MGUniversal Century

Gundam RX-78-2 Ver.1.5 PG Design Parts

The original MG grew up, borrowed a few ideas from its big Perfect Grade cousin, and still holds a pose.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

RX-78-2 Gundam · 1/100 · 2001

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2001

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the RX-78-2 that finally fixed what bugged people about the 1995 original, and the bundled PG-style design parts push it a step closer to the flagship kit without asking for flagship money.

I like it a lot for what it is: a mid-2000s MG that took real engineering swings, especially in the legs, and mostly landed them. It shows its age next to a modern MG the moment you try to pose the arms, but the silhouette and the leg work still earn their keep on a shelf full of newer kits.

Best for: RX-78-2 completionists and MG collectors who want the Ver.1.5 specifically for its PG-flavored detailing, not first-time builders looking for a modern MG

The full review

What it is

Ver.1.5 is Bandai's do-over of the very first MG Gundam, and about half the kit is new tooling: a redesigned head that fixes the odd proportions of the '95 original, new shoulder armor, new manipulators, and a leg assembly built around runners with an integrally molded damper so the knee and ankle mechanism practically falls into place as you clip it out. The PG Design Parts add-on layers in extra panel lines and surface detail lifted from the Perfect Grade's aesthetic, so the finished kit reads noticeably closer to the 1/60 flagship than a plain Ver.1.5 does. The new weapons, a chained Gundam hammer and a beam javelin, are genuinely fun accessories that the original kit never had.

The catch

The legs got Perfect Grade-level attention and it shows, but the arms did not get the same treatment. Elbow articulation is basically the whole story up top, no bicep swivel or shoulder depth to speak of, and that's a real step down from other MGs of the same era like GP01. The beam javelin's blaster tip needs paint to look right out of the box, and this being a kit from the early 2000s, expect some sticker reliance for finer color accents rather than fully molded parts. Track down the PG Design Parts add-on specifically if that PG-styled detailing is why you're buying this over a plain Ver.1.5, since it's not always bundled the same way across reissues.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already love the RX-78-2 and want the version of the story where Bandai went back and fixed the head, added a hammer and javelin, and dressed the legs up in PG-grade detail. It's a satisfying build for anyone who enjoys the runner-to-frame engineering side of Gunpla rather than pure pose-ability. Skip it if you want one RX-78-2 and nothing else. A modern MG or RG will out-articulate it everywhere except the legs, and if full-body dynamic posing matters more to you than nostalgia and detail, this isn't the one to plant your flag on.

The build story

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

The build rewards patience in the legs specifically. Bandai split the mechanical inner frame across runners with the shock absorber built right into the plastic, so a chunk of what would normally be careful sub-assembly on an older kit just clips together as you separate parts from the sprue. Gate placement is typical early-2000s MG, nothing brutal, but budget real cleanup time on the visible armor panels if you want a clean shelf finish.

Where this kit earns its keep is color separation and accessory count for a kit of its generation. The redesigned shoulder armor and manipulators read better in hand than in photos, and the hammer's chain link is a small but memorable touch that a lot of later RX-78-2 kits don't bother with. Paired with the PG Design Parts, the extra panel detailing on the torso and legs closes a real chunk of the visual gap between this MG and the 1/60 Perfect Grade without the PG's price or size.

Lore & trivia

01Ver.1.5 reused roughly half the tooling from the original 1995 MG Gundam and newly designed the rest, focused on the head, shoulders, manipulators, and inner leg frame.
02The kit introduced two weapons that hadn't appeared on earlier RX-78-2 Gunpla: a chain-linked Gundam hammer and a beam javelin.
03PG Design Conversion Parts were produced separately (B-CLUB catalog number 2086) specifically to give the MG Ver.1.5 a look closer to the Perfect Grade RX-78-2's surface detailing.