Righty, I keep mentioning the Zaku 2, time to talk about what I'm referencing.
The Zaku II or Zaku 2 is iconic. Real iconic, not Ubisoft iconic. We're talking Mario iconic. Arnie in The Terminator iconic. Perhaps not as iconic as the titular Gundam, but they don't necessarily revamp the Zaku as often, so it's kept its lustre over the years. Fictionally, it's the giant robot equivalent to the Panzer 3. In execution, it's a Stormtrooper out of Star Wars. If you do gunpla, you are obliged to build at least one. Therefore, it pains me to say this one was less than exciting once I'd finished it.
I can't quite remember when I started this one, TBH. It may have been sitting on the table, limbless, for two years. Not the first project I forgot about, but hold that thought, it may be important. Anyways, this fellow invites immediate comparisons with review subject #1, the Hizack. Because this kit came out six years later than that one, and is, ya know, iconic, and therefore got more love, its not a comparison the Hizack does well in. I'd say it was like looking at an Mega Drive 2, versus one with the 32X addon. The Hizack does have a waist joint, while today's MS omits that on aesthetic/lore grounds, but the Zaku 2 is a much more complete package. You've got the gun, which can be held by both hands, an axe that stores, a bazooka that stores, and two sets of leg missiles that stay on. Kinda. The axe is a little loose in hand, although that supposedly happens alot. It's all nicely done, with a rotating drum for the monoeye. Have you noticed the elephant in the room yet?
Yes, this attempts to replicate the actual 1979 vintage animation cels, as opposed to tarting things up, which often happens with the titular Gundam. So, traditional proportions, no new technogubbins, minimal added detail, and no backpack thrusters. This makes it a marmite. It also means that detailing the kit is somewhat redundant, because there's so little meaningful to do with the endless smooth surfaces. I tried to panel line this, but there are hardly any panels, and I couldn't be bothered with the hoses. Just attempting to detail the thing feels contrary to its design principles. You do need to paint the axe, but given that it's in a fairly neutral grey, and you'd need to do it purple, why bother? Otherwise, it's good on its own terms, has a fairly complete selection of accessories, and nothing to really apologise for on the posing front. A solid build too, more complicated than it looks. There's definitely more joints in it than they actually needed, which was a pleasant surprise during construction. Otherwise though, its an example of how competency can be boring.
All in all? It's perfectly fine, but I didn't find it especially engaging. Sorry, Zaku, its not you, its me. You're fine, its just you aren't quite what I'm after in a model. Fortunately, there's plenty more versions of this.
The Zaku II or Zaku 2 is iconic. Real iconic, not Ubisoft iconic. We're talking Mario iconic. Arnie in The Terminator iconic. Perhaps not as iconic as the titular Gundam, but they don't necessarily revamp the Zaku as often, so it's kept its lustre over the years. Fictionally, it's the giant robot equivalent to the Panzer 3. In execution, it's a Stormtrooper out of Star Wars. If you do gunpla, you are obliged to build at least one. Therefore, it pains me to say this one was less than exciting once I'd finished it.
I can't quite remember when I started this one, TBH. It may have been sitting on the table, limbless, for two years. Not the first project I forgot about, but hold that thought, it may be important. Anyways, this fellow invites immediate comparisons with review subject #1, the Hizack. Because this kit came out six years later than that one, and is, ya know, iconic, and therefore got more love, its not a comparison the Hizack does well in. I'd say it was like looking at an Mega Drive 2, versus one with the 32X addon. The Hizack does have a waist joint, while today's MS omits that on aesthetic/lore grounds, but the Zaku 2 is a much more complete package. You've got the gun, which can be held by both hands, an axe that stores, a bazooka that stores, and two sets of leg missiles that stay on. Kinda. The axe is a little loose in hand, although that supposedly happens alot. It's all nicely done, with a rotating drum for the monoeye. Have you noticed the elephant in the room yet?
Yes, this attempts to replicate the actual 1979 vintage animation cels, as opposed to tarting things up, which often happens with the titular Gundam. So, traditional proportions, no new technogubbins, minimal added detail, and no backpack thrusters. This makes it a marmite. It also means that detailing the kit is somewhat redundant, because there's so little meaningful to do with the endless smooth surfaces. I tried to panel line this, but there are hardly any panels, and I couldn't be bothered with the hoses. Just attempting to detail the thing feels contrary to its design principles. You do need to paint the axe, but given that it's in a fairly neutral grey, and you'd need to do it purple, why bother? Otherwise, it's good on its own terms, has a fairly complete selection of accessories, and nothing to really apologise for on the posing front. A solid build too, more complicated than it looks. There's definitely more joints in it than they actually needed, which was a pleasant surprise during construction. Otherwise though, its an example of how competency can be boring.
All in all? It's perfectly fine, but I didn't find it especially engaging. Sorry, Zaku, its not you, its me. You're fine, its just you aren't quite what I'm after in a model. Fortunately, there's plenty more versions of this.
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