GBT#12-RX-79[G]Ez-8 Gundam Ez8

Some Gundams are remembered for their designs.  Others are remembered for their awesome feats on the battlefield.  The Ez8 is remembered for both.  Not only is this a unique and more militaristic model but it’s also part of one of the greatest battles in the entire Gundam franchise.  In fact, all of the mecha in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team feel the most “real robot” in a franchise that birthed the term for Mecha Anime.  Well, it doesn’t get more real than the Ez8 and it’s been one of my favorites since I first saw 08^th MS Team.  And when it came to building it, yeah, it lives up to its unique nature and design nicely.  It’s not perfect…but then again that’s kind of part of the point.  I’ll get to that when I talk about the build itself.

 
Suit History

With the unprecedented success of the RX-78-2 Gundam during the later months of the One Year War, the Earth Federation quickly began churning out various Mobile Suits to push back against the Zeon offensive on all fronts.  In Southeast Asia, the Kojima Battalion was assigned various ground based Mobile Suits for Jungle and Urban combat.  Among these suits were special Ground based versions of the Gundam.  However, unlike their parent Mobile Suit, these Gundams were scrounged together from spare parts from the original Gundam Project, making repairs at times difficult.  When the Kojima Battalion 08^th MS Team was deployed behind enemy lines to locate a Zeon Base housing a powerful Mobile Armor, the Apsaras, team leader Shiro Amada was assigned the Ez8, a Command Unit redesigned and rebuilt from the Gundam unit he lost in the Himilayas.  While its time in the field was short, the Ez8 in Shiro’s hands proved to be a powerful and deadly unit, even allowing Shiro to go toe to toe with a Zeon Ace, Norris Packard.  During the final battle with the Apsaras, a heavily damaged Ez8, piloted by Shiro and his Zeon love, Aina Sachalin, managed to destroy the Mobile Armor but the suit itself was destroyed by a parting shot from its mega particle cannon.  Thankfully, which the Ez8 was lost, Shiro and Aina survived the end of the One Year War.

 
Build Experience

As noted in the Suit History, the Ez8 is basically made up of left over parts from the original RX-78 Gundam Project that gave birth to the OG RX-78-2 Gundam.  It literally is the end result of a Build Your Own Gundam.  So it caught my eye when putting together the legs how different the joints looked compared to others I’d worked on.  There’s a bit of a common standard I’ve come to notice among certain area of a Gunpla, from what PC connectors are used for joint assembly to how said joints are applied to create full limbs.  None of those common elements popped in with either the legs or arms for that matter.  It adds a layer of customizability to the overall Gunpla, making it feel as special as the actual Ez8.  One thing I noticed early on was how loose the fists are.  At first, I thought of this as a criticism.  But now that I think about it, it’s kind of art imitating art, er the Anime I mean.  The Ez8 was probably cobbled together in a hurry and it’s a miracle it surpasses all expectations in battle.  So yeah, it would make sense that if it was rushed off the assembly line some parts might be a little wonky. 

Decals wise, we’ve got more customizable numbered decals in addition to the standard ones for eyes, head monitors and scopes on the weapons.  I only applied the two most associated with the Ez8 on the chest and shield and, yeah, unlike the tinier ones, it’s hard to center these decals and get them just right.  They came out ok but I know I can do better in the future with other Gunpla with these special decals (it looks far better than the disaster job I did with the Jegan from Char’s Counterattack).  Also of note, the backpack.  The Ez8 doesn’t come with the refrigerator sized container that can carry all of its weaponry.  Instead it has a parachute pack that it descends with when Shiro and his team are dropped behind enemy lines.  It can be attached and detached from the back rack easily and, for added realism, there’s a special rope that runs through it.  So if you ever wanted to recreate that scene were Shiro has the Ez8 racing through the sky while falling with the wires flapping as it does, it’s possible (I’m not going that far but maybe if I get bored one day I’ll give it a shot).

Conclusion/Rating

The Ez8 is a personal fav and the HG Gunpla can out just fine.  The loose limbs add realism to its patchwork origins and there’s further uniqueness in it’s internal parts, special attachments, decals and weaponry to help it stand out among the crowd.  While the design of the Turn A Gundam caused controversy among the fandom, it has gone on to become one of the most liked Gundams ever.  I say that because the Ez8 isnt exactly the most Gundam looking of Gundams but it is still one of the coolest and most bad ass and the Gunpla reflects that perfectly.
 
8.5/10 

Next Week, on the Season Finale of Gunpla Builder Thursday…I’m still debating which Gunpla I’ll take a look at but I have a pretty good idea of who gets the special spot.  After all, I opened this Series with a non Gundam Gunpla…maybe I’ll end the First Season with a nice bookend.  Find out Next Thursday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.