Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG ZZ Gundam - Body, head antenna, feet, and knee sections molded in multiple colors at once using the system insert techniqu

Body, head antenna, feet, and knee sections molded in multiple colors at once using the system insert technique

Since there's no cover on the inside of the forearm transformation gimmick, it looks a bit hollow~.

Weapons loadout

The rifle even features clear parts.

Screws are used on the knee joints for added durability.

HG ZZ Gundam - A total of 3 hands are included, with a right hand for the beam saber added to the lineup. However, the fit be

A total of 3 hands are included, with a right hand for the beam saber added to the lineup.
However, the fit between the beam saber and the dedicated hand isn't great — you'll need glue or double-sided tape to get a proper grip.

The core block is also reproduced in the center of the body.

It transforms cleanly into a Core Fighter without any extra parts.

Core Fighter

There are multiple locking pins where the core block connects to the lower body, so it holds together nicely.

HG ZZ Gundam - The upper and lower body connection point located at the back of the torso. It slides into the socket and is t

The upper and lower body connection point located at the back of the torso.
It slides into the socket and is then secured further with a cover, making it quite sturdy.

Thanks to this, the upper and lower body connect solidly even without the core block in the waist.

HG ZZ Gundam - Limb articulation. Just like the Zeta, the front skirt attached to the thigh makes it hard to raise the thigh

Limb articulation.
Just like the Zeta, the front skirt attached to the thigh makes it hard to raise the thigh upward.

You can fold the wings to one side to allow freer arm movement.

HG ZZ Gundam - Action poses. Dynamic poses are still pretty tough to pull off. (1/4)

HG ZZ Gundam - Action poses. Dynamic poses are still pretty tough to pull off. (2/4)

HG ZZ Gundam - Action poses. Dynamic poses are still pretty tough to pull off. (3/4)

HG ZZ Gundam - Action poses. Dynamic poses are still pretty tough to pull off. (4/4)

Action pose.
Dynamic poses are still pretty tough to pull off.

Transformation

Remove the head and extend the upper body upward.

The Double Beam Rifle transforms faithfully to the design specs.

After plugging the Double Beam Rifle in at the bottom, position the shoulder armor as shown above.

Rotate the forearm 180 degrees as shown, tuck in the hand, and expose the verniers.

Detach the shin below the knee, then fold the foot in.

HG ZZ Gundam - Using the groove on the side of the leg, swap the upper and lower positions of the shin, then push the foot in

Using the groove on the side of the leg, swap the upper and lower positions of the shin, then push the foot inward so the verniers on the opposite side pop out.
The part that integrates the foot and verniers has locking pins inside, so it holds its position well.

HG ZZ Gundam - Rotate the shin 180 degrees and lock it in place, then rotate the entire leg 180 degrees to swap the front and

Rotate the shin 180 degrees and lock it in place, then rotate the entire leg 180 degrees to swap the front and back.
The leg transformation gimmick is perfectly faithful to the design specs.

Release the backpack locking pin and move the backpack up toward the top of the legs.

Rotate the side skirts 90 degrees downward, then...

HG ZZ Gundam - The wings need to be positioned as shown above, but the beam cannons and small wings interfere with each other

The wings need to be positioned as shown above, but the beam cannons and small wings interfere with each other, making it hard to stand the wings vertically.
So the manual actually guides you to angle the beam cannons upward and tilt the vertical wings inward.

The shoulder armor is also designed to tilt inward as if wrapping around the front.

HG ZZ Gundam - Transformed into G-Fortress (1/4)

HG ZZ Gundam - Transformed into G-Fortress (2/4)

Transformed into G-Fortress

Underside

Release the locking pin and separate the Core Top from the Core Base.

Core Top and Core Base

Core Top

Core Base

Alongside the 1986 1/144 ZZ Gundam.

Alongside the 2010 HGUC ZZ Gundam.
The difference in bulk is massive..

HG ZZ Gundam - Comparison with the HGUC G-Fortress (right). The 19-year gap doesn't really show that much in terms of appeara

Comparison with the HGUC G-Fortress (right).
The 19-year gap doesn't really show that much in terms of appearance..

HG ZZ Gundam - The evolution of the official 1/144 ZZ Gundam, as seen through a comparison of the 1/144, HG, and HGUC version

The evolution of the official 1/144 ZZ Gundam, as seen through a comparison of the 1/144, HG, and HGUC versions.

Group shot of HG First, Mk-II, Zeta, and ZZ Gundam

The legendary quartet that kicked off the HG line.

Bonus comparison shot of the HG Zeta Gundam's Waverider and G-Fortress

* This kit is one of the original four HG releases from 1991, but the review was uploaded in January 2021. I bought and built these kits back in the early '90s myself, but since I had painted and modified them, I wasn't able to review them. I eventually managed to track down an unbuilt kit and reviewed it as a straight build, so please keep that in mind.^^

This kit is the last of the original HG releases, the HG ZZ Gundam, released in 1991. While First, Mk-II, and Zeta came out in 1990, ZZ followed a year later in 1991 — and being the last of the four, it came out with the highest quality of the HG quartet.

For starters, dedicated polycaps are used instead of a one-piece molded joint frame like on the Zeta, and thanks to that, the joints are overall sturdy and stable despite the complex transformation gimmick. The tricky color combination is also handled fairly cleanly through system insert, color separation, and stickers. Most importantly, ZZ's characteristically complex transformation gimmick is reproduced almost perfectly — which is an interesting contrast to the HGUC ZZ Gundam that came later, which went with a very complex detach-and-reattach style transformation. This HG ZZ can transform on its own — arms, legs, and torso all faithfully following the design specs just like an MG — with only the head needing to be removed, and the proportions after transformation are cleaner than you'd expect.

Of course, just like the HG Zeta, the hip joint range of motion is limited due to the transformation gimmick, so you can't really expect much in the way of dynamic action poses in MS mode. That said, it's still impressive that such a complete transformation gimmick was pulled off at 1/144 scale back then, and with solid locking to boot. The core block in particular can fully transform into a Core Fighter — including the vertical stabilizers — without removing any parts, just like an MG, which is actually a step up from its predecessors.

That said, separate from the full transformation, there are a few areas where the implementation differs slightly from the design specs as we know them — specifically the placement of the backpack beam cannons and wings in G-Fortress mode. Normally the beam cannons should extend straight forward with the small red wings standing vertically on the inside, but structurally the two inevitably interfere with each other. So the manual actually guides you to tilt the vertical wings slightly inward and angle the beam cannons upward. The blue shoulder armor, which normally faces forward, is also directed to tilt inward, making the parts arrangement in G-Fortress mode a little different from the classic configuration.

Even so, the stable and well-executed 1/144 transformation gimmick this kit delivers is something you could still call legendary to this day. Since then, transformable kits at the HG level have mostly gone the detach-and-reattach or disassemble-and-reassemble route due to proportion concerns, which makes you appreciate these original HG kits that transform on their own all the more. Sure, the massively wide, beefy proportions make it impossible to deny that it's an old-school design — but that's also part of the charm of that era. Either way, it seems like the ambitious technical experiments in these early HG kits are what laid the groundwork for the consistently high-quality HGUC line that followed. :-)

HG ZZ Gundam | 1991.7 | ¥1,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.