Can you believe that the RG line is already almost 8 years old? Originally though it was going to be a one off (or 2 off since you cant have an RX-78 without the corresponding pink zaku), but we have over 2 dozen releases so far in varying Gundam series. Even Build Fighters got one. Fast forward to late 2017, we get is essentially a remold of the old Zaku frame with some new bits. Does it hold up? Let's find out.
This is the only RG I preordered in 2017... the rest I waited for retail. I love the Johnny Ridden's version of the Zaku, and skipped the HGUC expecting an RG. Did not expect it to come this late though since the MG pumped them out pretty quickly when the 2.0 debut. Perhaps we're now saturated with 1/144 kits of the Zaku. Good ones at that. But 1st...
The RG line has been a mixed back in aesthetics, specifically in the face of the kits. The Wing, 00, and the Astray has, in my opinion, rather ugly looking face. This being a monoeye though, does not have to deal with the face plates.
This being a Real Grade, it is chock full of panel lines and color separation.
It comes in 3 separate colors of red (salmon, bright red, and a darker red). The color difference though when viewed as a whole just looks like a lump of red, especially since the salmon pink is limited to the legs. Also the parts separation on the leg armor is not as intricate as the original Zaku RG. Panel lining this is highly recommended... which I plan to do after this review
The pipes are annoying as always, especially since when you try cutting one off the running, the entire row disconnects. Still, that's the price you pay for details.
Even the thrusters on the legs have thrusters in it.
The only complaint I have is the backpack. It's detailed, comes in 2 shades of grey. All of that is fine. But the red bit... Bandai engineers this to have 2 separate parts that plug into the sides where the circular thingies are that are hidden in plain view, yet they didn't even bother molding a single red part for that piece. They give you a bloody sticker for it! The other red details inside the backpack is fine since they're too small to be molded separately.
You can also technically make a Zaku R1-A, the Shin Matsunaga and Black Tri-Star (they're P-Bandai btw) version by removing the shin armor. But you will be left by a back piece with 2 open slots...
Backpack aside, it's overall a very pleasing zeon suit in RG. It has more realistic proportions and not a single detail that looks bad. The parts separation is there but you'll need to put in the effort for the panel lines. I say you can even forego the stickers though I wish they included the unicorn emblem.
I had shots of this kit without the armor... but muscle memory erased that :( But this being a Real Grade means it has excellent articulation right? Well...
The monoeye boasts the same gimmick as the MG 2.0 Zaku, so it moves left to right when you swivel the head. I do wish it can be moved without the gearing though so you can make it look freely
Aside from the side to side, the head has a swivel on the base and a ball joint where the neck connects to the head, though it's range is limited.
The shoulder inner frame can pull out, revealing the weedy looking connection. More on that on the accessories.
This allows you to pull the arm completely across its chest.
The shoulder weapons/armor are on double hinges so they can get out of the way.
The stomach is on a thick barbel joint. By that I mean the upper torso is on a ball joint and the waist is on a ball joint. The stomach flap can flip up to give you more range...
... but the range of movement with all the armor is limited. It's also very loose on my copy. Not quite Sinanju loose but still pretty loose.
The front skirts are separated by the connection to the crotch is shallow so it always pops out.
The back skirt can also hinge a bit. It's limited by the backpack. Speaking of the backpack, the thrusters can swivel up and down and they are connected via ball joint. The flaps can swing out as well.
The arms have standard articulation: bicep swivel, 180 elbows and a ball jointed wrist. There is a small gap on the forearm armor though. The knees are obviously limited to 90 degrees.
Unlike the original RG though the side skirts are very limited since they can't swing up very far and it does not use the original inner frame for the side skirt. The original can swivel to the back, something the modern HG Origin Zaku has a version of.
Also as you can see, the feet is limited despite the number of joints. While the inner frame has a toe joint, the kit omits this articulation.
There is also this mechanism in the waist that allows it to thrust forward and back independent of the hip and torso joints.
And the image below brings us neatly to one of the problems I have with this kit: It's a huge pain in the ass to get this thing standing. As hinted by the caption, it's actually pretty back heavy, despite the modestly sized backpack. The feet has issues getting planted onto the ground as well.
The original Zaku has good articulation. It's plagued a bit by the torso limitation and the hip connection on the original was scary tight. So tight that mine broke. This resolves that by loosening it, but it's a bit too loose now. The articulation is hindered on the legs and feet, and the waist is wobbly so can't say it's an excellent posing. Like all RGs, you need to take time to pose it as it gets really fiddly. I'm finding RG's frustrating to pose these days.
It's a Zaku, so it comes with the usual machine gun, bazooka, heat hawk right? Well yes... but 1st, it adopts the modern RGs in that you get fixed posed hands along side the fists and the articulate hands. 1st the open palm and the articulate hands
Then you get the weapons: the machine gun is nicely detailed and there is a peg that swivels out to tab into the palm of the hands.
The normal Bazooka. Note that instead of a clear part, you get a black piece for the scope. I painted mine pink.
You get the heat hawk. It's one of the few heat hawks where the heated edge is actually a separate piece. You also get a piece to clip onto the axe so you can store it onto the waist.
And finally the Giant Bazooka. It's the signature weapon of all red high mobility zaku.
It's meant to be held exclusively by the right hand since the peg is only present on the one side. The main handle can swivel down, the sights cover and flip in and out, the secondary handle can move and the handly by the end of the muzzle can articulate.
You get a dedicated holding things hand for the giant bazooka as well. The pegs in the giant bazooka fits in nicely with these fixed posed hands. It does not play well with the poseable hands though, then again none of the weapons are solid in these poseable hands anyway.
You also get this thing. Do you remember the HGUC where you can mount everything on the shield? Well you can sort of do that as well...
It mounts onto the shield by sliding the weapon rack over it.
As you can see, the weedy shoulder and the weak waist pulls the shoulder way down to one side. I personally would not use it.
Also, notice how the standard bazooka isn't mounted? That's because you can't. The HGUC can, but an RG can't. You can BS it in such a way where it can plug into the back skirt, but it's not really meant to be stored anywhere.
It's overall complete. The parts separation on it is good and it pretty much has everything J.RIdden Zaku needs. You get a dedicated holding things hands and they hold the bazooka really well. I wish they would have given us a better storage for one of the bazookas, but it's not really a deal breaker.
One last thing...
You get a clip for an action base... I hate these things mainly because I need to use those ugly action base 2 over the better tamashii stands. The HGs are much better in that you can plug into either the action base or a tamashii base. It's also incredibly tight...
It's a Zaku II so it's on the same height as the standard 18 meter suit. Here it is compared to the excellent Origin Zaku II. Fiddling with them side by side just shows how much better the HG Origin Zaku is... it's less fiddly, more solid and is better articulated. The RG is more detailed, but the Hg Origin doesn't exactly lack details either.
Here it is compared to the OG RG Zaku... in Green of course.
Handle these kits with care... as you can see, my OG RG Zaku is battered and broken already. Also you can notice the difference between the 2, specifically the legs since the upper torso is mostly the same. The OG has more color separation visible as the shades of green is more prominent. The parts separation of the HM is hidden beneath all that armor.
Notice as well the thigh armor. The HM Zaku only has a single piece for the front and back of the thighs like the HG Origin. The OG is multi-colored, with gaps to show the grey bits underneath.
The recent HG Origin kits shows just how much the HG line has improved. It's more poseable, stable and solid vs the fiddly RG. 5 years is a long time after all. RGs are meant to be posed in a single pose and left there. It's meant for you to appreciate the tiny details scattered around the kit, and panel lining is highly recommended. And this statement makes me not recommend this kit: it's like a high maintenance GF, it's pretty, but you need to put in the effort to line and pose it. It's the only 1/144 J.Ridden Zaku though that's as detailed as the Origin, so you're stuck with that. If you just want a HM Zaku, I'd recommend the Origin HM. There's also the standard HGUC one though it's not as detailed. Seriously just get an Origin Zaku and it'll blow you socks off.
Good:
- parts separation is excellent. It's a Real Grade, of course it has excellent parts separation.
- very, very involved build. Align at least 8 hours though.
- the only mass retail RG HM Zaku
Bad:
- Origin kit is more fun and a little bit cheaper. This is quite a bit more expensive than what I was expecting...
- Loose waist, shoulders are a bit weak and some balancing issues with its feet
- RGs are overall a pain to pose... maybe I'm getting old.
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| It's 2018 and he still makes badly photoshopped images |
This is the only RG I preordered in 2017... the rest I waited for retail. I love the Johnny Ridden's version of the Zaku, and skipped the HGUC expecting an RG. Did not expect it to come this late though since the MG pumped them out pretty quickly when the 2.0 debut. Perhaps we're now saturated with 1/144 kits of the Zaku. Good ones at that. But 1st...
Aesthetics
The RG line has been a mixed back in aesthetics, specifically in the face of the kits. The Wing, 00, and the Astray has, in my opinion, rather ugly looking face. This being a monoeye though, does not have to deal with the face plates.
This being a Real Grade, it is chock full of panel lines and color separation.
 |
| a preview to one of the problems of this kit |
It comes in 3 separate colors of red (salmon, bright red, and a darker red). The color difference though when viewed as a whole just looks like a lump of red, especially since the salmon pink is limited to the legs. Also the parts separation on the leg armor is not as intricate as the original Zaku RG. Panel lining this is highly recommended... which I plan to do after this review
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| which means it'll get done sometime in June |
The pipes are annoying as always, especially since when you try cutting one off the running, the entire row disconnects. Still, that's the price you pay for details.
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| He lost almost an entire row of tube bits |
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| please no inception/yodawg memes pls |
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| mmmmmm salty salty frustrated tears |
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| also it's in the wrong color |
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| no the red back rectangle is molded with the armor |
Articulation
I had shots of this kit without the armor... but muscle memory erased that :( But this being a Real Grade means it has excellent articulation right? Well...
The monoeye boasts the same gimmick as the MG 2.0 Zaku, so it moves left to right when you swivel the head. I do wish it can be moved without the gearing though so you can make it look freely
 |
| all he has to do is to cut of the teeth... |
The shoulder inner frame can pull out, revealing the weedy looking connection. More on that on the accessories.
This allows you to pull the arm completely across its chest.
The shoulder weapons/armor are on double hinges so they can get out of the way.
The stomach is on a thick barbel joint. By that I mean the upper torso is on a ball joint and the waist is on a ball joint. The stomach flap can flip up to give you more range...
... but the range of movement with all the armor is limited. It's also very loose on my copy. Not quite Sinanju loose but still pretty loose.
The front skirts are separated by the connection to the crotch is shallow so it always pops out.
The back skirt can also hinge a bit. It's limited by the backpack. Speaking of the backpack, the thrusters can swivel up and down and they are connected via ball joint. The flaps can swing out as well.
The arms have standard articulation: bicep swivel, 180 elbows and a ball jointed wrist. There is a small gap on the forearm armor though. The knees are obviously limited to 90 degrees.
 |
| The frustration he was going through just to get to this pose is enormous, and incredibly funny |
Also as you can see, the feet is limited despite the number of joints. While the inner frame has a toe joint, the kit omits this articulation.
There is also this mechanism in the waist that allows it to thrust forward and back independent of the hip and torso joints.
And the image below brings us neatly to one of the problems I have with this kit: It's a huge pain in the ass to get this thing standing. As hinted by the caption, it's actually pretty back heavy, despite the modestly sized backpack. The feet has issues getting planted onto the ground as well.
 |
| Did you just reference me??? |
 |
| "creative" |
Weapons and Extras
Then you get the weapons: the machine gun is nicely detailed and there is a peg that swivels out to tab into the palm of the hands.
The normal Bazooka. Note that instead of a clear part, you get a black piece for the scope. I painted mine pink.
You get the heat hawk. It's one of the few heat hawks where the heated edge is actually a separate piece. You also get a piece to clip onto the axe so you can store it onto the waist.
And finally the Giant Bazooka. It's the signature weapon of all red high mobility zaku.
It's meant to be held exclusively by the right hand since the peg is only present on the one side. The main handle can swivel down, the sights cover and flip in and out, the secondary handle can move and the handly by the end of the muzzle can articulate.
 |
| yeah... mention all those but only put 1 pic |
You also get this thing. Do you remember the HGUC where you can mount everything on the shield? Well you can sort of do that as well...
It mounts onto the shield by sliding the weapon rack over it.
As you can see, the weedy shoulder and the weak waist pulls the shoulder way down to one side. I personally would not use it.
Also, notice how the standard bazooka isn't mounted? That's because you can't. The HGUC can, but an RG can't. You can BS it in such a way where it can plug into the back skirt, but it's not really meant to be stored anywhere.
It's overall complete. The parts separation on it is good and it pretty much has everything J.RIdden Zaku needs. You get a dedicated holding things hands and they hold the bazooka really well. I wish they would have given us a better storage for one of the bazookas, but it's not really a deal breaker.
One last thing...
You get a clip for an action base... I hate these things mainly because I need to use those ugly action base 2 over the better tamashii stands. The HGs are much better in that you can plug into either the action base or a tamashii base. It's also incredibly tight...
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| InB4 vagina jokes |
Size Comparison and Other Comparison
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| Some size comparison... you used a Zaku for both!! |
Here it is compared to the OG RG Zaku... in Green of course.
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| mmmm color balance is wonderful |
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| very cohesive sentence design |
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| mishmash of design |
Summary
The recent HG Origin kits shows just how much the HG line has improved. It's more poseable, stable and solid vs the fiddly RG. 5 years is a long time after all. RGs are meant to be posed in a single pose and left there. It's meant for you to appreciate the tiny details scattered around the kit, and panel lining is highly recommended. And this statement makes me not recommend this kit: it's like a high maintenance GF, it's pretty, but you need to put in the effort to line and pose it. It's the only 1/144 J.Ridden Zaku though that's as detailed as the Origin, so you're stuck with that. If you just want a HM Zaku, I'd recommend the Origin HM. There's also the standard HGUC one though it's not as detailed. Seriously just get an Origin Zaku and it'll blow you socks off.
Good:
- parts separation is excellent. It's a Real Grade, of course it has excellent parts separation.
- very, very involved build. Align at least 8 hours though.
- the only mass retail RG HM Zaku
Bad:
- Origin kit is more fun and a little bit cheaper. This is quite a bit more expensive than what I was expecting...
- Loose waist, shoulders are a bit weak and some balancing issues with its feet
- RGs are overall a pain to pose... maybe I'm getting old.
temptatran_hoColumbia Sarah Thomas https://wakelet.com/wake/-8a98c4Ojco8JjlX9jfoA
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AexulPitfu-Peoria Jennifer Cole Download
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