Evangelion Officially Sends Rei Back to School for Exclusive New Model Kit
Bandai has officially opened pre-orders for a new Rebuild of Evangelion model kit that takes Rei Ayanami out of her iconic plugsuit and recreates the pilot in her Tokyo-3 school uniform.
The “30MP Rei Ayanami (School Uniform Ver.)” is the second Rei release in Bandai’s 30 MINUTES PREFERENCE range, replacing the combat-focused accessories of her earlier plugsuit kit with new parts based around everyday scenes from the Rebuild movies.
Rei is one of Evangelion’s central pilots and is introduced as the quiet and mysterious First Child assigned to Evangelion Unit-00, with her relationship with Shinji Ikari gradually developing across the story.
Rebuild of Evangelion reimagined the original television series across four movies beginning with Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone in 2007, retaining many familiar characters and early events before increasingly departing from the original storyline.
Bandai first brought Rei to 30 MINUTES PREFERENCE in 2025 through the “30MP Rei Ayanami (Plugsuit Ver.),” which became the first Evangelion release in the character-focused model kit range.
That earlier version recreated Rei’s white plugsuit using multicolored molded parts and a glossy finish, with accessories including the Spear of Longinus, Shinji’s S-DAT player and Gendo Ikari’s glasses.
The new school uniform version replaces most of those familiar Evangelion accessories with newly sculpted clothing and smaller items connected to Rei’s everyday life.
Her blue, white and red Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School uniform has been newly tooled for the kit, with Bandai sculpting the thickness and folds of the clothing to create a more realistic appearance.
The skirt is produced using a softer plastic material to retain some flexibility around the lower body despite the school uniform naturally restricting movement more than Rei’s form-fitting plugsuit.
Bandai has also created two new tampo-printed expression parts specifically for this version, giving the school uniform release different facial options from the original 30MP kit.
Blank face parts and water-transfer decals provide considerably more customization, with the included decal sheet offering 20 different expression designs that builders can use to create alternate versions of Rei.
Interchangeable lower-body components allow her to be displayed in a W-sitting pose with her legs folded out to either side, providing another seated display option alongside the knees-up pose included with the earlier plugsuit kit.
A schoolbag is included for more straightforward everyday scenes, but one of the more specific accessories recreates the bowl of miso soup prepared by Shinji during the characters’ visit to the Japan Marine Ecosystem Preservation Research Organization.
Dedicated hand parts allow Rei to hold the bowl and recreate the scene, with additional interchangeable hands included for other poses.
Bandai’s new release joins a growing selection of buildable Evangelion pilots, with Good Smile also bringing Rei and Asuka Shikinami Langley to its PLAMATEA model kit range during 2026.
Those approximately 17 cm kits take a different approach by focusing on their plugsuit appearances, with both combining articulated bodies, interchangeable expressions and character-specific accessories with color-separated parts and decals.
Good Smile has since expanded that lineup with Mari Makinami Illustrious, giving all three of Rebuild of Evangelion’s main female pilots dedicated PLAMATEA releases.
Image by Charlotte DavisRei has also received another substantially different model kit during 2026 through X-Plus, whose 1/8 scale release presents her alongside a damaged faucet and the Spear of Longinus in a much larger vignette-style display.
Image by James RichardsonThe “30MP Rei Ayanami (School Uniform Ver.)” is priced at ¥4,620 (approximately $29 / £22), with pre-orders now open exclusively through Premium Bandai Japan ahead of scheduled shipping in January 2027.
Bandai has stated that the kit may also be offered through future events or overseas sales, although no Premium Bandai US release has been confirmed at this stage.
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