HGUC 1/144 #012 RMS-106 Hi-Zack

If you've been building Gunpla for a while, or if you've just gotten your hands on an old kit, you'll know that quality of early HG releases was inconsistent to say the least. And compared to modern ones, its night and day. I went into this expecting a meh build that I wanted for a project, but I was a little surprised.

First of all, it's stiff. The legs especially suffer in the knees and hips. Aerial poses are going to be a challenge. Most poses probably will be. But surprisingly it looks pretty good. Color accuracy like we expect now was a far off dream when they made this kit, but its really not bad. Stickers are provided for the most obvious discolored area, the front of the feet, and they do a fair job of masking it. The cross on the shield has no such sticker, but its not a bad look. If you want total accuracy, you are of course going to have to touch it up everywhere, but out of the box I have seen worse. The mold lines on the piping were a bit rough, and its that rubbery plastic that just refuses to cut well or sand at all, so that's a little annoying. And accessory wise, its a shield and machine gun. Full stop. Very sparse especially compared to more modern Zaku offerings, but that's kind of apples to oranges.

So, no it's not the greatest, but it was cheap, and really surprised me with how passable it is snapped together. But at the end of the day, its a 20 year old kit, so don't expect the world, and it won't let you down.

This an a classic kits being one of the first HGUC ever produced. In its reissued form you can purchase one for about $10 which is great for something that can be used for practicing Plato skills. This kit is great for learning Seam line removal and has a lot of little things here and there that will require you to paint to make it look as good as a modern HG. Or just build it quickly and enjoy!