OLD Z Gundam 1/300 Psycho Gundam Mk-II

Release 1986.4

Price ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Waterslide decals

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Parts (1/2)

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Parts (2/2)

Parts diagram

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Manual (1/4)

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Manual (2/4)

Manual

Straight build + wet decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The leg articulation is slightly worse than the Psycho Gundam.

Action pose

To transform into Mobile Armor mode, you first need to remove a number of parts.

Lift the shoulder covers, rotate the stabilizers 180°, flip them over, and plug them in.

Fold the front skirt armor upward and plug it in.

Detach the shoulder parts, rotate them 90°, and plug them back in to angle the arms as shown.

Fold the legs up.

Plug the feet into the hidden holes on the back of the thighs.

Plug the separately included extra parts into the upper chest area.

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Split the shield into two pieces, fold out the wings hidden inside, and attach them to the sid

Split the shield into two pieces, fold out the wings hidden inside, and attach them to the sides of the body.

Mobile Armor transformation complete

Leftover parts after transformation

OLD 1/300 Psyco Gundam Mk-II - Comparison with the 1/300 Psycho Gundam. The Mk-II is a bit of an upgrade in terms of both the

Comparison with the 1/300 Psycho Gundam. The Mk-II is a bit of an upgrade in terms of both the transformation process and detail.

The 1/300 Psycho Gundam Mk-II was released as the 43rd and final kit in the old-style Zeta Gundam series. Just like the previously released 1/300 Psycho Gundam, the Mobile Armor transformation gimmick is well executed — and while the transformation process itself is pretty similar, it does feel like a slight step up in terms of that satisfying hands-on feel.

The proportions are noticeably different from the Psycho Gundam, too. While the Psycho Gundam had that stiff, upright stance typical of old-style kits, the Mk-II gives off a quite different silhouette thanks to its smaller head and torso, longer legs, and slightly wider leg stance. The overall detail is a touch more refined as well — in a lot of ways, it really does feel like the later release that it is.

That said, being an old-style transforming kit, there are some concerns around how securely everything holds together and overall durability, and the complex transformation gimmick does make the build process a bit more fiddly — that hasn't changed. The fact that you can do a full transformation without detaching the legs is a nice touch, but in terms of articulation and how well things lock in place, it actually feels like a slight step back compared to the Psycho Gundam.

Either way, this kit pulls off a full transformation into Mobile Armor mode just like the Psycho Gundam, and since a Psycho Gundam Mk-II has never been released as an HGUC, it holds the distinction of being the one and only Psycho Gundam Mk-II kit out there — which makes it pretty significant in its own right. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.5.9 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.