Recently I found myself wanting to do another build, but I also wanted to watch something on TV. I needed something simple that I could work on on a coffee table with a minimal amount of tools. Something where I didn’t really care how it ended up looking in the end.
And then I decided that I also wanted to try and do the build in a single night.
As it turns out, I had the perfect candidate:
This is the High Grade version of the Zaku I as seen in Gundam: The Origin OVA. Or perhaps I should say that this is one of several versions of the Zaku I as seen in Gundam: The Origin, as seemingly half of the models in the line are variations (and reprints) of different Zakus.
A Bad Purchase
I got this kit a little less than a year ago, after missing out on an opportunity to buy the original HGUC version of the Zaku I. I quickly realized that this was a bad decision, as it simply isn’t an acceptable substitute. Then I ended up finding the HGUC version anyway, and suddenly I had even less of a need for this model.
Since then, I’ve been telling myself that I ought to just crank it out and get it done with, but there was always something more interesting on the backlog. I needed a night like this one, where instead of the build being the main focus of my attention, it was instead the distraction.
History of the Mobile Suit
Gundam: The Origin messes around with the history and general timeline of mobile suit development, and the Zaku I is no exception. That being said, it isn’t too different than what we already know about it.
Here are some of the key differences between the original Zaku I and the Origin version:
- The original Zaku I came into service four years before the start of the One Year War, while in The Origin it doesn’t show up until a year prior, in UC 0078.
- The Zaku I was in competition with the Bugu to become Zeon’s first mass produced mobile suit. The Zaku won out on account of the Bugu being too expensive.
- Like all of the mobile suit redesigns in The Origin, the Zaku I has some additional surface details that make it look more modern and mechanical, but the overall shape of the MS remains the same.
- While The Origin version has the same color placement, the colors themselves are not the same. The Origin version uses a bluish grey in places where the original uses straight blue. And its green armor is much lighter.
About the Model Kit
My biggest complaint about this kit is that it looks and feels too much like my Origin version of the Zaku II.
For example, it has almost the exact same set of accessories, including the same Heat Hawk, bazooka, and anti-ship rifle. The only difference is that, for some reason, this Zaku I kit has the Zaku II’s classic 120mm, drum-fed machine gun, while the Zaku II kit comes with an older style belt-fed gun. It’s as if Bandai accidentally swapped their loadouts.
This would be disappointing on its own, but it’s made even worse in comparison to the HGUC Zaku I, which has a different - and very unique - set of accessories that I find much more fitting and much more interesting.
Furthermore, from a visual standpoint, this has mostly the same parts - and the thus the same details and panel lines - as the Origin Zaku II. I don’t like this, as I think that the Zaku I should look noticeably simpler in design.
Forgotten Kit
Whenever I get a new kit, I always immediately open it up, take a picture of the box, take a picture of the runners, and upload them into a photo album. Even if I don’t intend to build it right away, this gives me a nice starting point (it also documents when I originally bought the kit).
Which is why I was surprised to open this kit, only to find all the runners still in their original cellophane bags. It looks like I forgot to open it up, which once again proves how quickly I lost interest in this model.
Conclusion
Since this was a quick build, we’ll take a look at everything - including photos - in the next post.