MGUniversal Century

RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.1.5 Katsumi Kawaguchi Produce Version

The original MG Ver.1.5 mold dressed up by Gunpla's own master builder, and worth hunting down for the history alone.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

RX-78-2 Gundam · 1/100 · 2007

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2007

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit more for what it represents than for raw modern engineering, and I think that's exactly the right way to judge it.

This is the same MG RX-78-2 Ver.1.5 tooling from 2000, just run in molded colors specified by Katsumi Kawaguchi himself and packaged with water-slide decals and his own how-to manual instead of the usual stickers. As a display piece it looks sharp and a little different from every other RX-78-2 on a shelf. As an engineering exercise it shows its age next to later Gundam MGs.

Best for: Gunpla collectors and Universal Century diehards who want a piece of Gunpla history, not just another RX-78-2

The full review

What it is

This is the MG Ver.1.5 RX-78-2 mold, the only MG in the line ever branded with a "1.5" designation, repackaged as a pro-shop exclusive with molding colors chosen by Katsumi Kawaguchi, the Bandai modeler the whole hobby nicknames Kawaguchi Meijin. Instead of the usual sticker sheet you get water-transfer decals and a manual written in his own voice. Building it feels like building a familiar kit with a different personality. The core fighter still separates and reforms into the G-Fighter, which is a fun bit of engineering even by today's standards, and the swapped color callouts genuinely change how the finished figure reads on a shelf next to a standard release.

The catch

The bones underneath are 2000-era MG engineering, and it shows. The waist barely rotates because of how the core fighter block system is built into the torso, which limits some of the dynamic poses newer RX-78-2 kits pull off easily. The poseable fingers (a neat idea on paper, three points of articulation plus thumb and pinky) loosen with handling and can stop gripping weapons securely after a few pose sessions. Because this was a limited pro-shop release, secondary market prices run well above what you'd pay for a standard MG RX-78-2, and the water-transfer decals take more patience and setup time than a sticker sheet or even standard dry-transfer decals.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already own or have built a standard MG RX-78-2 and want the collector's version for the novelty of Kawaguchi's color choices and his manual, or if you're chasing Gunpla history rather than the best-engineered RX-78-2 money can buy. Skip it if you just want a great-posing, great-value Gundam kit; a modern MG or RG RX-78-2 release will out-articulate this one for less money and less hunting. This is a kit for people who care who touched the mold, not just what the mold does.

The build story

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

The build itself follows the standard MG Ver.1.5 sequence, so anyone who has built the regular release will recognize every step. Gate placement is typical of early-2000s Bandai MG tooling, mostly on visible edges rather than tucked into panel lines, so cleanup with a hobby knife and a little sanding pays off if you want a clean finish. The water-transfer decals take real patience, soaking, sliding, and setting time that a sticker sheet doesn't ask for, but they sit flatter and look more integrated once dry.

Where the kit still earns its keep is the frame underneath: a ball-and-socket head joint, elbows that bend to roughly 100 degrees, double-jointed knees, and ball-jointed thighs give it a solid pose range for a kit this old, even with that stiff waist. The poseable 3+1+1 finger articulation was ambitious for the era and still looks great fresh out of the box. Part count and accessories match the standard Ver.1.5, beam rifle, beam saber, shield, and hyper hammer, so the value here is really in the color and decal treatment, not extra parts.

Lore & trivia

01The MG Ver.1.5 RX-78-2 is the only Master Grade kit in the entire line ever given a "1.5" designation rather than a clean version number.
02Katsumi Kawaguchi, nicknamed Kawaguchi Meijin (Master Kawaguchi) by fans, has worked at Bandai since 1985 and is one of the most recognized figures in Gunpla's history; the Gundam Build Fighters character title Meijin Kawaguchi III is a direct tribute to him.
03This produce version was sold exclusively through Bandai-certified Pro Shop retailers and shipped with molding colors specified by Kawaguchi's own production team, plus water-transfer decals and a manual carrying his personal build notes instead of the standard instruction booklet.
04The kit retains the Ver.1.5 mold's Core Fighter/Block system, letting the torso separate and recombine into the G-Fighter, a feature carried over from the original RX-78-2 lore.