Jeshiro’s Apology – SKIP IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ
There are a lot of things I would like to say and these are my apologies. First is that I am sorry if some of the images are blurry or out of focus. I am using a half-broken camera and it was just given to me. I don't have the luxury to buy a new camera because my aim is just to show the kit or model can do. I received a lot of tips from friends and colleagues how to improve my shots a little bit even with a broken camera. The results were not so bad, but I am still looking for other options to improve the lighting conditions in my room. So yeah, I apologize for my bad pictures.
My second apology would be the very late update here in my blog. I was crammed with new kits, extra work, and a lot of personal problems I have to solve. The kit I am working now (Oct 2016) is a Perfect Grade which I will post after a few more articles (I've already finished the watermarks). I am glad a lot of you are still taking a peek on my blog even though there are lots of other cool reviewers than me. If I have the funds to take the kit, I will review them. And now that I have finished my work, I have time to update my blog and post all of my other reviews. The bad news however is that I don't have any funds now to get new kits to review. I am still hoping for my friend which happens to be my client, to continue hiring me as his builder.
(2016-10-29) UPDATE: You can click the images to show the original size and to give you a better look. I have been doing this since my first post. A lot of people probably thought the images are small. ALL IMAGES ARE LINKED TO THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE.
NOTE: PLEASE READ
I have forgotten that I have overwritten my notes for the White Ogre with the notes of the Zaku II Ground Type. I have been very busy lately and I only remembered after noticing the similar sentences on my 2 word docs. I don't want to re-write the notes again because I have lots of other things to do. Besides, most of my comments that I have written for the Zaku II Ground Type are pretty much the same with White Ogre's. I just removed some of the sentences and words to fit it for the article. I apologize for this error.
Introduction:
The fourth zaku II 2.0 I will be building is the ground type (well, that was the name mentioned in wikia). Yes it is really tiring to go through those tubes again.
Anyways, I would like to my client for giving me the chance to continue building his kits. Yes, this kit isn’t mine. I’m not much of a Zaku fan but after building the recent Zaku II White Ogre, my view about “mono eyes” changed. The only “mono eye” models I have here is the Sinanju and the Sazabi because they are the main antagonists of their respective series.
I will also try to apply something that I’ve learned from some of my colleagues and friends – progressive sanding. It was a tiring process but the result was better compared to parts cut or cleaned by your hobby knife. The process is always redundant from one nub to another, so many warned that I might get bored or burned out after a tries. I did experience the part I’m almost getting bored but if I want to have a better results and to improve my building skills, I have to endure the process. Of course I will only apply this “progressive sanding” to the outer armor and few parts of the inner frame that will be visible.
Okay, so back to the topic. There are a lot of green versions of Zaku II and this one has a different model number. I haven’t checked its history and other information about the Zaku since I am not into them. :/
I would like to remind you guys that I am not a professional builder. All information and comments that I have written below are just based from my personal experience and from what I currently know. If there are any typos, wrong usage of terminologies, please do mention it. :)
Unboxing:
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| Sardine-packed again -_- |
Compare to the box ox the Zaku Black Tristar, this one shares the some box size like that of White Ogre, Char’s Zaku II, the Gundam Wing series, etc.
There are only 3 plastic bags so the runners are divided into that short number. And that means they are very sardine-packed that can lead to stress marks, scratches, and possible broken pegs. Fortunately, TTT Hongli’s plastic is a bit tough even though they are not as glossy as Daban.
The manual shares the same box art on the front and the completed model at the back. There’s also a few info about the Zaku II’s history on the middle part of the construction manual.
Runners:
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There are 13 runners and they share the same number that of the other Zaku II kits (except for the High Maneuver type). The only thing noticeable is that the color is different. :P
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| cannula springs + dry transfers + clear stickers |
You also get the 2 “canula” springs (it’s supposed to be called cannula I think), a sheet of dry transfers, and a sheet of clear stickers.
And so the challenge in applying progressive sanding begins here. It’s already tiring because of these tubes. I don’t have any tool to hold them so I sometimes hit my fingernails. >_>
Body Unit:
This is your usual parts separation. Nothing much fancy here but I think I’m getting to like the Zaku because of the simplicity of their design.
As always, there’s still a problem with the PC part (K3 and K6) connected to the waist. This is where you insert the tubes. They pop off like the rest of the Zaku II models I’ve built. I even tried trimming the end part so that it might fit it properly, but it just not tight enough. I don’t want to risk it, so I added some super glue.
Anyways, that’s the only issue here on the body unit. The rest fits just fine with a few tight pegs, but they are not much of an issue.
Head Unit:
So here’s the other part of the Zaku II that requires the tubes. So yeah, I had to sand them one by one. This is a good training for me to get the feel when should I change the sandpaper. Although, I have to admit I got bored several times during this period.
If you noticed the image, you can see that bad molding on that clear part for the eye sensor (A8). I’m not sure if this was an isolated case but it was a real eyesore. I don’t know any solutions for this kind of problem. :/
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There are no snap fitting issues here but I had to apply some super glue on the PC part (K2/K7).
I also received a lot of suggestions to remove one piece of those tubes so make the head slimmer. Unfortunately, I already glued that section and I can no longer try it.
Arm Unit:
Nothing odd here - they are still the same Zaku II parts I encountered before. :v
Still, nice parts separation.
Well most of the parts here fit just fine. There were just several issues along the way.
The socket type PC part on the shoulder armor (PC3) was still very tight. I had a lot of problems pushing the ball-joint part of the arm (G34).The wrist armor (G24) is also loose. You can either add some super glue or let the hand/manipulator lock it in place instead.
The range of the articulation is nice and can still bend that much. The shoulder armor can be pulled outward. Compared to the right shoulder armor, the spiky one on the left has a limited range.
Waist Unit:
It has few parts here but there are no issues on the molding so it’s fine for me.
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The articulation is nice but there are still some sections that it is limited. Also, the body will surely reduce the range of articulation here on the front and side skirts.
Take note that after attaching the legs, the side skirts might pop off when you try to stretch them outward.
Leg Unit:
So here are the parts for the 2 legs. Very good parts separation as always while maintaining simplicity on the inner frame.
There were several tight parts here in the inner frame but fits just fine. But after placing the outer armor, I can’t figure out what’s causing the seam lines on the back of the legs. I sanded the inner frame and trimmed a few female pegs but it was still there. :/
I didn’t continue on fixing the issue and just let it look like that.
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| Ouch D: |
Anyways, aside from that seam line, there are no other snap fitting issues here on the inner frame’s legs. Most of the outer armor fits just fine. Well I'm not sure for the injury I encountered as part of the kit's issue. lol XD
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The articulation on the leg is nice and can still bend this much (check image). Yes, it’s the same as the other Zaku II 2.0 kits (except for the High Maneuver type).
Weapons:
Zaku Machine Gun:
Zaku Bazooka:
Heat Hawke:
As for the weapons, you still get the usual Zaku machine gun and the bazooka.
The problem here is still that scope part on the bazooka. It’s shakes a lot unless you add some tac or glue to fix it up. Sorry I don't have the images because the files were corrupted. :/
3-Tube Missile Pod:
Like some of the other versions of the Zaku II, you also get the missile pods as an extra weapon here
There are no major snap fitting issues here. The reason why there’s a very visible seam is that I will attach it on the legs later. I’m afraid it will take some damage when I try to fit them so tight before I actually place them on the legs.
Decals:
The dry transfer decals are not that good but are still manageable if you’re patient.
I only placed a few markings to add some extra detail.
Completed Model:
As for the articulation, it’s good and features the same movement like the Char’s Zaku II and the White Ogre that I have built.
Of course, the legs can’t remove that issue on the range of movement because of the side skirts hindering it.
And here are the rest of the shots I took..
Now for my rating..
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| Image inspired from GDC |
Plastic Quality: 7/10
As expected of TTH and its other kits, the quality remains the same; dull color, not so glossy finish, uneven panel lines, and lots of tight parts.
But even with these issues, one can still fix them. Only that it will take a lot of time and cleaning on those flashes on the edges of each part. It seems all of the parts have flashes and it’s irritating if you will sand the parts clean.
Assembly: 6/10
There were a lot of tight parts indeed and I even got an injury during assembly on the legs section. It was my fault anyway for not trimming the female pegs. But I hesitated in doing that action because I don’t want them popping off during posing. There’s the glue to aid me but I don’t want to resolve on that as much as possible. The loose parts were the polycaps used on those tubes and that’s where used the super glue to hold them together.
Detailing: 6/10
Sorry for the low rating, especially to the Zaku or mono-eye fans. The low rating I gave to Char’s Zaku, and Black Tristar however, were also based from my research to Bandai’s kits. I could have given them at least a 7 if the panel lining and other details were as sharp as Daban Model. Some of the details were not so visible so panel lines would be a pain unless you fix them up.
Aside from that, I also based the rating from the Zaku 1.0. Seeing the changes of the new 2.0 kits being released, the difference or gaps from the older 2.0 kits are really noticeable. It would have been great as well if Bandai improved the 2.0 back in the old days. But this can also sum up that the 3.0 treatment for the Zaku can be promising in the future, just like what they did to the RX-78-2.
I would like to mention too that seeing how less detailed the Zaku II kits now, it opens up the option or challenge of scribing them. So yeah, these kits can be a good start to practice scribing because Zaku offers both flat and curvy parts.
So yeah, that’s my reason. I am not against mono-eyes, mind you guys.
Articulation: 7/10
Well, I can’t say much if you already read my review on the Char’s Zaku and White Ogre. They feature same movement range and the articulation is so-so.
Like I mentioned a lot, the legs are hindered by the front and side skirts. But the legs itself features good bending so kneeling is still possible. As for the arms, it doesn’t have any problems but I did however have to give a 6 because I want the legs to have better movement capability compared to the arms.
Gimmicks: 5/10
Because the kit is the same as the other Zaku II 2.0, the gimmicks are not that as good as the other kits. Like I said in the Detailing Section, Bandai didn’t design it to have added gimmicks probably for some certain reasons.
What I’m aiming here in the Gimicks section are the articulated or movable parts the MS doesn’t really have. Take example for the “Ver Ka” kits.
Yes, I would like to point out that I didn’t take note or added the factors that these kits are far better than their 1.0 version. I am just keen when it comes to detailing or simply love seeing kits with that “Wow!” factor.
Weapons: 6/10
And because this is the ground type, it’s a nice bonus that it comes with those missile pods. I could have given 6 point rating to Black Tristar if their kit has extra parts to build the Giant Bazooka. Anyways, I think it’s just enough to give 6 for this Zaku considering it was just the missile pods that were added here.
Extras : 5/10
As for this segment, well it doesn’t have much even I were to include the Missile Pods as part of the extras. The kit has the same offer like most of the Zaku II 2.0 kits I’ve already built. I hope get to build other Zaku kits so that I can compare their features to the ones I have experienced.
Patience: 7/10
Yes, I am giving the same rating and that is because of those tubes. Sanding them or just cutting the nubs with a X-Acto knife still require a good amount of patience. Not to mention you need to be precise when trimming the nubs on these parts because they are likely the most to be seen. I can give a lower rating if I were just to cut the tubes using the side cutting. I mean cutting the gate right off from the root. I would like to mention that cleaning the flashes will also test your patience, since a lot of parts have them.
Overall Rating: 7/10
I like this color of the Zaku II because of the close military look and theme. I am starting to like the Zaku II in my honest opinion but I will go for Bandai if I were to get one for myself. So yeah, I will recommend getting Bandai again to avoid those ugly flashes. Even if you were really skilled in these kinds of issues, I’m sure you will agree that you should be having fun when building a kit and not the other way around. Cleaning takes time and sometimes they become stressful and you don’t get to enjoy building the kit because of these issues.
Anyways, I could still say I had fun in this kit. The reason is that I have tried avoiding as much errors as possible, and like I said, I love the color (sometimes the color of a model has a huge impact on some builders). I may have taken a few photos, but that doesn’t change the fact about what I said that I am starting to like this type of MS.
So those were the only issues I have found. If I have overlooked some issues or other pointers, I hope you guys can mention them in the comments. Thank you for reading this article again and I hope that I will be able to get more kits to review.
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