HGUniversal Century

RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.G35th BASE

The kit that proved an HG could move like a much bigger grade, wrapped around the original hero suit.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

RX-78-2 Gundam · 1/144 · 2015

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the kit that reset what an HG could be, and building it still feels that way a decade later.

I went in expecting a simple nostalgia piece and came out with a Gundam that holds deep knee bends and looks up at the sky, things older HGUC molds just could not do. The engineering under that plain white shell is the whole story here, and it earns every bit of the attention it got when it launched the Revive line.

Best for: builders who want the definitive small-scale RX-78-2 and care more about pose range than surface detail

The full review

What it is

This is the kit Bandai used to kick off the Revive project in July 2015 for Gunpla's 35th anniversary, and building it makes that pedigree obvious. It is the classic RX-78-2 silhouette, no reinterpretation, no gimmicks, just the original hero suit rebuilt on a modern skeleton. The parts snap together fast and the gate placement is clean, so the assembly itself is relaxed and satisfying rather than a chore. What got me was the head. A ball joint lets it tilt back and actually look skyward, something I never expected from a kit at this price, and it set the tone for how much motion was packed into a small, simple looking model.

The catch

The finished kit is plain. There is no panel lining built into the sculpt to chase, the color separation is mostly molded plastic with a light sticker sheet for the chest vents and a few accents, and if you want the classic tricolor look to pop you will want panel lines or paint. It is also a small 1/144 kit, so the accessories (beam saber, beam rifle, shield, spare open and trigger hands) are the full loadout, nothing extra. Some early Revive line reviewers noted mild looseness in a couple of joints on individual copies over time, though most builds hold poses fine out of the box.

Who it's for

If you want the RX-78-2 in its most poseable small-scale form and you are fine doing your own detailing to make the colors sing, this is close to the ideal pick. It is also a genuinely good first kit for someone new to Gunpla, since the assembly is forgiving and the payoff in movement is immediate. Skip it if you specifically want painted-look color separation straight out of the box or crave a busier, more mechanical sculpt, an MG RX-78-2 will scratch that itch instead. As a value-for-articulation HG, though, this one still holds up.

The build story

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

The build moves quickly. Parts pop off the runners clean with minimal nub scarring, the limbs snap together with a confident, positive click, and there is nothing fiddly about the assembly sequence. It is a genuinely relaxing build rather than a technical one, which fits its role as an entry point into the hobby.

The engineering is where this kit earns its reputation. The Revive redesign reportedly pushed articulation points up roughly 50 percent over the original 2001 HGUC mold without a meaningful jump in part count, and it shows in hand: the shoulders rotate freely, the double-jointed knees hold deep bends, and the ball-jointed head adds a look-up range most HG kits still lack. Open hands and a trigger-finger hand come in the box alongside the standard fist, giving real options for rifle and gesture poses.

Lore & trivia

01This was the first kit released under Bandai's Revive project, launched in July 2015 to mark Gunpla's 35th anniversary with modernized engineering on classic HGUC molds.
02The Ver.G35th BASE release packaged the kit with an anniversary display base, ahead of its later standalone reissue as HGUC #191.
03Despite a similar part count to the original 2001 HGUC RX-78-2, the Revive redesign increased articulation points by roughly 50 percent through new double-jointed elbows and knees and a ball-jointed head.
04The RX-78-2 is Amuro Ray's mobile suit from the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam series, the suit that started the entire Gunpla hobby.