LMHGNeon Genesis Evangelion

Evangelion EVA-00' Proto Type

Rei's first Evangelion in its post-repair form, cast from Bandai's original 1996 tooling rather than a modern retool.

MechaGrade Score

3.0/5

EVA-00' · non-scale · 1996

GradeLMHG

Scalenon-scale

Released1996

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuine piece of Evangelion model history, one of the earliest kits Bandai made for the franchise, not a recent kit dressed up to look vintage.

I appreciate that for what it is. What it isn't is a modern engineering showcase, and I'd rather say that plainly than oversell a 1990s snap kit as something it's not.

Best for: Evangelion collectors who want a piece of Bandai's original 1996 tooling rather than a modern reissue, and don't mind basic, snap-kit-era engineering

The full review

What it is

EVA-00' Proto Type depicts Rei Ayanami's Unit-00 in its repaired and upgraded state, referred to in the original Japanese as Zerogouki Kai, following the damage and rebuild the suit goes through after Operation Yashima. The apostrophe in the name marks it as this upgraded state, distinct from the earlier, undamaged Proto Type. Scalemates catalogs it as LM003, the third release in Bandai's original 1996 LMHG Evangelion snap-kit line, using genuinely new tooling for that release rather than reused parts, and it ships in a folding, side-opening box typical of Bandai's mid-1990s Evangelion packaging.

The catch

This is a mid-90s snap kit, and it should be judged as one. Expect molded color and stickers to do more of the color-separation work than a modern kit, and articulation that's basic by today's standards, nothing close to the polycap inner-frame engineering that later Bandai lines became known for. It's non-scale, so it won't sit at a consistent size next to a 1/144 or 1/100 Gundam collection. And being a thirty-year-old tool, there isn't much recent hands-on build commentary online to check specific claims against.

Who it's for

This is for Evangelion collectors and vintage-kit completionists who specifically want the repaired-state EVA-00' as a piece of Bandai's original Eva tooling, not for anyone expecting current-generation Gunpla engineering. If modern articulation and color separation matter more to you than kit history, the RG Evangelion Unit-00 from 2021 is the far newer, more capable way to get the same character on the shelf.

The build story

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

What's confirmed: this is genuinely new 1996 tooling, catalogued as LM003, the third kit in Bandai's original LMHG Evangelion snap-kit line, and it ships in a folding, side-opening box typical of the era's packaging rather than the window-box style modern kits use.

I don't have independent, kit-specific build logs from recent builders to draw granular assembly claims from, so I won't invent them. What I can say honestly is that this predates the polycap inner-frame engineering Bandai later built its reputation on, so go in expecting a straightforward, sticker-assisted snap kit rather than a display-grade modern build.

Lore & trivia

01This is Bandai's original mold for the EVA-00' Proto Type, catalogued as the third release, LM003, in the 1996 LMHG Evangelion snap-kit line.
02The apostrophe in "EVA-00'" marks the repaired, upgraded state of the suit, referred to in Japanese as Zerogouki Kai, following the damage it takes from the Angel Ramiel during Operation Yashima.
03Unit-00 is the first functional Evangelion built and is piloted by Rei Ayanami.
04The kit ships in a folding, side-opening box, typical of Bandai's mid-1990s Evangelion packaging.