OLD MSV 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam

Release 1983.6

Price ¥400

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Waterslide decals

Parts diagram

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam - Manual (1/4)

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam - Manual (2/4)

Manual

Straight build + wet decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam (1/2)

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam (2/2)

Remove the rear calf armor to expose the inner frame.

Both the storage-type and deployed beam sabers are included.

The remaining hands and weapons.

Articulation is a slight step up from the 1/144 Gundam.

Shoulder forward/backward range of motion and arm/leg spread angles.

Interestingly, this Gundam has rotating elbows.

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam - Shooting pose (1/3)

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam - Shooting pose (2/3)

OLD 1/144 RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam - Shooting pose (3/3)

Firing pose

Beam saber action

Together with the 1/144 RX-78 Gundam.

Together with the 1/144 GM Cannon, which shares the same molded color.

This is the 1/144 MSV Prototype Gundam, and while it does come molded in a single bright gray color as you'd expect from an old-school kit, the sculpting is a clear step up from the 1/144 Gundam — much like the GM Cannon that came before it.

First off, unlike the 1/144 Gundam with its wide, spread-out shoulders, the proportions here are a lot more restrained, and that alone gives it a completely different feel. The legs, which used to look stiff, now have more curvature to them, giving the whole kit a sharper, more dynamic look overall. The backpack in particular has much better depth and dimension, and there's also a pretty bold gimmick where the inner frame on the back of the calves is exposed — just like on the MG Gundam Ver.1.0. You pop off the calf armor and the internal mech frame is right there. It's an old kit, but I imagine that was quite a striking detail for its time.

The Prototype Gundam is really known for its deep green color scheme, so coming out in this bright gray makes it hard to tell apart from the standard Gundam at a glance. You can spot the differences if you look at the foot armor and the right side skirt — those are the most obvious tells — but if you're not a hardcore Gundam fan, it's not exactly easy to pick out right away.

The joint structure got some upgrades alongside the proportions, and the overall joint strength is noticeably better than the 1/144 Gundam. There's also a rotating elbow joint added, similar to the GM Cannon, but unfortunately the actual articulation range of the arms and legs doesn't seem to have improved all that much. That said, the better proportions do make poses feel a lot more natural, and the improved stability means you can hold more solid stances without things flopping around.

Setting aside the whole "prototype or not" question, this kit is worth paying attention to simply because it's a significant upgrade over the original first-run 1/144 Gundam in a lot of ways. Honestly, with just a bit of work on a few parts and a paint job, you could easily pass it off as a regular Gundam — so for anyone looking to paint up a classic 1/144-scale first Gundam kit, I'd actually recommend going with the MSV 1/144 Prototype Gundam over the standard 1/144 Gundam. :-)
[ Updated at 2016.7.28 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.