The RX-78-2 is the original 'Gundam' mobile suit and this a 2008 anime accurate 2.0 kit.
2.0 refers to Master Grade version 2, meaning it's better mechanically and tolerance-wise.
If you want an anime accurate MG Gundam, this is the one to get.
Aesthetics:
This kit comes in the classic blue, dark red, yellow, white and grey colors of the original Gundam. Everything is as color separated as you'd expect.
There are enough little marks on the armour to panel line to give it some definition without making it too different. The proportions are a little slimmed up, but a lot of the bulk and human proportions have been kept. The biggest difference is probably that the chest vents are a little small.
There are some small details that aren't perfectly accurate like the elbows/inner knees and vulcans, but this is all reasonable, it's clear they made great efforts to make it looks like the show.
There's a foil sheet with eyes, with the correct gold color, and red cameras, a sticker sheet with warning decals and a dry-transfer sheet with markings. They're not really necessary for the type of kit it is, but it's a nice option to have.
Mechanics:
The articulation on all the limbs is very good, lots of range of movement, the shoulders go way out for the Gundam to draw its lightsaber from the shoulder. Pretty much any pose you want to copy from the show is doable with this. The feet have 3 parts moving.
The torso rotates, there's a little bit of side-to-side and crunch movement in the abdomen, but it's all very limited.
There are little pistons everywhere, including under its chin.
Its main feature is coming together like it does in the show with the bottom and top halves and the core fighter in the middle.
The core fighter is nothing new but it's another take on how to make it mechanically fold and the seat inside flips up when you push the cockpit in. The manual doesn't mention it, but if you want the pilot to be visible behind the hatch, you have to pull the cockpit out again and then put it inside the model.
The hatch swings out and has a smaller hatch that slides up.
The chest vents can open and close.
All 6 skirts move out of the way -The skirts occasionally pop off.
You can push in the crotch plate which is a show reference, but it's hard to close again without a tool.
The fighter comes with a stand to display it and is not needed inside the model to keep it together, though it increases the stability quite a bit.
It transforms and has pop-out missile pods.
Equipment:
The kit comes with:
1 Pair of hands with articulated fingers
2 Beam Saber hilts and 2 pink beam saber effect parts - The hilts equip on the backpack
1 Beam Rifle with a turning grip and scope
1 underslung Missile Pod for the rifle, with ICBM sized missiles inside it
1 Shield with an opening/closing viewport hatch and adjustable height
1 Hyper Bazooka with a tilting handle
1 Beam Javelin with clear parts - Needs paint and you have to use one of the beam saber hilts to attach to it
1 "Gundam Hammer" which is a giant anchor with a chain attached to a spiked ball the size of a truck - The late 70's were wild
1 Base connector
3 Amuro Ray mini-figs, one in the seat, one standing and one standing in a pilot suit (although that may be Lalah Sune).
Both rifle and bazooka can be attached on the back skirt, backpack, shields and even the lower arms.
The ability to store both ranged weapons is nice, you can display the model armed with everything, though it'll obviously look a little busy. Apart from the beam sabers of course, at least one needs storing.
Conclusion:
Even the first MG RX-78-2 was a redesign and it took over a decade before they made this anime-accurate version and it looks great. It looks like a cartoon character and a toy, something that people have an appreciation for.
The kit gives you all the stuff you could want for a diorama and re-enactment.
The absence of a core block to display both the model and the core fighter is an odd choice, especially since 1.0 kits like the Guncannon came with both. You can still display both, so it's not a problem.
This kit has a lot going for it under the hood, the inner frame is highly detailed and a lot of thought has been put into the kit and movement. This is for genuine fans of the franchise and the first Gundam Mobile Suit. I highly recommend this.
