MGUniversal Century

RX-78-02 Gundam The Origin Special Ver.

The friendliest MG RX-78 ever engineered, dressed up with two LED units and a stack of Origin key art.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

Gundam The Origin Special Ver. · 1/100 · 2017

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the MG RX-78-02 I recommend to people who tell me they bounced off an older Gundam kit.

It moves like nothing else in the RX-78 lineage, the LED units in the Special Ver. box actually add something instead of feeling like a tax, and it looks fully finished straight off the runners. It gives up a little surface detail next to the newer MG 3.0 tooling, but for pure building pleasure and pose range this is still one of the best versions of the original Gundam Bandai has made.

Best for: Builders who want the most poseable, least fiddly RX-78-2 in MG scale, plus a light-up gimmick, without chasing the newest tooling

The full review

What it is

This is the 2017 Special Ver. release of the MG Gundam The Origin, the same excellent kit as the standard Origin MG but repackaged with two LED light units, larger box art pulled straight from the manga, and an even bigger accessory loadout. Building it is a genuinely relaxed, satisfying experience. The pelvis has four points of articulation, the ankles were reworked for stability, and every joint moves further than I expected from an RX-78 kit. I put it together in an evening and it stood on one leg holding a beam rifle with zero fuss, which is not something I say about every Gundam in this size.

The catch

The main compromise is detail density. Compared to the later MG 3.0 RX-78-2, the surface molding and panel work here reads a little plainer, and a few builders online single out the hands as the weak link of an otherwise strong accessory set. The LED units are the headline of the Special Ver. but they are unpowered display gimmicks you have to wire and seat yourself, not a plug-and-play light kit, so do not expect an out-of-box glow. It also runs at the higher Special Ver. price for what is fundamentally the same plastic as the standard release, so you are paying for the extras, not a better core kit.

Who it's for

I would point this at builders who want the definitive posing experience in an MG RX-78-2, plus a bit of LED flash, and who do not mind that a newer, more detailed tooling exists elsewhere in the line. First-time MG builders will have an easy, encouraging time here, and Origin fans get the correct Early Type accessory spread including the shoulder cannon and twin beam rifles. If maximum surface detail and the absolute newest engineering matter more to you than articulation and price, put your money toward the MG 3.0 RX-78-2 instead and save the Special Ver. for when you specifically want the LED units.

What works

Articulation range that outperforms almost every other MG RX-78 release, including a four-way pelvis and reworked ankles that hold deep poses
Looks fully realized straight off the runners with no extra work, and the Early Type loadout (twin beam rifles, hyper bazooka, shoulder cannon, two sabers) gives you real posing variety
The Special Ver. LED units and expanded manga-art packaging make it a nice step up for anyone who already loves the standard Origin MG

Worth knowing

Surface detail and paneling are noticeably plainer than the newer MG 3.0 RX-78-2 tooling
Hands are the recurring weak point builders mention, both in feel and in how they grip weapons
LED units require your own wiring and battery setup rather than arriving ready to light up

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The build story

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

Runner-to-part fit is clean throughout. Reviewers and builders consistently report nothing loose and no fights getting parts to seat, which is unusual to hear so uniformly about an RX-78 kit with this much going on in the frame. Gate placement is forgiving enough for a first-timer, and the inner leg and pelvis assemblies go together in a logical order that teaches you the engineering as you build rather than fighting you.

The standout here is the range of motion. The head sits on a double ball-and-socket joint, the waist can tilt and twist independently of the torso, and both elbows and knees are double-jointed, so it holds dynamic action poses that a lot of other RX-78 kits simply cannot reach. Color separation is handled well in the plastic itself rather than leaning on stickers, and the accessory count, two beam rifles, a hyper bazooka, two beam sabers, a shoulder cannon, and multiple beam effect parts, gives you real display options for the price band.

Lore & trivia

01The Special Ver. release swaps in two LED light units (a yellow/clear set) over the standard MG Origin box, alongside redesigned packaging using large-format Gundam The Origin manga illustrations.
02This kit represents the 'Early Type' RX-78-02 as drawn in Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's Gundam The Origin manga, which carries a heavier, more asymmetrical weapons loadout (chest vulcans, shoulder cannon, forearm-mounted options) than the classic 1979 RX-78-2 it is redesigning.
03Unlike the original 1979-continuity RX-78-2, this Origin-continuity Early Type did not originally carry the Core Block System or the anti-reentry cooling coating, reflecting its earlier point in the suit's in-universe development.
04It released in March 2017 at roughly 6,048 yen, priced above the standard MG Origin release specifically for the added LED hardware and packaging.