Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining

HGUC Zaku-III - Size comparison with a cigarette pack — the universal standard. Lost one of the right antennae on the back of

The universal yardstick — size comparison with a cigarette pack.
Lost one of the right antennae on the back of the head, so it looks a bit awkward. T_T

Action pose

Just like the Zaku-III Custom, articulation is pretty terrible.

HGUC Zaku-III - Just like the Zaku-III Custom, the heel on the back of the foot rotates to give you two different configurati

Just like the Zaku-III Custom, the heel on the back of the foot rotates to give you two different configurations.

HGUC Zaku-III - Together with the previously released HGUC Zaku-III Custom. The left shoulder spike armor, face, and beam rif

Together with the previously released HGUC Zaku-III Custom. The left shoulder spike armor, face, and beam rifle all look different.

HGUC Zaku-III - The back looks even more different. The backpack is completely redesigned, and the long skirt from the Zaku-I

The back looks even more different. The backpack is completely redesigned,
and the long skirt from the Zaku-III Custom has been simplified on the Zaku-III.

Other than that, the arms, legs, and torso are the same.

The head design is quite different between the two.

HGUC Zaku-III - Not really related, but here it is alongside the MG Zaku II Johnny Ridden Custom, which has a similar color s

Not really related, but here it is alongside the MG Zaku II Johnny Ridden Custom, which has a similar color scheme.
Sure, the Zaku-III is on the larger side for 1/144, but the 1/100 MG is still noticeably bigger. ^^

Straight build photos before panel lining

Following the Zaku-III Custom, the standard Zaku-III base type has also been released as an HGUC.
At first glance it might look like a simple variation kit, but quite a few things are actually different. For starters, the molded color combination and overall color tone are completely different, and the head, shoulders, spike armor, rear skirt, weapons, and backpack all have different designs. Of course, since the basic base of the arms, legs, and torso carries over, the articulation and other structural characteristics are the same as the existing Zaku-III Custom. The legs still have a limited range of motion, and the verniers on the rear skirt still fall off easily... -.-;

Just a heads-up — one of the head antennae is missing in the photos above. There's one antenna in the front and two in the back, but the left one went missing somewhere... T_T Please just bear with it and enjoy the photos as they are.

That said, since the Zaku-III is canonically a massive unit — nearly on par with the Sazabi in size — it has a really impressive presence even at 1/144. Personally, I actually prefer the standard Zaku-III over the Custom; the brighter color scheme and overall look just feel better. The lighter color combination of the Zaku-III's molded colors is definitely an improvement over the somewhat dull molded colors of the Custom. It also brings back fond memories of the 1/144 Zaku-III copy kit that Academy released about a decade ago (around '89, maybe?), which I used to repaint from scratch. It was the first kit I ever attempted a full run on — seam line correction, full repaint, the whole works. ^^ So it holds a special place for me.

It's based on a relatively early HGUC release, so there are a few areas where the quality falls a bit short, but it's still a great kit that captures the charisma of the Zaku series in a big, imposing package.

HGUC Zaku-III | 2000.9 | ¥1,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.