GBT#13-MS-06S Zaku II (Char’s Zaku)

Char Aznable.  The Man.  The Myth.  The Legend.  Love him or hate him, he’s been one of the most important faces in the Gundam franchise since its inception.  His Darth Vader inspired helmet, cooler than cool personality, complex and engaging story and his rivalry with Amuro Ray have made Char such an impact that many Gundam series and movies have had their own “Char Clone”, it’s almost a requirement (I mean even The Witch from Mercury’s introduced the first ever Female Char Clone with Prospera).  But Char is also known for one other thing: his love of the color red and slapping it onto every single Mobile Suit he pilots.  From standard issue Zeon units to Custom made Neo Zeon suits, Red is the color of the day (makes me wonder why he didn’t just paint the Hiyaku Shiki red after his identity was revealed in Zeta Gundam but that’s neither here nor there).  To close out this First Season of Gunpla Builder Thursday, I’m doing a bit of a bookend by tackling a non Gundam Gunpla, and possible one of the most iconic of them all.

 
Suit History

At the start of the One Year War in UC0079, the Principality of Zeon gained a quick upper hand on the Earth Federation thanks to its implementation of Mobile Suits, which changed warfare forever.  Of the several Zeon produced during the war, few were as infamous as the Zaku, one of the grandfathers of all Mobile Suits.  Many of Zeon’s top aces were given the honor of having their own custom colored or special equipped Mobile Suits, such as Char Aznable.  His Zaku in particular was modified in such a way that it could move three times the normal speed of any other Zaku, giving Char the nickname, “The Red Comet.”  During the Battle of Loum, Char used his Zaku to destroy five Federation battleships single handedly.  This made Char’s name feared throughout both the Federation and Zeon and the sight of his Mobile Suit was enough turn the tide of any battle.  Char would continue to use his Zaku during his relentless pursuit of the Federation Battleship, White Base, and often clashed with the Federations own prized Mobile Suit, the Gundam.  As the war progressed, however, Char would eventually find himself using other custom colored Mobile Suits tailored to his specifications, leaving his famous Zaku behind.

 
Build Experience

One of the first things I noticed breaking out all of the racks was the lack of a PC connector rack and one that had two rubber pieces.  Well ok, that would certainly make things a bit different with this one...nope.  I never did figure out how to apply either, which looked like a variation of the Zaku’s skirt, so I kind of passed on using them.  Everything else was a bit of back and forth.  Some limbs felt too loose, not in terms of articulation and possablility but through some pieces just not clicking and staying in place.  When replacing fists for poses and swapping out weapons, I think I took off the entire upper arm in the process.  I’m not even sure I got the arms to connect to the torso either as it feels like theyre bound to pop out if I try to pose the Zaku too wildly or something.  That said, there is something smile worthy about assembling the Mobile Suit of Char Aznable.  I really liked putting the head together most.  There aren’t a lot of decals this one, only one really and it’s the one that matters most: the eye.  Honestly, this is the one decal application that impossible to screw up because it can go anywhere on the visor (personally I like it centered).  I also like that the weapons weren’t a hassle to put together and the Zaku can wield both the Machine Gun and Bazooka simultaneously, that’s bad ass.

Conclusion/Rating
There are times when this Gunpla feels a little cheap, like the limbs aren’t snapped together properly or not tight enough.  Not sure if that’s on me or the design but it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.  Still, it’s nice to have Char’s signature Mobile Suit in the collection and I can pose it in battle against it’s eternal rival, the first Gundam.  Just wish I felt better about this overall build.  Fair but should’ve been most spectacular.
 
6/10

Oh well, there will be others and if I did mess something up attaching all the pieces, I can still learn and get better.  As for when Gunpla Builder Thursday will return?  Who knows.  First Impression Friday will start up again after Otakon.  So maybe I’ll do some more of these for Christmas or maybe even kick off 2024 with a new slew of Gunpla builds.  I hope everyone enjoyed these little Gunpla journals and if there are any requests, let me know and I’ll see if I can add them to the purchase queue.  Oh and yes, the next season will definitely have a Master Grade or two.  Either way, Gunpla Builder Thursday will return to the Gundam Anime Corner.