I agree this is a Gundam reference based on recognizable features and the bulk of the artists work, but it is not the RX-78-2. I recognize the hexagonal chest cannon and a few other details from other Gundams I've seen, but I can't place it off the top of my head, and any research I've done on the development line of the few Gundams I thought it related to (the RXs and the Zetas for example) lead nowhere. Can anyone place which Gundam this is referencing?
I agree this is a Gundam reference based on recognizable features and the bulk of the artists work, but it is not the RX-78-2. I recognize the hexagonal chest cannon and a few other details from other Gundams I've seen, but I can't place it off the top of my head, and any research I've done on the development line of the few Gundams I thought it related to (the RXs and the Zetas for example) lead nowhere. Can anyone place which Gundam this is referencing?
It's Gridman (basically a tokusatsu transforming hero ala Ultraman but with a heavy Super Robot theme along with some Real Robot aesthetics) with a "Gundam" (artist's words) head. There are also some slight changes to the body proportions to make it more Gundamlike (instead of Ultraman-like).
So, with only the head to work with (and it's merged with Gridman's original head design to boot), it isn't exactly possible to pin down which RX-78-2 derivative this is, but since they are all derivative of the original RX-78-2 anyway, tagging it RX-78-2 here is quite reasonable. And, well, a lot of people also use the word "Gundam" to refer to the RX-78-2 or a RX-78-2 lookalike, which I presume the artist is doing here too.