OLD Limited Model 1/144 RB-79K Ball

Release 1996.7

Price ¥700

It's a small slide-out box.

OLD 1/144 RB-79K Ball - LM model Gunpla 6-kit group box shot (1/4)

OLD 1/144 RB-79K Ball - LM model Gunpla 6-kit group box shot (2/4)

LM model Gunpla 6-kit group box shot

Runners

View of the runners from underneath. Like resin, the insides of the parts are filled to some degree.

Waterslide decals

Parts diagram

Manual

Scanned box art. (Not in great condition T_T)

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Underside

The parts are thick, so it's got a nice hefty weight to it.

Some parts are molded as completely solid chunks, just like resin.

Articulation is very limited.

Some action poses

OLD 1/144 RB-79K Ball - Alongside the 1/144 Ball from 1981. It's a completely different mold and design from the LM Ball, and

Alongside the 1/144 Ball from 1981. It's a completely different mold and design from the LM Ball, and it did get a bit smaller with the LM release.

OLD 1/144 RB-79K Ball - Comparison shot of three 1/144 Ball kits released roughly 15 years apart each. They keep getting smal

Comparison shot of three 1/144 Ball kits released roughly 15 years apart each. They keep getting smaller..

Alongside the Ball Type K from the HGUC Ball set released through Club G.

--- LM (Limited Model) — General Notes -----------------
The LM series was an experimental lineup of plastic model kits released between 1996 and 1997. It targeted products that were a bit awkward to release as regular retail kits at the time. The lineup was a mixed bag of over 20 different products spanning Gundam, Evangelion, Escaflowne, and more — and of those, 6 Gundam-related kits were released.

In terms of construction, these kits sit somewhere between resin and injection plastic — the parts come on runners, but the insides are either fully or partially solid. That gives the finished model a satisfying heft, and most parts need to be glued together. They're also single-color molded with no color separation, so painting is a must, and the details are rough enough that some extra work is needed too. In a lot of ways, these kits have a very old-school feel to them.

The lineup name might make it sound like a simple limited edition release, but technically these are classified as limited-production regular retail kits. They haven't been reprinted and are missing from Bandai's official Gunpla catalog, making them rare finds on the secondhand market. Some kits in the lineup were later released as proper injection Gunpla, but others remain the only Gunpla ever made of their respective mobile suits — making this a truly classic lineup among classics.
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This kit is the 1/144 RB-79K Ball, released in 1996 as LM No. 4. Also known as the Type K or the 08th MS Team version, it follows the series concept with its hefty resin-like parts and single-color molding. The sub-arm at the end of the arm is fixed in place, so articulation is very limited, and even the joints that do move feel stiff.

There was an old-style 1/144 Ball released back in 1981, but the LM 1/144 Ball came out as the 08th MS Team version with a completely different mold. Then in 2012, the HGUC Ball Type K was released through Club G — but since it's based on the HGUC Ball, it ended up noticeably smaller than both the old 1/144 and the LM 1/144 Ball. Among the three, the LM Ball stands out for its solid, weighty feel — it's a very different experience in hand compared to regular injection-molded Balls. It honestly feels like if you threw it like a real baseball, it'd fly pretty well. (And it'd probably hurt quite a bit if it hit you..)

Anyway, old-school is old-school — the details are blunt and rough around the edges, but then again this was always more of a kit for painters and customizers rather than straight builders. It's also way harder to track down than the online-exclusive HGUC 08th MS Team Ball (...), so just think of it as a fun little piece of history and enjoy the look. :-)
[ Updated at 2021.11.20 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.