One of the most recognizable icon of Gundam. The mono eye. The bad guy's grunt.
Why this kit
I was looking to complete my collection with the MS that started the Gundam franchise. The Zaku and the grand daddy Gundam. The latter was kind of hard to get. Plus, I can't go wrong with the most popular green MS of the entire Gundam series.
Kit Details
The Zaku II 2.0 kit was released in March 2008, a A2 box kit with 13 runners and 300 parts. You get 1 sheet of stickers and 1 sheet of dry transfer decals . This kit is priced at RM 125.
Build / Difficulty
(Score: Neutral)
The build for this kit is on the easy side. A departure from regular gundam-type of build is definitely refreshing. You get lots of rounded parts. Plus the green is definitely easy on your eyes.
Lots of detailing and panel lining is needed. Stickers and decals alone just don't bring much out details. The kit is going to look like a plain green mushroom without the extra effort.
The highlight of building this kit is probably these m***erf***ers. The idea behind these pipes for the Zaku II is good. Just cut off the small pipes and transfer it over to the main pipe right?
Partially right. Except the whole process of doing this difficult because of the very small parts and it's a pain in the butt to cross over the small parts cause the pipes are super tight like a virgin. You'll end up with a very sore hands. Do this as the last item of the day, put your hands on ice and continue tomorrow.
Looks / Details
(Score: +1)
The zaku looks fantastic. Its simplistic looks plus the details of a 2.0 kit. Thumbs up. I went for the basic F-green model. There is of course other models like the J, S or R. Or you can even go zaku crazy and collect all the different colors. Gotta catch them all right?
Accessories
(Score: Neutral)
You get a quite plain looking machine gun, a bazooka and a heat hawk. Not an impressive arsenal of weapons.
Articulation / Pose ability
(Score: +1)
You can expect the great pose-ability of a 2.0 kit. Being a simplistic kit, it can get into almost any pose without wings or armor or shield getting in the way. No problem moving at all.
Plus this kit also has some pretty cool gimmicks e.g. the moving mono eye, retractable shoulder and waist armor, 2.0 manipulators etc.
However... no kits are perfect. The feet are wide but the kit doesn't seems well planted to the ground. The ankle joints are a bit loose. The major weak point? The lower abs. The hinge that holds the upper chest and the nuclear abs are just weak. It's a big sacrifice just to get the nuclear sticker onto the reactor.
Being a rock solid kit with some minor flaw, it's impressive nonetheless. Some 2014/015 kit can even beat this old timer. Looking at you wing fe-ni-ce.
Shelf presence
(Score: +1)
If you ever watch or heard about Gundam, you'll most probably recognize this green beast at first glance. A Zaku is not that hard to spot on your shelf despite the kit being a bit dwarf in comparison with other taller and larger kits.
Bonus
(Score: +2)
The Zaku II is by far the most popular kit. It has tons of variants and it's greatly popular with kit modders. It has tons of add on accessories. The armor has plenty of room for weathering and battle effects to be applied. Plus it's a very cost effective kit to start gunpla modding.
Summary and Rating
(Total Score: +5)
The base kit provides enough entertainment for builders. It is solid and a very good looking, very pose-able kit. The strong point of this kit, or rather with the whole Zaku phenomenon is how Zaku crazy you can get. Collect all the variants, colors, modding, modding, modding...
Being a bad guy, it might not attract beginners to start with this kit. Hell, this is my number 9 MG kit. But once you caught the Zaku fever, the possibilities are limitless. For me, I wish I had more display space.
Gundam: Zaku II F
Code: MS-06F
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam
Faction: Neo Zeon
Weapons: Zaku Machine Gun, Zaku Bazooka, Heat Hawk
Release: March 2008
Box: A2
Runner: 13
Parts: 300
Price: 3500 yen
Pundit: Highly recommended. A good place to start your Zaku pokemon collection.
Variants
There are too many variants for the Zaku. Just listing out a few.
1) Zaku II 2.0 S Mats (2008) - white variant
2) Zaku II 2.0 J Ridden (2008) - red variant
3) Zaku Cannon (2008) - tan variant
4) Zaku II 2.0 J (2008) - different design + rockets
5) Zaku II Minelayer (2008) - with mine laying accessories
6) Zaku II 2.0 Black (2008) - you know it, black variant
7) Zaku II 2.0 Char (2007) - Char's pink
8) Gegloog 2.0 (2008) - plus other variants
9) Hi Zack (2004)
10) Rickdom (2003)
11) Gouf + variants (2000)
12) Marasai (2012)
13) Geara Dooga (2013)
And.... many more.
Dalong's Review
Dalong's Score: 108
Up Next: Sinanju Anime ver
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