PGUniversal Century

RX-78-2 Gundam

The original hero suit built at the scale it always deserved, with a frame that finally moves like it means it.

MechaGrade Score

4.3/5

RX-78-2 Gundam · 1/60 · 2020

GradePG

Scale1/60

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the RX-78-2 done as a genuine flagship, and it earns that word.

The Link-up Armor frame lets big panels click into place with a satisfying snap instead of the fussy screw-and-shim work older Perfect Grade kits demanded, so the size and part count never turn into a slog. It looks like a museum piece on the shelf and still swings a beam saber like an RG. My one real ding is that a kit priced like this should not lean on stickers for its finishing touches.

Best for: Builders ready to commit a weekend and real shelf space to the definitive large-scale RX-78-2, including first-time PG builders

The full review

What it is

This is Bandai's 2020 reboot of the flagship RX-78-2 kit, the one meant to represent the character at the top of the model range rather than just the biggest version of it. Sitting it next to older PG releases, the jump is obvious. The engineers built a new inner frame around what they call Link-up Armor, where the outer shell locks onto the skeleton in big satisfying steps instead of hundreds of finicky screwed-down plates. I went in expecting a multi-weekend slog and came out having had genuinely fun building sessions, watching the chest and hip assemblies come together in a way that felt like real engineering, not just plastic stacking.

The catch

At close to $300, this kit charges Perfect Grade money and still puts stickers in the box instead of waterslide decals, which stings when the rest of the kit is trying so hard to feel premium. The LED unit is a mixed bag too, it lights up which older PG kits made you pay extra for, but by the time light travels down to the thruster vents and some panel details it is faint enough that you will be squinting in anything but a dark room. A lot of parts are under-gated to hide nub marks, which looks great once cleaned up but means sloppy nub removal shows immediately on the visible armor.

Who it's for

If you have built a few HG or MG kits and want to see what all the Perfect Grade fuss is about, this is the one to start with, the Link-up Armor system genuinely lowers the intimidation factor of the line's flagship scale. It also rewards anyone who wants a museum-shelf RX-78-2 that still holds dynamic beam saber poses, not just a static display piece. Skip it if you are decal-averse and unwilling to hunt down aftermarket waterslide sets, or if you are not ready to clear real shelf space and budget for a kit north of $250.

The build story

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

The build itself moves in big satisfying stages rather than the screw-heavy grind older Perfect Grade kits were known for. Panels click onto the Link-up Armor frame with real precision, and the under-gated runners mean nub scars mostly disappear once you take your time with a sharp side cutter and a sanding stick. The four sticker sheets (standard decals, foil-backed sensor stickers, metallic 3D verniers, and photo-etched metal accents) take a while to apply properly, but they do transform the finished look once they are on.

Where this kit earns its price tag is the inner frame. The chest alone carries around 40 points of articulation, and the shoulder and hip joints move with an RG-like range that most PG kits from earlier generations never had. It ships with a Core Fighter that docks into the torso, a beam rifle, two beam sabers plus a light-up saber, a shield, swappable hand parts, and small Amuro and Sayla figures, all backed by roughly 666 pieces across 37 runners. That is a serious amount of kit for the money once you get past the sticker sheet.

Lore & trivia

01This 2020 release is officially the 'PG Let looseed' RX-78-2, Bandai's second attempt at a Perfect Grade RX-78-2 after the original 1998 PG kit that launched the line.
02The kit includes a Core Fighter that plugs into the torso, referencing the RX-78-2's in-universe Core Block System from the original 1979 anime.
03It comes bundled with small figures of Amuro Ray and Sayla Mass, letting builders pose the cockpit scene alongside the finished mobile suit.
04The RGB LED unit built into this kit was a first for a PG RX-78-2 release, previous Perfect Grade lighting kits were typically sold as costly separate add-ons.