Showing my build of the iconic Char Aznable's Zaku II Red Comet variant. One of the most memorable scene from the OG Gundam series was Char's Zaku II kicking the most advance model of the federation mobile suit piloted by Amuro Ray's RX 73-2.
Granting that Char was an Ace pilot of the Principality of Zeon and that Amuro Ray was a teenager who was piloting the most advance mobile suit that vastly outclassed the Zaku II model.
Char at this point was blowing up battleships with mobile suit. It could be liken to a single aircraft taking down a battlecruiser type ship.
This is why I have a fascination with Char's character although he was at most part the antagonist of the series.
This was my first Real Grade unit as well because it was on sale and was about the same price of what I would usually buy which is a High Grade unit. For more context a High Grade unit would cost about anywhere from P500 - P1500 ($9 -$27 USD) depending on the series while a Real Grade usually retails at around P2000 - P3000 ($36 - $55 USD). Master Grade units would be around P3500 - P5500 ($64 - $100) and the best of the bunch would be the Perfect Grade units can set you back at the lowest P10,000 ($181 USD). The price is just insane and while I like building I can't at this point buy something like a Perfect Grade.
There are Bandai brand knock offs which costs a fraction of the cost of the Bandai ones but has not yet bought those even if it does have some good reviews for some units.
One of the hallmarks of the Real Grade and up models is what they call an inner frame where it is basically the skeleton and framework of the suit and then the armor parts are tacked on.
It also had a lot of fragile and small parts.
I started with the feet and as opposed to a HG model the feet has more parts to it instead of just being a single foot part that it is usually is.
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The leg inner frame was seriously nerve wracking to move at first since you will need to twist it a certain way and pull in another direction to get it fully articulated. I made a mistake in one part and it snap off and well that was that.
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With the legs and feet done I also made the iconic tubing rings of the Zakus. Here it was made of a flexible metal rod and that you will need to thread into the runner that contains the rings. Boy was it a pain the butt to clean the numbmarks! I watched several reviews and all had the same experience of hating it.
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Up next were the chest part and the right panel could be open and shut which I guess is the cock pit and the model comes with a 1/144 size pilot Char which you could put in there but it was another thing that I didn't like because it was a bit loose and so would slide open at times.
Here we finished with the chest part and started with the backpack. I kinda like this color of red instead and I know it is not color accurate with the anime and another model does come with that shiny red color but when I think of Red Comet in my mind it needs to be red and not Salmon colored which we see in the arms and legs. Some builders like the salmon color but for me it could be better for Char to be really red.
So as mentioned the arms and legs had this almost Salmon colored pink which I think in the pictures washed out a bit that it looks almost flesh like.
Here are the legs, the other arm and the waist with its sideskirt armors.
Here it is with all the limbs done as well as the chest and waist parts finished.
Now comes the head part which really had a lot of small parts and a clear part for the visor.
The mono eye was a sticker and something that I learned in other videos of reviews had this cool gimmick that when you turn the head you could move the eye to the left or right instead in HG models wherein you will need to either remove the head to switch the eye side to side or use a toothpick or something similar to reach the switch.
I also finished the commander antenna and again with the tubes arggh!
Next stop were the weapons and it had the Zaku beam rifle, bazooka and heat hawk (basically an axe)
Here it is with all the parts now done, cleaned and ready for assembly!
But first we need to put the stickers and boy did it come with a boatload of stickers. More than fragile parts the RG comes with a huge array of stickers and was annoying to do. You had the option to not put those stickers or even order water slide decals/stickers which was easier to apply and generally look better but again would have to shell out an extra P500 ($9 USD) if you wanted water slide decals.
Here we are finally and out of the box and with just stickers on it is looking really good!
I need a better camera for these photos as I am currently just using my phone camera to do these action shots and I need to work on my technique in capturing better shots.
A come at me pose hahaha!
Overall the first RG build experience was enjoyable and it took me more time to build, clean and especially put in the stickers on the Zaku II model.
I am hoping to at least get one Perfect Grade model kit but I gotta wrap around my head to shell out at the very least P10,000 ($181 USD) which is a lot for me.
It is an expensive hobby but it is bringing me a level of joy and meditation that I just get lost at times when I am hyperfocused on the model in front of me. It helps me empty my mind of negative thoughts and the sadness that I often feel as there is joy when I finish a part and put everything all together. Also I can't help but smile when I see it all lined up.
Here is to more builds in the future and who knows I might hit the lottery or discover that I am rich heir to an unknown fortune that I can finally build a Perfect Grade hahaha oh well we can only dream.