Good afternoon guys!
So I said in my previous post that my HGUC 1/144 Unicorn Gundam is my last kit in the UC era... Well.... I lied XD
This is technically my first UC kit and my first RX-78-2 gundam that I got in my gunpla hobby run. I got him because the box art got my attention and also because I didn't know there was an older HGUC variant.
My first HGUC kit and my 3rd oldest kit in my collection, it comes after my NG 1/144 Deathscythe Gundam and HG 1/144 Strike Noir Gundam.
After I built my Strike Noir, I can't help myself but to look for another kit I can build. Early gunpla builders can relate when you're just new into the hobby and the "poison" slowly consumes you.. LOL!
It's a fun hobby don't get me wrong that's why I can't contain myself from buying new kits even if I just built one.
Anyway, let's get on with the review!
Box art:
It's close to the usual HGUC box but more vibrant than the usual black box UC kits have. As you have noticed, the name has "Ver. G30th" following it. This kit is made in celebration of show's 30th anniversary since it aired.
They release a kit every 5 years and 10 years to my knowledge. Also, they release kits in most scales to make the most out of it.
Also, this kit/mold is used in various variants like the 7/11 and ANA partnership. This exact same mold was also used in the Gunpla Starter set Vol .2 to fully utilize the included gundam marker.
You can see that most of the information around the box is about the anime and how the Gundam utilizes each accessory in the kit that's based on the show.
Manual:
Still the same with your usual HG kit manual but it shows more on how far Gunpla has come over the years. There's also a suggested painting guide if you want to it resemble the Gundam statue that was displayed in Tokyo Front before.
It emphasizes again how much accessories you get with this guy.
I forgot to take a pic of the runner list so I got a copy from:
Based on the runner count, it's not much and it's a fairly easy build. Yup, you saw that correctly, no beam effect parts.
Complete Assembly:
This is what you get in an OOTB build more or less. There's very minimal stickers in this kit, it's mainly for the eyes, head cameras and the neck. Yes, the neck.
Then again, there's a lot of panel lines in this kit so have fun lining them all. As mentioned in the box and manual, this design is based on the 1/1 statute in Tokyo Front but the Unicorn Gundam stands in its place now.
I only used the eyes and head cameras and painted the other details like that annoying V in it's crotch. They always leave that as molded details. It made me happy when the MG 1/100 ver. 2.0 molded it as a separate piece haha!
Then again, detailing is not hard and fairly manageable.
Weathering:
Since I find him very plain looking, I decided to weather him :D Mostly dry brushing and paint chippings. It's not the best, but I liked the outcome haha!
A lot of panel lines running throughout the kit. It really adds more mechanical details and the weathering really made it more awesome.
Detail comparison:
I'm sure this is what everyone is asking.. How does it compare to the HGUC 1/144 2001 release. Well, the old one seems more blocky and thicker while the other seems to have more human like proportions and more slender.
Also, the old one has darker colors compared to the other one that's supposedly based on the shows more brighter animation.
Both needed their V in the crotch painted though. The newer one is really loaded with panel lines compared to the old ones plain armor pieces making him more mechanical looking and not toyish.
Articulation:
He can easily kneel because the thigh joints are separate from the waist giving them a bit more outward movement. That's also the widest spread the legs can do and you can't hold that pose because the feet doesn't pivot enough to stay flat in the ground.
The skirts don't get int the way too much except the back skirts because that's fixed. The knee bends quite nicely and so does the feet. The thighs can rotate and feet can pivot but not much.
The arms can go out thanks to that polycap design and they can rotate nicely since nothing gets in the way. I find the elbow bends too limiting though, you'll see later in the accessories.
Backpack thrusters are fixed.
The cool design of this kit is that it can easily do ab crunches and bend backwards easily because of the ball joints in its mid torso and lower torso. The head can't move much but it can rotate in place.
Accessories:
2001 on the left and 2009 on the right. Also, the 2009 release doesn't come with a core fighter unlike the 2001 release. Not a big deal breaker in my opinion.
The shield got longer for some reason. The shield also a peg you can flip out so you can store it in its back and tilt it sideways because that's way cooler. Sadly, the shield is a flat peg that connects to the arm meaning you can't rotate it and you have to move the whole arm with it when posing.
The rifle also got bigger, the moving handle is unnecessarily thick, it's ok since the left hand only gets a closed fist.
I dunno why they need to enlarge everything in this kit.
Yup, the infamous beam toothpick strikes again and it's quite saddening because it's on a 30th anniversary kit. Why Bandai?.. Why? Well, I painted it anyways just so I can use it in the posing segment.
Although, if you have extra beam effects (Like I do :D) you can plug it in his beam sabers but that's such hassle for people who don't have extra effect parts.
The highlight of the kit, the Gundam Hammer. I love this thing, it even has real metal chains. Only downside is, how are you gonna pose it. It's bad enough that the left hand only comes with a closed fist.
Poses:
My ever trusty Tamashii stage act 4 is here again to assist in aerial poses. But I'd recommend a stage act 5 because that's meant for mechanical figures as it says in the box but I don't follow the rules.
LOL.
A simple glaring pose.
Sticky tack is your friend. Pretty much the only solution I can think of.
Tamashii Stage acts comes with various clips so posing this is easy. Well, you could probably do a better one because my imagination sucks hahaha!
Here's one of my complaints... The arm can't bend enough for the bazooka to rest on the shoulder. What makes it worse, the bazooka handle also doesn't move so doing this pose can be frustrating visually. But int the box pictures, they can pull it off easily. Dammit Bandai.
Like with 2001 ver. you can also store the bazooka on its back skirts after replacing the tab with a connector. Don't loose that piece :D
Thanks to this guys poseability, I overlooked how annoying the beam toothpick is. Painting it also decreased my annoyance... XD But yeah, the ground poses look awesome, granted you painted the saber.
Also, remove one beam saber to make it more realistic when posing. FAIL on my part hahahha!
And my favorite pose with the guns, the Pulp Fiction pose. It's kinda weird that his left hand only comes with a closed fist because you'll be pretty limited in posing options since he can only hold one weapon at a time.
My favorite pose, took a while to balance the shield since the left hand is only a closed fist.
Lastly, here he is fully armed.
No final shot pose? honestly, I forgot to do it :))
Size Comparisons:
Here he is with my various RX-78-2 Gundams :D All of them have reviews in my blog so search away!
You can see that it closely resembles the MG 1/100 ver. 2.0 in terms of color tones.
Here he is with my other HGUC 1/144 kits :D Aside from the HGUC 1/144 Chars Zaku II, all the MS here have their own kit reviews so don't hesitate to search my blog if you're interested :D
Conclusion:
Details 10/10:
Aside from the panel lines, this guy is filled with mechanical details. Compared to the 2001 kits blocky and flat pieces. This guy looks more mechanical and more realistic since it was based on the 1/1 statute in Japan.
If you fill out the panel lines and add a bit of weathering, this kit would look visually awesome and it would be nice to display in your cabinet for everyone to gaze upon it's majesty. But my weathering still has long way to go... XD
Articulation 9/10:
-1 because the arms can't bend enough to pose the bazooka well haha!! I can't even pose it under his arms because the hands would pop off.
Lot's of decent articulation ranges especially the torso area where it can do ab crunches fluidly like how an actual body bends without having weird gaps. I especially love the polycaps used for the shoulder connections because they can come out of the torso for more expressive poses.
Legs are nicely designed, I just wish the feet can pivot more for dynamic poses.
Accessories 7/10:
It's nice to get an assortment of armaments but some items tends to have issues.
First, the left hand doesn't have any other options, you're stuck with a close fist. I know it's based on a statue but they really limit you with basic posing options. An open hand could be nice to hold the gundam hammer
Second, no beam effect parts. I really wonder why they omitted something essential to a gundam. I't's a new mold and it's suppose to be superior to the previous one but instead they gave you a white toothpick.
I know it's a model kit and painting is expected but maybe since it's the 30th anniversary, it serves as a throwback to old kits. Maybe.. Just maybe. The beam sabers on its backpack has holes already so I guess Bandai assumes you have extra beams lying around.
Third, since the shield uses a flat peg, it's practically fixed in position and the arm doesn't have that much articulation to accommodate the posing options. It looks good in some angles though but sometimes the poses looks forced because of its limitations.
Fourth, the bazooka could at least have an adjustable handle since the arm can bend that far. I dunno how they pulled of that pose at the side of the box but the fact that they included that pic and you can't replicate it is just annoying.
Lastly, not really a complaint but a suggestion haha! Since there's no core fighter, which I'm totally ok with, they could've included the Beam Javelin. It's another signature weapon of the RX-78-2 and this is the 30th anniversary right? Why didn't they go all out with this kit? Cost issues?
Despite all that, it's still fun to pose, you're just limited to a single weapon and shield look of mounted armaments look.
Parts 10/10:
Most of the parts are molded in color, if you can get past the V on the crotch issue then you can just focus on the panel lining.
The parts are solid in connection and seam lines are barely visible except for the forearms, aside from that the assembly is nicely planned and so are the gate placements. Luckily, the majority of the kit is white so cleaning nubs will be easy.
For the colored parts, nub cleaning is still manageable and they're placed in less obvious areas. The V-fin has the usual safety nubs but cut them off if you want the sharp look but do be careful to not overdo it because it would look really obvious.
Verdict 8/10:
It's a good kit overall and must buy if you collect variants of the RX-78-2 Gundam. This kit has lot of variants so happy collecting!
It's visually appealing thanks the mechanical details and panel lining but kits that usually looks amazing have minor setbacks.
My main issue focuses on the accessories department but if you're not really picky, then this kit would be just right. It's the 30th anniversary version so I assumed it's some amazing kit with lots of gimmicks.
You do get a lot of armaments but the limited poseability kinda made it useless. If you can get past all of that and solely want this kit for display purposes then you'll really enjoy the kit.
I got it simply because I love the RX-78-2 Gundams minimalist design. He's the Grand Daddy Gundam and having more than one kit of him is fine by me. He's probably the only kit I won't get tired of assembling over and over again.
It's a good kit to use to introduce the newcomers in the hobby, luckily, it's the exact same mold used in the Gunpla Starter set Vol. 2.
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