Big thank you to Forbidden Planet for selling me this kit.
Wooo! First kit of 2022, and it only took me half way into the first month to find one! Totally can't have anything to do with the current global situation- oh no I've made myself sad. Let's distract ourselves with something simple and cheerful!
You probably don't need me to introduce the RX-78-2 to you (and if you do, I'm a little worried). I've built a kit of it before, more specifically the 2015 Master Grade based on its appearance in Gundam: The Origin. This one's the 2020 Beyond Global version, so let's crack it open and see how different it is (besides the scale).
I can already tell some major thought was put into the design of this one solely because of how the only sticker I can see in the box is the eye sticker. I'd hope there'd be thought put into this, seeing how this is a kit Bandai has been perfecting since mid-1980, but it's nice to have that reinforced with today's technology, especially seeing how this came out the same year as the High Grade Moon Gundam. No polycaps either - this should be interesting. And sturdy!
Body
Quite a bit of panel lining in some obvious places, but I'm happy with the way this looks thus far. Granted, I can't imagine everyone liking the colour scheme being less saturated than the more anime-accurate variants on this Gundam, but whatever.
Head
Well, that's interesting - normally, the outer armour of the head is two halves, but this one is one entire piece that the inside of the head slides into vertically.
Arms
So without polycaps, the arms connect onto the torso by sliding into the shoulder joints from below, then rotating them forward and having smaller white shoulder armour attached to the top, then having the larger shoulder armour slotted on over them. It's not as simple as clicking a ball joint into a polycap, but it seems to be a lot more secure.
Waist
Normally at the High Grade level of detail, this yellow V on the crotch is done through a colour-correcting sticker, but thankfully, between this and the Entry Grade RX-78-2, Bandai are moving away from filling in this detail in such a way.
Legs
That's the Gundam itself finished. Seems like a quick, casual, simple build so far with a nicely satisfying finish. But there's a good handful of accessories to do now!
Weapons
I like how the rifle and the shield can both be stored on the back, even if the latter requires removing both the arm adapter and the handle that the Gundam holds onto. For display purposes, I'll be having it hold the shield. Interestingly, clamping it onto the arm requires pulling the hand and the wrist down slightly.
And in a nice and short span of time, that's the RX-78-2 Beyond Global. A nice and simple build that I would have no qualms recommending to people who are just starting out and want something striking and iconic, but not too complex. I'm sure a lot of the other RX-78-2 kits at this grade are like this, but from my perspective, it makes a nice change from the loose ankle joints and bizarre saber-holding mechanism present on the MG The Origin version.
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ Simple, satisfying build
+ Incredibly sturdy, especially thanks to the lack of polycaps.
+ Even really basic stuff has had some thought put into it, without fragile corner-cutting like polycaps and colour-correcting stickers
+ Minimal use of stickers (as in, literally only the eyes)...
The Bad
- ...but some people might not like the lack of decals to add finer detail, so be ready to panel line if you want that
- The less saturated colour scheme isn't for everyone
- No shine on the singular eye sticker, and I cannot think why
- If you want me to nitpick, having only one "open hand" part (specifically the left hand) is a weird, unnecessary limit on posing
Building Experience: S
Completed Kit Rating: A
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