Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Detail shots (1/4)

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removal shot

Internal frame

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Frame detail shots (1/4)

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Frame detail shots (2/4)

Frame detail shots

Frame articulation

The wing section also has various points of articulation.

The waist bends forward quite a lot.

The waist also bends sideways to a decent degree.

There's also a gimmick where the shoulder rotates forward quite a bit.

Weapons loadout

Buster Rifle combination

Articulation on the rear section of the Buster Rifle

Shield interior detail

Interchangeable fingers are included.

There is a peg on the rifle grip that connects to the hand, but the hold is really, really poor..

The Buster Rifle can also be stored on the inside of the side skirt.

The beam sabers are stored on top of the small wings.

The machine cannons can be opened, but the hold isn't great once deployed.

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - To deploy the ZERO System, you can lift the chest armor slightly and spread open the lower part of

To deploy the ZERO System, lift the chest armor slightly
and spread open the lower part of the ears.

The shoulder moves in three stages.

Cable parts are included to connect the backpack and the Buster Rifle.

Excellent limb articulation

Even with the armor on, the shoulder still swings pretty far forward.

It doesn't bend as far as the bare frame, but the waist still leans forward quite a bit.

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Wing deployment. With all the various articulation points, you can open them up in a really dramat

Wing deployment.
With all the various articulation points, you can open them up in a really dramatic way.

Small wing deployment

The feather sections can each be moved sideways to a certain degree.

Buster Rifle pose.
The grip strength is so poor it's a struggle just to keep it in the hand..

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - For the combined Twin Buster Rifle firing pose, I just couldn't get it to stay, so I ended up glui

For the combined Twin Buster Rifle firing pose, I just couldn't get it to stay,
so I ended up gluing the fingers, hand, and grip all together before shooting. T_T

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - The Twin Buster Rifle action pose — the signature pose of Wing Zero EW. The grip is an absolute me

The Twin Buster Rifle action pose — the signature pose of Wing Zero EW.
The grip is an absolute mess, the wrist joints are weak, and parts keep falling off, making this pose incredibly, incredibly hard to pull off..
It took me nearly 30 minutes just to barely get the angle right and snap the photo.

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Beam saber action pose. The grip for the beam saber is just as bad, so it's barely hanging on. (1/

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Beam saber action pose. The grip for the beam saber is just as bad, so it's barely hanging on. (2/

Beam saber action pose
The grip for the beam saber is just as bad, so it's barely hanging on.

Transformation

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - To transform, first pull the shoulders out to the sides and lower them, then rotate the front and

To transform, first pull the shoulders out to the sides and lower them, then rotate the front and rear shoulder armor downward.

Fold the legs in the familiar way, as shown on the right.

Fold the three feathers inward, then..

Rotate the wing supports forward and slot the two wings in.

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Atmospheric re-entry mode complete (1/4)

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Atmospheric re-entry mode complete (2/4)

Atmospheric re-entry mode complete

To transform into Neo-Bird mode, lift the backpack and shift it toward the rear.

Spread the wings out as shown above, then..

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Pull out the hidden gimmicks from the shield, attach the Buster Rifles on both sides, and plug it

Pull out the hidden gimmicks from the shield, attach the Buster Rifles on both sides,
and plug it into the top of the backpack — transformation complete.

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Neo-Bird mode. It ends up with a really long, slender silhouette. (1/6)

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Neo-Bird mode. It ends up with a really long, slender silhouette. (2/6)

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Neo-Bird mode. It ends up with a really long, slender silhouette. (3/6)

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Neo-Bird mode. It ends up with a really long, slender silhouette. (4/6)

Neo-Bird mode.
It ends up with a really long, slender silhouette.

Underside

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW - Alongside the MG Wing Zero EW. The overall look has changed, but the wing shape in particular is q

Alongside the MG Wing Zero EW.
The overall look has changed, but the wing shape in particular is quite different.

Alongside the HiRM Gundam Barbatos.

Following the Gundam Barbatos, the second HiRM (Hi-Resolution Model) release is the Wing Gundam Zero EW, a.k.a. Wing Zero EW. The basic concept is similar to its predecessor — the frame, which includes a number of metal parts, comes pre-assembled in the box, and the outer armor is molded using gloss injection, giving it a shiny, die-cast-like finish.

The assembled frame feels like it uses fewer metal parts compared to the previous Gundam Barbatos, and the overall structure is a bit simpler — notably, there are no movable cylinder sections. That said, the metal parts still give the frame a satisfying heft, and the articulation is top-notch. Also, unlike the Gundam Barbatos which had issues with loose joints at the waist and certain other areas, the Wing Zero EW's joints throughout the body hold their poses quite firmly, so it seems the joint balance issues have been improved.

The gloss injection armor looks absolutely stunning with its smooth, glossy finish. Most of the parts use undergates, so gate marks aren't visible from the outside — a nice touch. However, since the gloss injection material is already quite hard and undergates are used on top of that, cleaning up the gates is pretty tough work. The hard gate stubs can easily cut your fingers if you apply too much force, so be careful.

The wings — the highlight of Wing Zero EW — feature far more complex gimmicks compared to the existing MG or PG. The smaller wings are similar to other lineups, but the large wings have gotten a lot more elaborate. Unlike the MG where the wings simply expanded to the sides, here the wings split into upper and lower sections to reveal hidden feathers, and there's also a gimmick that extends them in three stages lengthwise. The wings also hold their position very well — the expansion and transformation gimmicks work solidly, and the feather sections that were loose on the MG are all firmly secured here.

On top of that, the chest armor lifts up and the ears open to recreate the ZERO System deployment, and the machine cannons on the shoulders can also be opened. New cable parts are included to connect the backpack and the Buster Rifle, and there's also a new gimmick where you open the side skirts to store the Buster Cannon. The atmospheric re-entry mode and Neo-Bird mode transformations are implemented similarly to the MG, though some gimmicks have been refined and upgraded. Thanks to the spectacular wings and the glossy armor, the overall visual quality feels far more premium than the same-scale MG.

That said, there are a few critical issues that make it hard to give this kit a positive rating — the fit and hold of certain parts is seriously problematic.. The biggest issue is the grip strength of the interchangeable finger-based hands. Despite having locking pegs, it's really hard to get the Buster Rifle to stay in the hand. It's difficult to get the angle right to lock it in, and even when you think it's in, it falls right back out. Even trying to pull off the iconic Twin Buster Rifle combined firing pose requires an enormous amount of patience since the rifle just won't stay in the hands..

In my case, I eventually gave up and just glued the fingers, hands, and rifles all together before shooting. And it's not just the hands — parts fall off all over the place while you're posing it. The small wings on the back come off easily, and parts like the ear pieces on the sides of the head and the center chest piece also tend to drop off whenever you touch them, making this a really frustrating kit to pose... I think it took me about an hour just to get the three action poses shown in the review above;;;

Even after transforming into Neo-Bird mode, the connection where the shield plugs into the backpack is loose and hard to angle properly. So while the looks are stunning, posing and transforming this kit is no easy task in many ways. The grip strength in particular is historically bad — it honestly feels like the developers just threw their hands up and shipped it without any real solution.

So the intentions are good, but just like its predecessor the Gundam Barbatos, this kit leaves you wanting more in terms of execution. It's a kit where a gorgeous appearance and the need for a seriously high (?) level of patience coexist, making it hard to recommend outright. Unless you're a die-hard Wing Zero EW fan or someone who loves that die-cast-like glossy, hefty feel, it's tough to justify dropping ¥12,000 on this one. :-)

* For reference, the problematic hand parts were apparently slightly improved in a later production run, and the Special Coating versionincludes the improved hands.

HiRM Wing Gundam Zero EW | 2017. 9 | ¥12,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.