Elemental Cheese: Gunpla Review: RG Wing Gundam Zero EW Review

Here's an attempt at a review for the 1/144 RG Wing Gundam Zero EW. Queue in lame lens flare effect.

I'm sure others can do a better job than this

Aesthetics

Starting off with the looks. It's pretty much spot on with the line art. Other than the white hands.

Image from mahq.net

It comes with 2 shades of white splattered onto the suit itself, 2 shades of blue, 2 shades of grey for the internal frame and a single shade of red and yellow. The Front Wing greeble are awesome.

Yes there are some changes with proportions, like the torso being a little bit big and the shins being a little thinner, and the head too small but this is, according to Bandai, what it will look like if it were real life.

Using the Wings as 3rd legs

If there was one complaint I have regarding Aesthetics, it's that the clear parts are not in clear green. The stickers are awful, specifically on the forearms and the rifle. The RG zeta and Z'gok has colored clear pieces :P However, it will only be a complaint if you're not painting the kit I suppose.

Articulation

The head itself is in a ball joint, with the base of the neck on a hinge. The head on mine is a bit wobbly. I've watched youtube reviews and that seems to be a universal complaint. What's weird in my copy of the kit, is that when you position the head looking straight up, it'll naturally "notch" itself slightly to the right.

No problems looking up.

Nor down. And no wobbly face plate to boot.

Torso articulation is excellent. The upper torso can move up and down, and tilt side to side. It can ab crunch to accommodate the Twin buster rifle pose.

Waist rotation is limited by the skirts, obviously. When handling it with the Wing's attached, it has a tendency to do a revoltech stance (pelvic thrust).

Arm articulation is good. It can't fully reach it's other shoulder, but that due to the search eye chest piece.

Shoulders can pull out of the torso, like all RG.

Shoulder armors are separate and can move up. The flaps on it are fixed, unlike the MG version.
Almost 180 degree elbow joint, bicep swivel... well just look at the pic below :P

As an extra feature, the shoulder armor can slide out and then fold down for re-entry mode. Or you know, for future P-Bandai RG Wing Gundam EW.

Waist armor are all independent.

Back skirt is a bit limited, but I'm not bothered with that.

The side skirts are on a hinge, so they can move out of the way when necessary.

There's a mechanism in the crotch can you can pull down to extend it for kneeling poses.

Mine is so stiff that I did not bother with it. So here's a pic from the instruction sheet to demonstrate.

Chicken

Leg articulation is pretty good, even if you don't extend the crotch joint.

There are sliding thigh armor and shin armor when you bend the leg, a feature that has disappeared in modern Master Grades. It still has that floating knee armor, which I don't like.

Either the ankles are stiff, or it just doesn't bend enough. I don't care about this as I have never seen Wing Zero Custom walking in solid ground in the entire OVA.

Thigh swivels and the mechanism to collapse the legs, for re-entry or a Bird mode. The Ankle armor is separate and can wiggle about.

The wings itself are pretty articulate. The back wings can be posed any way you want.

There's an additional hinge for the beam saber holder so it can swivel forwards. Good that they threw that in, but since reaching it seems impossible, it's rather unnecessary.

The Main wing itself is connected via multiple joints. Since they are relatively light, it should not wear out as quickly as the MG one.

Each feather is on it's own ball joint. The wings can open up to make it look more majestic.

Weapons and Extras

Starting off with the stand adapter. It can attach to the back (as seen here) or at the crotch (if you want a wobbly display).

It has a sliding cockpit, to reveal a cavity. All RGs have opening cockpits FYI. And no, there's no pilot sitting in it.

I somehow forgot to take off the 1/144 Heero from the runners... so no pic there :(

As for weapons, there's the machine Gatling gun, which you open by simply flipping up the covers.

Head is barely impeded by this.

The of course, the iconic Buster Rifle.

Like all RG weapons, it comes with tabs that you can use to secure it to the manipulators.

Also, the tab fits into a cavity for each rifle, so you can't just slap random handles onto a any rifle. (you're given 4 handles FYI).

You're given a holding things hand to securely hold the Buster Rifle. You can use the articulate hands if you're patient enough.

No issues holding the rifles...

...except the wrist joints are loose. While the rifle is light, I find that the ball joint connection is loose on these holding things hands. The articulated and the fists are fine, but the splayed and open palms are loose... I'm guessing since they're on a different running vs the original frame, it doesn't quite fit as well.

They can of course, combine. There is a tab on one gun and a peg on the other. No need to flip tabs like in the MG.

Open up the latches on both guns.

One has the pegs and the other holes, which makes the connection secure.

Stick 'em together and you have the combined TBR.

And look the barrels are pointing in the same direction.

Iconic pose is iconic.

Then there are the beam sabers. I find the peg to sit rather high up, so the thumb tends to rest at the beam part.

Simple enough.

Last is the re-entry. Seems like the collapsing leg is now standard fare for this mode. The old HG did not use this if I recall...

So collapse the legs...

Point the toes downward, along with the foot armor till flush...

Swivel the winglets till they point at you...

Swivel and align the main wing upfront...

Align the back wings so they stick out from the sides...

... so It will look like this...

and voila! Re-entry mode.

There's a gap in the middle, but that's what you get for sculpting the wings... not that I mind.

Size Comparison

Suits from Gundam Wing tend to be smaller, at 16 meters. So expect the kit to be smaller as well. Here he is next to a standard 18 meter suit (RG zaku II) and Marvel Legends Cap'n.

More size comparison, Revoltech Getter Dragon and MP Prowl.

Now you're just showing off.

Summary

Overall, the kit is pretty good. You need to take note that Real Grades are fiddly, and not meant to be played with. If you want a playable Wing Zero Custom, get the Robot Damashii. Don't expect it to handle like a High Grade either. The stickers on mine are already peeling off just by posing him for the review. It's meant to be displayed, with it's pose changed once in a while. A stand is mandatory for this guy as the wings will weigh it down... like the souls of earthlings bound by gravity.

Minor complaints are the new hands, which are loose and wobbly head, which is... wobbly. Construction wise, the gate marks are large for some pieces and the clear pieces are not colored (subjective). I would not call the construction fun (it's my 4th RG), since the pieces are tiny and fiddly, but the end result is just stunning and well worth the effort.