I'm digging deep here... the prices have gone up for new Gunpla and the kit I want sold out. So digging through my backlog to look at one of the best looking Zeon suit in my opinion. Blast from 2008 or 2009, the HGUC Gouf Custom. And I may or may not have the new GM Ground type.
2008 was the time were there was a Renaissance for HGUC kits. This was a time where Gundam 00 was airing and the unicorn manga was ongoing. There was a flurry of Char's counter attack kits that uses some of the modern engineering we see today. It was a string of excellent HGUC kits that's very well proportioned, and decently articulated. One of those was the Gouf Custom.
Zeon suits are almost always menacing. The Gouf in particular as it has the angry visor. And unlike the 1st Gouf, with it's elephant nose, this one is sharper and more streamlined yet still has the bulk common on Zeon suits.
As with all modern HGUC these days, seams are hidden. But there are still a few, namely forearms, the shoulder armor and bits of the bell bottoms. Other than that, it's pretty clean.
Colors are also very accurate, which should be expected as the color layout is pretty basic.. The only stickers on this kit is the monoeye. The orange chest bits are clear. You need to paint the grey vents on the shins though. I do wish the monoeye sits a bit deeper into the visor though.
Detail-wise, again it's pretty decent. It's almost anime accurate. While I would have appreciated a bit more lines, the surface area here is perfect for adding zeon symbols, especially the chest.
Construction is mostly solid, although the legs are a bit jiggly.
There are what it seems to be weapon storage on its back skirt, but he has no weapons for it. Still overall, it's a very good looking suit molded into a very good looking kit. Minimal effort is needed to make it accurate, which is always a plus.
It's a Zeon suit, so expect it to be relatively hindered. The accurate aesthetics means some compromise will be present, especially those huge shoulders.
Since it's a modern mono-eye kit, the eye can of course swivel through a switch at the bottom.
This is where I wish the mono eye sinks in a bit more. When the eye swivels to the side, it looks like it's popping out. Head is on a double ball joint, but it's up and down movement is limited, as with all Zaku based kits back then.
One thing that needs to be an improvement to all zeon suits is the shoulders. While the shoulder armor can move out of the way, it needs a double joint to move the armor laterally ala MG (or RG). Right now it hits the sides of his head if you move it the way the pics show.
The shoulder can move out. Also...
There are tabs on the inner shoulder to keep the arms up to hold the Giant Gatling.
There's a torso crunch and a waist swivel, but since the cables are stiff-ish plastic, it tends to pop back into place. Also, the specialized design of the elbow means it's limited to a 90 degree bend. But then most zeon kits during the period rarely have a double jointed elbow.
There is a crotch swivel, a staple these days. You also get a peg for display. The Char's counter attack kits that released around the same time doesn't even have that.
The legs can swing up, also a bit limitedly. It has double jointed knees, but also limited to a little over 90 degrees.
Ankles are pretty good, even with the bell bottoms. The hips are universal joints, (thigh swivel, outward movement) but limited by the skirt.
Overall, limited. But, the origin kits solve this by throwing in more joints and the result is that some bits appear more gappy. The result of this solid chunky proportions mean it'll need to sacrifice articulation for aesthetics. It's no lithe Gundam, but I can accept that for this kit.
The Original Gouf has a machine gun left hand and a whip on the other. It also has a shield and a heat saber. Most of those are inherited by the Gouf custom.
1st up: hands. A modern staple of HG kits to me is the ability to express action through hands. The ones you get are more than enough to cover the kit's needs.
The finger guns have been replaced by a 3 barrel launcher. The scope has a shiny red sticker and the scope swivels.
It plugs in to a peg on the left wrist.
You get a heat saber in black (because it doesn't heat up in the anime) and a nice shield. No stickers here (unlike the HGBF Dom R35).
The sword can sheath into the shield, which its nicely.
You cannot mount the shield into the forearms without the 3 barrel gun. The shield pegs into a hole on the gun.
And the Grand Daddy. The Giant Gatling. Effective crowd control but the spear means minimum damage. No gatling weapon in the SD Gundam games are powerful. You get 2 pieces: one for the top bit and the one containing the actual barrel and ammo drum.
It slides in snugly onto the shield. No pegs, just friction and the hand holding it.
I find it easier to put the hand into the handle 1st prior to mounting the entire thing onto the forearm.
Overall result: Badass.
As for the heat rod, I actually prefer this over the original Gouf. The original Gouf has a thick heat whip, which unrealistically store onto a slim forarm. This one is a thin cable with a magnet tip to latch onto mobile suits. This has more realism, probably brought by the more realistic approach to 8th MS team. For the kit, you get a wire with the latch deployed. You need to remove the stored plug and plug the wire in.
And that's it. It's actually very, very good in terms of accessories. They're solid and accurate. The only complaint is that the sword is a bit loose on the right hand, but that's it. It doesn't hurt that the weapons all look badass.
The Gouf Custom is a wee bit taller than the Zaku II. Here you can see how much gappier the Origin Zaku II is compared to the Gouf. You really can't have a solid HG kit without being gappy.
Compared to the much earlier Zaku I.
Against The literal White Devil of IBO.
The Gouf Custom is probably one of the most famous Zeon kits out there along side the Sazabi, Kampfer and Sinanju, simply because of how good it looks. It's bulky and sharp and sports a giant gatling gun. I got it for a pretty good price 4 or 5 years ago ( I feel ancient) as well. It's also now rather difficult to find outside proper hobby shops. Also compared the Damashii, this one is more screen accurate. Unless articulation is a huge deal, I'd say it's an excellent addition to your UC collection.
Good:
- Looks Good
- Little to no painting needed
- Complete accessories
- dat Giant Gatling
Bad:
- poor articulation
- some bits are a bit floppy, but that could have been due to it's age
 |
| Menacing monoeyes are his weakness |
2008 was the time were there was a Renaissance for HGUC kits. This was a time where Gundam 00 was airing and the unicorn manga was ongoing. There was a flurry of Char's counter attack kits that uses some of the modern engineering we see today. It was a string of excellent HGUC kits that's very well proportioned, and decently articulated. One of those was the Gouf Custom.
Aesthetics
Zeon suits are almost always menacing. The Gouf in particular as it has the angry visor. And unlike the 1st Gouf, with it's elephant nose, this one is sharper and more streamlined yet still has the bulk common on Zeon suits.
 |
| Conflicting thoughts in a single sentence. That's how he thinks 100% of the time |
Colors are also very accurate, which should be expected as the color layout is pretty basic.. The only stickers on this kit is the monoeye. The orange chest bits are clear. You need to paint the grey vents on the shins though. I do wish the monoeye sits a bit deeper into the visor though.
Detail-wise, again it's pretty decent. It's almost anime accurate. While I would have appreciated a bit more lines, the surface area here is perfect for adding zeon symbols, especially the chest.
 |
| He has tons of waterslides, and doesn't use any and then complains about it. |
There are what it seems to be weapon storage on its back skirt, but he has no weapons for it. Still overall, it's a very good looking suit molded into a very good looking kit. Minimal effort is needed to make it accurate, which is always a plus.
Articulation
It's a Zeon suit, so expect it to be relatively hindered. The accurate aesthetics means some compromise will be present, especially those huge shoulders.
Since it's a modern mono-eye kit, the eye can of course swivel through a switch at the bottom.
This is where I wish the mono eye sinks in a bit more. When the eye swivels to the side, it looks like it's popping out. Head is on a double ball joint, but it's up and down movement is limited, as with all Zaku based kits back then.
 |
| can you see it? He's imagining the eye popping out |
The shoulder can move out. Also...
 |
| cliff hanger parenthesis. so professional |
There are tabs on the inner shoulder to keep the arms up to hold the Giant Gatling.
There's a torso crunch and a waist swivel, but since the cables are stiff-ish plastic, it tends to pop back into place. Also, the specialized design of the elbow means it's limited to a 90 degree bend. But then most zeon kits during the period rarely have a double jointed elbow.
There is a crotch swivel, a staple these days. You also get a peg for display. The Char's counter attack kits that released around the same time doesn't even have that.
The legs can swing up, also a bit limitedly. It has double jointed knees, but also limited to a little over 90 degrees.
Ankles are pretty good, even with the bell bottoms. The hips are universal joints, (thigh swivel, outward movement) but limited by the skirt.
 |
| prepare for incoming hypocrisy below |
Overall, limited. But, the origin kits solve this by throwing in more joints and the result is that some bits appear more gappy. The result of this solid chunky proportions mean it'll need to sacrifice articulation for aesthetics. It's no lithe Gundam, but I can accept that for this kit.
Weapons and Extras
The Original Gouf has a machine gun left hand and a whip on the other. It also has a shield and a heat saber. Most of those are inherited by the Gouf custom.
1st up: hands. A modern staple of HG kits to me is the ability to express action through hands. The ones you get are more than enough to cover the kit's needs.
 |
| The staple HG fap hands |
The finger guns have been replaced by a 3 barrel launcher. The scope has a shiny red sticker and the scope swivels.
It plugs in to a peg on the left wrist.
 |
| he normally does not show case each weapon with a pose.. hmm |
The sword can sheath into the shield, which its nicely.
You cannot mount the shield into the forearms without the 3 barrel gun. The shield pegs into a hole on the gun.
And the Grand Daddy. The Giant Gatling. Effective crowd control but the spear means minimum damage. No gatling weapon in the SD Gundam games are powerful. You get 2 pieces: one for the top bit and the one containing the actual barrel and ammo drum.
It slides in snugly onto the shield. No pegs, just friction and the hand holding it.
I find it easier to put the hand into the handle 1st prior to mounting the entire thing onto the forearm.
Overall result: Badass.
As for the heat rod, I actually prefer this over the original Gouf. The original Gouf has a thick heat whip, which unrealistically store onto a slim forarm. This one is a thin cable with a magnet tip to latch onto mobile suits. This has more realism, probably brought by the more realistic approach to 8th MS team. For the kit, you get a wire with the latch deployed. You need to remove the stored plug and plug the wire in.
 |
| better make sure not to lose the stored version |
 |
| Lit as the young kids say these days |
Size Comparison and Other Comparison
The Gouf Custom is a wee bit taller than the Zaku II. Here you can see how much gappier the Origin Zaku II is compared to the Gouf. You really can't have a solid HG kit without being gappy.
Compared to the much earlier Zaku I.
Against The literal White Devil of IBO.
 |
| he just finished watching S2E45. He has so much feels while writing this |
Summary
The Gouf Custom is probably one of the most famous Zeon kits out there along side the Sazabi, Kampfer and Sinanju, simply because of how good it looks. It's bulky and sharp and sports a giant gatling gun. I got it for a pretty good price 4 or 5 years ago ( I feel ancient) as well. It's also now rather difficult to find outside proper hobby shops. Also compared the Damashii, this one is more screen accurate. Unless articulation is a huge deal, I'd say it's an excellent addition to your UC collection.
Good:
- Looks Good
- Little to no painting needed
- Complete accessories
- dat Giant Gatling
Bad:
- poor articulation
- some bits are a bit floppy, but that could have been due to it's age
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