arm is a different animal: more sub-assemblies, tighter tolerances, and a sequence where getting the Trans-Am gimmick to move freely later depends on not overtightening joints now. Take your time on that arm specifically and test articulation before you close up the final panels.

Articulation holds up well for the scale, with a ball-and-double neck joint, double-jointed right elbow and knees, and a waist that turns a full 360 degrees. The left GN Condenser elbow only bends to about 120 degrees since it's carrying the Trans-Am hardware, which is a fair trade for what that arm does. Weapon count is the real value driver here: two GN Tachi, two GN Bayonets, two GN Battle Swords, and the GN Battle Blades give you more posing options than most RG kits offer, and the manipulator hand set (fisted, weapon-grip, open palm) covers everything you'd want to do with that arsenal.

Lore & trivia

01The Exia Repair IV is Graham Aker's suit from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer, built after the original Exia Repair III using developmental technology recovered following the ELS (Extraterrestrial Living-metal Shapeshifter) conflict.
02Instead of the Large GN Condenser that powered Exia Repair III, the Repair IV runs on a GN Drive Tau, with new prototype GN Condensers distributed through the body to handle the higher particle output.
03The suit's newly designed left arm was built using technology intended for future sixth-generation Gundams and carries a trial function for brief, localized Trans-Am activation, which the RG kit represents mechanically in the arm's sculpt and gimmick.
04This RG was a Premium Bandai (P-Bandai) online-exclusive release, which is why it commands a higher price and less retail availability than mainline RG kits.