Skirt Armor
The skirt armor is more complex than in past builds, on account of there being seven pieces instead of five. I like how the beam sabers can be stored in the side skirt armor pieces.
Stabilizer/Armor Unit / Wings / Whatever
The manual calls it a Stabilizer/Armor Unit. When the Zeta is in Wave Rider mode, it functions as its wings. In mobile suit mode, it straps to the back and does … something. Maybe it still helps to stabilize? Or maybe the Zeta’s back is super sensitive and needs protection?
In any case, this unit is more complex than I anticipated. It gets constructed as three pieces, and the two wings consist of multiple layers. There are decals to place on both sides, since the wings flip over when the kit is in Wave Rider mode. I put them on, even though they’ll never be shown.
Clearcoat Redux
I went back to holding each piece with tweezers and spraying it down. The results were drastically improved, so much so that I added a fresh coat to some finished pieces to improve their look. I guess my original approach was good enough in the first place, so long as I have enough time to let everything dry. I think that was the real problem I had with past builds - I sprayed a piece from top to bottom, laying one side down while it was still wet. Once again, my results are dependent on the amount of patience I have.
Beam Rifle Redux
I scraped as much of the gunky paint as I could from the Beam Rifle, and re-sprayed. It isn’t perfect, but it looks much better.
Assembly
Putting all the pieces together was a pain. The instruction manual just isn’t able to properly convey how the pieces should be positioned and where they should lock into place. And you need to do it properly, otherwise the Zeta won’t look like a cohesive and seamless mobile suit. I’m not 100% sure if I got it exactly right.
There is some yellow lining right underneath the head, and all of the photos of the finished kit suggest that it should be higher up than it is on mine. There also seems to be nothing you can do to make the side skirt armor appear flush with the body, which I assume is a tradeoff made in order to accommodate the transformation feature. Speaking of which…
Transformation Feature
The manual devotes three and a half pages to explaining how to transform the Zeta Gundam into Wave Rider mode. The steps are hard to understand, and some of them appear to involve some intense contortions. Even if my model could still transform, I’m starting to think I wouldn’t bother. It looks way too easy to break something, possibly in ways which would be even worse than the damage I’ve already dealt with.
Beam Sabers
None of my kits are holding a beam saber, and since the Zeta’s Beam Rifle still looks kinda janky, it was the perfect choice to be the first. Turns out that it is very difficult to lock a beam saber handle into the palm of these RG kits. That’s because the hole in the palm is at an angle, in order to accommodate the angled locking peg on the rifle’s handle. The saber handle will still go in, but it will fall out if even slightly disturbed.
On a related note, the kit comes with two extra beam saber blades, which stick on the barrel of the Beam Rifle. These blades are shorter than the regular ones, but unfortunately the attachment points are narrower, so I can’t use them on the beam sabers proper.
Wobbly
As discussed, the Zeta’s joints are much more fragile and sensitive than on other kits. That means they tend to get loose a lot faster. The waist in particular has been extremely wobbly, causing the Zeta’s upper half to often tilt to the side. The left leg also wobbled some, though surprisingly it is in an area that wasn’t affected by the broken hinges.
The Finished Product
I have to admit it - once it is fully assembled, the Zeta Gundam does look pretty cool. Cooler than I remember it being, by a long shot. One thing this build helped me recognize is just how much the Zeta inverts the “traditional” design of both the Original Gundam and the Mark II.
For example, in areas where those mobile suits tend to be wide (shield, shoulder armor, feet), the Zeta’s equivalents are longer are narrow. And while its predecessors have legs of fairly even length, the Zeta’s are incredibly wide at the bottom, and taper off as they go up. It still feels like a part of the family, but the Zeta has a more streamlined look that makes it appear powerful in a different way. It seems fast and aggressive, as opposed to the Mk. II, which looks tough by being sturdy and showing off its firepower).
Conclusion
After the last build, I said I wasn’t sure what I would work on next, and that I might take a break. That was because I a) forgot about the Zeta, and b) forgot that I was going on vacation at a place that would have it for sale. Now that it’s done, I’m really out of options. I might be interested in building one of the two kits from 0083: Startdust Memory, but I haven’t seen that particular show, so mobile suits have carry no emotional weight for me. Maybe the Gundam Exia? Nah, I didn’t like Gundam 00 that much.
In all honesty, I think a long break would do me good. These kits are fun to build, but they have a tendency to dominate my free time and my thoughts more than I’d like. If I take some time off until something comes out that I really care about, perhaps I will find myself in a situation in which I can better accomodate this hobby.