Series: High Grade Universal Century (HGUC) 1/144
Title: RX-78-2 Gundam
Release Date: 04/2001
Suggested Price: ¥ 1000
No. of Parts: approx 90 + polycaps + stickers
Plastic colors: white, blue, red, yellow, dark gray, translucent red
Gimmicks: beam rifle, hyper bazooka, beam sabers (2) with detachable hilts (for backpack), shield, Core Fighter

Introduction

Contributor: Richie Ramos
Photography: Jason Kwong
Date: January 21, 2004

What was probably one of the most expected HGUC's has finally come out. The RX-78-2 Gundam has gone through a lot in recent years, from the original 1/144 HG kit (which admittedly was only revolutionary for its endoskeleton made of what appears to be primitive ABS plastic), the 1/100 MG ver. 1.0 (which in retrospect looked BAD), the 1/60 PG (which looked good only if you could see inside), the 1/144 FG (which was the best-looking, admittedly), and the MG ver. 1.5 (which was the best, on average). This new HGUC kit has basically blown me away. Yes, a lot of people were complaining about the idea of mixing retro-styling with PG characteristics, but in my opinion, the final product was well worth the combination.

Head

The head is based on a mix between the MG ver. 1.5 and the PG, and is actually small (think about Gundam Wing's proportions). It uses the usual polycap ball-joint neck. This is in sharp contrast with the large head in the old HG kit, which also has a lantern jaw to boot. My only complaint, however, is that it doesn't have the arrogant look the earlier kit had, but on the plus side, it looks much better, proportion wise.

Torso

The chest vents are the same as the HGUC GM's; they are recessed into the chest area, which is good for that retro feel. The proportions are similar to the MG ver. 1.5, but singularly lacking in detail, which was intentional to give it that retro feel. The backpack is also similar to the HGUC GM, but it has two sockets for the two beam sabers, rather than one. Even the internal waist array is the same as the HGUC GM's, but there is a surprise: Gundam has internal joints at the shoulders for clavicle movement. This means that the shoulders can move in a horizontal arc motion, which is better for holding the beam sabers with both hands, and to pose in various positions. It's a nice addition, and it very much improves the poseability of the kit as a whole.

The hip is pretty much a standard HGUC-style hip /crotch area, though the bazooka clamp at the rear side is interchangeable with a flat surface; the clamp is also a holdover design from the old HG Gundam kit.

Arms

The arms are exactly the same in design as the HGUC GM's, and it has the same hands, minus the outstretched claw-like left hand that the GM comes with. The shoulder plates, however, are different only in color.

Legs

Okay, there are more surprises here; the thighs are the same as the HGUC GM's, and the lower legs are taken from the PG / MG ver. 1.5. What makes it different, however, from the GM is that the ankle is double jointed. Yup, there is an upper stick joint, a middle piece, and a ball-joint at the ankle. This allows it to stretch the ankle such that you can recreate the famous scene where the Gundam first gets up. Considering that Bandai will also release a 1/144 MS Trailer for this model (from what I've heard) The ankle double joint is a pretty good addition since it allows the kit to also pose better than the GM in terms of leg poses (yes, it can do the victory pose).

Weapons and Accessories

The beam rifle is a scale-down version of - not the MG, but the PG rifle, surprise! It looks pretty good, but I kinda like the chunkiness of the original rifle from the HG kit. The bazooka is an MG scale-down from the looks of it, with the added detail that the back of the weapon clip is "open", and it shows the thruster-ends of the rockets. The shield is essentially the same (again) as the HGUC GM's; I do wish, however, that it had the HG kit's extra sabers and the rifle clamp on the inside of the shield. This kit also comes with a Core Fighter which looks damn good, I have to admit, though I think it is slightly a bit larger than I think can actually fit into the torso of the HGUC kit. The Core Fighter is not transformable into Core Block, which I actually approve of, since it gets rid of the inherent fragility of the old HG kit, which had no waist turning to begin with.

Finally, the beam sabers have plug-in blades, which I think is pretty cool, but problematic in the sense that the pegs are damn small, and thus easily cut off if enough stress is applied.

Conclusion

This kit is a must-buy; I cannot put it simply enough. It's the best iteration of the RX-78-2 Gundam so far in the 1/144 scale. It looks and poses like a very decent action figure, and has the looks of a Katoki's Gundam Fix Figuration toy, but in model kit form. It can be argued that this is the RX-78 kit that we've been waiting for.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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