OLD Z Gundam 1/220 Messala

Release 1985.9

Price ¥400

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + waterslide decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The only weapon included is a single beam saber.

Small as it is, the arms and legs still move.

OLD 1/220 Messala - Beam saber action pose (1/3)

Beam saber action pose

Fold the binders and legs to transform into Mobile Armor mode.

OLD 1/220 Messala - Mobile Armor mode (1/4)

OLD 1/220 Messala - Mobile Armor mode (2/4)

Mobile Armor mode

Together with the HGUC Messala.

This kit is the Messala released in 1/220 scale — a unique scale found only in the old Zeta Gundam lineup. Since the Messala is a pretty massive MS with the ability to transform into a Mobile Armor, it wasn't released in 1/144 and instead came out in 1/220. It's essentially a special scale created specifically for these oversized MS units.

Even so, being 1/220 means it actually comes out smaller than your typical 1/144 kit — quite a compact little thing. It's molded in a single color, but surprisingly the detail holds up well for such a small-scale kit. The parts breakdown is also solid — no polycaps, but the joint articulation is on par with a 1/144 kit, so all the arms and legs move, and despite its small size, it even includes transformation into Mobile Armor mode.

Sure, the transformation is pretty simple — just fold the binders, backpack, and legs — but the fact that it's there at all is what counts, and the resulting Mobile Armor form actually looks pretty convincing. Articulation is better than expected too, so you can get some decent poses out of it. And even without polycaps, the joint strength isn't an issue, probably because the kit is so small.

It's hard to dismiss this as just a tiny little kit — the quality is genuinely there. Slap some paint on it and it'd look really sharp. A charming old-school kit for sure. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.4.23 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.