1/4 Scale USAGS Apex Model Kit Review

By Rose

Almost everybody building gunpla in the US has heard of the USA Gundam Store. The Florida-based company is known for their personal touch, usually including stickers and signed postcards with every order they receive. Omnipresent across the USAGS website and merchandise is their cute robot mascot Apex, seen below:

While Apex has emblazoned much of USAGS’ merchandise (including shirts, stickers, and keychains), the distributor wanted to try their hand at designing their own mecha model kits, and what better place to start than Apex himself?

This kit has very few parts and as such is a relatively quick build, only a couple hours or so (faster if you rush). Despite Apex’s simplicity, however, there’s a remarkable amount of color separation to be seen. There’s not a single sticker included in the box, nor is there any need for paint unless you want the white pupils in the otherwise transparent blue eyes. The only tool you’ll need is a pair of hobby nippers (and a small screwdriver for the included action base, though your nippers can replace this in a pinch).

The build is pretty straightforward, though I wish the instruction sheet was a bit more detailed in a couple sections (though I’ve heard that later runs of this kit will include an improved instruction sheet, so this may not be an issue to future buyers). These vents on the back of the body (above) gave me some trouble, with one of them so loose that it needed to be glued in place. I had the exact opposite problem with the arm sockets (below). I had to sand down the ball joints with a sanding stick just to get them in place (though they’re incredibly sturdy once snapped in).

Aside from those minor issues, the build is of pretty high quality for the price (which is comparable to a Bandai high grade gunpla kit). There’s little to no articulation but it’s not a big deal in my opinion, due to the simplicity of the design. The only other complaint I have is that the action base has a tiny bit of trouble holding up the surprisingly heavy model. Admittedly, though, the base seems to be a third party design not rated for helpful mascots with much larger heads than your average gundam, and with some fidgeting it works just fine.

Something unique for a model kit at this size and price is the included LED lights. There’s one light in the base of Apex’s body, one for his transparent blue chest piece, and one more behind his interchangeable face plate. Unfortunately, the required battery is not included, and I wasn’t able to get one in time for this review. 

Overall the Apex ¼ scale kit from USA Gundam Store is a pretty good deal. Apex is a super cute design, the plastic is thick and sturdy, it’s an easy build, and is comparable to high grade gunpla in both size and price.

The finished kit with an HG Zaku II for scale.

USA GUNDAM STORE APEX ¼ SCALE MODEL KIT