Built, panel lined, decaled, weathered and topcoated.
Well this was certainly one way to start off the new year. After I got my dad the Zaku II Solari for Christmas, because I totally expected him to get me the EX (I got the Stormbringer PH instead), he eventually got me the EX like a week later, and must I say am I very impressed with this kit, especially how it manages to be cheaper than most HG kits that came in 2024, and somehow be the best in my opinion. When the design was first revealed, it was quite polarizing due to its outlandish look and somewhat derpy face, but it was a real shocker that it was being released as an HG for how busy it looked. But if you set aside your opinions on its looks, this kit is absolutely phenomenal for an HG.
First, the build is surprisingly layered. You can build an inner frame that most HGs and non-MG 1/100s lack as well as having crazy part separation for the two tones of off-white. It’s already highly detailed with all the frame poking through and just the surface detail glaring at you, looking at you to panel line for them to really pop. Everything looks so mechanical and industrial looking, it’s essentially like a downgraded RG like how the Full Mechanics line is to MGs, but like what I just said, this got more of a full inner frame. The articulation is really good, well, there are some really good joints, and a few annoyances. The shoulder pop offs come out well, the knees and elbows are double jointed, and the hips utilize crank handle joints that really allow a lot of movement despite the design being so simple, and it makes me wonder why they don’t do it often in Gunpla kits. The pitfalls however are the arm to shoulder joints—they basically don’t exist, and I think it’s a missed opportunity for the feet to have a toe bend as it could help with kneeling poses a lot. The head also just doesn’t have much movement, but at least the minigun and the beam saber holster has good range.
Really where the meat of the build was at was the panel lining—oh my god there is so much surface detail, I basically did not paint the kit and treated it as an RG, which we haven’t painted a single one… ever. The only place I did paint was using a gold marker to replace the yellow, that’s it. Anyway, I finally used a Gray Gundam marker for the first time, and I can now understand what everybody’s talking about, it makes so much more sense to put gray than black on white parts. It’s more subtle and realistic and yeah I have no idea why I used a pen to do this kit, but I enjoy using them rather than pour types. Easier to clean up, less likely for the plastic to crack, but I definitely went my way making the panel lining look not as clean as… I was going to weather the kit anyway. With a pen, it took me 5 straight days to do the lining, which is about as long as I do with RG kits.
The kit comes with sticker decals, and they’re great. They’re cut out like how RG sticker decals are cut, but because the kit is predominantly light gray, you barely see the outlines. I then weathered the kit using Tamiya Weathering Master C, utilizing a lot of Gun Metal and Orange Rust, and I really liked how it ended up. I probably used a bit too much rust than I would’ve liked, but it’s one dirty Gundam, which I always imagined it looked like (I haven’t seen RFV). Of course, I coated ‘er up with a flat topcoat, and it was time for posing.
Yes, it’s one hell of a poser. It comes with a limited amount of accessories, but what it does come with can do a lot. The shield is all blocky and fits with the main design well, I love the beam sabers stored in the back, and my god the minigun backpack is flipping amazing, even if its articulation is limited. The gun is where it kinda lacks, but that’s more of the fact the arm-to-shoulder joint is basically non existent. With everything in place, it can just pull a lot of cool poses, and even after handling it for so long, it is very stable. It has insane balance that’s probably helped by its toe extrusion, and overall, I just love its ominous aesthetic. It has wack proportions, but it works surprisingly well.
And that’s about it. My dad is bugging me to do his Zaku II Solari because he was super impressed by my EX, but damn, it was a lengthy process to get here. For the ballpark of $20, the EX is freakin’ great, and you can probably do more if you painted it, airbrushed or by hand. This was a blast. Thanks for reading if you made it to the end, and I’ll see you later!
