Let me begin this post with a rant.
The best and worst thing about the Gundam: The Origin line of model kits is its abundance of Zaku prototypes and variants. On one hand, I love that the Origin OVA basically forced Bandai to make kits out of mobile suits such as the Waff, the Bugu, and the Zaku I. I also love how you can get so many of these kits in different colors, such as in either standard green:
Char Aznable red:
Or the black/purple scheme of the Black Tri-Stars.
In the past, these kinds of mobile suits were either too obscure or too specific to see frequent release, but in the Origin OVA’s they are, in some cases, the only suits to show up during a given episode, so Bandai had no choice but to make new models out of them.
On the other hand, I assert that there are too many Zaku variants in the HGGO line, and figuring out the differences between them is easier said than done. Say you want a model of Char’s Zaku II. Do you get this one?
Or this one?
Or say you want a standard green Zaku II. Do you get this?
Or this?
What’s the difference between this guy?
And this other fella?
In some cases, the differences between these variants are extremely minor. Maybe they make a change to one or two pieces, or they add some new weapons or decals. Maybe they add more or less extra parts for customization. In some cases, there is one kit that is very clearly the best version for a given model of mobile suit, on account of it having the must stuff in the box. In other cases, you have one kit with features A, B, and C, and another kit with features B, C, and D, thus forcing you to either choose between which set of exclusive features you prize more, or to double dip to get them all.
Figuring out all these differences, however, can be tricky. You either need to be able to read Japanese, pay very close attention to the promotional photos shown in product listings, or you need to hope that someone on an enthusiast website explains the differences for you. The latter two of these three options are far from a sure thing - I’ve seen retail websites use the wrong promo photos, and I’ve seen fans get things wrong.
I can’t help but assume that this is exactly the way Bandai wants things to play out. They want you to double - or even triple - dip, and they want to activate that completionist behavior that so many of us have so that we are convinced that we cannot get by without having all the variant kits. This is one of those cases where I say shame on Bandai for doing this, and shame on fans for giving them a business reason to do so at all. And if you are a fan who is interested in any of these Zeon kits, my advice is to do some research and try to find the one that best suits your needs, then stick with it. Don’t give in and buy them all.
End Rant …
Of the two kits I bought at Epcot, this is not the one I really wanted, but it is the first one I got (I came back for the other). The reasoning was simple - I do not have a plain, standard, green Zaku II in my collection, and that felt like a massive oversight. The Zaku II is arguably just as iconic as the Gundam in the minds of fans, and while I have one in Char’s colors, it doesn’t feel quite the same as a classic green grunt unit.
Now, as I discussed in my opening rant, this is one of several Zaku II variants to come out of The Origin line, and it isn’t always easy to determine the differences between them. To the best of my knowledge, here is what you need to know about this particular model kit:
- This is the Zaku II version C-6, which is different from the Zaku II version C-5 (which also has a model kit, pictured above) and the Zaku II version F (which is the one that everyone is familiar with from the original Gundam TV show).
- The main difference between this C-6 variant and the classic F variant is that the C-6 has a vulcan cannon and an extra camera embedded in the chest. The difference between the C-6 and the C-5, on the other hand, is that the C-5 doesn’t have the vulcans in the chest (though it does have the camera).
- The box technically labels this kit as a Zaku II C-6/R6. The R6 simply refers to an optional set of wrist-mounted armor pieces with built in machine guns.
- This kit has a ton of goodies. In addition to the standard Zaku loadout (Heat Hawk, bazooka, machine gun), it comes with extra missile clips, the R6 wrist armor, and an anti-ship gun that basically looks like a giant sniper rifle.
- The kit also provides decals that allow you to customize your unit to have the same numbering and markings used by some of the pilots featured in part six of the Origin OVA, including Denim and Slender.
- If this kit is anything like the Zaku I I tried (and failed) to build in 2017, then it will reuse runners from other HGGO Zakus. It is likely there will be alternative chest pieces, backpacks and more that can be used in lieu of the canonical parts you are supposed to use.
- The only unfortunate aspect of this kit’s accessories is that the machine gun is not the classic “drum clip” type traditionally used by Zaku IIs, but rather the belt fed variant featured in Char’s Zaku I. The drum-fed version is, strangely enough, found in the Zaku II C-5 kit.
- There is one more interesting customization option available to this set - you can remove some of the spikes on the left shoulder armor. It’s an … interesting look, to say the least.
I am very excited to get started on this kit, though I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of customization options available. I wonder what choices I will make in the end?