While I originally planned to sleep on Ensemble all those years ago, its main draw (that also slowly sucked me in...) was the unusual mobile suits and armours its designers chose to focus on. Early on it had a large Advance of Zeta footprint and while the brand has been somewhat "diluted" with more common and often seen units since then it still has the ability to stir things up from time to time. I certainly did not expect to see a set of GN Arms for example and although it is not cheap I was so onboard.
Lately, Ensemble has been all over the place with its releases. In 2023 we saw all the Trans-Am colour reissues of Celestial Being suits in the retail line but there were also two Premium bandai EX releases, the very large and expensive Alvatore in April and the GN Arms Set in August. The Alvatore is a really tempting release but fortunately I have not even had the opportunity to consider purchasing it as it has been exceedingly rare on the secondary market. The GN Arms set hasn't been much in the way of available either, and so the second time I saw it available in January I decided to pounce on it. It last went on Mandarake for ¥8000 which is quite steep, but when you realize the EX Calibarn has nearly the same price tag it immediately seems more "reasonable". I do believe that Bandai's preorder customers paid about ¥8250 to secure their copies.
Anyway, enough rambling. The GN Arms Set comes in a thick box that is stuffed full with plastic bags. Black and white assembly instructions are included in the box but as is always the case with these some of the 3D-renders can be tricky to follow and I often found myself looking at the mirror image for the other side of the craft to corroborate, as those pieces would typically be displayed from a different angle.
Here are the components sorted by category. The first image shows the Exia mobile suit-related parts while the second image deals with the many components of the GN Arms set. As much as I drag my feet on assembling model kits there is a bit of charm about the larger Ensemble craft, especially when there is not much need for additional painting.
GN-001 Gundam Exia
Let's start by getting the Exia out of the way. You have most likely seen this figure before and this kit contains no surprises. Originally released as a retail figure in Ensemble Part 15 in October 2020 you could see from the parts shot above that this figure works on the simpler inner frame used at that time. Still, the original release was really excellent and this version retains all its gear options; the large GN Sword, the GN Long and Short Blades and two translucent beam sabers with separate hilts. I am always a fan of the expressive open hands that we so rarely see in the retail line, they are especially useful given that most Ensemble figures use the same generic hands.
I am not going to cover the Exia in detail in this review, consider the review for Part 15 or Part 15.5 for more insights. Included here is a comparison shot with the original retail version of the Exia armed with a pair of beam sabers. The colours are pretty much exactly the same between the two.
GN Arms Type-E
Alright, here is where the fun stuff begins. The GN Arms type crafts are following in the vein of other support craft such as the 0-Raiser or even the G-Defenser. At its core it is a transforming fighter craft that can dock with a Gundam to boost its output. The Type-E unit is specifically intended for the Gundam Exia and its close combat-fighting style, whereas the Type-D is paired with the Gundam Dynames and features long range weaponry. It is not unusual to see colour swaps even on the large Ensemble mobile armours and I suspect that Bandai will be ready to modify the kit into its D-Type if the Type-E proved enough of a hit with its customers.
Here we see the GN Arms craft in its (somewhat) sleek fighter configuration. There are actually a lot of moving parts on this thing which can make it a bit tricky to line up both sides symmetrically. The large stand with support for its "legs" help getting the craft into shape but you also need to balance its long "arms" without any additonal support. The colour sits somewhere in between light blue and light violet, the photos don't necessarily make it full justice but I do find it a tad bit on the violet side where I would have expected it to be fully blue. It is not a big deal however and I absolutely love the three colour design that resembles the larger Ptolemaios carrier.
The rear view especially shows off the many seams and nub marks you will have to work on if you are serious about your build. I found that when manipulating the "legs" especially the outer armor had a tendency to slide apart and widen the gap. I did have some issues with the articulated cover for one of the two Large-Size GN Cannons but for the most part the build was alright. As usual with Ensemble the assembly booklet will contain number references to components but it isn't always clear exactly which components these refer to on the actual sprues. Most large panels and frames are helpfully marked with left and right indicators on the insides however.
The action base provided with the model follows the same boring idea that the model be displayed at level flight without the slighest indication of roll or bank. Considering the size of this model it will take a bit of effort to create your own support if you would like to display it in a more interesting pose like above.
The two top fuselage panels can slide upwards to reveal two additional thrusters. I don't know if the craft would ever make use of these in its basic GN Arms mode or if they are only used in the GN Armor mode when the craft is docked with the Exia. The Ensemble model fully supports it though.
Speaking of docking, the main feature of this kit is of course to transform it into the GN Armor with the Exia in the pilot seat. To do this the entire cockpit section is folded away backwards and the two legs are lowered (do this gently as the joints are quite tough) to form platforms for the suit to stand on. As you can see here the GN Arms craft has two backpack peg connectors as well as a groin attachment (ouch) that can swing forward to secure the suit in place. The small claws at the edges of the legs can also be raised to provide some additional support. Notice also how the action base is rotated 180 degrees and how the arms are intended to rest on two small supports. It can be quite tricky to line these up accurately but the intent is there.
Just like with every other Ensemble figure I review I did not actually attach the Exia to the GN Arms using the connecting piece, here it only rests upon its legs (very precariously, the slightest nudge may tip it over) to give you an idea of what it will look like. I am very thankful that the mobile suit's arms do not have to be attached to the craft as that would have been a bit of a pain. The two Large Size GN Swords instead can be moved about freely and sit on multiple hinges to allow for moving both up and down and spreading out sideways. I was curious that the swords do not come with any sort of fancy translucent effect parts, perhaps the GN Swords do not change colour when used (I have yet to watch the series).
Walk around of the GN Arms with the two main Large GN Cannons exposed. These weapons can be bared by flipping the covers upwards and backwards. The right-side cover does not cooperate willingly or as elegantly as the cover on the left side, but I couldn't see any real difference in how I assembled them. Notice also the stub wings having been folded upwards and their small white inner sections swinging forward like the blades on a Swiss knife. I don't know what it is for but it looks kind of cool.
Conlusion
In closing I think this is a really neat kit on par with other Ensemble EX figures like the Meteor or the Titans Test Team mobile armours. And just like the previously mentioned kits the price on this thing will rightfully scare away many. I think only those with a heart that thumps a little faster for the Ensemble Celestial Being crew need go through the trouble of finding one. To my knowledge the GN Arms has never been released in another figure series like Robot Spirits or Mobile Suit in Action, so you don't really have that many options unless you decide to go hunt for an actual model kit. Both the Type-E and the Type-D are available as HG 1/144 kits for example, and their prices are likely to be very competitive to that of the Ensemble release.
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