OLD First Gundam 1/100 Old Zaku

Release 1982.7

Price ¥700

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Note that some runners are not individually bagged in plastic.

Parts diagram

Manual

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The soles are flat, as expected.

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - The shoulder joint is another step up compared to the 1/100 Char's Zaku. It still uses the same ring-and

The shoulder joint is upgraded another step compared to the 1/100 Char's Zaku.
It still uses the same ring-and-loop connection system, but now both the loop and the rotating part just snap right in — no glue needed.

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - The spike armor shoulder is designed to move slightly up and down, just like on the 1/100 Char's Zaku, b

The spike armor shoulders can move slightly up and down like the 1/100 Char's Zaku,
but in reality the tolerance is so tight that it doesn't move very well...

The ankle has a joint that can move in all four directions.

The interior of the leg.

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - A compound joint connecting the shoulder and neck has been added, allowing the shoulders to swing forwar

A compound joint connecting the shoulder and neck has been added, allowing the shoulders to swing forward and backward as well.

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - Here's the really surprising part — the mono-eye actually rotates!!!! It didn't on the 1/100 Char's Zaku

What's especially surprising, the monoeye rotates!!!!
It couldn't do that on the 1/100 Char's Zaku, but on the 1/100 Old Zaku it's actually implemented..
The only downside is there's no dedicated grip or lever to turn it, so you have to carefully nudge the eye with something like a blade tip to rotate it — kind of a pain..;

Weapons loadout

The bazooka is the same part included with the 1/100 Char's Zaku.

The machine gun is a new one designed specifically for the Old Zaku, and the middle grip is articulated.

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - A total of 5 hands are included, and there's an open hand type that wasn't included with the 1/100 Char'

A total of 5 hands are included, and there's one that wasn't on the 1/100 Char's Zaku —
an open-palm style hand that's been added.

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - Like the 1/100 Char's Zaku, you can hang the heat hawk on the hole in the side skirt, but the fit is sti

Like the 1/100 Char's Zaku, you can hang the heat hawk on the side skirt holes,
but the attachment is still pretty loose so it keeps falling off.

The knee articulation feels like it bends a bit more than other 1/100 kits.

The shoulders and legs can be spread about this far.

Action po~se

OLD 1/100 Old Zaku - The two-handed machine gun firing pose comes together naturally. (1/3)

The two-handed machine gun firing pose comes together naturally.

Bazooka pose

It's hard to get a good angle for gripping both handles on the bazooka at the same time..

Heat hawk action with the mono-eye rotated too

Together with the 1/144 Old Zaku.

Together with the 1/100 Char's Zaku.

Together with the MG Zaku I released in 1999.

After the 1/100 Char's Zaku was released, a 1/100 Old Zaku (Zaku I) followed. While it shares a similar structure with its predecessor, the Old Zaku actually came out as a noticeably improved kit in many areas. There's a similar precedent in the HGUC line — the Zaku II was released first as the main unit, and by the time the Zaku I came out later, more advanced engineering had been applied to it.

Here's how the 1/100 Old Zaku (Zaku I) improved upon the previously released 1/100 Char's Zaku (Zaku II):

- The mono-eye has been upgraded to a rotating gimmick
- A cross-joint structure connecting the neck and shoulders has been added, allowing the shoulders to swing forward and backward.
- An additional set of open hands has been included
- A cross-joint has been added to the ankle, allowing movement in all four directions.
- The shoulder and forearm connection method is similar to Char's Zaku, but the structure has been improved so it can be assembled without glue.

The rotating mono-eye gimmick genuinely caught me off guard. Sure, there's no lever like on an MG, so you have to forcefully nudge the eye with something to get it to spin — but still, the fact that even the old 1982 Zaku had a rotating mono-eye was pretty shocking. It really makes you feel the burning passion of those early Gunpla developers, constantly pushing out new innovations in such a short span of time.

Thanks to these incremental improvements in articulation, posing is overall easier than with the 1/100 Char's Zaku — especially in the upper body and arms. The added forward-and-backward shoulder swing makes it much more comfortable to hold the machine gun with both hands. That said, gripping the bazooka with both hands still feels a bit awkward..

Either way, this kit reaffirms the timeless rule: "newer is better" And it's a pretty meaningful kit for showing just how much Gunpla was evolving even back in 1982. Sure, it falls well short of a modern MG overall — but among the old 1/100 kits, I'd say this one is genuinely a cut above the rest. :-)
[ Updated at 2016.4.9 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.