Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + decals

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Upper body (1/3)

Upper body

Lower body

Head decals

Body decals

Shield/spike shoulder armor decals

Rear decals

Backpack and rear decals (focus was a bit off;)

Decals on the inside of the machine gun too..

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Thigh decals (1/3)

Thigh decals

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Leg decals (1/3)

Leg decals

The frame is a pearlescent dark iron color.

Weapons shot. Standard J-type armament.

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Fully armed (1/3)

Fully armed

Action pose

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Machine gun action (1/3)

Machine gun action

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Bazooka action (1/3)

Bazooka action

Heat hawk action

Together with the normal MG Zaku II J type v2.0.

The colors are deeper and the decals have increased massively.

Together with the Pro Shop limited Zaku, another Zaku 2.0 limited release.

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type - Straight build shot before panel lining/decals — without decals it definitely looks a bit rough

Straight build shot before panel lining/decals
Without decals it definitely looks a bit rough and bare.

In April 2008, a Real Type Zaku based on the Zaku II J type v2.0 was released as a limited edition for the Gundam Expo event. The Real Type Zaku was originally a side-story release in 1/100 scale from the early '80s, and this kit was made as a nod to that classic model.

The Real Type Zaku's basic color scheme is a military-style deep green and a muddy olive color (-_-), with a design made up of various elaborate markings. That means a lot of decals are needed, and true to its limited edition status, it handles this with waterslide decals. It's the kind of item that could easily have come out as a regular MG release... but since the normal MG lineup uses dry decals as standard, it seems like they went with the limited edition format so they could use water slides instead.

Honestly, the molded colors on this kit aren't exactly what I'd call great. I get what they were going for with the color choices, but they're not particularly pretty on their own. That said, this is the kind of kit where the elaborate decals really bring it to life. As expected, this Real Type Zaku needs quite a lot of decal work — the time spent on decals far exceeds the actual build time. Looking at just the decal workload, it's probably the heaviest of any MG out there.

Interestingly, this kit comes with two identical sheets of waterslide decals. At first I figured the second one was just thrown in as a bonus... but after applying so many decals, I inevitably messed up one or two of them;;; Having two identical sheets means you can make up for any mistakes using the spare. It seems like a thoughtful touch for people who aren't used to applying waterslide decals on Gunpla, giving you a chance to recover from any slip-ups. (Thanks~)

Bandai's waterslide decals are pretty good quality — just 3 seconds in water and they slide right off and stick on cleanly. They go on nicely, but the adhesion seems about average. If you just apply them without any waterslide decal tools, the durability is a little questionable. This Real Type Zaku in particular has water slides plastered all over the body, so I had to be really careful every time I touched it. And when it came to posing it for action shots, I was genuinely breaking out in a cold sweat ^^;

Sure, some of you might say just hit it with a few coats of topcoat and be done with it — but since I never use topcoat in my review photos in order to capture the true look of the molded colors, I had no choice but to steel my nerves and handle it carefully OTL

Anyway, with MSV units like the Minelayer and Zaku Cannon being added to the main MG lineup, it's really significant that even these side-story kits are getting re-released at modern quality standards — limited edition or not. If things keep going at this pace, I'd love to see all the MSV units released, whether as mainline or limited editions. And especially if they're based on the Zaku 2.0 — a kit I never get tired of building no matter how many times I make it — then I'm all for it! :-)

MG Zaku J v2.0 ~ Real Type

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.