| MSiA RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam
Series: Mobile Suit in Action!! (MSiA) Title: RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam Release Date: 12/2004 Suggested Price: ¥ 1500 No. of Parts: 1 Prototype Gundam figure + 1 TIN Cod figure + 9 parts Plastic colors: black, white, gray, red, yellow Gimmicks: shield, prototype beam rifle, prototype bazooka, beam saber (2), hand/fists (4), TIN Cod, collector's card
Contributor: Jones Kingsu Date: January 2, 2006 This may seem like your MSiA RX-78-2 Gundam Ver 2 that has been repainted. Well… it is and it kind of got worse than the former. Whether it was meant to lack some of the RX-78-2 Ver 2’s attributes to show that this is “the prototype” or not is for you to decide. Pardon my comparison of this figure with the first ever MSiA Ver 2. They are of the same family of Gundams and MSiAs anyway.
The head is of the same kind as the original RX-78-2 Ver 2. Nothing’s different about it be it the coloring neither the mold and the articulations. Ball-and-socket connection, standard.
The torso’s almost the same with the RX-78-2 Ver 2. with the difference noted with the colors, the back pack/thrusters, and the hip armors. Colors are darker than what seems to be in the archives of MAHQ’s library of MSVs but the molds are indeed faithful to the original designs. Poseability of the torso is very good with it being able to twist for more than 90º on both sides. Giving it a running look is easy with this kind of poseability. Of course it is expected since this is a Ver 2 mold. The lower torso’s got a different hip armor that distinguishes it from the original RX-78-2 Ver 2. The right hip armor’s got this extended mold that seems like it’s a holster for a gun or something. I’ve researched in the archives of MAHQ and found nothing with regards to it. The left one’s normal and nothing of note. They’re all made of the soft plastic that would give the legs proper pose-ability. One thing that disappoints me is that the lower torso has no mounting for the Bazooka. The backpack/thruster is almost the same as the RX-78-2 Ver 2 if not only for this figure lacks a hole for the shield to plug itself for storage. The backpack can also be removed to see the internals of it. Thrusters can be moved about which is pretty standard with modern day MSiAs. These are what’s wrong with the figure mostly. Lack of proper mounting for the accessories/weapons.
Nothing special to note about the arms other than the forearms are of a different mold. It has this hour-glass like design which is kind of a fresh take from most forearm designs of the OYW era. The arms are connected to the torso that has a swing connection that allows the arms to “swing” to and fro. Arms rotate and double-jointed-elbows allow greater poseability. Ball-and-socket wrists with hand sets that seems large with the black coloring make the arms good.
Again, the legs are of similar fare as with the original RX-78-2 Ver 2. The difference are noted with the ankle armors which seems - ugh- in design. The ankle armors are reminiscent of medieval armor. Smaller thrusters just below the knees also distinguish this figure from the rest of the RX-78 series. Double-jointed knees standard and the ball-and-socket ankles gives this figure excellent pose-ability. Not to mention that the feet “bends” like the RX-78 Ver 2 so that it gives that kneeling look better.
Since this is just the prototype version of the RX-78 series, this figure came with only a handful of accessories. Beam rifle- The beam rifle’s design is really far from what Amuro uses with his RX-78-2 Gundam. There’s no rotating second handle to be found here. Actually, there’s no moving parts to be found here at all. It doesn’t have the standard Gundam “scope” too. The design’s pretty solid though and the RX-78-1. Shield- The shield is of the same mold as the previous molds. It has this “01” marking on it but that’s it. It has the same pose-ability as the RX-78-2 Ver 2’s shield. Beam sabers- Standard, with the flexible beam saber plastics of first generation MSiAs. TIN Cod- If anyone wanted this figure that badly, I bet he’s after the bonus figure. The TIN Cod figure is exactly the same as the one featured in the MSV archives of MAHQ. It features no moving parts nor removable/attachable ones. It’s a figure that is a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” type.
I’d say give this figure a pass if you already have the RX-78-2 Gundam Ver 2 unless you really want this Prototype to be a part of your collection (like me) or you want that FF-6 TIN COD fighter. As a stand-alone set, this figure ranks a 5 due to the fact that it has both play and display quality. Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars <<back to Gundam |
