Nah, they dont "need" it. I'm a non gluing and non full painting pleb myself. Those who do the really well detailed gunpla usually glue and paint, but they dont need it look complete. It adds a great amount of detail tough.
That face, the simplistic, no-nonsense design, the beautiful, clean color scheme, the beam sabers poking out slightly over the shoulders. Mmm, that beam rifle, those exhaust ports. Oh, if only it had the Gundam hammer and that shield...
I don't care if it's probably the weakest Gundam. RX-78's design's still my favorite. Not to say there aren't some other sexy mechs out there... But there's just something particularly classy and heroic about this one.