Big thanks to Forbidden Planet for selling me this kit.
I've heard horror stories about this Gundam. I've heard many a Gunpla fan grumble about how the Real Grade Zeta Gundam sacrifices so much stability in the name of a flight mode transformation. I've heard people decry the original Master Grade version of this Gundam. But the 2.0 version? Nope, not much badmouthing.
But to me, this one's got me a teensy bit on edge, particularly when I saw when this kit came out - 2005. Not only is this before the commonly agreed threshhold of guranteed Gunpla fun (i.e. 2010-2012 onwards, and not the Real Grade Zeta or the High Grade Tristan), but that's two years before the rather overrated jankfest that is the Master Grade Turn A. But it's also a year after the Ball Ver.Ka, which I enjoyed very much, so maybe I'm underestimating Bandai's experience with translating the Zeta's form and prowess into physical plastic. Only one way to find out for certain...
Ahh, it comes with a stand! And if the side of the box is any indicator, there's a function that makes it look like a Gundam catapult! Wonderful!
Quick preemptive flip through the manual, and what's really going to be a bit of a bumpy ride for me is the decals - they're in the middle of the manual in black and white. Even more confusing is that the front of the manual uses numbered labels on an almost-identical diagram for what I assume is the painting guide.
I don't know if that's just a thing that Master Grades of the early-to-mid-2000s did (I do know that the Ball Ver.Ka didn't do it like that), and looking at the manual for the Turn A doesn't help much, since that one didn't have any decals. Either way, it's going to be kind of a challenge once I get round to that.
Something else that's odd is that the section of the manual devoted to the transformation to Wave Rider mode is in a fold-out sequence of pages, while the rest of the manual is in a booklet format. Hmm.
Head Unit
Securing the larger horns on the back of the red piece gave me some flashbacks to the horns on the
Master Grade Ex-S Gundam, but my tweezers came in handy for making sure they were on securely. And I'm fairly sure pushing this part onto the head once the inner horns are on would secure them anyway.
Body Unit
Arm Unit
I decided to get started on the dry transfers around here.
Nothing too spectacular, but I still like the way they look.
Waist Unit
Leg Unit
I'm probably a little biased since I like the unique touches of the Zeta, but I like seeing this come together. The size is nice and imposing, and it feels really solid. Especially for a kit with so much going on in it mechanically.
Tail Stabilizer and Wing
I did take a few liberties with the dry transfers either due to mixing them up or handling them wrong and screwing them up beyond recovery. But that's all on me. The kit itself looks really good, and it stands up nicely even with the wings and the tail on the back.
Shield
Beam Rifle
Hyper Mega Launcher
This is the best I can do for now - the manual only mentions how to fit it in the vertical trigger, and it's literally just a shallow peg into a hole in the hand which doesn't feel at all secure. Perhaps it's easier if it's on the stand, and it's not like most of the poses I'm seeing of this kit in the manual use the Hyper Mega Launcher.
Oh hey, now that I've mentioned it...
Display Stand
Seems simple enough, depending on whether you want the Gundam on the ground or in flight. And speaking of flight, it's time to address the big gimmick above all.
Waverider Mode
Ok, so it wasn't a complete pain. I'm impressed by how well it stayed together while I handled it through the entire process, and the only truly loose parts (the shield and the rifle) weren't needed until near the end. But some bits like the latches behind the white side-plating near the front were rather loose and uncooperative. And there's only so much that the manual can do to make any of it make sense. I did manage it in the end, and I like what I see, but this isn't one for the faint-hearted. Especially when transforming it back - I broke one of the leg mechanisms trying to transform it back into the Gundam and now part of the leg armour on the back is loose. And it's in way too awkward a place for me to properly fix it, so that was a fun note to end things on.
Honestly, I might keep it in Waverider Mode for a while before I transform it back, but I'll need to stick the Hyper Mega Launcher in storage by the end of it, since there's no way I have the will to live to wrangle that into this Gundam's grip. It's honestly not that aesthetically-pleasing anyway. But the actual Gundam most certainly is. There was potential for it to have aged poorly 17 years after its initial release, but I'd say this one holds up. If you're used to Master Grades and you want one with a true transformation, or if you generally want a Zeta Gundam kit, you could certainly do worse.
Like the Real Grade, for example.
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ It comes with a stand - a really nice one, at that
+ Feels pleasingly-solid, especially for a kit with a full transformation, and especially for a kit this old
+ Translates the design of a really cool Gundam to a mostly anime-accurate model form
+ The transformation is fun...
The Bad
- ...but there's only so much that the manual can do to make it make sense
- It feels less stable by the time it's transformed back
- Some of the more visible gate marks aren't covered up by the time the model is finished
- Hyper Mega Launcher doesn't fit in the hands easily, and there's nowhere to store it
- Japanese characters make the dry transfers harder to figure out when colouring the icons differently normally suffices
Building Experience: B
Completed Kit Rating: B
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