My Favorite Collectibles: 1/100 Scale Mobile Suit RX-78 Gundam (1983)
With our previous post about the retirement of the legendary Bandai gunpla designer Zaku Matsu-san (村松正敏). I thought it would be fun to post about the oldest gunpla kit that I personally own. With a bit of digging around, I found one of the very first 1/100 Scale RX-78 Gundam model kits that was purchased way back in 1983 when I was just a young lad.
Although I tried to keep this classic collectible in good condition, but over the many years of moving around, the box didn't aged too well, but still in fair condition. Everything is still in its original packaging. And most likely I would pass this down to my kid when he approach the proper age when he can safely pilot a mobile suit.
Oh man, this kit. I'm not sure what's more improbable; that something so awkward and simplistic could be considered totally awesome, or that it was the sole available 1/100 kit of First G for fifteen whole years
ReplyDeleteFor those who've never had the pleasure of owning this fine replica, it is primitive even by the most forgiving standards. Surface finish of its parts would suggest molds exactingly sculpted out of very hard cheese with very tiny forks. It does sport a sort-of-transforming Core Fighter (probably a big deal at the time, to be generous) and a "bitchin" non-canonical spring-loaded cannon gimmick, but the complete lack of ankle articulation is the non-feature that stands out the most to fresh examination. As for the rest of this thing's supposed flexibility, you can probably guess.
I used to have several of these guys sitting around. One still lies destroyed in my cabinets, victim of a noble but failed attempt to get it looking not-like-crap. Another was labeled "Made in Thailand" , even though it was purchased in Japan and almost certainly not a bootleg. Kinda wish I still had one MIB, for even though it is Not Good and has been reissued many times, it's also historic and a measure of how far things have come.
P.S. the actual release date for this one was July 1981 --- same month as the 1/144 version, which is apparently considered the very first Gunpla. So this is Number Two, I guess? (insert scatological pun here)
My mistake about this being the only 1/100 RX-78 until the Master Grade in 1995 - there was of course the base model of the Full Armor Gundam and Perfect Gundam from MSV in 1984. It wasn't very good either, and both kits lacked the weapons to make a proper First G, but it was a damn sight better than Number 2 here, god bless it.
ReplyDeleteGundam Guy passing down his Gundam when his kid becoms of AGE...
ReplyDeleteGG, I hope you don't turn out a genocidal and vengeful person :D