OLD Gundam Sentinel 1/144 Zetaplus C1

Release 1988.9

Price ¥1,000

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 Zetaplus C1 - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Unlike its predecessor FAZZ, this kit properly uses snap-fit assembly.

Seals

OLD 1/144 Zetaplus C1 - Parts diagram (1/4)

OLD 1/144 Zetaplus C1 - Parts diagram (2/4)

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

You can hold the beam smart gun with both hands, but getting the angle right isn't easy.

Probably thanks to the transformation gimmick, the limb articulation is actually pretty good.

OLD 1/144 Zetaplus C1 - Beam smart gun two-handed firing pose (1/3)

Beam smart gun two-handed firing pose

Just messing around with poses..

To transform into Waverider mode, remove the head and waist parts, then flip the chest armor up.

When you fold the arms inward 90 degrees, the wing sections rotate along with them.

Stand the rear skirt vertically, then rotate the legs 90 degrees.

Pull the legs upward and fold them into the Waverider leg configuration.

OLD 1/144 Zetaplus C1 - Position the backpack and stabilizers to the rear, then attach the beam smart gun underneath — transf

Position the backpack and stabilizers to the rear, then attach the beam smart gun underneath — transformation complete!

It transforms into a pretty convincing Waverider.

Underside

The transformation gimmick is put together better than expected — it's really impressive.

Together with its predecessor, the 1/144 Full Armor ZZ Gundam.

Together with the HGUC Zetaplus A1 Unicorn Version released in 2014.

Together with the MG Zetaplus C1.

The 1/144 Zetaplus C1 was released as the second entry in the Gundam Sentinel series. It came out in 1988, a full year after the first product in the series — the Full Armor ZZ Gundam — but the quality is noticeably different from the Full Armor Zeta, which was based on the 1/144 ZZ Gundam.

First of all, this 1/144 Zetaplus holds an important place in Gunpla history — it sits right at the midpoint between snap-fit and glue assembly. The main parts go together without glue using snap-fit, but quite a few of the more ambiguous parts still require glue. That makes it pretty much one of the only Gunpla kits out there that mixes both glue and snap-fit assembly.

Since it was developed completely from scratch for Gundam Sentinel, the overall proportions, sculpting, and build feel are all a big step up compared to the Full Armor ZZ. Just looking at the exterior, the proportions are so different from older kits that you could almost call it HGUC-level without exaggerating. The limb articulation is excellent — again, HGUC-level — and the joint strength isn't bad either. And above all, the transformation gimmick is surprisingly slick!

The HGUC Zetaplus A1 Unicorn Version released in 2014 uses the HGUC Zeta-style transformation, where you swap out the entire torso and disassemble and reassemble the remaining parts — but the 1988 Zetaplus C1 actually pulls off something close to a full transformation. Sure, you do have to remove the head and waist parts, but the main transformation steps — moving and rotating the chest armor, arms, and legs — are all done in-place, so there's no need to pop things on and off like with the HGUC.

The hip joint movement gimmick — always the trickiest part of any Zeta-series transformation — is pulled off really cleanly here, to the point where the transformation actually feels more natural than the MG Zeta 2.0 from 2005. And the stability and proportions in Waverider mode are excellent too, which is another pleasant surprise.

Taking another look at the transformation gimmick on this 1988 Zetaplus, it's genuinely impressive even by today's standards — and it makes you wonder why modern HGUC kits can't pull off a transformation this slick. Sure, the disassemble-and-reassemble approach might help with proportions before and after transformation, but the pure mechanical satisfaction of a full transformation is just something every robot fan has in their DNA.

Either way, this is definitely a kit you shouldn't write off just because it's old. It's honestly amazing that a transforming Gunpla of this quality existed all the way back in '88. Sure, it falls short of HGUC in terms of seam lines and parts finish, but as an old-school kit, the sheer joy of that artful transformation alone makes it well worth your time. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.7.31 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.