Kit Review

Straight build

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] (1/5)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] (2/5)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] (3/5)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] (4/5)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] (5/5)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Detail shots (1/6)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Detail shots (2/6)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Detail shots (3/6)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Detail shots (4/6)

Detail shots

Cockpit detail.

Underside

Detailed underside shots.

Comes with a generous weapons loadout.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - There are 4 weapon types in total — from left: high-mobility unit / air-to-ground mis

There are 4 weapon types in total — from left:
High-mobility unit / air-to-ground missiles / air-to-air missiles / air-to-ship missiles.
The catch is you have to pick just one of the four to attach, and since they're glued on, swapping them out isn't easy...;;;

The color separation is impressive.

The difference between the air-to-ship / air-to-air missiles is just their thickness.

You pick one or the other, then glue three of them onto the mounting parts.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Only 2 triangular mounting parts are included, so the remaining 6 missiles just end u

Only 2 triangular mounting parts are included,
so the remaining 6 just end up as leftover parts. ;;;
Would've been nice if they'd thrown in 4 mounting parts instead.

Without any weapons attached.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - With air-to-air/air-to-ship missiles attached. The missiles are so small you can bare

With air-to-air/air-to-ship missiles attached.
The missiles are so small you can barely tell they're there. ^^;

You have to look up from underneath to actually see the missiles.

With 4 air-to-ground missiles attached.

The missiles are big and have red tips, so they really stand out.

Probably the most striking weapons loadout..

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Remove the cover on the underside and you can mount it on a surprisingly high-quality

Remove the cover on the underside and you can mount it on a surprisingly high-quality dedicated stand.

Kodai standing figure.
The detail is pretty good.

The front wheel cover and landing gear are swappable parts.

The rear landing gear is also done with swappable parts.
Looks really cool~

Sitting on the ground.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - To achieve the storage mode with the wings and nose folded, you'll need to remove and

To achieve the storage mode with the wings and nose folded,
you'll need to remove and swap out quite a few parts.

First, swap out the nose frame to change it to the folded shape.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - The pointed tip part also needs to be swapped out. Look closely and you'll see the sl

The pointed tip part also needs to be swapped out.
Look closely and you'll see the slightly extended shape is the flight configuration, while the shorter one is the storage configuration.

The nose folded and locked in place.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - The side wings need to be swapped out entirely with parts already molded in the folde

The side wings need to be swapped out entirely with parts already molded in the folded shape.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Remove the vertical stabilizers, then use the connector parts to plug them back in at

Remove the vertical stabilizers, then use the connector parts to plug them back in at a 90-degree fold.

The lower vertical stabilizers are folded 90 degrees the same way.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - The nozzles also need to be swapped — the slightly open shape on the left is the flig

The nozzles also need to be swapped — the slightly open shape on the left is the flight configuration,
and the closed shape on the right is the storage configuration.

Parts left over after converting to storage mode.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Storage mode. The conversion process is a bit involved, but it looks pretty convincin

Storage mode.
The conversion process is a bit involved, but it looks pretty convincing.

Underside

Wings folded with no weapons attached.

With the high-mobility unit attached.

With air-to-ship/air-to-air missiles attached.

With air-to-ground missiles attached.

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] - Alongside the EX Cosmo Zero that came out in 1/100 scale in a single color. The new 1

Alongside the EX Cosmo Zero that came out in 1/100 scale in a single color.
The new 1/72 blows it out of the water in terms of size, detail, color separation, and proportions..

The Yamato 2199 model kit series keeps on going, and this time we're getting fighter jets added to the lineup. First up is the Cosmo Zero — Kodai's plane — the signature space fighter of the Yamato. This Cosmo Zero was previously released back in 2007 in EX scale at the steep price of ¥3,500, and true to the EX series, it wasn't exactly great value for money. But this new version of the Cosmo Zero has been released at the much more affordable price of ¥2,800, and it's several times better in quality. ^^

Like the other Yamato 2199 kits, this one shows off all the hallmarks of a brand-new release — impressively thorough color separation, convincing panel lines, a well-engineered mold that's over 80% snap-fit, and up-to-date proportions. Kits like this usually tend to be designed with painters in mind, but this one feels like it was developed for builders who just want to do a straight build with some panel lining.

That said, once you've finished building it, there's a slight feeling of it being a bit in-between... I think it's partly because all the various gimmicks have been done as swappable parts rather than poseable ones — presumably to preserve the proportions — which makes things a bit inconvenient, and also because there are surprisingly many parts that need to be glued down. The biggest letdown is that while you get a whopping 4 different weapon sets, they all have to be glued on, making it a pain to swap them out. If they were going to go this far with the snap-fit mechanic kit approach, it would've been great to be able to switch up the weapons on a whim. In the review above it might look like I had all 4 weapon types attached at once, but in reality it was the result of repeatedly gluing things on and then prying them back off. ;;

The highlight of this new Cosmo Zero is the storage mode recreation — and while the conversion process is a bit of a hassle since it's done entirely through part swapping, the end result in storage mode looks genuinely convincing. Still, if they were going to go with this Gunpla-style approach, I can't help but wish it had been done with poseable parts, even if it meant the look was a little rougher.

To be completely honest in summing things up, this kit feels like it has a bit of an identity crisis. It puts on the face of a premium snap-fit, color-separated mechanic model kit, but then quietly asks you to glue things down, go through a complicated disassembly process, and live with the fact that you can't swap weapons — which still gives it the feel of a painter's kit for the dedicated hobbyist rather than the average builder. At the same time, for the serious painter, the detail might feel a bit rough compared to a precision aero model.

That said, there's no question that this is the definitive Cosmo Zero model kit. For Yamato fans and painters who love high-quality SF aircraft, it's a pretty great treat (no masking needed thanks to the part separation!), and even for a straight builder, just adding some panel lining should give you a pretty satisfying result. Either way, I personally had a lot of fun building it, so I can definitely recommend it to Yamato fans and anyone who loves mecha aircraft. :-)

1/72 Yamato 2199 Cosmo Zero [Kodai] | 2013. 2 | ¥2,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.