MGUniversal Century

FA-78-2 Heavy Gundam

A ground-up redesign of the RX-78-2 that actually earns its bulk.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Heavy Gundam · 1/100 · 2015

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuinely satisfying MG that gets overlooked because it never got a wide retail release.

It was a Bandai online-shop exclusive, so most builders have never handled one, and that is a shame because the engineering under the armor is legitimate MG-standard work. The loadout is the real selling point here: gatling gun, frame launcher, four-tube missile launcher, shoulder cannon, beam saber, and a seated pilot figure, all in one box. I would not call it a top-tier MG, but it is a strong one that rewards anyone willing to track it down.

Best for: One Year War completionists who want the FSWS-program follow-up to Full Armor Gundam done right

The full review

What it is

The Heavy Gundam is not a retrofit like the Full Armor Gundam that came before it. It was designed from scratch as a heavier, sturdier successor to the RX-78-2, and Bandai's MG treats it that way rather than just bolting extra parts onto an existing frame. Building it, you notice the trunk and leg armor read as genuinely thicker sculpting, not add-on shells, and the proportions land somewhere between the classic Gundam silhouette and a proper heavy assault unit. The accessory count is generous for the price band: a gatling gun, a frame launcher, a four-tube missile pod, a removable shoulder cannon, a beam saber, and a 1/100 seated pilot figure to pose in the cockpit.

The catch

This kit was a Premium Bandai online-shop exclusive back in 2015, which means it never got the retail run that keeps prices sane, and secondary market copies run well above what a standard MG costs. Builders also flag more sticker use than you would expect on an MG for some of the secondary colors, which is a step down from the molded color separation MG kits are supposed to deliver. The heavy shoulder cannon and back-mounted launcher add weight that can make some poses feel less stable than a lighter MG in the same line, and the ball-and-socket knee range (about 100 degrees) is good but not the deepest bend you will find in a modern kit.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you already love the RX-78-2 lineage and want the FSWS story told properly, or if you are building out a One Year War heavy-suit shelf and want something with real weapon-loadout presence. Skip it if you only want kits you can walk into a store and buy today, since this is strictly a secondary market hunt now, or if sticker-free color separation is a hard requirement for you. For most other MG collectors, the part count, weapon variety, and articulation make the hunt worth it.

The build story

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

Runner cleanup is standard MG-era Bandai, moderate gate marks that clean up fine with a hobby knife and a bit of sanding. The frame goes together the way most inner-frame MGs from this period do, snug ball joints at the shoulders and hips that lock in place well once the outer armor closes over them. Nothing about the assembly itself is fiddly or frustrating, it is a straightforward multi-hour build once you account for the extra weapon runners.

The articulation holds up: the neck is a proper ball-and-socket, shoulders pull out for roughly 120 degrees of upward reach, elbows bend to about 120 degrees, and the waist spins a full 360. Knees bend to roughly 100 degrees, which is enough for a solid kneeling pose even with the added leg armor. Where this kit earns its price band is the loadout. Four distinct weapon options plus a seated pilot figure is more than most MGs in this price range give you, and it means the kit displays well either fully loaded or stripped down to a leaner combat pose.

Lore & trivia

01The Heavy Gundam carries the designation FA-78-2 as part of the Earth Federation's FSWS (Full-Armor System and Weapon System) program, the same project that produced the FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam.
02Unlike the Full Armor Gundam, which added external armor modules to an existing RX-78-2 frame, the Heavy Gundam was engineered as an entirely new mobile suit, which let its armor be thicker without inheriting the Full Armor unit's weight problems.
03Development was halted in late U.C. 0079 after Amuro Ray's combat results with the standard RX-78-2 made the FSWS program's added firepower seem unnecessary, then restarted eight months after the One Year War ended, producing a small run of FA-78-2 units that were ultimately never officially adopted.