MS IGLOO is a full 3D animated series that started in 2004. It covers the untold stories (well, more like newly made-up stories, but;;) of the One Year War from the Zeon perspective, focusing on the 603 Technical Evaluation Unit and their experiments with Zeon's secret weapons. Each episode of MS IGLOO features newly introduced weapons that Zeon was trying to put into practical use — and of course, they all end in failure. They had to, since if they'd succeeded they would've shown up in the original series.. ahem.
For a 3D anime it's honestly hard to call it particularly high quality.. but the fact that the subject matter is Zeon itself, and that familiar mechs like the Zaku, Salamis, Musai, Z'Gok, Jim, and Ball all get to show off in 3D is more than enough to stir up some real excitement.
The director is Imanishi Takashi of 0083. Mechanical supervision was handled by our man Kadoki Hajime and Izubuchi Yutaka (Patlabor, 0080..), with actual mechanical designs by Yamane Kimitoshi (08th MS Team), Aramaki Shinji (Mospeada, Gasaraki), and Fujioka Kenki (A.O.Z) — a pretty impressive lineup. Maybe because of the director, the whole thing has a bit of a 0083 vibe to it. Each episode introduces a new mech, and while the cast carries over, each episode wraps up its own self-contained story in an omnibus format.
One of the secrets behind the Gundam series staying popular for well over 20 years is probably its sense of realism. Rather than a simple good-vs-evil setup, it deals with war driven by conflicting interests and struggles for hegemony.. each side with their own justifications.. and the diverse heroes and human dramas that emerge from all of that. MS IGLOO takes this "realism" of Gundam to the extreme, delivering a grittily realistic narrative full of tragic heroism in every episode. War driven by ideology, the problems of a corrupt high command, the brutal reality of combat — would it be too much of a stretch to call it a space version of Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers? ^^;
Anyway, it's clearly aimed squarely at guys who are die-hard One Year War fans, but there's no doubt it hits the mark for those old-school fans. Char makes a brief appearance in Episode 1.. doesn't say a single word, just taps out Morse code with the mono-eye of his red Zaku and flies off — but if you felt a sense of awe and a chill run down your spine at that moment, you are definitely a One Year War die-hard old-school fan.. ^^;
Even if you're not an old-school fan, the tragic heroism packed with military spirit, the gripping pacing, and the reasonably impressive visuals are more than enough to keep you entertained. Wait, don't tell me you still haven't watched this great 3D anime?;;
Go track it down and watch it before you start regretting that you missed it all this time. It'll move the heart of any red-blooded man.
Each episode is short and punchy, so it's easy to watch too. ^^;
Reference link > MS IGLOO Official Site (In Japanese, of course)
※ EMS-10 Zudah
Phonetically "Zudah" is the correct pronunciation, but it somehow clashes with the Korean word "주다 (give)" and gets a bit confusing. That's probably why a lot of people also call it "Zeuda," but for this review I'll stick with "Zudah" as the closer-to-standard spelling.
During the One Year War, two mech manufacturers were locked in fierce competition within the Zeon military — Zeonic and Zimmad. In the years before the One Year War broke out, as tensions between the Federation and Zeon sharpened and the arms race intensified, Zimmad's Zudah and Zeonic's Zaku competed to be selected as Zeon's standard mass-production unit. The Zudah lost out to the Zaku after an incident where the airframe disintegrated mid-flight due to structural failure under high-output thrust, and as a result, Zeonic's Zaku/Gouf/Gelgoog became Zeon's main MS lineup throughout the entire One Year War. This wasn't solely due to the Zudah's flaws — some say it was also the result of lobbying by Zeonic — but either way, the Zudah lost the competition and its development program was scrapped. Originally designated MS-04, the Zudah was redesignated EMS-10 after losing out to the MS-05 Zaku I.
MS IGLOO Episode 3, "A Phantom Runs Through the Orbit" (the episode titles all read like poetry), is the story of this very Zudah. With Zeon forces cornered at Odessa, they resurrect the already-scrapped (and somehow slightly tacky-sounding) Zimmad Zudah and use it as propaganda, presenting it as a newly improved unit. This episode covers the final exploits of the last remaining Zudah — and as always, it ends in a tragic, heroic finale.
Honestly, the Zudah's design feels pretty unfamiliar, and it gives off a somewhat off-putting impression... but anyone who's watched MS IGLOO probably won't feel quite that way. Still, it is an unusual design. Personally, for some reason it kind of reminds me of a grunt soldier from Star Wars... Anyway, it's a tragic protagonist, but since it's the star of one episode in the Gundam series, it's made its way into the HGUC lineup as well. :-)
And... maybe the reason the Zudah lost out to the Zaku I is the theory that its design was just too complicated to draw in animation...
(You know it's a trap if you believe that, right? ^^;)
※ Review Start
Alright, let's get into the full kit review! ^^;
First of all, the Zudah showing up in the HGUC lineup was quite a surprise. The units that appeared in MS IGLOO had been released as Bandai Museum exclusive limited editions — Zaku II IGLOO Version, Zaku II IGLOO Version (Semovente spec) — and as you can see, those were completely lazy cash-grab kits that just swapped the molded color and threw in some stickers. Meanwhile, the EX line actually got full refinements of MS IGLOO versions of the Salamis, Magellan, Musai, and others. (The 1/400 Gun-Carrier Musai is an IGLOO version too~)
An original unit from the MS IGLOO side story appearing in HGUC — Bandai's main mass-production lineup — feels like the same kind of move as when the Hazel series from A.O.Z (Advance of Zeta) got the HGUC treatment. It seems like a statement of intent that HGUC is no longer limited to classic Universal Century anime units — as long as it falls under the UC umbrella (and they've already named the line UC, so there's no escaping it ;), anything can get a kit. (Assuming it'll sell, of course.) Either way, the arrival of the HGUC Zudah — a fully original design, not a variant or a partial redesign — is welcome news in every sense.
What's surprising about this kit isn't just the fact that they made a kit of an original unit from a side story — it's that the quality came out shockingly good. You can really feel how much care went into it.
Overall, the joint strength is just right — spot on — the articulation handles most poses naturally, the molding detail is finer than MG-level which you wouldn't expect from an HGUC, the weapons are faithfully reproduced per the specs, and as a bonus you even get the cool 135mm anti-ship rifle thrown in... The mono-eye movement uses a similar mechanism to MG kits, and the orange molded color on the verniers and Sturm Faust even has a pearlescent sheen mixed in. The standard bottom-peg feature found on recent HGUCs is included, so it's compatible with the stands from the Asshimar and Gabthley.
In short, the HGUC Zudah represents the absolute peak of HGUC quality — a line that just keeps getting better with no end in sight. There's honestly nothing to nitpick, and if this were an MG, it would've gotten a perfect score right alongside the Ball and Acguy. In terms of overall polish, it even surpasses the Hazel, another side-story unit in the lineup.
The original design is incredibly complex and intricate — very un-Zeon-like — and all the areas on the white parts that need panel lining have been given recessed panel lines via minus molds. In other words, it's basically "panel lining fills itself." Personally, I think this is way better than doing it with stickers. For the kit shown in this review, I used the classic panel lining method — brushing on white enamel paint loosely, then wiping it off with a tissue dampened with thinner. If you've never tried it before you might feel a little hesitant, but once you actually do it, it's incredibly easy — even a total beginner can pull it off without any trouble.
The other panel lining spots are a bit more involved... but the real issue is the stickers.
The previous Zaku II IGLOO limited edition already went pretty heavy on the stickers, but the full HGUC lineup Zudah takes it to a whole new level. There are a ton of stickers to apply, and since it's 1/144 scale they're tiny — if you don't trim the corners of each sticker with a knife, they'll overlap the surface area and become a pain to apply. If you've done the Ver.Ka sticker treatment on an MG before, think of it as roughly similar or slightly worse. Still, I'd call it a (labor-intensive) bonus rather than a flaw.
Of course, if you're the type who just skips the stickers entirely, it doesn't matter — but since the Zudah in the MS IGLOO 3D animation already appears with all the markings applied (and if you compare them, the unit markings in the anime and the stickers in this kit are nearly identical), the difference between applying them and not is pretty significant.
In conclusion, as long as you can get past the unfamiliarity of the design... the kit itself is flawless. If you're curious about the Zudah but still on the fence about the design, go watch episode 3 of MS IGLOO. You might find yourself hitting the order button without even realizing it after watching the Zudah's dramatic final moments... ^^; That's the power of a good character!
One more fun little tidbit... The brand-new Zudah was released right on the heels of the all-new-tooling Zaku I. Almost as if recreating the rivalry between Zimmad and Zeonic during the One Year War — the two being released side by side seems like it was definitely intentional. As if to prove it, the back of the box art is also laid out to highlight the Zudah vs. Zaku I rivalry. (View the back of the box art)
What makes it even more interesting is that in the original story, the Zudah is portrayed as outperforming the Zaku I in terms of raw specs... and the kit quality follows suit — the Zudah edges out the Zaku I there too. The HGUC Zaku I is already a very solid kit, but the Zudah is clearly closer to perfection.
With warships from MS IGLOO and original units like this getting new releases... it seems pretty likely that more units from IGLOO will follow. Things like the HGUC Ball or the late-production GM, perhaps... Either way, as of June 2006 when the HGUC Zudah dropped, the MS IGLOO anime series was still ongoing with new installments coming out, so something's bound to show up, right?
Reference link > Units appearing in MS IGLOO: http://www.msigloo.net/ms/index.html
Especially the Hildolfr — I don't care what grade, just release it already, Bandai! -_-+
Our good-natured Zudah rescuing a Zaku II Type J (ground type) that escaped Earth but is tumbling out of control in space with no attitude control...
It's one of the most meaningful and memorable scenes in episode 3 of MS IGLOO, in my opinion.
Is it a moment of unity between Zimmad and Zeonic? They're rivals, but they're on the same side after all.
Or is it a homage — or parody — of the scene in 0083 where the GP01 was flailing around in space before being reborn as the GP01Fb?
Since it's the same director, calling it a homage feels generous — self-referencing might be more accurate. :-)
(This theory also includes the wholesome romantic subplot where the Zaku's pilot is actually a woman, and the Zudah instinctively reached out to grab her hand.)
* Homage : A French word meaning "tribute," "respect," or "reverence." In the film world, it commonly refers to the act of a younger filmmaker paying tribute to the achievements and technical talent of a predecessor by imitating their signature scenes.
HGUC Zudah | 2006.6 | ¥1,600
AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.
