There have been many, many figures of the original RX-78 Gundam. This one was issued to mark the 20th anniversary of the thing turning up, and was released through Bandai's subdivision Banpresto. The company is best known for its' work in both releasing and merchandising the Super Robot Wars videogame franchise, but also branched out to making collector-orientated items such as figurines and Gashapon, often based on the Gundam franchise. This is where this toy comes in. Using the Chogokin brand (right down to having a reference code - GA-100, which would have place it alongside Daltanias - as well as being a nice eye-catching code for the figure, it's also therefore accurate, as the two series began airing within a couple of weeks of each other), the basic idea seems to be to create the sort of Gundam figure that Popy might have designed if they had held the Gundam licence in 1979 (instead, of course, the licence went to Clover at the time, only making its' way to Bandai when they folded).

Banpresto have played this challenge in a laudable fashion - nothing is used in advance of the toy engineering tech of the time (well, in terms of the end product, anyway - the actual design process itself probably didn't use authentic 1979 tools). Thus there's no fancy articulation, and while show accuracy is aimed for, there's no cheating to get it. Well, there is a little bit - whereas Clover were working on advance designs for their figures (ending up with a differing head design, some inaccurate weaponry and a few changes on the colour scheme), Banpresto are at least working from the look of the finished anime.

The commitment to the Chogokin design ethos is striking. Firstly there are the materials - the entire chest and legs (apart from the soles of the feet) are diecast. Despite being only around 5" tall, the figure has quite a heft to it - in what could be construed as a little one-upmanship, the thing weighs more than the small Clover Gundam… The plastic is good stuff too, and the more memorable features of the figure are crispy picked out in the paintwork. In addition to this there's a sticker sheet to round things out, including a lovely Clover-esque show logo to go on the shield.

On top of this, there are Rocket Punches! Proper 1970s-style ones too, with a trigger just above the elbow that launches the hand and forearm. They lack the potency of vintage springs, but then even Japan probably has some sort of toy safety laws nowadays (witness the reluctance to use spring-loaded projectiles on even Soul of Chogokin). The figure even has a boxier, more Super Robot shape to it, losing some of the grace of the basic design, but giving it a satisfyingly chunky vintage Chogokin look.

Of course, if you're after new-fangled things like articulation or features, you'll be disappointed on this front. The arms can lift and swing through a full circle (depending on whether the Beam Sabers are attached or not), the legs can move a little at the hip and bend to 90º, and the head can turn a little (though I'm not sure if this is intentional or not - mine might be very stiff, or it might just be that it wasn't connected with turning in mind). And that's it. No, wait, the forearms can be attached so it's either parallel to the body, or turned 90º inwards. So the thing isn't going to be duking it out with your Kado Senshi figures any time soon, but it can strike a couple of impressive, if somewhat stoic, poses.

Accessories are kept simple as well - not counting the fists (two identical pairs are included), there's a Beam Rifle, a shield and two unignited Beam Sabers. The Beam Rifle is nicely done a blend of the show model and the version made for Clover's DX Gundam. The choice of red stands out from the grey-painted hands, and fits with the shield, ignoring a little show accuracy to make the toy look that bit sharper. The shield is another example of straightforward simplicity, and can be held in either fist. It's a bit of a shame it can't be mounted on the back as well, though. The Beam Sabers have no beam, which is a bit of a shame - they could have bent the rules a little and included a pair of slip-on energy blades. Well, to be fair while they can fit in the holes drilled through the fists, they're more there to decorate the robot mode.

The Gundam is a beautiful chunk of retro-styled craftsmanship, that rarest of things - a chance to turn back time and get the 'original' figure Clover perhaps should have given us. Don't get me wrong, I do love the quirky, awkward style of Clover's work, but it's nice to have a more conventional Gundam in a seventies style that displays nicely with figures 25 years older. If you want a show-accurate, dynamic Gundam, this isn't the one to go for (try the Kado Senshi version instead), but if you're after a lovely slice of solid, no-frills vintage-styled robot, this is an excellent piece. It's a shame the idea seems to have stopped here - my only real complaint is that they should have done a 10" DX, complete with Core Fighter, to go with it…