Kimi The Builder

My home was painted red, a cute red this week

This must’ve been one of the most frustrating weeks for me, with the MG Ex-S progress grinding to a halt due to the ruined waist unit. In which I really had to spend alot of time just trying to fix the whole darn thing, and even though it is somewhat fixed now…I’m still quite worried of the possibility of the hinges failing on me due to the weight of the legs…..

Regardless, since I’m still in the midst of working on the said leg unit and in no way nearing completion. I decided to instead pick another kit from the depths of the backlog to this weeks content…….which turns out to be something that is a bit……

SD-ish…

Oh before I forget, its Kimi here and today I will be doing a short review on the SD MS-06S Zaku II Char Aznable Custom (SD GGeneration-F)!

Release Date: Mar 2002

Retail Price: MYR RM 19.00 (USD $ 4.57*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

This was a kit that I admit that I did get quite recently actually. Originally this was a kit that I actually plan to do side by side with a modern SD kit to see how much different is this when compared to a much more modern counterpart.

But quite, unfortunately, I kept putting the SD comparison project off for quite some time. Well, that is up until I found myself needing to head back to my hometown. With the massive MG Ex-S Gundam still in progress,  I figured I really need something small to bring over and to work on for me to turn it into content while I’m at my parents. Since I do have this SD kit lying around, I thought to my self…why not take this kit on the road and work on it instead…..Plus since it was conveniently placed on top of the rubble that is my backlogs, it kind of makes the decision all the more easier I suppose.

However, as soon as I worked on this kit I immediately was taken aback by how amazing of a kit this SD kit turned out to be. One that I admit is a HUGE surprise for me to discover. But before we get to that, let us first get into the unboxing bit first, shall we?

One of the very first things that I liked about this kit, and one that I do think really stands out from the other recent SD kit releases…is that awesome box art of this SD kit. The Box art is simple, cute and at some points, looked like it was taking inspirations from the old MG box style which does add into the overall charm of the kit.

Even though the art here doesn’t really look as impressive as the ‘modern’ interpretations of the famed red Zaku, but looking at it…the kid in me really likes how the SD Char’s Zaku II looked here.

What even more impressive is that I wasn’t really expecting any lore to be present on the packaging, but yet they still managed to cram some lore bits on the Char Zaku II in here….which I admit, did blow my mind for a bit here.

As I proceed to take a peek inside of the kit, the awesomeness didn’t just stop there.

Because as I open the box, the very first things that I was impressed by is by how every single individual part looked on their respective runners. Almost all the parts here looked quite detailed, which is really impressive for an SD kit. I wasn’t really expecting to see that level of detail on something that was supposed to be in this cartoonish scale. I was really surprised by it.

but the awesomeness doesn’t just end there, oh no, no, no…

Because when I get to the manual, things were looking, even more, promising there. From its building instruction visual format to its quite extensive lore section, this SD kit’s manual is really something that I really didn’t prepare myself to go through!

Firstly, let’s talk about the visual style of the building instruction section. Why? Well, because I think the format that is used here looked like something that was used in the modern HG kits. The visuals are clear and very easy to understand, it really makes the experience working on this kit a joy to go through.

Secondly, When I say the lore section was really quite extensive, I mean it looked like something that you usually would go through the middle section of the MG’s manuals. What made it even more impressive is that they managed to put in like 3 pages of lore in an SD kit’s manual! I was just really impressed by the level of commitment that they put in here. Even though, yes all of it is in Japanese, but regardless of that fact, I still did find myself enjoying every moment that I spend going through it.

Plus with that badass front page, who wouldn’t think that this is a GREAT manual?

As I move to the actual building, I do find it to be…well unremarkable to say the least. It is a pretty simple, fun kit to work on, and even though some of the nubs are located in places that I find to be quite annoying to deal with. But surprisingly the nubs that are present in this SD kit isn’t such a bitch to work on.

Which I do find that quite strange at first, but when I think about It, it may be due to the quality of the plastic material that was used here, which may explain why it was so easy to deal with them. They were alot softer and weaker when compared to modern plastic materials, which make life a bit easier.

But at the same time, it does make me wonder if they actually use the same material on the MG Ex-S… hmm….

However, unlike with what I experienced with the MG Ex-S Gundam, the parts of this SD Char Zaku II does seem to have alot more solid bits when compared to the MG Ex-S’s….

And yet they still do share something that I do find a bit annoying.

Which is the both of them had some molding problems which does cause them to have some ‘extra’ sharp bits attached on some of the parts. Usually, I don’t really complain much on this matter since I usually encounter these kinds of issues on the outside regions of the individual parts. However, for this kit though? I have them on both being a nuisance on the outside region of the individual parts and on the inside part of the individual parts as well.

Which is quite annoying since this causes some of the parts to have some issues connecting. In which as well causes me to put in more time to work on them, just to make sure the said parts could fit in well and nicely together without having to break any of the hinges off.

Despite me saying that I was surprised that I wasn’t finding myself to be overly annoyed by that issue here. Which is quite funny, because normally when I find myself in these kinds of situation I tend to get really annoyed with having to put in that extra work. But with this kit? I really find myself, not minding it as much. I would even go as far as to say that I really enjoyed having to put in the ‘extra’ work here.

Which I do find it to be quite strange.

As a finished product, I have to say that I was quite impressed with how everything looked here. All the detail that I saw during the unboxing, looked even better here. I love how they incorporated one of the MG Ver.1.0 gimmicks here, the fact that you really can open a hatch on an SD head unit to reveal the inner workings of the main camera is really something that I can’t wrap my head around even as I looked at this awesome completed kit. Plus with how INSANELY detailed the individual section of this kit looked, you really can’t yourself to fall in love with this wonderful thing.

However, with all that was said and done, I do admit that there is a catch here.

Because if you are thinking of flushing out some of the insane detail that is present on this SD kit, you really need to do ALOT of paint work here. Because you will find that there is alot of sections on this kit that isn’t painted. Not to mention too that there is ALOT of seam lines and part gaps that you need to work on if you are considering to paint the kit up fully.

Another thing, since this is an SD kit, it does have some VERY limited articulations, due to the parts of this SD kit being in its ‘Deformed’ size. Which translates to lack of articulation on the arm unit, and since it doesn’t really have a proper leg…you are really stuck with one or two poses, to work around. Plus with most of the weapons being too…well large for the hands to hold, makes the job of posing it…alot harder then you think.

But even with all of that in mind, I honestly really didn’t mind it as much here. Why you may ask? Well, because it is an SD kit. Which its only existence is just to be a kit that exists to only cater to kids by being cute and stuff. Which is why I wasn’t finding myself to be as upset as I did with the MG Ex-S, because coming in I didn’t really have any expectations of the kit at all.

Which is why I was really impressed when I see some of the awesome things that they are doing for this line of kits.

Even when I take even I take a second look at the kits unpainted state, I have to admit the SD kit still looked quite good without you putting that effort in. In fact, I think that this SD Char Zaku II in its unpainted state, it looked like the ‘original anime’ version. So regardless, you still end up with something that looks badass here.

Not to mention too, that this kit is an improvement to the much older SD version of the Zaku. Well more precisely 1990’s version of the SD MS-06F/J Zaku II. When compared that to this, you will find that this kit is really is a much more improved version of the SD Zaku II variant. The improvements made was so impressive that it made me feel like comparing an MG kit to an HG kit. The improvements made to the newer version was so substantial that can’t believe they are from the same line of kits.

Overall, I do enjoy the time I had with this kit. Even though the kit is just a simple kit to work on, fun and does present with some challenges here and there, I do think its a kit worth getting into. Because you may find yourself surprised with its many impressive features and detail. Plus since its an SD kit, its one that I would recommend to get if you are planning to have your child or anyone that is new to the hobby have that first step into this hobby. As well a good painting practice kit, to those veterans that are thinking about experimenting with paints on projects that involves early 2000 MG kits.

Its a cheap fun kit, that you will have alot of fun working with. Regardless of who you are.

With that ends the review for the SD MS-06S Zaku II Char Aznable Custom (SD GGENERATION-F). What do you think of both the kit and the review for this awesome SD kit? Do you share the same thoughts with us or do you think that this kit could’ve been better?

Honestly, after working on this I am starting to dread the fact that I may need to continue working on the nightmare kit which is the MG Ex-S Gundam…I really hope that I would have a better time working on it this week…and hopefully, I would have a better, smoother build week…Hopefully, I won’t have another section breaking into pieces.

Anyways, we will be back again this week more Let’s Talk Gunpla Segment on the coming Wednesday and we will be back as well on the coming Sunday with a new unboxing or review! So, do look forward to that!

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We hope by sharing our love and passion for gunplas here, it’ll inspire you to pick up the hobby or reignite your love for gunpla!

Anyways, we shall see all of you again next week, and we hope that you all have an awesome week and weekend ahead! Have an awesome Gunpla building time there as well and until next time!

Ciao!