MG 1/100 MSN-06S Sinanju Stein - Review by Team GG Falldog

MG 1/100 MSN-06S Sinanju Stein 
Review by Team GG Falldog

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Note - For this review I refer to the design/kit as either the “Sinanju Stein” or just “Stein.” Whenever I refer to the “Sinanju” by itself I’m referring to the original Sinanju design/kit.

Refinement. That’s the first word that pops into my head when thinking about Bandai’s latest kit, the Master Grade Sinanju Stein. More specifically, a lack of refinement. Hear me out.

Most Universal Century mobile suits tend to have a design lineage. Each new generation incorporates elements from the one before it in an ever evolving family tree. It’s part of the charm. It should be no surprise to many that the Stein servers as a linkage between the suits of 0093 (Nu Gundam, Sazabi) and those of 0096 (Unicorn Gundam, Sinanju). The issue is that the Stein isn’t a natural relative, but one forced into the center. I’m not sure why it was created initially, whether to simply bridge that gap (not that it was particularly needed) or to help sell merchandise, but the design feels like an unnatural hodgepodge of four separate suits. Beautiful curves here, beautiful angles there, when all together the design feels forced.

This lack of refinement also carries over to the kit itself. At its core is the old Sinanju Ver.Ka, easily one of the best Master Grade kits Bandai ever released. The Stein is built so heavily on it’s older cousin (or rather, older son) that, in classic Bandai style, it comes with a whole bunch of unused parts that would’ve gone into the MG Sinanju (roughly 26). Internally it’s pretty much the same kit aside from different pieces here and there as needed to adjust for changes to the exterior. What annoys me is that in some areas Bandai really half assed these updates. Take the yellow thruster trim detail seen on the MG Sinanju. They were all individual pieces which added to the complexity and detail. On the MG Sinanju Stein many of these trim bits, which really should have been separate pieces, are just built into the main armor piece. Granted, this doesn’t really hurt the look of the kit since they’re all white, but it creates unnecessary difficulty for those looking to apply custom paint jobs. It’s almost an insult that they removed detail from a kit that’s essentially a re-release and costs the same amount of money.

Continuing with my design rant there are a few bits that are straight off the Sinanju which aren’t needed on the Stein, like the loop on the lower back where the old pipes would have gone. Or the rear-waist bazooka attachment point that’s still better suited for Sinanju’s rifle. As best as I can tell the rifle was adjusted to fit the existing attachment point rather than the otherway around.

The updated armor pieces aren’t very refined very well from a kit engineering prospective either. There are a handful of odd gaps that pop up here and there and other pieces that don’t quite flow into others. What’s really lazy is that lower leg’s main armor is one large piece when it should’ve been two. The only reason I can think for designing it as one piece is to cut costs. The same goes for the chest vents and external leg thrusters. They’re one piece when it should’ve been made up of an inner piece with a separate outer-trim component. There’s also a lot to be desired about the Stein’s backpack. Where the Sinanju’s was a beefy masterpiece of thrust, Stein’s has a lot of open components that seem out of place with the rest of the kit. On the plus side this means that all of the thrusters and accent pieces can move around in all sorts of directions. On the downside this unnecessary articulation means all of the components move around so much that it’s almost hard to pose properly (getting everything into place without accidentally pushing on something else). They also have tendency to pop out thanks to the lack of poly-cap joints. At the very least they’re the only part of the kit I had trouble with parts staying attached. The rear leg thrusters like to pop out of their hinge if you push them in too far but that’s something easy to avoid.

Last but not least for my ranting, Bandai’s new MG hands. Stein features the same sonic-welded hands first debuted on the MG Nu Ver.Ka. They may be fully articulated but I think they stink in comparison to the fully articulated hands seen on older MG kits (like the Sinanju or Dom). When a part comes off, most commonly a fingertip, they’re unlikely to go back on and stay on. This makes them a pain to work on when you’re constantly worried about messing them up. My MG Nu Ver.Ka. is missing two fingertips and Stein currently three. To Bandai’s credit they negated the extra wrist joint (used on the Nu to allow it to properly wield its bazooka) by making the hand armor piece extend on the back and lock it into place.

The one good thing about these hands is that they feature a flip out piece to attach a weapon, which also has an interlocking piece of its own. This allows the hand to hold even Stein’s large rifle without it falling out.

Now then, enough ranting. No, really. It’s time to talk about all the good things this kit has to offer. Yes, there are some.

As Stein shares the same inner frame elements as the Sinanju, Stein is incredibly sturdy. For a kit lacking poly-cap joints it does a fantastic job of standing firm and holding tight. If I hold the kit horizontally by the torso the legs don’t budge a bit. Unlike the Sinanju, Stein is able to wield the shield without any issues. (Side note - While the shield looks like the Nu’s it doesn’t have the same flexibility as the Nu Ver.Ka. It can just spin around and lacks the ability to tilt in different directions) Not surprisingly, the same doesn’t apply to the massive rifle. The arm holds without problem, but the wrist joint sags. This can be somewhat mitigated by positioning the arm so that the hand rests against the large forearm. Stein’s large feet means that the kit can actually stand up by itself (here’s looking at you, 00 and AGE designs).

Articulation is pretty strong with few limitations.

Stein’s rifle is quite impressive, as is the excellent looking bazooka which I’m pretty sure is the same one used by the Sinanju throughout Gundam Unicorn. Much like the Sinanju the Stein can wield her beam sabers from the forearm.

Stein comes with a nice set of waterslide decals with a few stickers, namely the eyes and a sticker to make the chin white.

One appealing element to this kit is that its largely white and light grays. Folks looking to have some fun with their paint job and do vibrant colours don’t have to spend a lot of time priming. I don’t think I’m going to go too fabulous when I paint but I already have some fun ideas in mind.

In the end, I really wanted to like the Sinanju Stein. It has an interesting look, construction went really smoothly, but it kept fighting me. The more I tried to pose it the more frustrated I got. Maybe it’s just one of those days but pieces kept coming off (almost lost a few key parts of the left hand) or I couldn’t get things to sit just right. Part of it is because I just finished the newer and excelent Nu Ver.Ka but it’s hard for me to positively compare it to any other Ver.Ka kits. Which makes it even harder to recommend. Regardless of what I say it comes down to whether you like the design or not. If so, then get the kit and have fun. Otherwise I suggest keeping things classic and getting the Sinanju Ver.Ka or the upcoming OVA version instead.


Falldog is a writer for OtakuRevolution and the author behind the gunpla tutorials in the Layman’sGunpla Guide