OLD MSV 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon

Release 1983.8

Price ¥500

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Waterslide decals

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - Parts (1/2)

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - Parts (2/2)

Parts diagram

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - Manual (1/4)

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - Manual (2/4)

Manual

Straight build + wet decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - The chest armor, legs, feet, and backpack have a rough matte surface finish. (1/3)

The chest armor, legs, feet, and backpack have a rough matte surface finish.

The power pipe at the back of the head connects to the backpack, so the neck can't rotate.. ;;

The Zaku Recon has a pretty unique mono-eye gimmick.

The mono-eye moves up, down, left, and right in a cross pattern..

The joint is loose, so it just droops down like that most of the time T_T

A total of 4 hands are included.

The leg articulation is pretty dire.

Shoulder forward/backward range of motion and arm/leg spread angle

OLD 1/144 MS-06E Zaku Recon - Action pose 1 (1/3)

Action pose 1

Action pose 2

Together with the 1/144 mass production Zaku.

Together with the Zaku Desert Type and the Underwater Zaku.

This is the MSV 1/144 Zaku Recon (reconnaissance type) — a unique Zaku you can only find in MSV. "Recon" is short for the English word "reconnaissance," meaning scouting or reconnaissance.

As you'd expect from a kit that's never been released as an injection-molded model in any scale for over 30 years since the MSV line launched, there are some fresh ideas here and there. Most notably, it's impressive that they managed to implement a mono-eye that moves in all four directions even at 1/144 scale, fitting for a reconnaissance MS. That said, whether due to technical limitations or not, the mono-eye movement is awkward and loose, making it tricky to handle. In particular, the eye tends to droop downward on its own, so I had to reinforce the mono-eye joint strength. (I just brushed some glue onto the joint, let it dry, and snapped it back in.)

Another quirky detail: the power line runs out from the back of the head and connects to the backpack — a pretty unusual setup. Because of this, once you glue the power line in place, the head can't rotate at all.. (Is that why at least the mono-eye moves?) It's a limitation of the original design, so unless you use a flexible pipe, there's really nothing you can do about it.

So while it does have some distinctive features, the overall articulation and joint strength are honestly the worst among the MSV kits.. The leg articulation is practically non-existent, leaving you with very few poses you can actually pull off on the ground, and even trying to raise the arms into a shooting pose is tough because the joints are so loose. On top of that, just getting it to stand stably on its own is a challenge — it's the floppiest kit in the MSV lineup, so reinforcing the joint strength is an absolute must.

Anyway, this kit holds the distinction of being the first Gunpla to feature a cross-pattern mono-eye movement gimmick, which counts for something. But aside from its unique look and lore, the quality is pretty bottom-of-the-barrel, so it's hard to recommend without reservations. :-)
[ Updated at 2016.7.31 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.