HGUC Geara Zulu

HGUC Geara Zulu (Daban)

It's Friday.. "TGIF syndrome" kicks in!!  Here's my review of Daban's HGUC Geara Zulu..

I was surprised to learned that Daban is on 1/144 scale too.. And out of curiosity, I picked this one up to see if there's any difference compared to it's 1/100 KO's..

BOX

Plastic Package

Piles of runners

 4 Different colors molded on one single Runner.. A treat to see! 

Polycaps and Stickers

Manual

Glossy plastic - A Plus for lazy modelers like me.. hehe

The kit comes with 8 runners (including the Polycaps), manual and stickers for detailing.. That's quite plentiful for an ordinary HG kit compared to a 1/144 OO Gundam and Seed Destiny knockoff kits..

I'm pleased with the quality of the plastic.. It's sturdy, vibrant and has deep channels which usually not present with TT Hongli brand.. It's also glossier which is a plus if your not into painting kits.. Just a couple of linings here and there and the kit is good to go..

As usual, the stickers sucks.. Not because it doesn't stick, but it fades when you put pressure when sticking it.. If you have time with you, I suggest painting the areas that needed to be painted, otherwise be extra careful when applying to avoid rubbing off the detail..

Front without Linings and Stickers

 Front without Linings and Stickers

Back without Linings and Stickers

The kit is already looking impressive just by itself without linings or stickers.. And unlike the previous Zakus on where they look barbarish (maybe because of the spikes on their shoulders :p), this version looks more like a natural mechanical soldier from WW2..

And the Head!! Love how they designed the head.. It gives you this Military-ish vibe that resembles the helmet used  on WW2.. Digging it!!

 Commander Crest

 Commander Helmet

You're left with an extra "Commander Helmet", "Commander Crest" and 11 polycaps after building it..  Did I mention 11PC?! 

 With Linings and Stickers (front)

  With Linings and Stickers (Side)

  With Weapons

 With Weapons

 Accessories Mounted

Accessories Mounted

Weapons and Accessories

POSEABILITY:

Since the kit is kinda bulky in some areas, dynamic posses are limited.............. And that's perfectly Fine!!

Basic walking, kneeling and "Getting-Shot" pose are the posses that makes this kit shines.. 

It's just a let down that the hip are still on Balljoints.. Oh well...

Gears Zulu:    Uh oh........

Conclusion:

This is a great kit which I didn't expect.. My simple curiosity leads to satisfaction and enjoyment which is always a winner specially for the price I paid for it (about $4)..

Solid construction with no loose pegs or falling parts makes this a great substitute to Bandai..It's close to impossible to differentiate it from the original except from the glossy plastic.. Daban is getting better and better each time they releases a kit (Unlike the Daban MG Ex S Gundam I built).. I'm still not sure if i'll be getting the Stark Jegan 1/144 scale though.. Who knows.. hehehe

HG 1/144 RX-78 2 Ver. G30th Review (Bandai)


From the latest Lead Gundam I reviewed before,  now we're looking at the mecha that started the whole franchise of real robot thing..  The HG RX 78-2 Gundam!

PACKAGE:

And since I'm so excited to build this, I forgot to take a picture of the runners on their plastic bags.. Anyway, the kit comes with 3 runners composing of A, B and C parts, a polycap, foil stickers, metal chain (Sweet!) and a manual.

Manual

Runner A

Runner B

Runner C

*Remember when I said I'm excited to build this, well you can see that I already build some of it before taking a picture.. LOL! :p *

Polycap, Foil Sticker and Metal Chain.

The quality of the plastic and grooves on the panel lines are Great!! Just as expected from a Bandai Kit.. :)  

THE KIT:

Without lining and stickers - the kit looks plain, bland and boring..

And here with it's weapons and accessories.

After putting the eyes/neck stickers and lining the grooves.. The kit dramatically changes from uber boring robot into a "Real Gradish" mecha.. I don't usually like kits with many panel linings, as it makes the kit looks busy, but the amount of lining grooves really compliments the blandness of it..

POSEABILITY:

This kit offers above average posseability, capable of doing some dynamic poses but not much compared to HG 00 Gundam and HG Age-1 Normal.. One culprit for this is the single jointed knees which limits the range of crouching and kicking posses.. *See picture Below*

Despite the little issue on the posseability area, it's still capable executing kneeling posses that the MG Ground Gundam can only dream of.. 

Conclusion:

Despite the little nit pick I have on the kit.. This is one kit you should go and pick up for your self.. The panel lining is great on this kit, and with the right tool and a bit of effort, you can make this stand out and look "Real-Gradish".. :)