MGUniversal Century

RX-78/C.A Casval's Gundam Ver.3.0

The familiar MG-3.0 Gundam frame, dipped entirely in Char red and handed a new name to live under.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Casval's Gundam · 1/100 · 2017

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the MG RX-78-2 Ver.3.0 you already know, recast in three shades of red and dressed up with Char-only decals, and I like it exactly as much as that sounds.

You are not getting new engineering here, you are getting a proven 2001-era MG frame that still poses well two decades later, wearing a paint job most builders only dreamed about doing themselves. If you already own the standard Ver.3.0 this is a hard sell, but as a one-and-done red Gundam it delivers.

Best for: Char Aznable completionists and Ver.3.0 fans who want the definitive Gundam frame without touching an airbrush

The full review

What it is

This kit takes the Ver.3.0 RX-78-2 mold, Bandai's well-liked 2001 refresh of the original Gundam, and runs it entirely in red plastic instead of the usual white and blue. It was a Bandai Hobby Online Shop exclusive tied to the alternate-history Casval's Gundam from the Gihren's Greed games, where Char never gave up his real name and led his own faction into the war. In hand it builds exactly like the Ver.3.0 it is based on, snapping together with the satisfying, no-drama fit that kit earned its reputation on, except now every armor panel is molded in the color scheme you would normally have to hand-paint. The included custom Char-use waterslide decals are the whole reason to pick this over the standard version.

The catch

You are paying a premium, this ran around 4,860 to 4,950 yen at retail plus P-Bandai shipping and markup, for a kit that is structurally identical to a Master Grade you can usually find cheaper in its standard colorway. The hands are borrowed from the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka, a considerably larger mobile suit, so builders who look closely note they read a touch oversized against this frame's arms. There is also a known assembly trap on the Core Fighter's vertical stabilizer, which slides into the wrong track if you are not careful and can snap the tail fin if forced. Nothing here is a dealbreaker, but none of it is new either.

Who it's for

Buy this if you specifically want Char's red Gundam and do not want to strip and paint a standard Ver.3.0 yourself, or if you collect Char Aznable variants and this is a gap in the shelf. Skip it if you already own any version of the Ver.3.0 mold, since you are mostly paying again for color and a decal sheet on hardware you already have. First-time MG builders will get a genuinely good, fun build out of this either way, the frame underneath has held up for a reason, just go in knowing the premium is for the paint job, not new plastic.

The build story

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

Because this shares its runners and frame with the long-established Ver.3.0 RX-78-2, the build itself is smooth and well-trodden ground. Gates are placed sensibly, part fit is snug without being a fight, and nothing here demands the patience a newer, more complex MG would. The one spot to slow down on is the Core Fighter assembly, where the vertical stabilizer has to go into the correct track or you risk breaking the tail fin trying to force it.

Articulation matches the Ver.3.0 standard, which is still solid today: a ball-jointed head, a torso that tilts on multiple axes, shoulders that swing and raise, elbows that rotate, a waist that turns close to a full circle around the skirt armor, and thighs that swing and rotate independently. Loadout carries over the full Ver.3.0 arsenal, two beam sabers with effect parts, a beam rifle, a bazooka, and a shield, so you get a complete display and pose set even though the whole point of this release is the red plastic and the decal sheet.

Lore & trivia

01Casval's Gundam comes from an alternate-history branch of the Gihren's Greed strategy game series, where Char Aznable reverts to his birth name Casval Rem Deikun and leads a Neo Zeon faction of his own rather than following the canon One Year War timeline.
02The kit is built on the Ver.3.0 RX-78-2 Gundam mold, Bandai's 2001 remaster of the original 1980 Master Grade, reused here rather than an all-new frame.
03The included hand parts were carried over from the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka kit, a considerably larger mobile suit, which is why some builders find them slightly oversized on this frame.
04This release was a Bandai Hobby Online Shop (P-Bandai) exclusive, first sold in August 2017 and later reissued in a subsequent run in 2020.