Bandai Hobby Bandai #04 MS-06F Zaku II 1/144 Real Grade

This is a great straight out the box buil. Color separation is great and articulation is also good. That being said I would not recomend for bigginers. Some of the parts will have to be glue on if you want it to stay on, the frame is delicate, and the build is easy to mess up. If this is your first build buy two because you will mess it up in the build process. If you are a more experienced builder you should not have any issues with it.

I have never owned or assembled any Gundam model before so I was a bit worried about the complexity of the model before it arrived. After I got it the first thing I noticed was the quality of the parts. The pieces are made out of a strong plastic and is very detailed. So detailed infact, I did not feel any need to paint it. Assembly took about 5 - 6 hours, but that was because I was taking my time on it. Build time for a skilled builder would most likely be 3 - 4 hours. Also keep in mind that this model does NOT require glue. I have built models hat have said that before and still required some to hold certain loose fitting pieces together. This model speaks the truth when it says no glue needed. All parts fit snugly into one another. the only loose fitting pieces are most likely the ball-joints used for the limbs. But even though they are loose, they do not come apart.The model itself assembles in sections. Meaning legs first, then the waist and torso then the arms and head. Once all the limbsand such are assembled it is a simple matter of putting it all together. Once assembled completely then comes the long and tedious task of putting all the super tiny stickers on the gundam. This in itself took me an hour. But once all the stickers were on, the detail was even more impressive.Overall, this real-grade model for the price is GREAT. I would recommended it to anyone who has an interest or passion in the Universal Century story of Gundam. For more added enjoyment of the model, be sure you get an Action Base with your model in order to pose it as the model does have some problems standing up on it's own.I will be getting another one of these models ASAP. Well done Bandai. 5/5

Had some slight problems with construction, but those were probably because I can't read the Japanese instruction text. The pipes are small tubes with "beads" that look way better than the single pieces found in lower grade Zaku kits. The shoulder joints are amazing, out-doing even some for the other RG kits, and the pauldrons are on hinges so they never get in the way. You can swing out the shoulder so the Zaku can hold the bazooka with no trouble, rare among gunpla kits. The fingers can fall off a bit easily, but that's a standard problem. The only major gripes are that bazooka's waist-peg only loosely holds it, and the ax is a bit plain and boring, with only a right-hand peg in the middle of the grip.Still, the mold of the pieces and overall proportions make it look great on the shelf, and even the sticker sheet stands out for having stickers for all sorts of numbers, insignias, and ranks if you'd like to customize your unit.

I've always been more of a Tamiya/Revell car modeler, but since I moved back to the US and couldn't take my paint with me I decided to dabble in Gunpla. I assembled a couple of basic HG 1/144 models from the 00 series and figured I could challenge myself by moving up a grade.What I particularly like about this model is its very high articulation for 1/144. Especially the finger pieces, I'm able to build the Zaku to be fully left-handed. Although often times things like the "skirt" and even one of the finger pieces need to be reattached when re-posing the model because the ball joints aren't exactly snug in some places.I'm impressed with the stickers, which actually stick noticeably better compared to the paper-based ones that won't stick to my other 1/144s. I knew to expect plenty of micro-sized ones for something this small of course, so I used delicate fingerwork and an X-Acto knife to get them where they needed to stick. And because this is the grunt model I could even give it my own number thanks to a full alphanumeric decal set (because honestly, what do I know about canon Zeon numbering schemes.)But whoever had the bright idea that the leg-mounted hoses should be made of springs that don't stay on the joints should be fired. I managed to tamp them down with super glue - well, one of them. The other ended up horribly botched and I'm fortunate there's a gunpla enthusiast shop near where I live to help me rustle up a spare. They also had a LOT of spare beads on the grid, it's almost as if Bandai was planning for it.EDIT: It turned out the gunpla enthusiast shop referred me to contact the distributor whose sticker is on the box, and they were able to ship me the replacements I needed after about a month and a half wait, at only the cost of shipping.I recommend not doing this as a modeler's first Gunpla, but once you've proved your chops with a few models it'll be a beautiful addition to any collection or as part of a diorama.

The media could not be loaded. It was a fun build. Great detailing; passed on the stickers as a result. Get the fine tipped Gundam-marker for panel lining; I don’t know how I built models without it.

This is my second real-grade gunpla, and I am glad I had it. Compared to the real-grade RX 78 v2 I've got earlier, this one's quality is really good, and it's more sturdy.I totally recommend this kit for gunpla builders.

The coloring and articulation of this model is just fantastic. I built it shortly after a much larger Master Grade kit, and felt like I was really doing the same kind of build - lots of details and possible ways to position/configure it. The color matches the anime, yet the design is revised from what you would see in the original series - the best of both worlds, in my opinion. I will likely be getting more of these to practice custom paint jobs - this one was quick to set up and easy to finish. Highly recommended for anyone who's already a fan, or for first time builders.