HGUniversal Century

RX-78XX Pixy (Fred Reber Custom)

A lean, dagger-wielding One Year War ace machine that punches above its P-Bandai exclusivity.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Pixy (Fred Reber Custom) · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuinely satisfying little HG built around a suit most Gundam fans have never heard of, and that's exactly the appeal.

Bandai reworked a real chunk of the body rather than just recoloring the 2018 Pixy kit, so the silhouette actually reads as Fred Reber's close quarters brawler and not a reskin. It carries the light, agile feel of the source suit into a kit that poses confidently for its size. The catch is that it's a P-Bandai online exclusive, so you're paying import or secondary market prices for what is, mechanically, a straightforward 1/144.

Best for: One Year War completionists and Missing Link fans who want a distinct RX-78 variant without stepping up to MG scale

The full review

What it is

This is the Fred Reber Custom version of the RX-78XX Gundam Pixy, the stripped down, core block deleted, close combat suit that Earth Federation aces flew during Operation Odessa in Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link. Bandai released it in February 2020 as a Bandai Hobby Online Shop exclusive, and rather than just handing you a recolor of the earlier 2018 Pixy HG, they newly molded a meaningful portion of the body to nail Reber's specific paint scheme and detailing. Building it, that effort shows. The proportions are trim and quick compared to a standard RX-78-2, and the parts snap together with the confidence you expect from a modern HGUC-era tool.

The catch

The biggest hurdle isn't the plastic, it's getting the plastic. This was a P-Bandai online exclusive, meaning no general retail run, so you're buying it through resellers or secondary market listings well after the fact, usually at a premium over a standard HG price band. Once it's in your hands, expect the usual HG-level compromises: some panel lines and small color details lean on stickers or your own paint rather than molded separation, and the accessory loadout is modest, a 90mm submachine gun and a pair of beam daggers, so there isn't a huge weapons rack to pose with. It's also small at 1/144, so fine detail work rewards a steady hand.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already know who Fred Reber is, or if you love the idea of a lighter, faster RX-78 variant and want it in your Odessa era lineup next to your standard Gundam and Guncannon. It's also a fun pickup for anyone who likes hunting down P-Bandai exclusives and wants a kit with real design work behind it rather than a lazy recolor. Skip it if you need your suits to come from mainline retail with no hunting involved, or if you're chasing maximum detail and articulation for the money, an MG or a more current HGUC will serve you better on both fronts. As a niche side piece, though, it earns its spot.

The build story

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

The build itself moves fast for a niche kit. Gate placement is typical modern HGUC, mostly tucked to the inside of parts where cleanup is quick, and the fit between the newly molded torso and head pieces is snug without needing force. Nothing here fights you, which matters on a kit you're mostly building for the character rather than the engineering.

Where it earns its keep is the articulation carried over from the Revive-era HGUC playbook, double jointed elbows and knees and a waist that spins the full circle, so Reber's blade heavy fighting style actually translates into believable dagger poses. Color separation on the main body is solid for the price band even before you touch it with a marker, and the slashing effect parts on the beam daggers are a nice touch that a lot of HG weapon sets skip entirely.

Lore & trivia

01The RX-78XX Gundam Pixy was an Earth Federation prototype built for ace pilots during Operation Odessa, stripped of the core block system and space thrusters to make it lighter and faster than a standard RX-78.
02Three Pixy units were built: Unit 1 went to Belfast, Unit 3 was assigned to Africa, and Unit 2 was staged at Albatross Base in the Gobi Desert for transfer to the White Base.
03Fred Reber's custom Pixy appears in Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link as one of the machines flown by the Slave Wraith team.
04This HG kit released in February 2020 as a Bandai Hobby Online Shop exclusive and newly molded much of the body rather than simply recoloring the original 2018 Gundam Pixy HGUC release.