OLD Char's Counter Attack 1/144 Sazabi

Release 1988.2

Price ¥1,000

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

The kit is so large that two polycap runners are included.

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

OLD 1/144 Sazabi - Bolt joints are used on the torso, arms/legs, and shield. (1/4)

OLD 1/144 Sazabi - Bolt joints are used on the torso, arms/legs, and shield. (2/4)

Bolt joints are used on the torso, arms/legs, and shield.

Articulated fingers

Looking up from below, you can see the verniers on the legs and inside the skirts.

Weapons loadout

The beam tomahawk is stored inside the shield.

Arm and leg articulation isn't great..

Just like the previous Jagd Doga, the arms don't rotate, so the elbows only bend inward.

The fin funnel section looks like it should move, but it doesn't budge at all.

OLD 1/144 Sazabi - Rifle shooting pose (1/3)

OLD 1/144 Sazabi - Rifle shooting pose (2/3)

OLD 1/144 Sazabi - Rifle shooting pose (3/3)

Rifle firing pose

Beam saber pose

Beam tomahawk beam saber action

Together with the HGUC Sazabi released in 2008.

Together with the 1/144 Nu Gundam.

OLD 1/144 Sazabi - Together with the 1/144 Char's Zaku. These are the suits that bookend Char's story from beginning to end —

Together with the 1/144 Char's Zaku. These are the suits that bookend Char's story from beginning to end — and even at the same scale, the size difference is pretty incredible.

The fourth kit in the old Char's Counterattack lineup is Char's final personal unit — the 1/144 Sazabi. This old Sazabi has been controversial for its molded colors ever since it was first released, and building it again after all this time, yeah, the color combination really is strange and off..

The silhouette itself isn't bad for an old kit, but the combination of a pink upper body and red lower body just looks wrong no matter how you look at it. It would've been so much better if the whole thing had just been molded in red. Sure, the Sazabi is supposed to be a two-tone red, but the placement of each color is off and the shades feel cheap — like something out of a candy toy. All in all, it's earned the reputation of being the worst offender in the old Char's Counterattack series when it comes to molded colors.

That said, despite its large size, the joint strength is actually better than you'd expect — probably because it uses twice as many polycaps as other kits. But like the previous Jagd Doga, the arms only bend inward, which makes posing a pain. On top of that, the front skirts don't move at all, which seriously limits the hip joint's range of motion — so while the joints are sturdy, the articulation overall falls well below expectations.

Still, the overall bulk and proportions aren't bad, so with a proper paint job it could give off a really strong, retro Sazabi vibe that's quite different from the HGUC. And at ¥1000, it's pretty affordable for its size, so it's not a bad old kit to pick up if you're planning to paint it. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.8.10 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.