MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver 2.0 ~ Piercing the Plastics!

Pictures and review of my straight out of box build of the MG RX-78-2 Ver 2.0

100+ Pictures.

The long short of it
Outside of no extra core block and falling side skirts, falling back ankle plates, this is a wonderfully simple, well engineered, beautiful, and excellent articulation kit! Considering I only have 2 thumbs I give this kit 3 thumbs up!

With my attempt to review this kit with as few words as possible aside, here is my full on rant! If you want to just see the pictures scroll down or start the slideshow viewer by clicking on a picture!

Build & Paint
This is my first time building an RX-78-2. I chose the Ver 2.0 is because of all the neat things I have seen people do with the finished kit. The build was fun, it was great, and it was completely different from most of the kits I have made. The inner frame is good, though it makes me wonder why Bandai didn't include a core block, especially if people wanted to display the core fighter. Without the core fighter in the gundam, it does feel a little empty. Otherwise, the inner frame is just superb.

No extra painting for this kit. It's mostly a straight out of the box build. I wanted the grand daddy of all gundams in my shelf in its original colors. All I did was add panel lines to certain places, most prominently the head. Low level work needed to make the kit look even better. Perfect for people who doesn't paint! Also lazy people, like me.

It does include the 2.0 Zeon mobile suit fingers and I cut the 3 fingers separately, with GREAT hesitation, but I am glad it all worked out and I JUST LOVE IT!

Nub marks are wonderful when working with white plates. When sanded down they're hard to notice and they leave very little discoloration from the entire piece. With that said, the same does not apply to colored parts; sadly. Still, the kit does a great job of placing the connection to the rest of the plastic in places where it is not that noticeable. For the blue part of the upper chest, they will be near the top where the head is. The only noticeable nub marks will be at the red parts of the feet. Even then, from a far enough distance even I barely notice it.
As for the weapon's nub marks, again you don't really notice them until you get up close. The rifle is good at hiding the nub marks. The Gundam Hammer is another story, think of cutting each spike off the plate, 3 in each spike, it is a pain and it is something I didn't even bother sanding down.

As for the overall look and designs: I like the more cartoon-y look to the gundam, the big hands, big feet, and the overall lack of panel lines. Though I admit, I was hesitant about the look before purchase. Over time, the over all look grows on you.

Articulation

The articulation on this kit will blow your mind. If you haven't seen anything like it. I don't know how old this kit is but its just wonderful! Considering it is not bulky nor does it have a lot of accessories. The head is what you'll get for a good quality master grade. Along with the torso, it can move side to side from the bottom part of the torso, and only a bit to either side from the waist.

The shoulders can pop off a little out of the body towards the front of the torso. You can also lift the shoulders up and in towards the top side of the torso.
The arms has 3 points of articulation enough for it to touch itself or for its hand to touch the shoulders. The fingers are the same fingers the Ver 2.0 Zeon mobile suit has. The thumb, the index finger, and the 3 other fingers which move together. Each of the fingers has a separate knuckle in the middle. If you want, you can cut the 3 fingers so they can move independently from each other. With that you can make his hands do anything. From a peace sign, to Spider-man's web shooting hands, Dr. Evil's signature pinky to mouth, and to whatever obscene gesture you want your RX-78-2 to do.

The actual leg can do a full front kick to full on splits, granted the side skirts don't get in the way. The legs also has the 3 points of articulation, enough so that the back of the thighs touch the calves of the leg.
The actual feet is another place the kit shines. While the heel of the feet moves, there is also another bend towards the end, think of the way your toes moves. No matter what you do, this guy can pull of mostly any ground poses.

Weapons & Accessories

The kits comes with 2 beam sabers, 1 beam javelin, 1 beam rifle w/ optional super napalm attachment, 1 shield, the Gundam Hammer, and a bazooka. You can also have the core fighter out and it comes with a display stand.
It comes with a few small figures one Amuro for the cockpit/core fighter and another of Amuro standing.

While the beam sabers are standard UC beam sabers, the beam javelin comes off as something that is not so impresive. You can tell I wasn't interested in the weapon. The beam parts at the end is clear - no color - so if you're not going to paint it, it looks very dull.
The beam rifle is something that looks great. The napalm does look a bit weird to me so it is something that I choose not to display.
The shield is also standard and something that completes the RX-78-2 along with the rifle.
The Gundam Hammer is fun, but just the fact that you can't really control the chain hinders me from posing it the way I want to pose it with the weapon. Its nice to see the kit with it on though.
And finally the bazooka, for me its nice to have in the back skirt and that is about it. It is a pain to make the kit hold and to pose. Otherwise it's still a great addition and I can't complain when more weapons are added!

The Good, The Bad, and The Rest

The bad things about this kit is dwarfed by all the good. None the less, they do exist. Despite Bandai having the core fighter, they don't provide an extra way to have more stability in the torso via a core block if you choose to display the core fighter outside the Gundam. Its kind of a shame since they have a nice stand for the core fighter and it just looks great! (Though I just realized I didn't take any pictures of the core fighter/cockpit... Laziness is kicking in) So that is not really a big of a deal if you don't care, just like me, and prefer to keep the core fighter where it belongs! Inside the Gundam. The red piece on its crotch with the yellow V is a bit annoying. It can collapse inwards so sometimes I don't notice the thing until it is too late. I don't get why they included it on the kit, though i do understand that something comes out of there in the anime - I can't remember what, re-entry coolant is my guess. The side skirts also tend to fall a lot! Though with most kits these days what suit's skirts doesn't? And the beam javelin, meh. It looks like something you can use to clean your teeth.

But enough with all the negatives, this kit shines and it shines oh so brightly with the way it can move. Which is practically any which way you can imagine. You can extend it's legs as far as you want and it will probably still stand up. I am a big fan of the Ver 2.0 fingers. Since they move almost like actual fingers, I can do anything I want with them! As for the cartoon-y looks, it can be a good thing. The look grew on me and I am loving it now. I enjoy the fact that you can pretty much snap this kit together and not have to do a lot of work outside of assembly. Not much panel lining needed. All you really need to panel line is the face and it will look great! I like the shades of blue and red on this kit, that is why no painting! I am so satisfied with it's original colors I don't want to even touch them. But this kit is great and fun. If you ever decide to get this kit or any other versions, if you can get both then do so! If you can get only one and want something nice, beautiful, simple, low level detailing, and playable you should get this Ver 2.0!