OLD Z Gundam 1/144 Marasai

Release 1985.7

Price ¥500

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + waterslide decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The beam rifle's magazine is detachable, but it's so loose it keeps falling out..

An extra right hand and a beam saber are included.

OLD 1/144 Marasai - For a kit with this kind of build, the limb articulation is actually not too bad. At least it's better th

For a kit with this kind of build, the limb articulation is actually not too bad. At least it's better than the Rick Dias or Galbaldy Beta.

OLD 1/144 Marasai - The shield on the right shoulder does move up and down, but the joint is so loose that the upper shield k

The shield on the right shoulder does move up and down, but the joint is so loose that the upper shield keeps drooping down.

OLD 1/144 Marasai - Shooting poses (1/2)

OLD 1/144 Marasai - Shooting poses (2/2)

Firing pose

OLD 1/144 Marasai - Two-handed shooting pose (1/2)

OLD 1/144 Marasai - Two-handed shooting pose (2/2)

Two-handed firing pose

Beam saber pose

Together with the HGUC Gundam Mk-II

Together with the HGUC Marasai released in 2005.

This is the old 1/144 Marasai from the Z Gundam series, and it already shows a step up in quality from the original First Gundam era kits, with two-tone molded colors and polycaps. That said, the crimson molded color has that old-kit candy-toy kind of feel to it, so the straight build doesn't look all that great by today's standards. ^^;

The polycaps do keep the joint strength nice and stable, but the right shoulder shield's pivot — which has no polycap — is loose, so the upper shield tends to slowly slide down on its own. Articulation is about average for old kits: a step below the previous Mk-II but better than the Rick Dias. Still, for an old kit it poses surprisingly well, and there's a real hands-on satisfaction when you're actually moving it around. The proportions when standing also hold up pretty nicely.

Sure, the HGUC Marasai is so well done that putting the two side by side makes for a pretty stark comparison — but setting aside the rough molded color, this old kit delivers better than expected quality. The snap-fit look is a bit awkward for a nostalgia build, but as a base for painting and customizing, it seems like it'd be a pretty fun kit. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.3.2 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.