So what does a Ver Ka kit look like straight out of the box? Let’s take a look:
I count 15 runners, which is exactly the number as the Master Grade F91. Granted, they’re all different shapes and sizes, but I think we can say that, in general, Ver Ka’s aren’t necessarily going to have more parts than any other MG.
A Note Before We Begin
I’m not going to finish this build. At least, not right now.
What I mean is that for now, I’m going to do an out of the box build, without any of the waterslide decals, and without any topcoat. The reason for this is so that I don’t damage the decals (or the finish) while transforming it into Waverider mode.
One day in the future I’ll go back and put the finishing touches on it, though I’m not exactly sure when. I feel like I have to be in just the right mindset to deal with as many waterslides as this thing comes with.
With that said, on to the build …
A Second Note Before We Begin
I had a lot of fun with this build. So much fun, in fact, that I didn’t take a lot of Work In Progress photos. There’s going to be a lot of places where I’m just going to have to describe things without being able to show you the inner workings.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the kit is surprisingly sturdy once assembled. Normally I’d take it apart to photograph each of the individual body parts, but I tried that, and some of them are so securely fastened that I’m afraid to apply too much pressure, lest something break. In most cases you’re going to have to wait until the photoshoot see what everything looks like.
It’s not the first time this has happened, and probably won’t be the last. My bad on that.
Beam Rifle
The key takeaway here is that the entire thing is parts separated, even the yellow bits:
Granted, I added a little bit of extra color, but because I wanted it, not because it needed it:
Shield
Once again, everything on here is color separated, without the use of any decals:
On both the shield and the rifle, the yellow bits really tie everything together:
On the Real Grade kit, these are replaced with gold decals, and not only do I think the gold looks worse than yellow, but the stickers just look so much worse than plastic.
Head
The kit has a clear part for the eyes, even though they’re going to be covered up by stickers:
I mean, I guess that’s nice in case you wanted to paint them instead.
Can I just gush about this for a second? Everything here is color separated:
- The grey bits behind the Vulcan Cannons
- The chrome plated Vulcan Cannons themselves
- They grey stripe down the red section of the V-Fin
And then there’s the look of it. It’s just perfect. It’s not too wide, but it’s also not too squished. It’s lean and mean and dagger-like just the like the Zeta is supposed to be.
Chest
The chest looks gorgeous, but it’s also really floppy. It’s got multiple hinges, both for the chest and the cockpit, and they tend to move around a lot when you’re fiddling with it.
It is, of course, also largely hollow so as to accommodate the head.
My only work in progress photo is this one that shows how the cockpit looks:
No, I didn’t paint it to look like Roux Louka’s custom pilot suit, since no one’s really going to see it. But the main thing I noticed is that it’s really cramped in there. There’s supposed to be a full, 360 degree cockpit in the Zeta, but I’m not sure where you’d fit that into this space.
I know, I know - it probably works differently in-universe. Just let me nerd out for a minute.
In terms of the build and the details, there’s a lot of cool things going on here. We’ve got more chrome plated bits like on the head. Also, there’s a seam down the sides of the chest that would normally need to be panel lined, but on here it’s made out of a thick stirp of grey plastic.
The only thing that’s unceremonious is the backside. There’s nothing really there, on account of the fact that it’s going to be covered up by the backpack.
Backpack
Speaking of which …
There are so many slidy bits inside each wing. It’s intricate without being overly complex. And again, it looks like a dream.
Lower Torso
Here’s a blast from the past - a photo of the broken hip joint on the Real Grade Zeta:
And here is the equivalent on the Ver. Ka:
It’s basically the same mechanism, but because of the scale of this model, the parts themselves are so much thicker and sturdier. I’m not saying this won’t break, but I think the chances are a lot lower.
In terms of details and gimmicks and stuff, again, there’s a lot going on here. We’ve got more metallic bits peaking out from under the armor, and all the thrusters in the rear skirt armor are made out of color separated red plastic.
And then there are the side skirts. These are already super thin, but they still manage to open up to reveal the Zeta’s Beam Sabers. Every little mechanical detail on this MS is recreated so perfectly.
Feet
The level of detail on the inner frame of this kit is astounding. The feet are a great example:
Once it’s fully assembled, the amount of (color separated) detail on the bottoms of the feet is impressive:
Legs
This is just a sample of some of the components that make up the legs:
And here’s another shot of some of it coming together:
Again, the detail on the inner frame, the amount of slidey bits and hinges (even moreso than a typical Master Grade) … it’s amazing just how much they managed to cram in to this relatively small space.
Also, for a bit of contrast, here’s a similar cross section photo of the Real Grade model:
It’s not nearly as impressive, which is not something I usually say about Real Grades!
Arms
I did not take a single photo of the arms. Or the shoulders. At all.
Thankfully, I was able to very carefully pry one off of the finished model, because I really wanted to show it off. Most Gundams have fairly plain, boring arms, but not the Zeta. There is so much color and detail, and it’s all lovingly recreated here:
There are no stickers and no paint anywhere on this exterior. It’s just glorious, color separated plastic.
However, there is some paint on the inside. Sadly, the only thing on this kit that isn’t color accurate are the grenades in the grenade launcher, which I had to paint red:
Hands
The hands are kind of like fancier versions of High Grade hands. They’re mostly rigid, with exception of an articulated thumb on some of the hands. But in order to save on parts, you basically get a small selection of base hands into which you can plug in different finger parts:
It works pretty well. They’re much less flimsy than the sandwich style holding hands found on High Grades, but they also provide the same level of rigidity and stability.
But what really matters here is the size and shape. Just look at that chonk:
They’re so big and meaty, even by Master Grade standards.
Finished
Despite the interior complexity of this model, it was an absolute dream to build. It turns out that not having to paint, or remove seamlines, or do any of that other detailing work is a nice change of pace. It makes for a smooth building experience that takes a lot less time than you might imagine to finish. If this is how other Ver. Ka’s come together, then sign me up.
I can’t wait to show you the final result in the next post. If all goes well I’ll be able to finally show you a transformed Zeta.