One of the interesting aspects of Gunpla is that there are clear and distinct jumps between the different grades of model kits, not just in scale and detail, but also in complexity. However, some grades jump between the different channels.
For example, Real Grade (RG) kits are an in-between kit between High Grade (HG) and Master Grade (MG), whilst Entry Grade (EG) provides a result similar to a HG gunpla but are designed for beginners in the same way the Super Deformed (SD) kits are.
A recent and highly interesting case of this is the recent and still relatively rare Master Grade Extreme (MGEX), a luxury version of the MG models that fits between the existing MG line and the expensive and complex Perfect Grade (PG) kits.
It was designed for the same 1:100 scale of MG models but featured some unusual features and gimmicks that you generally only saw on PG kits.
Initially launched in 2020 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Gunpla, the first MGEX model was a case in point.
The RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Ver. Ka featured an LED strip that illuminated the entire mobile suit, changing from the typical green hue for Unicorn Mode to a red for Destroy mode depending on how the model transforms.
A second model in the range, the Strike Freedom Gundam from Gundam Seed Destiny, used a range of different metallic coatings to give the golden Gundam a particularly distinctive and high-quality look that looks very different to the still-impressive standard MG model.
The golden joints and inner skeleton mean that the central part of the model gleams and shimmers in a way that the original simply cannot.
In effect, Strike Freedom Gundam, in particular, is quite close to the Perfect Grade model in terms of quality and gimmicks, but at a lower cost and lower scale.
They tend to release one new MGEX every two years, so this relatively small and lesser-known gunpla grade might be set to grow soon.
