ガンプラ命- Z's Gundam Model Review

The full name of this model is the Master Grade RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. One Year War 0079 Animation Color Version… or to some silly similar extent. I don’t care. I picked this model up because it was cheap, I hated my RX-78-2 Ver. Ka, hated the original “game” pastel color version, and needed something to personally compare to the RX-78-2 Ver. 2.0.

This model kit only have a total of seven frames out of the box. Very simple. Very basic. You can even tell immediately what parts are on each frame. The first thing I noticed was that the white is a bit different than the usual white on other Gundam models; this one seems to be a bit off-colored with some hint of grayish green or something. The blue and red are also lighter than the usual blue and red from the other UC Gundams. Two bits are included to screw in the knees and a link of plastic chain w/ end clips for the coolsome Gundam Hammer. This model also shares parts with the Gundam Ver. 1.5… mainly the dreaded one-piece leg that makes a longggg time to cut out of its frame.

Construction is basic, straightforward, and simple. Put the skeleton together, then put on the out armor. Done!… You would think this model is just that easy right? Well… it could be… but I didn’t go that path. The bulk of the work comes from cleaning the nubs on the pieces, and detailing the panel lines. Did I mention that this model has TONS of excesssive panel lines? I can say for certain it has more panel lines than all of my other models. Decals and stickers are also very excessive. This is where it consumes the most time. Other than that, there’s really nothing special to take note of during assembly. The colors are light on this model so it was also harder for me to remove the nub marks without painting but I think I did a decent job. The weapons are simple two sided constructions as well. The annoying part comes from clipping out the one-piece leg… but even that went by quick thanks to experience from my MG Shin Musha Gundam.

The finished model, after massive detailing and decaling, looks stunning. The panel lines actually don’t look cluttered like I initially thought it would be (I also intentionally tried to make them as light as possible). Decals covered almost the entire body but they look nice. The RX-78-2 Ver. Ka looks low grade and plain compared to the OYW. The proportions on the OYW are also better; the model doesn’t look wide or fat. This model also have a better stance than the Ver. Ka.

Articulation is on the fun side, adequate enough to do some cool poses but nothing to actually worth bragging about. To be fair, the articulation bests  the previous RX-78-2 models by far. The arms and hand are free moving but I would say the legs are a bit restricted since its aritculation is mostly linear and doesn’t twist from side to side very far. The famous FINAL SHOT pose can finally be replicated faithfully thanks to the shoulder being able to lift and the arms being able to twist indepently from its shoulders (if that make any sense). Being able to slide the legs front and back helped with the dynamic poses but the waist could use more clearance as well. There’s not much fun posing with the beam rifle, bazooka, or beam saber… The fun comes from the GUNDAM HAMMER! It just looks really badass for a Gundam to be swinging a solid chain of doom around xD. Gotta love it.

This is a very good looking kit and definitely the best RX-78-2 you can get beside the 2.0 (not released yet at the time of this review). I didn’t noticed any immediate flaws and given this kit came out in 2005, it does a really good job of keeping up with current models.

Notes:

- I used this model as a testbed for some new techniques to hide nub marks- Didn’t worked out and made things worse xD

- I split the three-finger piece on the right hand so it has five individual fingers

- I used just about almost every decal that I could fit on this kit…that makes sense.

- Painted the inside of the verniers dark silver… you know, to look like actual verniers.

- Painted the Gundam Hammer; hand painted the ball part, and spray painted the chain. I wanted it to look “rusty and worn” so I sprayed it  lightly, intentionally missing a few spots, then run it with water. I loved the result :D

- Yes, I forgot to rotate some of the pictures… my bad xD

- The panel lines aren’t very deep; if you play with the model like I do then your fingers can rub off some of the lines.

OTHERS’ REVIEW:

Beamknight87

Deadpool’s Collection

It’s a Gundaaaam!