----------- General notes on the Z-MSV series ------------
This kit is one of the products known as Z-MSV — a re-release of One Year War MSV mobile suits that appeared in Z Gundam, repackaged under the Z Gundam lineup. The runner configuration is 100% identical to the original MSV kits; the only change is the molded colors, which were swapped out for Z Gundam versions — making it essentially a color variant kit. Some of them did get updated wet decals as well, though.
There are seven Z-MSV kits in total. They were only released during the original anime broadcast run, possibly because the quality gap compared to other Z Gundam 1/144 kits was noticeable. They were later re-released as復刻 editions to commemorate the 2006 Z Gundam theatrical films. Since these kits were originally developed back in the First Gundam era, the overall build quality inevitably falls short compared to the Z Gundam 1/144 kits that came standard with polycaps.
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This particular kit is the Zaku Recon from that lineup. Since it's simply a color-changed version of the original MSV release, please refer to the MSV Zaku Recon reviewfor a detailed kit breakdown. The molded color has been completely changed from the original kit's blue to a deep yellow — though honestly it doesn't feel like much of an improvement over the original MSV. It just feels like a Zaku Recon in a different color scheme.
That said, unlike the earlier Z-MSV kits whose decals were identical to the original MSV versions, starting with the Zaku Recon the wet decals now include a Titans marking. The manual doesn't actually specify where to put it, which is a bit awkward... but either way, if you're after that Titans marking that isn't in the original MSV kit, picking up the Z-MSV version of the Zaku Recon isn't a bad call at all. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.3.5 ]
AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.
