HGUC #234 Ms-06sf Zaku II "40th Anniversary"

$33.00

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  • 1 Low stock
Pickup available at Lil Thingamajigs Hive (Warehouse)

Bandai Spirits announces at long last, the 1/144 High Grade MS-06S Zaku II which has been updated as part of the 40th Anniversary of GunPla! Pair it alongside HGUC #191 RX-78-2 to recreate scenes from the 1979 TV Anime series! Special features include design elements that allows expressive articulation via structural and material part usage. The skirt armor can be built using either soft material to recreate its one piece appearance in the TV show or be built with individual pieces to allow for a greater mechanical appearance. Includes Zaku Machine Gun, Heat Hawk, and Bazooka that can be stored on skirt armor. Order your 1/144 High Grade MS-06S Zaku II today. Lastly, be sure to check out our other High Grade and Gundam sections as well.

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$33.00

Shipping calculated at checkout.

  • 1 Low stock
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Bancontact
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Google Pay
  • iDEAL Wero
  • Mastercard
  • PayPal
  • Shop Pay
  • Venmo
  • Visa

HGUC #234 Ms-06sf Zaku II "40th Anniversary"

$33.00
HGUC #234 Ms-06sf Zaku II "40th Anniversary"

Default Title

  • Lil Thingamajigs Hive (Warehouse)

    Pickup available,usually ready in 24 hours (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm)

    100 Executive Drive
    Unit 1
    Sterling VA 20166
    United States

Expert Review

The HGUC Char's Zaku II has finally gotten a renewal after 18 years. Previously, the First Gundam was renewed under the "Revive" label and the Z Gundam under "G.E.P." This time, the Zaku has been released under the official name "HG Char's Zaku II" — and oddly enough, even though it's clearly numbered HGUC #234, the "HGUC" name is nowhere to be found in the product title. This makes it pretty hard to tell at a glance whether you're looking at the new version or the old one, so make sure to check the box art carefully before you buy.

Compared to the Zaku II from 18 years ago, the proportions have been updated to a more modern look with a smaller head and upper body, and polycap-less joints have been adopted. The neck and waist joints are incomparably more flexible than before, and the joint strength is solid — maybe even a little too solid.

A particularly nice touch is the inclusion of extra soft-material skirt parts — swap those in and the leg articulation range goes way up. You can get a natural kneeling pose as well as dynamic mid-air kick stances. On top of that, the standard weapons loadout is well-stocked, and various joint parts let you mount them on the skirt. The T-shaped action base joint parts also let you pull off stable aerial poses with ease.

All in all, this is a top-quality HGUC Zaku that's been upgraded to a level that's simply incomparable to the one from 18 years ago — but there's still a nagging sense of disappointment. For starters, the feel of assembly and articulation is far from the smooth experience you'd expect from recent MG or HGUC kits. The plastic is stiff, which makes cleaning up gates a chore, and the joints move with an unusually heavy resistance that's uncharacteristic of HGUC and frankly uncomfortable. At the same time, the left spike armor has a weak hold and keeps popping off, and the finger and hand-back parts don't connect firmly enough, so you end up dropping the weapons a lot.

It all gives the impression that mold testing wasn't thorough enough and the tolerances weren't quite dialed in. I mean, this is the *Zaku* — you'd think they would've poured a bit more craftsmanship into it. It actually feels less smooth than the HG Origin Zakus, which had a similar overall setup. Part of it is probably just that expectations were sky-high after an 18-year wait for a Zaku renewal.. hmm.

Anyway, I'm left wishing it had been a bit smoother, but it's still well worth building for any Gunpla fan. :-)

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