Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + decals

1. Basic Photos

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (1/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (2/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (3/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (4/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (5/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (6/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (7/7)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Upper body close-up. With the High Mobility Type, the parts on either si

Upper body close-up. With the High Mobility Type, the parts on either side of the chest have become a bit more angular.

Head (close-up)

The arms. The elbows have color separation and are noticeably bulkier.

The backpack — the signature feature of the High Mobility Type..

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar

The back of the thighs has gotten nice and beefy.

The legs, which give the High Mobility Type that powerful look

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The pipes on the back of the legs require some bead-threading wizardry.

The pipes on the back of the legs require some bead-threading wizardry. But the detail payoff is great..

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - True to the High Mobility Type, looking up from below you get a gorgeous

True to the High Mobility Type, looking up from below you get a gorgeous view of all those verniers.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - You can swap in two different head antennae to recreate it as a commande

You can swap in two different head antennae to recreate it as a commander unit.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The Zaku v2.0's signature cockpit hatch open feature. With three pilots

The Zaku v2.0's signature cockpit hatch open feature.
With three pilots to choose from, I couldn't decide who to sit in there... so I just left it empty;;

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Weapons. Nothing new was added to the armament, and bumping the price up

Weapons. Nothing new was added to the armament, and bumping the price up ¥1000 just for extra body parts feels...
...a little steep, if you ask me.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - With the bazooka, you can swap the front and rear sections around the mi

With the bazooka, you can swap the front and rear sections around the middle part
to choose between the standard Zaku Bazooka and the Giant Bazooka.
Would've been nice if they just included enough parts to build both;

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The rear of the Giant Bazooka can store a warhead. Not that you'll ever

The rear of the Giant Bazooka can store a warhead.
Not that you'll ever see it once it's assembled;

1/100 figures of all three Black Tri-Stars are included.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Feels like a hint to buy three kits;; The standing poses for these three

Feels like a hint to buy three kits;;
The standing poses for these three are identical to the 1/20 figures that came with the old MG series.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Leftover parts from making this a variant release. Since the runners wer

Leftover parts from making this a variant release.
Since the runners were combined in a rather messy way for the molds, there aren't actually as many leftover parts as you might expect.

2. Inner Frame

Outer armor removed

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Inner frame shots. The frame is far more impressive than the standard Za

Inner frame shots.
The frame is far more impressive than the standard Zaku's.

The upper body frame itself is identical to the standard type.

The backpack frame added for the High Mobility Type. Great detail.

The backpack frame is actually layered with a double structure inside.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The thigh frame has also been changed for the High Mobility Type. The ba

The thigh frame has also been changed for the High Mobility Type. The back has gotten thicker.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The highlight of the High Mobility Type is definitely the awesome leg fr

The highlight of the High Mobility Type is definitely the awesome leg frame..

The frame detail is seriously intense.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - It's designed to look almost like a double frame, but the inner frame do

It's designed to look almost like a double frame, but the inner frame doesn't have much in the way of surface detail.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The High Mobility Type frame looks even cooler when viewed from behind a

The High Mobility Type frame looks even cooler when viewed from behind and below.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Uh oh... because of the bulkier leg frame, the knee only bends to exactl

Uh oh... because of the bulkier leg frame, the knee only bends to exactly 90 degrees;;
One of the Zaku v2.0's biggest selling points is gone..

Showing only the newly added/changed frame parts. Looks pretty sharp.

The massively upgraded leg frame..

3. Action

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The thicker leg sections have significantly reduced the knee's range of

The thicker leg sections have significantly reduced the knee's range of motion.
It's a real shame, but it seems like there was no way around it given the design..

Zaku Machine Gun action pose

The pose looks very natural.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Heat Hawk action. Tried copying the pose from the manual... doesn't look

Heat hawk action.
Tried copying the pose from the manual... doesn't look all that cool though;

For the High Mobility Type, it's gotta be the bazooka!

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - First, striking a pose with the Zaku Bazooka.. (1/3)

First, striking a pose with the Zaku Bazooka..

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Action pose with the Giant Bazooka, the High Mobility Type's signature w

Action pose with the Giant Bazooka, the High Mobility Type's signature weapon.
This one's also a manual-recommended pose — looks a bit cocky though..

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Giant Bazooka action pose. The poses are incomparably more natural than

Giant Bazooka action pose.
The poses are incomparably more natural than v1.0.
That said, the feet are quite small and the ankle joints are a bit weak for the upper body weight, so balancing is a tad tricky.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (1/2)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar (2/2)

Now let's try a different pose...

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Fully armed. (1/4)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Fully armed. (2/4)

Fully armed.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Stand on! Unfortunately the leg articulation has gotten noticeably worse

Stand on!
Unfortunately the leg articulation has gotten noticeably worse... anything more dynamic than this is pretty much impossible. T_T

"Get over here..."
Trying to recreate the box art pose.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Striking a firing pose on the stand. (1/5)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Striking a firing pose on the stand. (2/5)

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Striking a firing pose on the stand. (3/5)

Striking a firing pose on the stand.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Firing pose on top of a warship. Also a manual-recommended pose. (1/3)

Firing pose on top of a warship. Also a manual-recommended pose.

4. Comparison Shots

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Comparison with the Black Tri-Stars Zaku II v1.0 released in '99. The ov

Comparison with the Black Tri-Stars Zaku II v1.0 released in '99.
The overall proportions have changed quite a bit..
The biggest difference is definitely the color separation.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Arm comparison. The v1.0 forearm on the left has no color separation, so

Arm comparison.
The v1.0 forearm on the left has no color separation, so I hand-painted it black. Originally it was just plain purple -_-
The forearm style is pretty similar though.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The biggest difference is in the legs. The black areas on the v1.0 legs

The biggest difference is in the legs.
The black areas on the v1.0 legs on the left were all hand-painted separately.
Originally the entire leg came out just plain white.
The v2.0 has a different style, but the color separation is nearly perfect.

Yeah, the v2.0 feet are definitely on the small side.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - The backpack. The design itself hasn't changed much, but the style has b

The backpack. The design itself hasn't changed much, but the style has been tweaked a bit.

You can really feel the gap in years between these two kits.

Together with the Zaku II mass production type and Char's custom v2.0.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Removing the rear skirt reveals just how much thicker the back of the th

Removing the rear skirt reveals just how much thicker the back of the thighs has gotten.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - Sole comparison between the v2.0 variants. The ground-type J-Type has pl

Sole comparison between the v2.0 variants.
The ground-type J-Type has plain soles, while Char's custom and the High Mobility Type both have the same style of verniers added.

Either way, all the v2.0 variants are top-notch quality!

Straight build

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar - If you looked out the bridge window and saw this sight...? A.I.D.S... (A

If you looked out the bridge window and saw this sight...?
A.I.D.S... (Ah, I'm Dead Surely...)

The High Mobility Type Zaku II — the planned variant of the splashy Zaku
v2.0 — has been released as the Black Tri-Stars unit.
Given that it was arguably the most quality-challenged kit in the old v1.0 Zaku lineup,
it's no surprise this one came out sooner rather than later.

The v1.0 Black Tri-Stars Zaku II was
arguably the worst color separation ever seen in an MG kit. It was the kind of
variant that practically laughed in your face and said "just paint it yourself" —
hardly worthy of the MG name. Back then you could at least think "well, at least they released it,"
but it was still disappointing since it was essentially just the Matsunaga custom
High Mobility Type Zaku II with the molded colors swapped out.
Anyway, the v1.0 had zero consideration for color separation on the arms and legs,
so a straight build looked terrible, and the articulation was just plain awful.

With v2.0, the High Mobility Zaku has finally reclaimed its signature sense of weight and charisma. The Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type Black Tristar features perfect color separation as a given, and really shines with its High Mobility-specific inner frame that takes the already impressive full-body frame and kicks it up another notch. The original design is such a flashy, powerful-looking unit... but back in v1.0, the kit's sloppy quality just killed all of that.

The subtle color separation on the legs flows naturally, and the arm section that was a problem in v1.0 has been perfectly reproduced through additional parts separation. In particular, the pipe details on the legs feature 8 individually strung ball pieces on each side, delivering a level of realism that's simply incomparable to before.

The area I feel has been most impressively upgraded going from v2.0 to the High Mobility Type is the backpack and the inner frame of the legs. Both feature excellent frames, and the leg detail in particular shows a level of precision that's the best we've ever seen. If the standard Zaku II v2.0 frame had a clean and efficient look to it, the High Mobility parts' frame has a small and complex structure more like the MG F91. It does give off a slightly mismatched feeling because of that, but either way, the frame's sheer presence is overwhelmingly stronger than the standard Zaku.

On the other hand... there are a few things that got worse. This was something I was a little worried about even before it came out, but thanks to the High Mobility Type's characteristically thick leg design, knee articulation has taken a serious hit. Unlike the mass production type and Char's Zaku II v2.0 which showed full bend, the High Mobility v2.0's legs can't even hit 90 degrees on the knee. Because of this, you have to com.plete.ly. give up on the wide variety of dynamic leg poses that made the Zaku v2.0 so exciting no matter what pose you put it in. Actually trying out some action poses... you really can't get anything beyond leg shapes that barely even match a plain no-grade kit.

On top of that, with the backpack and legs bulking up, the ankle joints — which weren't really noticeable as a weak point on the standard type — now feel fragile. When striking action poses, if you get the balance wrong it's much more prone to toppling forward or backward. T_T
So this is a kit where the need for a stand becomes even more important.

One other notable thing is that all three 1/100 figures of the Black Tristar trio are included. It feels like a nice bonus, but at the same time it kind of feels like pressure to buy all three. :-)

So to sum up the feel of this High Mobility Zaku v2.0 kit in three lines:

1. I had no idea the frame could get this much better. Fantastic!
2. I had no idea the articulation could get this much worse. OTL
3. Either way, all the Zaku v2.0 kits are great. Keep 'em coming.

The v1.0 Zakus that felt relatively lacking compared to the rest can probably be forgotten now. The High Mobility Zaku has gotten the version upgrade treatment and been reborn in a really nice way — though I can't help thinking it would've been even more amazing if the insides of the verniers had been separated in red as well. If that had been the case, the red parts on the backpack that were handled with stickers could've been done with proper color separation too. Human greed knows no end, does it? ^^;

It's a bit of a shame that the coin-picking-up pose articulation had to be sacrificed, but the other strengths of the kit seem more than enough to make up for it.
In terms of looks alone, it's a fantastic kit with far more charisma than the standard type.

MG MS-06R-1A Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★★	The most massive single slide-mold part ever.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Perfect color separation on a completely different level from v1.0.
Proportions	★★★★★	The v2.0 was already looking great, but the High Mobility Type looks even better.
Articulation	★★★★	No more coin-picking-up poses... T_T
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	Maybe because of the bigger bulk, the ankles look relatively a little weak.
Internal Frame	★★★★★★	Takes the already-perfect v2.0 frame and pushes it one step further.
Detail	★★★★★	Still looks simpler compared to v1.0, but it's excellent.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	The weapons are nothing special, but the quality of the added parts is top-notch.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	371 parts total. 82.4 parts per ¥1,000. Definitely worth the money.
Uniqueness	★★★★★★★	A glorious comeback for the High Mobility Type. It's clearly got more style than the standard type.
Dalong's Point : 105 pts.

MG Zaku II v2.0 High Mobility Type ~ Black Tristar | 2008. 1 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.