Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Various angles

Detail shots

A closer look at just the bottom

Outer armor removed

Frame shots

Frame detail shots

Frame molds are carefully engraved even on parts that get hidden and can't be seen.

Frame action pose

Chest and back-of-head hatch open

The head separation gimmick is reproduced.

There's a linked gimmick where turning the neck rotates the mono-eye in the same direction.

You can also open the head cover and point the mono-eye upward.

RG Zeong - As shown above, you can freely position the mono-eye forward or backward depending on how you set it up. It's impr

As shown above, you can freely position the mono-eye forward or backward depending on how you set it up.
It's impressive that they implemented both the left/right linked gimmick and the up/down movement gimmick, staying true to the lore.

The verniers on the sides of the head also move slightly forward and backward.

RG Zeong - The 4 verniers on the front and back of the chest also have a linked gimmick — when you raise the vernier unit for

The 4 verniers on the front and back of the chest also have a linked gimmick —
when you raise the vernier unit forward, the bottom cover automatically opens slightly and the inner verniers pop outward.

RG Zeong - Also, when you lean the torso backward the front verniers open automatically, and when you lean it forward the rea

Also, when you lean the torso backward the front verniers open automatically, and when you lean it forward the rear verniers open.
This feels less like a true linked gimmick and more like they just get pushed open by the torso movement.

The large verniers at the bottom have a unique detail where red wiring is wrapped around them.

RG Zeong - You can attach landing gear at the bottom by adding separate leg parts. Thanks to that, you can stand it on a surf

You can attach landing gear at the bottom by adding separate leg parts.
Thanks to that, you can stand it on a surface with a stable, well-proportioned look.

RG Zeong - When assembling the articulated finger parts made via single-piece molding (system insert), you have to manually p

When assembling the articulated finger parts made via single-piece molding (system insert),
you have to manually pull out the fixing pins at the tips one by one before assembly.

RG Zeong - You can recreate the forearm launch state using the included wire parts, and at that point you can extend the fore

You can recreate the forearm launch state using the included wire parts,
and at that point you can extend the forearm and insert the stand fixing pin into the gap.

A large, wide stand is included with the kit.

There's also a joint part that connects securely to the hip joint area.

RG Zeong - You can also attach the stand in the spot left by removing the upper cover of the rear skirt. For poses with the l

You can also attach the stand in the spot left by removing the upper cover of the rear skirt.
For poses with the lower verniers deployed forward, this hole is mainly used for display.

Leftover parts

The elbow joint extends from the inside, so the arm bends quite a lot more than you'd expect from the design.

Inside the waist there's a unique two-stage torso-bending joint with an unusual pivot point.

The waist also extends and bends in two stages just like that.

RG Zeong - Thanks to that, you get an almost absurd level of forward/backward torso articulation as shown above. You can real

Thanks to that, you get an almost absurd level of forward/backward torso articulation as shown above.
You can really bend it as far as it'll go.
However, due to the joint structure, the waist doesn't bend sideways.

The shoulder joints also pull outward and bend forward quite a bit.

RG Zeong - Fully articulated fingers made via system insert. They're far sturdier and more stable than any previous fully art

Fully articulated fingers made via system insert.
They're far sturdier and more stable than any previous fully articulated hands,
though it's hard to fold the fingers all the way to make a fist.

RG Zeong - There's a gimmick where you open the hip joint cover and slide the hip joint mount up or down. You can move the le

There's a gimmick where you open the hip joint cover and slide the hip joint mount up or down.
You can move the left and right sides independently, and closing the cover locks the position in place.
On this kit where verniers replace legs, it doesn't make much of a practical difference, but it'll probably come in handy if a Perfect Zeong gets released down the line.

The large verniers in place of legs can also move to some degree in all directions.

There's also a small gimmick where the mounting section of the large verniers extends slightly.

The 5 smaller verniers are also articulated in their own way.

RG Zeong - One of the highlights of this kit — the skirt deployment gimmick. It features 7 deployment points across 4 differe

One of the highlights of this kit — the skirt deployment gimmick.
It features 7 deployment points across 4 different sections.

RG Zeong - A look at the movement of the front / side / rear-side / rear skirts one by one (1/4)

RG Zeong - A look at the movement of the front / side / rear-side / rear skirts one by one (2/4)

A look at the movement of the front / side / rear-side / rear skirts one by one

Before/after comparison of the skirt deployment viewed from above

RG Zeong - With the skirts deployed and placed on the stand. (1/3)

With the skirts deployed and placed on the stand.

RG Zeong - Action poses. With no weapons included, you have to make do with just the body itself for posing. (1/4)

RG Zeong - Action poses. With no weapons included, you have to make do with just the body itself for posing. (2/4)

Action poses.
With no weapons included, you have to make do with just the body itself for posing.

RG Zeong - Dynamic forearm launch poses (1/4)

RG Zeong - Dynamic forearm launch poses (2/4)

Dynamic forearm launch poses

RG Zeong - You can also pull off a forearm launch pose in a fully prone position. (1/3)

You can also pull off a forearm launch pose in a fully prone position.

RG Zeong - Lunging pose with both forearms launched (1/4)

RG Zeong - Lunging pose with both forearms launched (2/4)

Lunging pose with both forearms launched

Alongside the HGUC Zeong from 2001.
What an incredible quality upgrade after 20 years.

Alongside the RG First Gundam.

A commemorative shot with the 2002 MG Zeong as well.

Straight build

The Zeong — the ultimate boss of the One Year War — has been released as RG No. 34. Bandai promoted it as a special release to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gunpla. It's the first Zeong kit in 20 years since the HGUC Zeong in 2001 and the MG Zeong in 2002, so it was a kit that a lot of Gunpla fans had been eagerly anticipating.

The Zeong may be missing its legs, but just looking at the upper body alone, it's large enough to be on par with a big MG. The base kit stays true to the RG concept, but the parts are relatively large, which makes for a really pleasant build experience. A lot of people find RG kits tricky to assemble because the parts are so tiny — especially if you have big hands or, like me, your eyesight isn't what it used to be (-_-). The RG Zeong gives you this unique feeling of building an ultra-precise MG that's a step beyond anything before it. And thanks to its size, the frame details feel even more intricate and dense. The molds are carefully engraved even in spots that are completely hidden after assembly.

There are also several fresh ideas on the gimmick side of things. First off, the mono-eye movement gimmick is really clever. On top of the linked gimmick where turning the neck automatically rotates the mono-eye, they've added a manual gimmick where you open the head cover and move the mono-eye 180 degrees forward or backward. So you can position the mono-eye in any direction to match the lore — horizontal movement is automatic, and vertical movement is manual. It's a brilliantly designed system.

Second, there's a gimmick where the skirt deploys in 7 sections, letting you arrange the otherwise bare-looking lower body — which has no legs — into a really dynamic shape. This is probably the most distinctive gimmick of the RG Zeong, and it spreads out wider than expected, which is great. That said, there's a nagging worry that the locking parts might loosen up with repeated deployment, especially the rear-side skirt locks, which feel a little precarious.

Third, fully articulated hands based on system insert (single-piece molding) have been implemented, and they're far sturdier than anything seen on previous MG or PG kits. Structurally, the finger armor segments are molded directly over the internal articulated joints, making it very hard for the finger segments to pop off. The part where the fingers connect to the palm is still just a ball joint, so if you bend the fingers too aggressively they can occasionally come loose — but it's still much less prone to that than the old fully articulated hands. The downside is that with the finger armor molded over the joints like this, you can't fold the fingers all the way, so making a proper fist is pretty much out of the question. Still, having a fully articulated hand that's sturdy enough to handle without worry is satisfying in its own right.

The fourth point is waist articulation. Thanks to the upper body's two-stage joint with its unique pivot axis and the two-stage extending waist joint, the waist articulation is absolutely incredible. Front-to-back, it bends almost completely — yoga-level flexibility. Since there are no legs, they clearly invested heavily in the waist joint to make up for it in terms of dynamism. As a result, just the waist movement combined with the skirt deployment gimmick gives it a surprisingly dynamic feel. The one downside is that the waist only moves forward and backward — there's no side-to-side bend at all. I guess that's just a case of picking your battles and focusing on what matters most.

Fifth is display flexibility — and this Zeong features landing gear for the first time. You can detach the three bottom parts and attach them to a separate support stand, letting you display it horizontally flat on the ground without needing a stand at all. On top of that, a multi-function stand with three base plates and wiring are included, so you can stably pull off all kinds of poses with the forearms launched out. The main body also has two stand attachment points — one on the bottom and one at the center of the rear skirt — so no matter what angle you bend it at, it locks onto the stand securely. The connection between the body and stand is pretty solid too, so you can set it up without much worry.

As for other special gimmicks, hatch-open features are included for both the chest and the back of the head. The four small verniers on the chest also have a linked gimmick — point them forward and the lower cover opens while the verniers pop out slightly. The large verniers have a unique touch where red wiring is wrapped around them for added detail. There's also a hip joint articulation gimmick for improved range of motion, but since large verniers are attached in place of legs, it's not all that noticeable. My guess is this was probably built in with a future Perfect Zeong in mind. Still, the large verniers do have extension and front/back/left/right articulation gimmicks, so they can be moved around here and there to help with posing.

So there you have it — a high-quality kit loaded with a finely detailed frame, solid joint strength, surprisingly good articulation, and fresh, fun gimmicks. The overall polish is so high it's genuinely hard to find fault with it. And building an RG that feels like you're assembling a 1/100 kit — thanks to its generous size — gives it a whole new kind of feel in your hands. It definitely has a smooth, precise quality that's distinct from MG.

Either way, for longtime fans this is the final boss of the One Year War, so it carries a special kind of meaning beyond nostalgia. Even setting that historical significance aside, it's a kit that delivers high build quality and a refined look as a plastic model. The fact that they overcame the handicap of having no legs with such impressive gimmicks and polish — this is a kit I'd wholeheartedly recommend to every Gunpla fan. And to think they waited this long to release such a cool, one-of-a-kind MS as an RG... the folks up top really have no idea what they've got. :-)

>>> Released at the same time — RG Zeong Effect Set Review Check it out

RG Zeong | 2021.1 | ¥5,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.