Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
It's quite a big unit.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Views from various angles. The joint strength is so good that it stand

Various angles.
The joint strength is so good that it stands upright perfectly even with the large backpack attached.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - The base body with the triple-barrel Gatling cannon and backpack remov

The base body with the triple-barrel Gatling cannon and backpack removed.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Upper/lower body detail shots of the base body. (1/4)

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Upper/lower body detail shots of the base body. (2/4)

Upper/lower body detail shots of the base body.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - You need to remove the back cover of the main body when attaching the

You need to remove the back cover of the main body when attaching the backpack.

The head with painted parts applied is quite colorful.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - It nicely captures the look of the Eva body being half-tucked inside t

It nicely captures the look of the Eva body being half-tucked inside the blue armor.
(There's actually a complete Eva upper body inside the armor.)

Weapons loadout

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - The triple-barrel Gatling cannon — large with great sculpting, but the

The triple-barrel Gatling cannon — large with great sculpting, but the color separation leaves something to be desired.

The naginata can also be separated for use.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - The restraint plug comes in both stowed (left) and deployed (right) st

The restraint plug comes in both stowed (left) and deployed (right) states.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - The backpack with outstanding depth and sculpting. (1/3)

The backpack with outstanding depth and sculpting.

Four left hands and five right hands are included.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - The nicely sculpted left hand has the wrist angled in one of two direc

The nicely sculpted left hand has the wrist angled in one of two directions depending on the hand shape.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Swap out the two parts on the rear end, and you can attach the stowed

Swap out the two parts on the rear end,
and you can attach the stowed restraint plug on top and a stand connector on the bottom.

The stowed restraint plug in its stored position.

Leftover parts

Excellent limb articulation

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - For the left shoulder, if you remove the peg that links the shoulder a

For the left shoulder, if you remove the peg that links the shoulder armor (see arrow),
you can raise the shoulder even higher.
It doesn't really hurt the look, so it might be worth removing it for better articulation.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - The waist's forward/back and side-to-side range of motion is a bit nar

The waist's forward/back and side-to-side range of motion is a bit narrow for an Evangelion.
Wrapping armor over the base body does make it harder to get that flexible body movement Eva is known for.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Restraint plug ready pose. You can get a really natural kneeling posit

Restraint plug ready pose.
You can get a really natural kneeling position.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Restraint plug action. (1/3)

Restraint plug action.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Naginata action. (1/3)

Naginata action.

Naginata separation action with backpack attached.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Aerial pose with the triple-barrel Gatling cannon equipped. (1/4)

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Aerial pose with the triple-barrel Gatling cannon equipped. (2/4)

Aerial pose with the triple-barrel Gatling cannon equipped.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - A dynamic triple-barrel Gatling cannon firing pose. With a typical Kot

A dynamic triple-barrel Gatling cannon firing pose.
With a typical Kotobukiya kit, getting a pose like this out of such a complex body wouldn't be easy.
But this kit snaps into position effortlessly and holds it rock solid.

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha - Alongside the Kotobukiya Evangelion Unit-01. It's noticeably bigger an

Alongside the Kotobukiya Evangelion Unit-01.
It's noticeably bigger and bulkier.

Size comparison with an MG Gundam to give a sense of scale.

This kit is the Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha released by Kotobukiya. It's the unit that made quite an impact when it appeared in the second Rebuild of Evangelion film — personally, it's the most memorable unit across all the Rebuild films for me. Kotobukiya boldly took this incredibly complex design and turned it into an injection plastic model kit.

First off, I think how much you get out of this kit will vary a lot depending on whether you've seen the second Rebuild film or not. If you have, like me, your reaction will probably be "Oh wow, they actually made this into a plastic model!" — but if you haven't, it'll more likely be "What on earth is this bizarre design?? Is this even Eva?" It was a unit that caused a stir in the actual anime for its radical style, and unlike the sleek Eva units we were used to, it's loaded up with weapons all over the place, giving off a strong impression of a heavy-duty war machine.

The design looked so complex that it seemed like it'd be a nightmare to turn into a plastic model — but Kotobukiya appears to have pulled it off almost perfectly. From the unique body construction with armor covering only half the base body, to the elaborate and complex backpack and weapons, the intricate parts breakdown achieves an impressive level of depth and sculpting. Whatever else you might say, the fact that they managed to realize this complex design in injection plastic with this kind of parts combination makes for a really satisfying build.

The biggest strength of this kit, without a doubt, is its durability. Given that it's much larger and more complex than previous Eva kits, I was worried about durability even before it came out — but wow, it delivers flawless durability unlike anything I've seen before. The snap-fit is solid throughout, so no parts fall off even without glue, and above all, every single joint moves smoothly while locking into position precisely — it's top-tier joint feel. Honestly, even among the thousands of Bandai Gunpla kits out there, very few deliver joint satisfaction at this level, and it's even more impressive when you consider the sheer size of this thing, which rivals a decent MG.

As you can see in the photos above, it stands perfectly upright without any wobble even with the large backpack attached, and it locks into whatever pose you put it in precisely. The complex armor structure does limit articulation a bit compared to previous Eva kits, but it still delivers above-average articulation overall. Either way, even with all that stuff hanging off it, posing is easy and the pose retention is just incredible.

The one disappointment is the color separation. The main body and backpack have reasonably solid color separation, if not perfect, but the weapons are comparatively lacking. The main weapon, the triple-barrel Gatling cannon, has great depth to it, but it's only molded in two colors, which means it looks quite different from the design spec colors. In particular, the Gatling barrels — where the color combination really matters — are done in a flat single red, which creates a disconnect from the main body. It really feels like they didn't put as much effort into the weapons as they did the body. Probably a budget thing, but the mismatch with the colorful main body is a shame.

That said, this is the best quality Kotobukiya mecha plastic model kit released so far. In terms of sculpting depth, durability, and build satisfaction, it's comparable to the RG Sazabi, which is considered one of the finest kits even among Bandai Gunpla. Sure, the molded colors still feel ever so slightly cheaper than Bandai's in that subtle way — but in absolute terms, it's nowhere near bad.

If you watched the Rebuild films and fell in love with this unit, I'd strongly recommend this kit — and even setting that aside, it's also a great pick for anyone drawn to a unique kit loaded with flashy weaponry. It could also be a fun culture shock for those who are tired of Bandai Gunpla and want to try something from a different maker. Aside from whether you like the style or not, this is genuinely a masterpiece of a mecha plastic model kit with seriously high quality. The ¥12,000 price tag is steep — that's just the Kotobukiya way — but once you actually build it, I don't think you'll feel like it was money wasted. :-)

Evangelion Production Model -New 02 Alpha | 2023.4 | ¥12,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.