In the intro to my last post, I relayed the story of how I ruined a model kit - specifically, a High Grade Zaku I - back in the summer of 2017. However, that wa only half of the story. That Zaku was one of two models I purchased that summer. I almost ruined the second one too, but I managed to salvage it to the best of my ability. It still stands on my shelf to this day, though I never wrote a build post for it. Seeing as how I’ve spent so much time revisiting old builds lately, I figured it was about time to cover this “lost” model, warts and all. Let’s roll back the clock and look at the High Grade, Rambal Ral Custom Bugu.
About the Mobile Suit
The Bugu is one of several prototype Zeon mobile suits built in the lead up to the One Year War. Zeon’s first true MS prototype, the Waff, proved that mobile suit technology was viable, but the unit wasn’t quite capable enough to be combat worthy. However, using the test data collected from the Waff, Zeon engineers were able to design a newer, better prototype, one that had the speed and maneuverability needed to survive in battle. The Bugu is that second prototype.
Unfortunately, the Bugu was designed for performance first and foremost, which meant it was expensive to build and maintain. This was in contrast with their other prototype, the Zaku I, which was less performant but cheaper and easier to build. The Principality of Zeon ultimately chose to mass produce the Zaku I, and the Bugu became a footnote in history.
This means that the Bugu was, arguably, the most powerful Zeon MS design until the creation of the Zaku II. Those are some sweet bragging rights for a fairly obscure MS.
About the Design
First off, there are two variants of the Bugu. The original prototype design is painted orange, and looks like this:
Then there is Ramba Ral’s custom unit, which is painted in Ral’s signature blue color scheme, and has a “comannder-type” antenna on its head:
Functionally, they are the same (I think).
P-Bandai Strikes Again
Sure enough, Bandai made model kits of both versions of the Bugu, but the original, non-Ramba Ral version is exclusive to Premium Bandai:
This isn't too big a deal, as the blue one looks better, but still. How many variations of the Zakus did they make for the _Gundam: The Origin_ line? They couldn't have given us two Bugus?
In my opinion, you can trace a line from the mobile worker, to the Waff, to the Zaku I, and finally to the Zaku II. There is a definite evolutionary progression from one mecha to the next.
But where does the Bugu fit in? While it is similar to these designs, it is also distinct in its own way. It’s legs are much more square and boxy, and its chest armor more thick and bulky. It feels like its own evolutionary offshoot - one that ultimately became an evolutionary dead end. The only thing about its design that carried forward is its placement of its power coils outside of the armor, which we would continue to see on the Zaku II.
Personally, while I like the design of the Zakus, I also appreciate the Bugu’s alternative style. As boxy as it may be, it manages to still feel distinctly Zeon, rather than resemble the (even boxier) designs of the Earth Federation. It has a hefty, more tactical, “ready for combat” appearance, and I wonder what Zeon’s mobile suit lineup would look like if the Bugu was used as the basis for other designs.
Bugu vs Gouf
I know what you might be thinking - is the Bugu actually the predecessor to the Gouf? The answer to that question depends on which version of the Gouf you're talking about. Compared to the original 1979 version, I'd say the comparison doesn't hold water:
Aside from the color scheme, there isn't much they have in common. This Gouf feels more like an evolution of the Zaku. However, as part of the Mobile Suit Discovery concept series made to coincide with Gundam: The Origin, Sunrise commissioned a new, Origin-ified version of the Gouf:
This version definitely looks more like the Bugu, which was no doubt intentional on the part of the designers. So I would say that this lineage makes sense in The Origin's alternate telling of the One Year War, but doesn't make sense in the canonical story.
About the Build
There are only two things I distinctly remember about this build. The first is that this was the first time I tried to paint a model in such a way as to deviate from its “base” look. Specifically, I painted all the power coils black. I also painted the outer trim of the shield black. I felt that the model might benefit from this additional color separation, and I still think it was the right choice.
The second thing I remember is, of course, that I almost ruined this kit in the same way that I ruined the Zaku I. The difference with the Bugu is that the thick, goopy, frosty topcoat did not cover the entire body, but rather was localized to a few select areas (namely the shoulders and torso). That made it easier to scrape off some of the goopiest layers, and once the weather conditions improved, I was able to go back out and apply one last, good layer of topcoat. Once it dried, I decided it looked acceptable. Not good, but good enough to keep around.
Without further ado, here is my salvaged High Grade Bugu:
The Finished Model
Regardless of my mistakes, the Bugu is quite a looker. It has an impressive amount of detail for a High Grade, and something about it just feels hefty and bulky and lumbering.
Nevertheless, those mistakes are ever present. You can see them particularly from the rear:
Just look at that left shoulder. You can see where the spray paint began to dissolve the plastic. I consider it a miracle that it doesn’t look even more discolored.
But hey, if discoloration is what you want, it is in ample supply. Take a look at the right shoulder:
It may look fine in isolation, but compare it to the color of the body, and you will immediately recognize that it isn’t quite right.
You can see the same discoloration on the skirt armor:
There are other places too, but you get the idea.
There’s one more significant bit of damage to note - I broke or otherwise destroyed a piece of armor that goes along the left arm:
This looks worse than it is. The shield actually helps keep the hand in place, so this doesn’t actually affect the stability of the arm (and if you position the shield properly, you can’t even see that the piece is missing).
This model is the epitome of the phrase “looks good from a distance”. When I first took it off the shelf, I was actually impressed at how much better it looked than I remembered. But once I got in close to take these photos, the flaws made their presence known immediately. Once you see them, there is no mistaking them.
Accessories
In terms of accessories, the Bugu comes with the bare minimum. You get a very primitive machine gun, which looks suspiciously like the Machine Gun from the Gundam Local Type:
It also comes with a shield, of course, though one that looks more like a real life riot shield than anything we’d typically see in Gundam:
You also get a Heat Hawk. Well, technically you get two Heat Hawks. One “inactive” one that you can holster on the hip:
As well as an active one that you can use for action poses:
In all fairness to this loadout, this is supposed to be a very early mobile suit prototype, so you’d expect that weapon design would be just as early and primitive. Still, I would have liked it if they included a rocket launcher or something.
Articulation
While this is a fairly modern High Grade kit, the Bugu doesn’t feel particularly articulate. I attribute this to the fact its function follows its form. This is a primitive design. It isn’t supposed to be fast or flexible relative to the later designs most of us are used to, and it feels like this model was designed to reflect that nature.
I am okay with this. This is one of those mobile suits that looks perfectly menacing in a simple standing pose. Anything more is just icing on the cake:
I also find that it pulls off simple poses with ease, in the sense that it doesn’t look terribly awkward pulling them off:
Some models cannot make these kinds of moves work unless the arms or the legs or whatever are in just the right position, or at the right angle. The Bugu just nails them with minimal fuss:
That isn’t necessarily something to brag about, but for a kit this basic, a little goes a long way.
Conclusion
While I would have liked to have not ruined any model kits, I am glad that it was the Zaku, rather than the Bugu, that went in the trash. I have other Zakus on my shelf, but nothing else looks quite like this guy here.
It is a little weird, and a little broken, and a little warped, but it has a lot of heart and charm.
Other Thoughts
- This model has the gimmick where the monoeye moves when you turn the head, but it doesn’t work well. The eye doesn’t always come re-center when you center the head. To this date, my Real Grade Zaku II is my only model where this gimmick works as expected.
- The Heat Hawk doesn’t fit very snuggly in the hand. It has no tab or notch that locks into any of the holding hands. You just have to stick it in there and hope it stays put.
- I love how small the backpack is on the Bugu. It really gives it that “we still don’t really know what we are doing” vibe.