OLD Gundam ZZ 1/144 Zaku Mariner

Release 1986.8

Price ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Articulated fingers are included.

Two head antenna options are included — standard type and commander type (right).

Some MS-06R parts are left over as leftover parts.

Since it's based on the MSV High Mobility Zaku, the articulation is pretty much on that same level.

Subroc Gun action

Two-handed firing pose is possible too.

Together with the 1/144 MSV Zaku Marine Type.

Together with the HGUC Zaku Mariner released in 2012.

The 12th kit in the old-release ZZ series is the 1/144 Zaku Mariner. Just like the 1/144 Desert Zaku, it's a variation kit that reuses existing runners with only some parts modified from the original molds. What's interesting is that it's based on the MSV High Mobility Zaku runners rather than the MSV Zaku Marine Type.

As a result, it ended up as an underwater Zaku with a completely different design from the MSV Zaku Marine Type — though the green and blue molded colors do give it more of an aquatic MS feel. And since it's a variation kit of an MSV kit, the limited articulation carries over as-is, including the loose shoulders and hip joints that were already a weak point of the MSV High Mobility Zaku. It does get an upgrade to articulated fingers in keeping with the ZZ Gundam series, but the grip strength is poor, so even that isn't very practical..

Anyway, just like the Desert Zaku, being based on an early-era Gunpla kit means the overall quality clearly feels a step below other ZZ kits — and the gap in quality compared to the HGUC Zaku Mariner from 2012 is enormous. Everything is just way too loose. T_T

Unless you're specifically into the proportions unique to old-release kits, this one is hard to recommend — it's really a kit best suited for those who enjoy joint modifications and painting. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.7.21 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.