LMHGNeon Genesis Evangelion (Episode 18)

Evangelion EVA-03 (13th Angel Bardiel)

The same EVA-03 mold, retooled with hot-water-bendable arms to capture its worst day in the show.

MechaGrade Score

3.2/5

EVA-03 · non-scale · 1997

GradeLMHG

Scalenon-scale

Released1997

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuinely well-documented variant kit, and the story behind it is baked right into the engineering.

Bandai took the standard LM-HG EVA-03 and swapped out its rubber-jointed elbow arms for long PVC arms that you soften in hot water and bend to whatever angle you want, matching the twisted, Angel-possessed pose EVA-03 is stuck in during its infamous episode 18 appearance. That is a smarter, more specific design decision than most colorway variants bother with, and it is the kind of detail that makes this worth owning even if you already have the base EVA-03.

Best for: Evangelion fans who want the Bardiel-possessed pose specifically, not just another EVA-03 on the shelf

The full review

What it is

This kit depicts EVA-03 after it has been taken over by the 13th Angel, Bardiel, in the blood-spattered episode 18 sequence of the show. It reuses the standard LM-HG EVA-03 body but swaps the posable rubber-elbow arms for long, straight PVC arm parts you warm in hot water and bend by hand to the desired angle, plus a special part representing the contamination that spreads over the entry plug port on its back. It ships with figures of Ibuki Maya and Pen-Pen in place of the base kit's Touji and Kaoru figures, and in every other respect matches the standard LM-HG EVA-03.

The catch

The soft-PVC arms are a one-time pose decision, not a working joint. You heat them, bend them to the angle you want, and once they cool you are essentially locked in, so this is not a kit you readjust casually the way you would a ball-jointed arm. Decal work is sticker-only on this variant, no waterslide sheet, which is a small mercy for build speed but still means some markings are applied rather than molded. It is also, at its core, still 1996-97-era snap-kit engineering underneath the gimmick.

Who it's for

If the Bardiel-possession sequence is a scene that matters to you, this is a smarter and more specific pickup than a second plain EVA-03, and the hot-water-bend arm gimmick is genuinely fun to pose once. If you just want a standard, re-posable EVA-03 for a shelf display, get the base Production Model kit instead and save this one for when the specific scene matters to you.

The build story

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

Assembly follows the standard LM-HG EVA-03 process with one deliberate swap: instead of the flexible-rubber elbow arms used elsewhere in the line, you get long PVC arm parts that need a dip in hot water to soften before you bend them into the twisted, off-angle pose the possessed EVA-03 holds on screen. Everything else, including the body shell and leg assembly, snaps together with no cement.

The standout detail is the contamination part sculpted for the entry plug port on the unit's back, a small but specific touch most variant kits skip. It comes with Ibuki Maya and Pen-Pen figures rather than the base kit's Touji and Kaoru, another deliberate swap that ties the accessory choice to the actual episode rather than being an arbitrary substitution.

Lore & trivia

01This kit depicts EVA-03 after Angel possession during the infamous episode 18 sequence, sold under the Angel's name, Bardiel.
02The PVC arm parts are meant to be softened in hot water and bent by hand, a build gimmick unique to this release within the LM-HG Eva line.
03It swaps the base EVA-03 kit's Touji and Kaoru figures for Ibuki Maya and Pen-Pen figures instead.