OLD Gundam 0080 1/144 Z'Gok E

Release 1989.3

Price ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

A system injection runner is included.

Interestingly, the 0080 lineup often includes polycaps as part of the system injection runner.

There's also a guide to protect the parts.

Seals

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Rear view with the jet pack removed

Bottom view

The arm articulation is pretty limited.

Articulated claws

The ball joints pop out easily during posing. T_T

Action pose

Action pose 2

Thrust pose

Together with the 1/144 Z'Gok.

OLD 1/144 Z'Gok E - Together with the HGUC Z'Gok E released in 2003. It belongs to the lower end of HGUC quality, so it does

Together with the HGUC Z'Gok E released in 2003. It belongs to the lower end of HGUC quality, so it doesn't feel all that different from the old kit.

The first kit in the OVA Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket series lineup is the 1/144 Z'Gok E. It's essentially the successor to the Z'Gok, which was an aquatic MS, and it has a noticeably larger silhouette.

First off, the 0080 series makes heavy use of system injection runners, much like the Char's Counterattack series. The Z'Gok E, being the first in the lineup, has a single runner that includes four molded colors — clear and soft parts included. One interesting thing is that the polycaps are also included on the system injection runner. This is probably because each kit in the old 0080 series comes with its own dedicated polycaps, so there was no need to reuse them on a separate runner.

With five molded colors applied, the straight build already looks pretty solid. The color separation and proportions are a huge step up compared to the original First Grade old kit. Looking at the comparison photos, it holds its own against the HGUC — though to be fair, the HGUC Z'Gok E was a kit that got a lot of flak for its poor quality, which probably makes the gap between the two feel smaller than it actually is. The mono-eye being separated out as a clear pink part was actually quite a sensation for its time.

The arm and leg articulation isn't anything to write home about, but the joint strength is decent enough that posing isn't too bad. Thanks to the articulated claws, even a simple pose brings out that signature aggressive look pretty well.

Sure, the HGUC Z'Gok E released in 2003 has better detail, but the old Z'Gok E still offers pretty solid quality for the price — so it's not a bad old kit to pick up and build just for fun. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.8.29 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.