HGUniversal Century

RX-78-02 Gundam (THE ORIGIN) Yasuhiko edition

The manga-accurate RX-78 with the box art the original artist actually drew.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Gundam (THE ORIGIN) Yasuhiko edition · 1/144 · 2022

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2022

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the same excellent HG THE ORIGIN mold from 2020 dressed up for Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's own exhibition, and that mold earns the dress-up.

I built one expecting a reskin and came away impressed by how much thought went into the frame under the armor. It converts between early-type and mid-type without any cutting, the proportions read closer to Yasuhiko's actual manga panels than any HGUC before it, and the articulation genuinely lets you hit the poses from the book. The Yasuhiko edition swaps in his own exhibition artwork on the shield decal and box, nothing changes in the plastic.

Best for: THE ORIGIN manga readers and RX-78 collectors who want the definitive 1/144 take and don't mind hunting down an exhibition-exclusive box

The full review

What it is

This kit takes the RX-78-02 as Yasuhiko redrew it for Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN, not the smooth 1979 TV design, and it nails the difference. The proportions are stockier through the torso, the head unit reads closer to the manga's harder angles, and Bandai built in a genuine part-swap system so you can build the early-type Gundam (the gatling-heavy, asymmetric prototype loadout from the earliest chapters) or the more familiar mid-type without cutting a single part. The Yasuhiko edition is the same kit released for his THE ORIGIN exhibition, carrying his own artwork on the shield sticker and box rather than the standard packaging. I liked that they didn't touch the plastic to justify a variant, the mold didn't need it.

The catch

The color separation is strong for an HG but not complete. You still need foil stickers for the head sensors, the V-fin, and the joint accent pieces, and there's no molded color or sticker for the shoulder cannon lens or the two collar sensors, so those stay bare plastic unless you paint them. Because this is an exhibition-tied release rather than a mainline HGUC number, actual stock is inconsistent and secondhand prices run well above a standard HG. The early-type gatling array also has a lot of small connector parts that are easy to lose track of if you're not organized about bags.

Who it's for

Buy this if you've read or watched THE ORIGIN and want the RX-78 the way Yasuhiko actually drew it, or if you collect variant box art and like that this one carries his exhibition piece. Skip it if you just want a cheap, easy RX-78-2 for a first build or a shelf filler, a standard HGUC Revive or the base non-Yasuhiko THE ORIGIN release does that job for less money and less searching. This is a kit for people who already know why the early-type versus mid-type distinction matters.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

Gate placement is clean and mostly hits panel lines or hidden inner faces, so cleanup is quick even with the added detail this kit carries over the standard HGUC line. The early-type's gatling guns and extra vulcan pods add a real chunk of small parts to track, so I'd sort bags before starting rather than working straight from the runner. Nothing fought me on fit, the frame pieces seat with a confident click and there's no looseness in the ball joints out of the box.

The engineering is where this kit earns its price. The shoulder blocks swivel both up and forward, the ankles use a ball joint instead of a wrap-around foot armor, and the waist can rotate independently of the hip skirt, all of which adds up to poses that actually resemble the source manga instead of the stiffer stances older RX-78 kits are stuck in. Weapon loadout covers the beam rifle, saber, hyper bazooka, shield, and the full early-type gatling array, which is more accessory variety than most HGs in this price range offer.

Lore & trivia

01The base mold released in March 2020 as kit #026 in Bandai's HG THE ORIGIN line, timed to Gunpla's 40th anniversary.
02Yoshikazu Yasuhiko redesigned the RX-78-02 for his THE ORIGIN manga with an early-type and mid-type distinction that reflects in-universe field modifications during the One Year War.
03The Yasuhiko exhibition edition carries artwork Yasuhiko created specifically for his Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN exhibition, used on the shield decal and box rather than standard packaging art.
04Bandai also issued a clear-color reissue of the same THE ORIGIN mold through Gundam Base in 2022, separate from the Yasuhiko exhibition variant.