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Metal Robot Damashii Ex-S Gundam by Bandai (Part 2: Review)

Available From HobbyLink Japan

By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii

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Following the unboxing, here is the review of the very impressive Metal Robot Damashii Ex-S Gundam from the side story Gundam Sentinel. This is one of Hajime Katoki’s formative designs and this toy definitely does not disappoint on bringing it to life.

For the astute of you, this marks the second toy in the spin-off Metal Robot Damashii toy line. The first was the very nice Hi-Nu Gundam, which I can thoroughly recommend.

The big addition over standard Robot Damashii figures is, as the name implies, the inclusion of machined metal parts primarily in the joints but also in terms of the finer detailing.

This toy is also part of the Ka Signature line that Katoki personally supervises and as such the toys have far more detailing and decals than is normal for a standard Robot Damashii figure.

Anyway, this is an amazing toy and impressively done for the price.

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As this is somewhat of a bulky mobile suit, the toy comes with a stand. While it can stand up on its own it is generally easier to use the stand and it makes more sense, as the Ex-S Gundam is meant to be a space based mobile suit anyway.

The articulation is very solid and almost all the major joints use machined metal, which makes for a very sturdy toy.

In terms of the sculpt, it is spot-on to the Katoki lineart and very impressive. The detailing is also very fine, with all sorts of decals across the toy. The blue patterning on the shoulder parts and propellant tanks is also very subtly done.

The gimmicks are simple but effective. The beam sabers are stored in the knee guards and the reflector INCOMS in the knees themselves. All three INCOMS also have wired variants that you can swap out and position as you want.

The huge Beam Smart Gun has some nice articulation on the pivot arm that connects to the waist. You can also swivel the radome and extend the barrel, not to mention the additional grips that fold away.

There are also lots of other detail-related gimmicks that allow you to open up the shoulder armor, remove the propellant tanks and also fine tune the wings atop the shoulders.

The big omission amongst all this is the fact the toy doesn’t transform into G-Cruiser mode. Considering the price point and what you get for it though, I am not that bothered as the toy itself is done incredibly well.

Overall, this is a beautifully-done rendition of the Ex-S Gundam and one that has been long overdue. The fact it is part of the Metal Robot Damashii line also means that in terms of cost it’s less savage compared to some other releases.

If you are a fan of Gundam Sentinel then you absolutely need this toy. It’s amazing. Now if only Bandai would hurry up and do the Deep Striker.

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5 Comments

  1. If i remember correctly Bandai DID the Deep Striker in one of its lines.

    Reply
    • That was the Gundam FIX Figuration line, which is also what the Ex-S was released originally under. The Deep Striker was impressive but it had to be glued together, otherwise it fell apart. So not great really.

      Reply
      • I just wish Bandai would finally reach a consensus with Model Graphix about the right to Sentinel plastic models. Cause S and EX-S would definetly benefit from the modern rework (and we all want Mk-V or the Xeku Zwe) cause this metal damashii in some aspects is puting the old MG in shame.

        Reply
        • There is already a nice MG of the Ex-S Gundam available:

          http://hlj.com/product/BAN916415

          Reply
          • I know i have it. But it would need some overhaul on the details in the upper chest and the shoulders (or the resin 3rd party conversion kit). Even this damashi have more details there.
            Still the engineering of this kit is still rather good despite its release date.

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