OLD Gundam ZZ 1/144 Zaku III

Release 1986.11

Price ¥700

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The beam rifle is the same as R Jarja's, but the saber is detachable.

OLD 1/144 Zaku III - The grip strength is poor, so it's hard to keep the beam rifle properly in hand. In my case, I used doub

The grip strength is poor, so it's hard to keep the beam rifle properly in hand. In my case, I used double-sided tape between the forearm and the beam rifle to hold it in place.

The leg articulation is pretty grim.

The backpack binders do move, at least.

Articulated fingers

OLD 1/144 Zaku III - Beam rifle + saber action (1/3)

Beam rifle + saber action

OLD 1/144 Zaku III - Shooting poses (1/2)

OLD 1/144 Zaku III - Shooting poses (2/2)

Firing pose

Together with the HGUC Zaku III released in 2000.

Together with the 1/144 Zaku II. What a huge size difference!

Together with the 1/144 ZZ Gundam.

All 18 kits of the 1/144 ZZ Gundam series together

The Zaku III is the last 1/144 scale kit in the old-release ZZ series. Personally, this one brings back memories of painting the Academy version back in the late '80s — I really liked it back then because it looked like such a big, powerful Zaku. Coming back to build it now though, the quality is just... rough. T_T

Sure, the ridiculously wide head and beefy build can be chalked up to old-kit charm, but the joint strength balance across the whole body is just off, giving the proportions a kind of wishy-washy feel. For example, the shoulders are loose while the forearms are stiff — the joint strength is all over the place, and the whole thing feels wobbly. No matter what pose you try, nothing holds properly and it just doesn't look cool.
On top of that, the articulated hands are a nice touch, but the grip is so weak it can barely hold the rifle, so I ended up sticking it to the forearm with double-sided tape. -_-

If you're going to build this kit, joint reinforcement is pretty much a must, and the leg articulation in particular is rock-bottom — you'll need to improve both the joint strength and the range of motion. Compared to the HGUC, the proportions are unmistakably old-school, though that chunky, stocky look could actually be a selling point depending on your taste, so think carefully about what you're after before diving in.
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Either way, this is easily one of the lowest-quality kits in the old-release ZZ original lineup — it's not something I'd recommend at all unless you're a hardcore builder who enjoys painting and modding for the challenge. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.7.28 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.