Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + decals + partial painting

The universal yardstick — size comparison with a cigarette pack.

MG Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar - The weapons feel even more stripped down than the Zaku-I mass production type;; (no spike shield)

The weapons feel even more stripped down than the Zaku-I mass production type;; (no spike shield)
Instead there's a figure included, but.. meh.

MG Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar - The biggest problem with this kit is right here.. a photo of the straight build. The color separa

The biggest problem with this kit is right here.. a photo of the straight build.
The color separation on the forearms and the tops of the feet isn't done, so it ends up being a pretty half-baked variation.

MG Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar - So the forearms and tops of the feet got partial painting in black. (It's supposed to be the Blac

So the forearms and tops of the feet got partial painting in black. (It's supposed to be the Black Tristar, after all!!)

Head hatch and cockpit hatch open

Foot top open

Backpack mechanical frame detail.

Same old leg inner frame.

Still the same rock-paper-scissors hands — open, flat, and fist, 3 sets.

MG Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar - The heat hawk mounted on the side. The color of the part that plugs the power cable hole on the s

The heat hawk mounted on the side.
The color of the part that plugs the power cable hole on the side of the thigh looks totally out of place~
It's supposed to be painted white, but I thought it looked kinda nice as-is, so I let it slide.. (^^;;)

Fully armed

Articulation is the same as the Zaku-I..

Bazooka action pose

Zaku-I dedicated machine gun action pose

Zaku-II machine gun action pose

Heat hawk action pose

Leftover parts.

MG Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar - Together with the Zaku-I mass production type. The look is 100% identical~ it's a straight color

Together with the Zaku-I mass production type. The look is 100% identical~ it's a straight color variant.

Included Black Tristar Gaia 1/20 figure

Still includes the bonus optional detail-up parts.

A Black Tristar Zaku-I has been released as a color variant of the Zaku-I. This unit is a version of the Zaku-I mass production type with 100% identical molding and only the molded colors changed — the key thing to watch out for is that the color separation is pretty lacking. For an MG kit, that's a bit much.. The black areas on the forearms and tops of the feet just come out as-is without proper separation, so if you don't do at least some partial painting, it really doesn't feel like the Black Tristar at all.

The main body is identical to the Zaku-I mass production type, but the spike shield that came with the mass production type is gone, replaced by a Gaia figure from the Black Tristar. It's more or less an even trade, I'd say..

The Black Tristar unit's color combination has a certain charisma to it, so even just with some partial painting it gives off a pretty solid impression. It feels weightier than the mass production type's somehow plain — and occasionally almost bargain-bin-looking — color scheme. Being a custom unit, it should naturally have that kind of feel... and despite the somewhat clunky articulation of the old Zaku, the color scheme somehow makes it feel dynamic. ^^

It still carries all the structural shortcomings of the old-style MG Zaku series, but like the mass production type, the lack of power cables makes this a Zaku that's easy to handle. Bandai not putting much effort into the color separation was probably partly laziness.. but they likely figured that anyone buying a Black Tristar unit is already a pretty dedicated fan. Since the fans who'd buy this are probably already expecting to do some painting anyway, maybe their attitude was "who cares?" I'd say this is absolutely not recommended for anyone who just wants to do a straight build.

Rather than this kit on its own, it feels like the kind of kit that would really shine once you have all three of the Black Tristar's Zaku-I, Zaku-II, and Dom lined up together. Displaying all three units alongside all three figures would give off quite a presence, don't you think..

Anyway, it's a somewhat half-hearted color variant, but it's still a kit worth having for the sake of rounding out the Zaku lineup.

MG MS-05B Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★	Almost no consideration for seam lines.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★	Color separation is a serious problem;; Partial painting at minimum is a must if you want it to look right.
Proportions	★★★★☆	Maybe because the power pipes are gone, it feels smoother and more refined?
Articulation	★☆	The articulation is the same old mediocre Zaku-II standard, but slightly better than the Zaku-II
Joint Strength	★★	Elbow. Grip strength is still terrible. But no power cables makes it way easier to handle.
Internal Frame	★★☆	Top of the head, backpack, parts of the legs. Almost identical to the Zaku-II.
Detail	★★★★☆	Just a simpler design, but the detail is actually pretty good.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★☆	Even fewer than the Zaku-I mass production type.. with a figure added.
Parts Count / Price	★★★☆	222 parts total (+ 28 detail-up parts). Parts per ¥1,000: 88.8
Uniqueness	★	A collector's item for fans only, with color separation thrown out the window. The laziest color variant of the bunch.
Dalong's Point : 54 pts.

MG Zaku-I ~ Black Tristar | 1999. 5 | ¥2,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.