OLD Z Gundam 1/100 Z Gundam

Release 1985.10

Price ¥2,000

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - The transformation sequence printed on the box art. I still remember the chills I got seeing this box ar

The transformation sequence printed on the box art. I still remember the chills I got seeing this box art displayed at the stationery store back in the '80s..

There's a mechanic file included in a partial cover format.

Runners

The head antenna are provided on a separate soft parts runner.

Waterslide decals

Specially, the manual is A4 size — much larger than other 1/100 kits.

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Parts diagram (1/5)

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Parts diagram (2/5)

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Parts diagram (3/5)

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + wet decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Unlike previous kits, the thumb and index finger can boldly articulate all the way to the middle knuckle.

The wrist and elbow joints move using large polycap balls.

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - The side skirts have to be plugged onto elongated fixing pins — if you don't bond them on securely, they

The side skirts have to be plugged onto elongated fixing pins — if you don't bond them on securely, they'll fall off later and be a real pain to reattach..

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - A small bolt-type part is glued onto the end of the neck polycap fixing pin. This is to keep the polycap

A small bolt-type part is glued onto the end of the neck polycap fixing pin. This is to keep the polycap from pulling out when you insert and remove the neck for transformation. That said, the pin part is so tiny and fragile that I'm not too confident it'll hold up.

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - The biggest headache with the old 1/100 Zeta.. the horizontally rotating hip joint. The hip fixing parts

The biggest headache with the old 1/100 Zeta.. the horizontally rotating hip joint. The hip fixing parts splay outward for the Waverider transformation, and they're held in place by gluing a single tiny bolt-type pin — which makes the whole thing feel really precarious. Plenty of old-school fans must have shed tears over that little pin snapping on them.. (and yes, I was one of the victims)

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - The slide-out extension parts on the rifle and shield are also secured with small pins at the ends — and

The slide-out extension parts on the rifle and shield are also secured with small pins at the ends — and they look just as worryingly fragile.

Length extension gimmick for the rifle and shield

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Articulation structure of the neck and waist. If you don't bond each pin end properly, they tend to pop

Articulation structure of the neck and waist. If you don't bond each pin end properly, they tend to pop out during transformation.

Two grenade packs and a beam saber are also included.

You can attach the grenade pack to the forearm and open up the muzzle at the end of the arm.

The beam rifle can also be stored on the forearm.

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Being a transforming kit, the articulation is just so-so — and the hip joints in particular can't move f

Being a transforming kit, the articulation is just so-so — and the hip joints in particular can't move forward or backward at all. (The hip pins will snap..;;)

Beam rifle firing pose

You can hold it with both hands too, sort of.

Beam saber action pose

Grenade launcher firing pose

Transformation

First, tuck the head into the body and lift up the chest armor.

Push the chest armor back and press it flat against the back, then spread the legs and fold in the arms.

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Rotate the wings 180 degrees and swing them down toward the underside of the body. (1/2)

Rotate the wings 180 degrees and fold them down toward the underside of the body.

After attaching the shield to the center of the lower body..

Swing the stabilizers to the back, then rotate the side skirts 180 degrees to cover the sides.

Fold the knees, expose the nozzles, then spread the wings — transformation complete.

Waverider transformation complete.

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Views from various angles. Chunky as you'd expect from an old-school kit. ^^; (1/5)

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Views from various angles. Chunky as you'd expect from an old-school kit. ^^; (2/5)

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Views from various angles. Chunky as you'd expect from an old-school kit. ^^; (3/5)

Views from various angles. Chunky as you'd expect from an old-school kit. ^^;

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Together with the MG Z Gundam released in 1996. (I've lost the MG Z Gundam's rear skirt so the back look

Together with the MG Z Gundam released in 1996. (I've lost the MG Z Gundam's rear skirt so the back looks a bit off — sorry about that.. T_T)

Together with the MG Z Gundam 2.0 released in 2005.

The evolution of the 1/100 Z Gundam (1985-1996-2005)

OLD 1/100 Z Gundam - Waverider comparison with the MG Z Gundam. (Note that the MG's rear skirt is missing) The MG is way slim

Waverider comparison with the MG Z Gundam. (Note that the MG's rear skirt is missing) The MG is way slimmer.

Waverider comparison with the MG Z Gundam 2.0.

Together with the 1/144 Z Gundam.

The Griffith trio assembled — together with the 1/100 Mk-II and Hyaku-Shiki.

This kit is the legendary old-school 1/100 Z Gundam. The First Gundam and Mk-II were both dreams of the '80s, but personally, the Z Gundam was the crown jewel of them all. I still vividly remember the shock and excitement I felt as a kid staring at the Z Gundam box art displayed in the stationery shop in front of my school. Spending months drooling at it through the shop window, and then finally getting my hands on it — the sheer joy of that moment...!!

As you can see in the review photos above, the Z Gundam's box art uniquely features a six-step photo sequence showing the transformation process. Anyone who loves robots naturally has a soft spot for transforming mecha, and the realistic transformation that the Z Gundam showed off was an absolute sensation at the time. The idea of it transforming into a Waverider for atmospheric re-entry — what a concept. At a time when super robot shows were all about transformations and combinations that threw science out the window, Gundam's grounded, realistic transformation design was truly worthy of being called the pioneer of real robot anime.

Anyway, the 1/100 Z Gundam was a shocking kit for its near-perfect recreation of that in-universe transformation sequence — it was genuinely moving to build back then. That said, alongside the wonder of that amazing transformation gimmick, it was also a kit that broke a lot of hearts due to its poor durability.. (which might actually be part of why it's so memorable)

While it holds great significance as Bandai's first fully transformable Gundam, it was made at a time when the engineering know-how for transformation gimmicks was still lacking. Many of the moving transformation parts are secured with small pins, which makes for some seriously questionable durability.

The most notorious example is the hip joint. It's something most old-school fans — myself included — have experienced firsthand: the part that rotates and spreads outward for transformation is just way too weak. It's supposed to support those big heavy legs, but it's held in place by a single small plastic pin glued with cement, so it can snap pretty easily. And once it breaks, you're completely stuck — like a flip-flop with a broken strap. Absolutely hopeless.. T_T

I remember trying to fix it with loads of glue and even screws back in the day. I was hoping the Bandai original release might be a bit sturdier, but not really. Thanks to that trauma, I handled it carefully throughout, so nothing snapped even after the review shoot — but it's still an anxiety-inducing point that I just can't shake.

On top of that, the central body section that extends and contracts for the head and waist is also nerve-wracking to handle — though to be fair, the MG has its share of issues there too. (A proud tradition, perhaps....) Still, the in-universe transformation sequence is faithfully reproduced, and at least the Bandai original seems to hold together a bit better once transformed into Waverider mode. Sure, compared to the MG Waverider it's been likened to a fat sausage, but just the fact that it transforms at all made it an incredible kit.

And because of the transformation gimmick, articulation is pretty much thrown out the window — the hip joints have zero forward/backward movement, so the poses you can pull off in MS mode are very limited. On the flip side, the grenade launcher ports on the forearms are reproduced with opening covers, and all five fingers are articulated, with the thumb and index finger even having mid-joint movement — nicely done.

Proportion-wise, it's very much old-school in character — but that's actually part of its charm. The sheer imposing bulk of those massive shoulders just screams '80s mecha romance, and if you look at the comparison shots with the MG, the size difference is enormous. Honestly, the MG Zeta came out so narrow-shouldered that it feels more feminine than masculine.

Either way, building the legendary old-school 1/100 Zeta again is like taking a trip back to the '80s for old-school fans. The durability isn't great thanks to the transformation gimmick, but setting quality aside, it's a kit that lets you feel the history of Gunpla right at your fingertips — and that makes it a truly meaningful piece of old-school history. :-)
[Updated at 2017.4.17 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.