Gunpla Build - Real Grade Gundam Exia (Part 2)

This model is taking me way back. This is the part of the build where we finally start to use the prebiult inner frame, which immediately led to a flood of memories about my very earliest builds.

This is all one piece, straight off the runner. Look at how complex it is. And it isn’t just the frame itself that’s complex, but also the build around it. There are a ton of pieces attached to just this one section of the body. So much so, in fact, that it’s basically impossible to break this build down by components (feet, legs, etc). Instead, it is easier to simply show how the parts are applied, layer by layer (which, of course, is how I kind of sort of wrote my very earliest build posts about other early Real Grade models, so I guess it makes sense that I have to return to that style).

Legs and Feet

First, I used some weathering compound to make the frame look a bit more metallic. I don’t think much of it will be exposed and visible once we’re done, but I wanted to hedge my bets.

Second, I applied a handful of what I’m going to refer to as “wrapper pieces”. They wrap around and hide the frame, but they won’t necessarily be visible once assembly is finished. I think they mainly exist to provide some extra shape and structure than what is provided by the frame alone.

I also added two large decals. These are going to be covered up with a clear green lens, and I’m curious to see if the (super) tiny text on the decal will still be visible then.

Next, we get to use some of those thin, clear strips of plastic from that decal-sheet-that’s-not-a-decal-sheet. We first have to apply a shiny metallic sticker directly to the frame, and then the plastic strips are slotted right in front of it:

The effect looks quite cool, though you have to be careful: the plastic strips are not sticky, and they can fall out if you aren’t paying attention.

Moving on, these are all the parts to assemble some of the feet. That’s right - on the Real Grade Exia, four pieces isn’t enough to build a single foot:

Indeed, we need three more pieces to finish it:

It looks good, but I’m not quite sure it looks seven pieces good. There’s not a lot of obvious part separation - and arguably there shouldn’t be.

Whatever. Here’s the leg with its first few bits of visible armor attached:

And then the rest of the armor which, once again, is a lot:

But unlike the feet, I think the legs actually benefit from the complexity. There’s a lot of visible part separation, and they make good use of the two different tones of white. I think these legs look extremely impressive.

Upper Torso

Due to the way everything fits together, you can’t built the lower torso without first building the upper section.

It all starts off with this here, which is the prebuilt inner frame with a bit of scaffolding around it:

All four of the bits poking out from the center are joints, and they all have some degree of movement (of course).

This is where things get interesting. There are some somewhat cryptic instructions in the manual, and to make sure I didn’t misinterpret them, I looked up the translation on mech9. This is what it had to say:

What this means is that you are supposed to take two of the bendy, holographic plastic ribbons and pinch them in place with your fingers. Then you attach a piece in the front that helps lock them in place.

I mean, props to Bandai for thoroughness I guess, but these strips are a bit hard to see.

Once that’s all in place, we get to add a nice green decal in the center:

And then another layer of armor:

Eventually those three prongs on the back are going to be used to hold the GN Drive in place.

Some more armor, including the cockpit hatch. In case you are wondering - yes, it is a different shade of blue. It fell on the floor and somehow got scratched real bad, so I had to apply some touchup paint.

Here’s an interesting fact - the chest vents are on hinges, and can open up:

This is also our first glance at what I can only describe as the Exia’s “V-Fin lapels”. While it does technically have a white V-Fin on its head, I suppose these yellow antenna are something of an alternate placement for the “regular” yellow one. It’s an interesting design choice that I don’t think is used on any other Gundams.

GN Drive

This is simple to prepare, but it was bear to assemble:

You’ve got a cylindrical grey piece with two shiny decals on it, but to be honest, I’m not sure how you’re supposed to even see them.

To be fair, the tip of the drive can be pulled out a bit, exposing more of the bit in the center. But even still, I was only able to extend it so much. The bigger problem, however, is getting it into the chest. It is an extremely tight fit, and I struggled to get all three clamps to fit flush onto the drive.

I also lost a decal in my attempt to fumble with the thing, and eventually I gave up and left it be. It’s there, and that’s good enough.

Lower Torso

The “frame” of the lower torso plugs right into the upper torso. Seriously - it plugs in. There’s no easy way to detach one from the other, which I suppose is a good thing, considering I just got done with a model that a loose ball joint in the center.

We get a red “cap” on front and back:

Some “wings” around its diaper, and we’re done:

Now let’s attach the legs and see what we have so far:

Before we talk aesthetics, let me just say that I’m a bit concerned about how shallow the connection is between the leg and the torso. I can already envision them separating during poses.

That being said, holy smokes is this a looker. My only critique is that this part of the Exia is perhaps a little too colorful. It reminds me a bit of the Wing Zero and Wing Gundam - by adding green into the mix, along with yellow and red, you get a bit of color clash. I do think the bits of grey help, but only to an extent. In my opinion, they could have ditched yellow or red (or both) and gotten away with it.

With that said, the amount of detail here is striking. There’s just so much going on, with different parts in different shapes and sizes and colors. People claim that the mobile suit designs in season 2 of Gundam 00 had to be simplified because the season 1 designs were too complicated, and now I really can believe it. There’s just so much going on here, even compared to other Real Grades.

In fact, I’ve seen reviews that claim that this Real Grade has better parts and color separation than Master Grade versions of the Exia - and I can believe it. More importantly, I honestly can’t imagine it looking any different. Just imagine some of this detail being simplified or flat out removed. What might it possibly look like?

Oh. It might look like that. No thank you!

After Action Report

I learned after the fact that you’re supposed to apply two shiny foil decals beneath the two ribbons running down the sides of the torso. That certainly would have made them more visible (relative to how they look now), but considering they’re so small and out of the way, I don’t think my mistake meaningfully detracts from the overall look.