Head Parts Diagram

Part Review

As you probably know, the head antenna fold down for the transformation.
Interestingly, both antennae are linked together with a gear mechanism, so folding one side automatically folds the other.

Inner Frame and Armor Panels

There's a battery compartment at the back of the head. Battery type: CR1220

There's a switch inside the rear head hatch.

Flip the switch ON and the eyes and the camera on top of the head light up!

Body Parts Diagram

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Being a complex transforming kit, there aren't many hatch-open sections. Only the two chest armor panels can open.

Skirt Interior Molding

Rear Skirt Vernier Detail

Both the front and rear skirts have moving cylinders. Nice~

Shoulder locking mechanism. When the front torso section is lowered into MS mode,
the peg on the inside of the white shoulder part locks into a hole on the body to keep everything securely in place.

There's a square-shaped hole on the front of the torso like you can see above,

and there's a peg on the inside of the white shoulder part that locks into it. (Right above the cylinder ball joint)
It snaps in with a satisfying click and keeps the body armor from wobbling around.

Looking in from the armpit area, you can catch a glimpse of the cylinder mechanisms inside.

When you lift the front armor for the Waverider transformation, you can see four movable cylinders inside.

When you fully open the torso armor, the cylinders that were sitting at an angle straighten out and lock into place.
After that, as you all know, you bring the two side waist armor pieces together toward the center and lower the head section (the yellow part).
At this point, both the waist armor and the yellow neck section are spring-loaded.
First, pinch the torso armor with two fingers and bring it to the center (let go and it springs right back open again),
then push the yellow neck section down and it clicks into place, locking the white waist parts along with it.

So why is it spring-loaded, you ask?
It's so that everything automatically pops back out when you convert back to MS mode later. Let's go through it step by step with the photos below...

When converting back from Waverider to MS mode, you lower the upper torso armor.
At that point, if you look at the very bottom of the silver cylinder, there's a peg, and as it comes down it presses the switch located just below it.

As you lower the upper armor like that, the cylinder that was lying flat starts to rise up at an angle and trips the switch...

The moment the switch is triggered, the spring-loaded white side waist sections and yellow neck part are released and
automatically spring open and pop up with a twang~ (it literally makes exactly that twang~ sound ^^;)
You can't help but marvel at why they went to such elaborate lengths to engineer this. It's really fun!

By the way, some of you may have experienced the frustration of the movable yellow neck section not locking properly in MS mode,
causing the head to keep sinking inward. (With the MG or older versions)
With the PG, once you extend the neck and lock the body armor in place, the neck gets locked along with it — so it won't sink in anymore. That's PG for you! ^^

You all know how the white shoulder lock sections fold inward and the arms tuck in during transformation.
At that point, the shoulder locking cylinders that were standing at an angle fold away with perfect precision. (A real testament to the designer's thoughtfulness...)

The shoulder lock section fully folded inward. All those cylinders that were sticking out at various angles have folded away so neatly
they've practically vanished!

The leg connector plates separating for the transformation works the same as on the MG.
To spread the leg connector plates apart, you first need to open the locking pin at the crotch area.

The leg mounting plates spread apart just like on the MG Zeta and Zeta Plus.

Here's something to pay close attention to — when you rotate the leg connector plates 90 degrees and lay them flat to lock them in,
the elongated peg on the leg mounting plate slots into a groove on the back of the torso.
If you've built the MG Zeta, you'll know the frustration of those leg mounting plates not locking properly
and the Waverider pose going all floppy.
The PG Zeta addresses this by adding a long locking pin to the leg mounting plate that slots flush into the body itself.
This peg locks in with a satisfying "click!!" and holds extremely firmly.
This method was later passed on to the MG Zeta Plus's transformation system.

Just locking the front~? The PG Z goes all out and locks the rear skirts too.
Lower the rear skirts that were flipped up, and the locking tabs on top of the skirts snap right into the back of the leg connector plate
with a satisfying click!

The leg connector plate, locked solid front and back.
Even with the big, heavy PG legs resting on it, there's absolutely no wobble.

And since even the legs are heavy enough to throw off the pose, there are additional pins on the sides of the skirts that lock the sides of the legs in place.
(For details on how the locking works, refer to the in-depth transformation walkthrough to be posted later.)

Anyway, thanks to this complex and intricate series of transformation systems, the leg connector plate locks up perfectly flush and straight with the body.
Locks up perfectly. Such a stark contrast to the MG Z, where that leg connector plate would wobble all over the place...

Upper body transformed into Waverider mode

Lower body transformed into Waverider mode

The cockpit cover opens up..

And the cockpit hatch inside slides open too. Ooh~
But here's the thing — that's not all the cockpit can do!

If you look underneath the cockpit section, there's a clear parts peg sticking out,
and when transformed into Waverider mode, the LED light from the shield that connects to the cockpit shines through it
creating this clever effect where the cockpit interior lights up.. (See the completed review for reference.)

Personally speaking.. I think the wings on the PG Z are really what show you what PG is all about.
On the surface it seems like a simple fold-and-unfold wing deal, but there's something surprisingly complex and deep going on..

First up, the central stabilizer.. Detail-wise, it's got a bit more panel lines compared to the MG, but that's about it.

Parts breakdown for the stabilizer

A separate button cell battery goes inside the stabilizer. (Battery type: CR1220)
This is what powers the stabilizer's LED.

Flip the switch on the bottom of the stabilizer to ON..

And both sides of the stabilizer's tail section light up. Same position as the LED on the MG Z.
The difference with the PG Z is that it's a bit brighter..?

Parts breakdown for both wing units. The complexity of the parts layout already looks like something's up..

When locking the wing units in MS mode, the pegs on the body connector parts slot into the grooves on the wing units, as shown above.
It clicks right in, so there's no looseness.

Just like the MG Z, the connector parts between the wings and body fold and unfold in multiple stages for transformation.
During transformation they extend out to make things easier, then fold back in when locking into MS or Waverider mode.
The wings are pretty hefty, but thankfully the poly-caps on these connector parts are quite stiff, so there's no looseness at all.
When you fold the extended connector parts back and plug them in, they click firmly into place and won't flop back open on their own.

The way the PG Z's wings unfold is pretty fascinating.
There are multiple joints running along the top and bottom of the wing units that work together in a clever, interlocking motion.
Step 1: First, extend the double-jointed section at the front of the wing.

Step 2: Pull out the rear of the wing as well to extend the connector section.

Step 3: Fully extend the double-joint connector at the front of the wing and the front section of the wing swings outward.

Step 4: Push the wing itself backward and the whole thing locks into position.

After the wing is pulled out, the empty space at the front of the wing is filled in by the connector joint section.
It's a pretty clever design that neatly covers up any gaps.

The space at the rear of the wing that would otherwise be left floating after the wing is pulled out is also filled in precisely by the connector joint.
Perfectly gap-free front and back..

Now, here's one thing to notice..
When you open the wing, a strange little peg automatically pops out from the inner front section.
You could just pull it out by hand, but I guess they made it pop out automatically so you wouldn't forget(?) Anyway, what on earth is this thing??

Pull it all the way out and it looks just like some kind of electrical connector.
And yep, that's exactly what it is — an actual electrical connector. So what's it there for?

Two wires coming from the end of the connector run along a channel on the inside of the wing all the way to the back.

And that wire runs through the interior of the wing connection joint and into the wing.

Once inside the wing, it connects to two more metal wire connector cords.

And finally, it connects all the way to the LEDs at the wingtips!
I'll explain how this all works a bit further down.

Wings fully spread out..

In Waverider mode, these wings connect to the shield mounted on the main body —
to do that, a connector pin that was folded in around the middle of the wing gets unfolded.

The shield has two connection points: one at the front cord and one at the middle connector.

Connected. With the MG, the shield and wings don't really have a proper attachment point, so they tend to flop around loosely —
but with the PG, they lock together at two points with a solid hold, so everything stays crisp and properly aligned.

Both wings connected to the shield. Comparing it to a cigarette pack really shows you just how massive the PG is.

The top side (the side that connects to the body). Looks like there's plenty of room for the arms to fit in.

In this state.. flip the switch on the front of the shield to ON, and the mercury batteries inside the shield power up the LEDs.

This is it!!
The shield's mercury batteries and switch were originally meant to light up the shield's own LEDs and eventually provide cockpit lighting —
but as a bonus, they also power the LEDs at both wingtips.
The yellow lines in the diagram above show the power line running from the shield all the way to the wingtips,
and that's exactly why the power cord at the front of the shield and all those wires and metal plates tucked inside the wings exist.

Hats off to the Bandai developers who went through all this trouble just to get some lights on the wingtips. Clap clap.. That's awesome!

The duct-like area at the rear of the wing is openable and closeable. Very PG-worthy service~

The slot for attaching the landing gear in Waverider mode is removable.

And here's another part that moves automatically...
When you fold the wings to switch back to MS mode, a peg automatically pops out as the wing folds, pushed out by the wing itself.

This is used to plug into the hole in the stabilizer when attaching the wings to the back in MS mode,
keeping everything from wobbling around. Since the wings are heavy, this is absolutely necessary.

Along with that, the stabilizer also has a locking pin so it clicks firmly into place when folded against the body.

As a result, in MS mode the stabilizer and wings are secured at a total of three points, holding everything on nice and solid.

Unlike the MG Zeta's wings — which became notorious for being floppy —
the PG Zeta uses all these locking pins to keep the wings firmly in place with a crisp, solid hold.
It's a really thoughtful touch, but honestly, given how big and heavy this thing is... without those locking mechanisms,
it probably would've turned into the ultimate super ultra noodle-armed Gundam. ^^;

Arm parts too

Part Review

Mechanical frame. The grenade launcher section on the forearm separates out on its own.

Basic articulation bends a full 180 degrees, just as you'd expect from a PG~!

Interestingly, the wrist bends 90 degrees.

Mechanic cylinder at the wrist. Articulated with a 2-piston ball joint.

Shoulder mechanical frame.

The shoulder duct section can be folded for transformation.

The forearm grenade launcher — one of Zeta Gundam's signature weapons — is intricately detailed all the way inside.
If you look at the bottom, there's even a chrome cylinder in there..

Grenade launcher opening and closing

When attaching the grenade pack to the forearm, you slide the outer forearm armor back slightly.

Then when you plug in the grenade pack,
the grenade launcher at the end of the arm automatically slides out in response. Very PG~

Leg parts too

Outer armor removal

Even for a transforming kit, that degree of leg bend is just standard PG!

The foot is split in two, giving it a wider range of motion.

Due to the transformation design, the knee also bends forward — a unique range of motion..

Front instep cylinder

Rear foot cylinders

Cylinders also operate between the two-part split sole.

Ankle cylinder assembly.

Cylinders above and below the knee

Now, if you look inside the back of the knee, you can see some metal spring-type parts.
These are what automatically lock the knee parts in place during transformation. Want to take a closer look at how it all works?

Knee in the extended position in MS mode..

As you start bending the knee forward, the pipe part at the back of the knee automatically starts sliding down on its own.
That's because the metal spring part below is pulling it down.

Even as the leg bends, the pipe part at the back of the knee gets pulled and held firmly in place.

When fully bent, the pipe part at the back of the knee locks completely into position.
On the MG you had to push and pull it by hand, but on the PG it moves automatically without you having to touch it.

Now, as we fold the thighs to complete the Waverider transformation...

The part at the back of the thigh slides inward to allow the knee to bend fully.
This is also held by an internal spring, so it slides in when you push it and pops right back out on its own when released. Clever little thing..

Legs transformed for Waverider mode.

Now let's straighten the legs to switch back to MS mode.
This time, the part at the back of the knee that automatically slid back earlier doesn't come back down on its own. But...

The moment you straighten the leg fully, the lock releases
and the pipe part at the back of the knee snaps back up with a "twang~" all on its own.
It's a brilliantly clever spring mechanism that's totally worthy of the PG name..
In short — don't bother touching anything during transformation, it'll sort itself out. That's basically what it's saying.

The three-piece duct on the lower leg operates in a linked motion.

The beam sabers are stored in the side skirts.

On the inside of the side skirt parts, a peg pops out in Waverider mode.
This is used to lock the legs to the body in Waverider configuration.

Just like the RX-78, the ankle has spring-loaded suspension built in.
Press it and it gently compresses, let go and it springs~ right back up.
Even as a transforming kit, this is a "PG" that implements everything it structurally needs to implement.

The included weapons are a beam rifle and a shield.
Unfortunately, the Hyper Mega Launcher is not included.. probably left out because it would've been too large.

The rifle is about 30cm long — quite impressive~

Beam rifle parts breakdown

True to the design specs, the beam rifle can be shortened and folded like this.

When folded, if you lower the grip...

The grip triggers an internal switch, and the barrel automatically snaps out with a "ping~",
while the lens on top of the barrel also pops out automatically.
A nice little PG bonus feature using internal springs and spring parts~ (PG Zeta Gundam has an unusually large number of these)

Energy pack removal and attachment

At the very rear of the barrel, a peg can extend to lock it in place during Waverider mode..
and at the grip, a peg extends to lock into the palm of the hand.

Clear parts are used in two places — the front of the barrel and the lens section on top.

Yellow, blue, black.. the color separation is really clean and well done.

The shield is about 22.5cm long..

Shield parts breakdown. You can see the LED, wiring, and metal parts.

It can also be shortened as per the design specs.

When shortened, it looks a bit chunky from the side though..

The connector port for the wing's electrical cord at the top of the shield is covered by a removable panel.

There are 2 holes on each side of the shield — 4 total — used to lock the wings in place during Waverider transformation.

The landing gear attachment point in the middle of the shield.

The shield's connection joint is ree~ally unique. Above is how it looks when plugged into the arm..

For the transformation, the shield mount moves and locks freely like a multi-jointed arm.

The mount itself also slides up and down..

The tip of the shield pops off like this. Wonder why~?

Unscrew the inside and there's a compartment that holds two button batteries. It uses two LR44 batteries.

Flip the switch on the front and a faint LED lights up inside the shield.. It illuminates the cockpit interior in Waverider mode,
wing section review and as shown there, it also powers the LEDs at the tips of both wings.

One of the most amazing weapons on the PG Zeta — it's this! The light-up beam saber.
The top one is the light-up beam saber, and the bottom is the standard soft-rubber Zeta beam saber. (Both are included)

Parts breakdown for the standard beam saber (top) and light-up beam saber (bottom).

Give the clear blade part a slight twist and the LED turns on. Whoa.. it glows..

It's like a Jedi lightsaber.. Seeing it for the first time is pretty amazing~

The power source for the light-up beam saber is this special elongated battery..
Apparently it's the kind used in fishing floats, and they cleverly made use of it to pull off a glowing beam saber.

It looks even more fantastic with the lights off.

The light-up beam saber held in hand..

Light-up beam saber.. swoosh~