Kit Review

Straight build + Partial paint + Panel lining + Decals

The universal yardstick — size comparison with a cigarette pack.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II is the large yellow horn on the shoulder. Since the color

The key feature of J.Ridden's Zaku II is the large yellow horn on the shoulder.
Since the color separation isn't done, I painted it yellow with a partial paint job.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - The high-mobility backpack is the same as Shin Matsunaga's unit. The red section in the middle a

The high-mobility backpack is the same as Shin Matsunaga's unit. The red section in the middle also got a partial paint job.

J.Ridden's High Mobility Zaku II has a differently shaped leg casing.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - J.Ridden's unit takes the standard angular high-mobility leg casing and wraps it with skirt-styl

J.Ridden's unit takes the standard angular high-mobility leg casing and wraps it with skirt-style armor.

The sticker markings on the forearm

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - The weapon loadout is the same as Shin Matsunaga's unit. Compared to the standard version, it fe

The weapon loadout is the same as Shin Matsunaga's unit. Compared to the standard version, it feels just a little bare~

Still the same three hand sets — rock-paper-scissors, open, and fist

View from below looking up

Head and cockpit hatch open

Foot cover open

The mechanical frame of the backpack

The inner frame of the legs is still the same as the other Zaku IIs.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - The heat hawk can be mounted on the side. The bazooka still can't be mounted on the rear end bec

The heat hawk can be mounted on the side.
The bazooka still can't be mounted on the rear end because of the high-mobility backpack.

Fully armed

The articulation is naturally the same as Shin Matsunaga's unit. Still just so-so..

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - Action pose (1/3)

Action pose

Heat hawk action pose

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - Bazooka action pose (1/3)

Bazooka action pose

As expected, the high-mobility type has real charisma from the back..

Together with the Shin Matsunaga Zaku II. Similar high-mobility types, but with some differences.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - The markings on the right shoulder are different. To be more precise, it's Shin Matsunaga's unit

The markings on the right shoulder are different.
To be more precise, it's Shin Matsunaga's unit that has the uniquely molded shoulder.

The coloring of the shoulder horn and the length of the horn itself are also different.

The leg shape is different too.

The bonus optional detail-up parts are still included.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II - True to being a variation, a lot of parts end up as leftover junk. The leftover parts are simila

True to being a variation, a lot of parts end up as leftover junk.
The leftover parts are similar to Shin Matsunaga's unit, but the extra shoulder horns that are left over are hard to miss.
(They might be worth recycling for a kitbash or something..)

The High Mobility Zaku II has been turned into a variation for J.Ridden following Shin Matsunaga's version. Unlike Shin Matsunaga's unit, this one sports a bright red color scheme with a dark, heavy feel, and the red molded color sections came out on the darker side.

The basic skeleton is straight from the Zaku II, but even though it's the same high-mobility type, there are a few differences from Shin Matsunaga's unit. First, on J.Ridden's unit, the right shoulder markings have reverted back to the standard Zaku shoulder shape, and the horn on the left spike armor shoulder has gotten longer. The spike horn is set to yellow, but since the color separation isn't done in the kit, I went ahead and did a partial paint job.

Along with that, the leg style has changed. Two skirt parts are layered over the existing angular high-mobility legs, giving the legs a bit more volume. Other than that, the weapon loadout and unit characteristics are completely identical to Shin Matsunaga's unit. Still the same weak joints, below-average articulation.. -_-; All the shortcomings of the MG Zaku II are still very much there.

J.Ridden's unit is also pretty much a kit for standing display, and it looks pretty decent when just posed standing. Especially if you're a fan of red units (even if not *that* guy), this is definitely something worth checking out. That said, I do feel like the red molded color might be a bit too muddy — though the actual color does look a bit better than in the photos above. (For reference, red is one of those colors that digital cameras just can't capture cleanly. It tends to come out looking kind of dithered.)

Thanks to the chunkier legs, this is the most voluminous of the MG Zakus, and it looks pretty great displayed side by side with Shin Matsunaga's unit. There are plenty of leftover junk parts too, so it's got some recycling value as well. The Zaku II has a lot of variations, but each one has its own personality, which I think is great. ^^

MG MS-06R-2 J.Ridden's Zaku II
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★	Almost no consideration for seam lines.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★☆	Color separation is nearly perfect. The molded color is a slightly dark red..
Proportions	★★★★☆	The high-mobility type looks quite good when just standing still
Articulation	★	Arms and legs won't bend past 90°. Limited ankle range of motion. Skirts are very restrictive.
Joint Strength	★	Elbow and knee joints are weak. Pipes fall out easily. Grip strength is lacking. -.-
Internal Frame	★★☆	Top of the head, backpack, part of the legs. Backpack detail has become a bit more refined.
Detail	★★★★☆	Lots of panel lines. More complex and intricate detail.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★	As the body volume increases, the weapons become more plain.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★☆	311 parts total (+ 28 detail-up parts). Parts per ¥1,000: 111.1
Uniqueness	★★★☆	For a variation, the changes are pretty minor. A red high-mobility unit.
Dalong's Point : 62 pts.

MG J.Ridden's Zaku II | 1996.6 | ¥2,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.