Bandai Prepares to Reveal First New MGEX Gunpla Kit in 4 Years
Image by Charlotte DavisBandai has officially confirmed that a new high-end MGEX 1/100 scale Gunpla kit will be fully revealed on August 25.
The mystery release will become only the third distinct mobile suit to appear in the MGEX, or MASTER GRADE EXTREME, lineup and arrives as the first completely new entry in the series since 2022.
MGEX was introduced in 2020 as part of Gunpla’s 40th anniversary celebrations, taking the familiar 1/100 scale Master Grade format and using more elaborate materials, construction techniques, and gimmicks to push one defining feature of each chosen mobile suit as far as Bandai can take it.
Bandai refers to that approach as “EXTREME EXPRESSION,” with each release receiving its own central theme rather than following a fixed set of additional features that every MGEX kit needs to share.
That has also made MGEX a particularly slow-moving Gunpla series, as Bandai has so far selected only two different mobile suits for full releases across the six years since the line made its debut.
The first was the “MGEX 1/100 Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka” in September 2020, which took the Unicorn’s Psycho-Frame lighting as its main “Extreme Point” and built an extensive illumination system directly into the model.
A flexible LED sheet runs through the internal structure without preventing the Unicorn’s transformation or articulation, allowing the Psycho-Frame to illuminate in both red and green while the head and main camera also feature lighting effects.
Bandai even extended the system to the three Shield Funnels, which can illuminate while positioned away from the main body through dedicated cabled stands connected to the display base.
The kit retained the transformation between Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode while adding newly developed proportions and detailing under the supervision of Hajime Katoki, making its lighting system part of a much broader redesign rather than the only upgrade over previous 1/100 versions.
Two years later, the “MGEX 1/100 Strike Freedom Gundam” took the line in an entirely different direction by concentrating on what Bandai described as the highest level of metallic expression in Gunpla history.
Its gold internal frame uses six different approaches to metallic detailing, combining three types of plating, two metallic molded colors, and etched stickers to create different shades and textures across the visible mechanical structure.
The armor was also engineered to leave more of that frame visible, with clear red components and carefully positioned gaps helping the gold structure remain noticeable even after the exterior of the Strike Freedom has been completely assembled.
Bandai paired those finishes with extensive frame-linked articulation, including mechanisms where movement in one area influences connected components, while the hip construction was designed to better reproduce the Strike Freedom’s familiar airborne poses.
The result established that MGEX was not simply going to become Bandai’s LED-equipped version of Master Grade, with the Unicorn and Strike Freedom instead demonstrating how completely different technologies and materials could be chosen around the strengths of each mobile suit.
That leaves one of the biggest questions surrounding the third release being not only which Gundam or mobile suit Bandai has selected, but exactly what its new “Extreme Point” will be.
Bandai has deliberately kept those details under wraps ahead of the reveal, with the identity of the mobile suit, its defining MGEX feature, release window and price all still undisclosed at the time of writing.
The four-year gap since the Strike Freedom also makes the announcement unusually significant for the Master Grade side of Gunpla, particularly when compared with faster-moving lines such as High Grade, Real Grade and MGSD.
Although limited and alternative versions of existing MGEX kits have appeared since 2022, including more recent variants of the Strike Freedom like the Twilight Coating, Bandai has not introduced a third completely different mobile suit to the main lineup during that period.
The reveal will take place during Bandai’s “Latest! Gunpla Info Bureau” special broadcast, which begins on August 25 at 8:00 PM JST, equivalent to 7:00 AM EDT and 4:00 AM PDT for viewers in the US.
The program will also cover wider Gunpla event news and additional new products, meaning the MGEX announcement is expected to be part of a larger round of updates rather than the only reveal of the broadcast.
For collectors wanting a closer look at what the line can currently offer, the MGEX 1/100 Strike Freedom Gundam is currently in stock through Premium Bandai US
, priced at $184 (approx. $184 USD / £135 GBP).
If you enjoyed this article, you can see more from us directly in your Google feed by adding us as a preferred source.
This post may contain affiliate links, and Essential Japan may earn a commission if you purchase through them.
