OLD MSV 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank

Release 1983.9

Price ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Waterslide decals

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - Parts (1/2)

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - Parts (2/2)

Parts diagram

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - Manual (1/4)

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - Manual (2/4)

Manual

Straight build + wet decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Bottom view. The caterpillar tracks are made of soft material.

An officer's head antenna is included, but somehow the Zaku Tank feels more at home going bald.. ^^;

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - The parts that look like they should move do move pretty smoothly, though the joint strength is

The parts that look like they should move do move pretty smoothly, though the joint strength is on the stiff side.

The waist also swings forward and back quite a bit.

Some action poses

You can choose between two backpack options: the tank type or the crane type.

Crane unit articulation, with two 1/144 figures included.

Crane articulation in action.

OLD 1/144 MS-06V Zaku Tank - Together with the 1/144 Mass Production Zaku and Magellan Attack. The lower tank section shares

Together with the 1/144 Mass Production Zaku and Magellan Attack. The lower tank section shares the same design as the Magellan Attack, but look closely and you'll see it's not recycled parts — it's an entirely new mold.

Together with the similarly-vibed 1/144 Zaku Desert Version.

If you asked me to pick the best kit from the old MSV lineup, I'd go straight to this 1/144 Zaku Tank. It's a pretty personal reason — I had an Academy version of the Zaku Tank way back when and absolutely loved it. ^^;

The Zaku Tank I built back in the '80s left a huge impression on me. It was this awesome mashup of Gundam and military aesthetics, and for its time it showed a really impressive level of detail and proportions. I still vividly remember being blown away by how much more refined it looked compared to the 1/144 Zakus that were out at the time.

Coming back to build the original Bandai version after all these years, it doesn't quite recapture that same rush of excitement — but for a kit released in 1983, I think it's a genuinely impressive old-school release with a pretty bold style and solid detail. The lower tank section shares the same design as the 1/144 Magellan Attack, but it's actually made up of new parts with subtly adjusted sizing and detail for the Zaku Tank specifically. And the Zaku upper body is a completely new design, nothing like the standard Zaku at all.

The backpack comes in two forms — a standard tank shape and a crane shape with a figure riding on top — and you can swap between them easily by just hooking them over the back. The articulation overall moves about as well as you'd expect, and you can get some decent poses out of it. The joints are on the stiff side so it's not the easiest thing to pose, but that's still way better than floppy, loose joints.

Anyway, for me personally, MSV basically equals Zaku Tank — it's a standout kit that really nails the Gundam-meets-military combo, and I'm sure it left a lasting impression on a lot of old-school fans. If you're thinking about picking up one old MSV kit to build, this 1/144 Zaku Tank is the first one I'd recommend. :-)
[ Updated at 2016.8.10 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.