Gunpla Build: High Grade Zaku II F2 (Federation Colors)

For the first 7 years as a Gunpla builder, I had one - and only one - Zaku II. Fast forward 3 more years, and I have … three Zaku II’s (and one Zaku I).

Let’s make it an even four:

Here we have the Zaku II F2 from the Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory OVA, and it is one of my favorite variants of this classic mobile suit.

About the Zaku 2 F2

The Zaku II F2 is an upgraded version of the original MS-06 Zaku II. It’s lighter, it has better armor (particularly in the chest), and a more powerful reactor. It is, allegedly, on par with the GM, (though I think the GM’s use of beam weapons and beam sabers probably gave it the overall edge in combat).

In terms of the body design, the F2 isn’t noticeably different. The chest is a bit bulkier on account of the extra armor, and the skirt armor is different, but the rest is largely the same¹.

It’s a different story when it comes to color placement. The classic Zaku II is really, really green, and the F2 dials this back a bit. The tops of the feet are black, its power/coolant cables are grey, and its joints are grey (though ironically, the knee armor is green, when it isn’t on the original Zaku).

In my opinion, this little bit of extra color goes a long way. It breaks up the Zaku’s mostly monochrome look, and dareisay it gives it a slightly more militaristic feel.

But that’s not quite the mobile suit we’re looking at today. No, today we are looking at a version of the Zaku that’s been captured by the Earth Federation. In the Stardust Memory OVA, a group of these mobile suits is used by test pilots at the Torrington Base in Australia (mainly as targets for prototype EFSF mobile suits to hunt down during wargames).

And wouldn’t you know it, but the Feddies made some more color changes that make it look even better.

However, there is one big caveat to this claim - there is a difference between the color of this variant as it is portrayed in the OVA, as it is portrayed in the packaging of this model kit, and how it exists in my head. They are all basically the same thing, but the differences do matter.

About the Feddie Colors

Generally speaking, the Feddie version of the Zaku II F2 is depicted as being an extremely light tan hue, alongside some combination of darker colors. The other constant is that unlike the standard, green Zaku II F2, the entire chest here is colored dark.

And it is these “darker colors” where the depictions differ.

Take a look at this illustration:

This implies that the mobile suit primarily uses navy blue for its darker sections, with a bit of dark grey in the center of the chest.

But then look at the illustration on the box:

This makes it look like the darker armor is colored uniformly in either black, or a very dark shade of grey.

Now look at the photo on the cover of the instructions:

This looks like a combination of two different shades of grey.

But what does the OVA itself - arguably the definitive rendition of the Zaku - have to say? As it turns out, it tells yet another story. I took some still images off the DVD as evidence:

In these and other shots, the outer layer of chest armor is clearly navy blue, while the rest of the dark armor is one of several tones of grey (some lighter than others).

Lastly, there is the depiction in my own head, in which the Feddie Zaku is tan and black, and that’s it.

All of which is to say that I have to figure out exactly what coloring I want on my finished model. I guess I have to see what color the parts are, and then I can determine how I want to (re)color them.

For now, I’ll say this - all of these color schemes look good, because they all follow the same basic principle. The (extremely) light tan is a wonderful tone. It reminds me of the color of fine sand in direct sunlight, which is exactly what you’d expect to find in the wastelands around Torrington.

Furthermore, it is a color that contrasts wonderfully against black/navy/dark grey/whatever dark color you choose. It reminds me of how intense light can also result in intense shadows, like this:

Taken as a whole, the general color palette of this MS is like having the desert painted onto a mobile suit, and that’s what makes it so good.

Well, that, and the fact that this particular tone of tan is so perfect. Any darker and it would look too much like a Desert Zaku, or the Zaku I Sniper. Also, the fact that the entire chest is dark. I don’t think it would work well with the green paint job, but it’s necessary here to enhance the sense of contrast.

The Monoeye

The Federation also seemingly changed the color of the monoeye to a deep red, which is another brilliant choice. It provides another great sense of color contrast, making the monoeye look like a burning orb floating in an inky black void (and the red also pairs pretty well with tan).

So yeah, this is one of my favorite looking Zaku’s of all time. It’s an all-time great color palette with near perfect color placement. I’m so excited to get working on it.

About the Model Kit

This Zaku has a unique set of accessories. In addition to the standard Heat Hawk and drum-barrel machine gun, it also comes with the new-model machine gun used by the Zaku II Kai, which I don’t yet have in my collection.

Rounding out its arsenal are a pair of hip mounted grenades, and a pair of leg mounted missile launchers (which it has in lieu of the standard Zaku bazooka). It’s a hefty loadout, with some stuff we don’t normally see included in Zaku model kits.

Other Thoughts

• While this is a cool looking Zaku, unfortunately it does not fare well in combat. Stardust Memory takes place in 0083, three years after the end of the One Year War. By that time, it was extremely outclassed by the Federation’s new prototypes, and even compared to Zeon’s models from late in the OYW (we know this because one of them gets trounced by a Dom Tropen very early on in the story).
• I realize that this is the second year in a row in which I am building a tan colored Zaku in January. This is entirely coincidental.
• I’m really hoping for a good build this time. I’m still feeling a bit of a hangover from the Nu Gundam, and my previous Star Wars-themed build was so bad it almost caused me to take a sabbatical from model kits. The only thing that convinced me otherwise is that I have a massive backlog, and my New Year’s Resolution is to make a significant dent in it in the opening months of 2022. I can only do that if some of these builds are both simple and enjoyable, and I’m hoping that this kit will get me started on the right foot.