Seven swords and no interest in a firefight
Most Gundams shoot. The GN-001 Exia closes the distance and cuts. Setsuna F. Seiei's machine carries the Seven Sword System, a loadout built around getting inside an enemy's range and staying there, and the whole silhouette is designed around blades rather than rifles. It is the suit that opens Gundam 00 and the one most people picture when they think of the series.
This is the Master Grade, and it was the kit that opened Bandai's MG Gundam 00 line.
Build difficulty
A full Master Grade with a highly articulated inner frame underneath. Snap-fit, moulded in colour, no glue or paint needed. The build itself is not difficult, but there is real detail in the frame and a lot of small blade parts to keep track of. Best suited to someone who has finished at least one Master Grade.
Technical highlights
The complete Seven Sword System is in the box: a GN Long Blade, a GN Short Blade, two GN Beam Daggers, two GN Beam Sabers, a GN Sword that switches between rifle mode and gun mode, and a GN Shield with sides that slide out. Clear green lenses are fitted to the chest and to the sides of the head, elbows and knees. Every cord section on the body uses hologram and clear parts so you can see the mechanism underneath. The GN Drive is detachable, comes with a dedicated clear base to display it separately, and a red cover part is included to close the back when it is removed.
What makes this kit special
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The complete Seven Sword System: long blade, short blade, two beam daggers, two beam sabers, and the GN Sword, all in one box.
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GN Sword switches modes: converts between rifle mode and gun mode rather than being fixed.
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Detachable GN Drive with its own base: pull the drive out, display it on the included clear stand, and cap the back with the supplied red cover part.
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Clear green lenses throughout: chest, head sides, elbows and knees, so the glow points are real parts rather than stickers.
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Hologram and clear cord sections: the body cabling is see-through so the mechanism underneath stays visible.
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Two Setsuna figures: same-scale, standing and sitting, moulded in white.
What's in the box
- GN-001 Gundam Exia parts, moulded in colour
- GN Long Blade and GN Short Blade
- Two GN Beam Daggers
- Two GN Beam Sabers
- GN Sword, switchable between rifle and gun mode
- GN Shield with sliding sides
- Detachable GN Drive, clear display base, and red cover part
- Clear green lens parts
- Two 1/100 Setsuna F. Seiei figures, standing and sitting
- Foil stickers, dry transfer stickers and MG Exia marking stickers
Compatible accessories
The clear base included with this kit is for displaying the detached GN Drive, not the mobile suit. Given the hip looseness builders report, a proper stand is worth having for the suit itself. Pair it with the Bandai Action Base 4, the standard 1/100 display stand.
Build your Gundam 00 collection
Setsuna's later machines are the natural follow-ups. The Bandai MG 1/100 00 Raiser and the Bandai 1/100 MG 00 Qan[T] are both in stock at the same scale, and together the three of them make a proper Setsuna progression on a shelf.
At 1/144, the Bandai 1/144 HG00 QAN[T] (Quanta) is also available.
Build specifications
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Series: Mobile Suit Gundam 00
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Grade: Master Grade (MG)
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Scale: 1/100
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Mobile suit: GN-001 Gundam Exia
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Pilot: Setsuna F. Seiei
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Faction: Celestial Being
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Timeline: Anno Domini
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Manufacturer: Bandai, Japan
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Original release: July 2009
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Kit packaged weight: 590 g, retail box 31 x 20 x 11 cm
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Barcode (JAN): 4573102615862
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Skill level: 2
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Assembly: snap-fit, no glue required
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Paint required: no, parts are moulded in colour
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Figures included: two 1/100 Setsuna F. Seiei figures, unpainted
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Special features: complete Seven Sword System, detachable GN Drive with display base, clear green lens parts
Perfect for
- Gundam 00 fans who want Setsuna's first machine at 1/100
- Builders who prefer melee loadouts over rifles and funnels
- Collectors building the Setsuna progression from Exia through to Qan[T]
- Anyone who likes clear parts and visible internal mechanism
- Builders with one Master Grade behind them looking for the next
- Display-first collectors happy to use a stand
Fast Australian shipping
Dispatched same day from Brisbane if ordered before 2pm AEST on weekdays. Free shipping Australia-wide on orders over $199. Packed securely in a sturdy outer box with water-soluble cornstarch void fill that dissolves cleanly in the sink.
What to watch for
This kit has a reputation and it is worth being straight about it. The specific, repeated complaint is the hips. A detailed build review says the connection into the hip is fairly loose and the model kept falling over, and concludes the kit does not pose very well. The same review notes there are not many genuinely fragile parts, so it is a stability problem rather than a breakage one.
A video review of the same kit lands more positively, saying it holds up very well with some minor issues around a few joints and movable pieces, but nothing catastrophic. Put together, the fair summary is: good-looking kit, excellent accessory set, weak hips. A stand solves most of it, and plenty of people build it happily knowing that going in.
Builder tips: if the hip joint will not hold weight, a thin coat of clear nail polish on the peg, left to dry completely before reassembly, is the standard fix and it works well here. Keep the small blade parts organised as you go, because there are a lot of them and they look similar. Dry transfers do not reposition, so line them up before you rub.
Build notes
No glue and no paint required. Nippers, a hobby knife, sanding sticks and tweezers for the smaller blades and lens parts. Expect four to five hours. Recommended age 15 and over.
Last updated: 5 August 2026 (AEST)
