LMHGNeon Genesis Evangelion (Death and Rebirth)

Evangelion EVA-05 Mass Production Model

A film-only Eva with a 50cm wingspan and two head options, honest enough to admit it needs some paint.

MechaGrade Score

3.1/5

EVA-05 · non-scale · 1997

GradeLMHG

Scalenon-scale

Released1997

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

EVA-05 skips the TV series entirely and debuts in the Evangelion: Death and Rebirth film, and this kit's biggest selling point is scale rather than posability.

Those attachable wings measure a full 50cm across once built, which makes it one of the bigger LM-HG releases by finished footprint even though it is still a snap kit at heart. What stands out to me is that the retailer's own listing is upfront that this one benefits from some touch-up painting, which is a rarer bit of honesty than you usually get in a product description.

Best for: Evangelion collectors who want a large-footprint, film-exclusive unit and do not mind a bit of touch-up painting for the best finish

The full review

What it is

EVA-05 does not appear in the TV series, it debuts in the Evangelion: Death and Rebirth film, and this LM-HG kit represents it as a large, wide-winged unit with wings that measure roughly 50cm across when fully attached. It skips the flexible rubber-encased arm parts used elsewhere in the line, but includes two interchangeable head sculpts, figures of Asuka in her yellow plugsuit and Kaji Ryoji, and a set of accessories, all fully posable and molded in the finished colors.

The catch

The retailer's own listing is direct about this one: it is molded in the final colors and snaps together fine, but some touch-up painting will noticeably improve the finished look, an unusually candid caveat for a product page to include. It also does not include the flexible rubber-encased elbow arms that the rest of the early LM-HG line uses, so its posability leans more on the wing display and head swap than on arm articulation. Decal work covers both waterslide and sticker sheets.

Who it's for

If a big wingspan display piece and a film-exclusive unit appeal to you, and you are willing to do a little touch-up painting to get the finish the retailer itself recommends, this is a worthwhile, distinctive pickup in the line. If you specifically want the posable rubber-arm engineering the rest of the early LM-HG kits share, this is not the one, since EVA-05 skips that feature.

The build story

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

Assembly is snap-together with no cement, but the arm parts here are simpler than the rubber-encased elbow units used on most of the early LM-HG line, since EVA-05 does not include that feature. Decal work covers a waterslide sheet plus stickers, and the retailer's own description notes that some touch-up painting will meaningfully improve the finished look, worth planning for if you want it looking its best.

The standout engineering points are scale and swap options rather than joints: the attachable wings span roughly 50cm once assembled, making this one of the largest footprints in the LM-HG range, and it ships with two different head sculpts to choose between, alongside Asuka and Kaji figures that tie it directly to its film-only appearance.

Lore & trivia

01EVA-05 never appears in the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series; it debuts in the theatrical film Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.
02The kit's attachable wings measure approximately 50cm across once fully assembled.
03It ships with two interchangeable head sculpts and figures of Asuka in her yellow plugsuit alongside Kaji Ryoji.