Bandai LM-HG Neon Genesis Evangelion EVA 01 Test Type [Unboxing and Pre-Assembly Review]

One of the reasons a project in my hobby pipeline gets the go-ahead is because its color scheme has been sorted out. On this basis alone logic dictates I should've started work on a lot of projects seeing that most kits include recommended color guides. But there are times when I want to do something different. So I've to first visualize and then test out colors I believe will take the kit to another level. This I've done so here then is an unboxing and pre-assembly review of the Bandai Limited Model High Grade (LM-HG) Neon Genesis Evangelion EVA-01 Test Type Unit plastic model kit.

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type plastic model kit

While there are newer Evangelion scale model kits on the market, I decided to go old school by grabbing a kit that is essentially a 20-year-old design. First hitting the market in 1991, this kit is not expected to have the high level of joint articulation and freedom of movement of the newer designs. But it does contain one iconic piece of equipment that later kits for some reason chose to exclude i.e. the gigantic Positron Sniper Rifle. The EVA-01 unit wielded this weapon in one of the coolest scenes of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. To me this awesome weapon is a must-have, so starting my journey into this franchise via this old kit was just a no-brainer.

Bandai Limited Model High Grade - Neon Genesis Evangelion EVA-01 Test Type

Shinji Ikari features prominently in the box art for good reason as the kit includes a non-scale figurine of him

Model kit gimmicks together with a fully painted figurine are shown on this side of the box art

Box art showcasing a fully assembled EVA-01 posing in a variety of vignettes

At a glance, the box seems packed to the brim with sprues

Being an older model kit, the instructions are in Japanese only. Despite this, I don't foresee any problems during the assembly process because the steps are well laid out diagrammatically. And if all fails, I can still rely on my favorite Japanese-to-English anguage translation app Google Translate. From the color center-spread, the EVA-01 unit looks rather underwhelming when posed standing up straight. For this kit to shine, the mecha needs to placed within a diorama or vignette and posed accordingly. Moreover, the terrain or building piece would give the kit a sense of scale too.

Front and back cover of the EVA-01 Test Type kit instructions

Colored center-spread of the EVA-01 Test Type kit instructions

Black and white spread containing background information on Neon Genesis Evangelion

Being an old kit, the instructions are in Japanese only ...

... but with the assembly process being largely diagrammatic with minimal wording ...

... it shouldn't be too hard to figure out; worse case scenario there's always Google Translate

Parts already come molded in mostly the correct colors ... mostly anyway. In some sections this isn't the case - the most prominent being the light teal spine armor on the EVA-01 unit's back that comes molded in all black. This is also the case for the Positron Sniper Rifle which comes molded in all gray, whereas in the anime the weapon has violet, white and red hues (see below).

A composite photo showing the EVA-01 Unit wielding the Positron Sniper Rifle

A drawing that shows off the size of the rifle in comparison to a human

For hobbyists who intend to paint their kits, this issue of mold color is largely irrelevant as it is for me. This brings us back to the EVA-01 unit's color scheme. While I do not intend to change the colors of the EVA-01 unit, I do plan to change the nature of those colors from non-metallic flat/semi-gloss to a candy paint finish where applicable. For a recap on candy paint finishes, please click here.

Sprue A contains the iconic violet armor pieces of the EVA-01 unit

Sprue B has the pallet rifle, appendage joints, umbilical cable connector, miscellaneous armor 

Spruce C holds the unique fluorescent armor sections of the EVA-01 kit

Sprue D comprises orange pieces of the feet as well as neck/clavicle armor

Sprue E has the other violet armor its of the EVA-01 unit including its hands

Sprue F is the smallest sprue available comprising the EVA-01 unit's jaw and breast plate in light teal

Sprue H includes the black armor pieces of the shoulder fins, knee caps, and torso

Sprue PC-118 has internal joint and connector parts 

Sprue L contains a two-tone, single mold of the arm/elbow section

Accessory-wise, this scale plastic model kit has the aforementioned Positron Sniper Rifle. Also included are the Umbilical Power Cables and Connector. To understand the significance of both accessories you would've to have watched the anime series. In short, the former was a humongous weapon that required almost all the generators of Tokyo-3 city to power it. The latter was part of some memorable action sequences in the series that highlighted the EVA-01 unit's need to be connected to a power supply in order to function. Once disconnected, the EVA-01 unit had only five minutes of emergency backup power to accomplish what it needed to do before shutting down.  

Sprue I holds parts for the Positron Sniper Rifle and the corresponding support accessories

Umbilical power cables that connects the EVA-01 unit to its primary power source

Sprue G: Non-scale figurine of Shinji Ikari, the pilot of EVA-01 and protagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Sticker foils and water decals for use on the EVA-01 Test Type model kit

Going forward this project won't be done in isolation i.e. it should be accompanied by a diorama or vignette that shows off the scale of the EVA-01 unit in a real world environment. Because this kit is essentially a non-scale model, it is unlikely I'll find an exact match - in terms of scale - of any terrain or building accessory. Undaunted, I still did the research and discovered that Z-scale (i.e. 1/220 scale) model train accessories come close to mimicking the scale of this EVA-01 unit. Not an exact match but pretty close. With things looking rosy for my Evangelion project, I just have to start ... soon.