Although the decals and clear stickers given are quite rich, I only apply them to two spots: the right shoulder shield and the backpack. Since I'll be playing around with the model a lot after completion, decals on the body and weapons might be scratched off accidentally.
Details of Zaku II's inner frame. The elbow and knee are designed so that they move together with the forearms and legs respectively, which is very human-like and fun to play with. There are many parts in the whole kit which can be enhanced by painting them in silver. I usually take many photos of the assembly process, since I normally do not bother about the inner frame afterward when the parts are being clad in armor.
All the armaments for Zaku II. As compared with Ver. 1.0, the weapons are larger in size, and of course with much more details as well. The machine gun and the Heat Hawk can be attached to both left and right hand of the model to firm action. The bazooka however, seems to be designed exclusively for the right hand.
I took the liberty of painting the missiles in red to make them stand out from their containers. The mount racks to the legs are a bit troublesome, since they get detached easily. They are also quite delicate, so make sure you don't break them.
The Heat Hawk is my favorite weapon of all, since the flexibility of the model makes it absolutely stylish in showing off that weapon.
See how it can kneel naturally in Pic 3? I can't imagine how a fat pig :) like Zaku II can do that mechanically in real life.
Action poses with the action display stand. My favorite photo is the last one (just above this caption): Zaku II reaching for his Heat Hawk, with no problem at all!
Verdict: A must have for all Gunpla fans, even if you do not fancy the mono-eye mecha series. None of the MG Gundam-type model can give you the size and flexibility at the same time as this Zaku II. For a 3,500 Yen (about RM 123) kit, it's definitely worth every cent you paid for.
View all the photos in this Gunpla's gallery.
