HGUniversal Century

MS-06FZ Zaku II FZ

The last, sharpest Zaku the One Year War ever produced, built simple and posed well.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Zaku II · 1/144 · 2008

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2008

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a quietly satisfying kit that nails the core Zaku silhouette without asking much of the builder.

I like how the FZ reworks the classic Zaku shape into something leaner and meaner looking, and the swap between the A-type and B-type heads is a genuinely fun option most HG kits do not bother offering. It will not blow anyone away with engineering tricks, but as a straightforward, good looking 1/144 Zeon suit it delivers exactly what it promises.

Best for: Zeon loyalists and War in the Pocket fans who want a clean, easy weeknight build with real pose range

The full review

What it is

The Zaku II FZ is the tuned up, second phase Zaku from Gundam 0080, War in the Pocket, and this HGUC kit captures that late war, worn down but still dangerous look well. Assembly is fast and uncomplicated, there is nothing fiddly about the way it goes together, and I had it standing on the shelf well before I expected to be done. The two head options, the classic Zaku mono eye or the Fritz helmet B-type, are a nice touch that let you build the version that matches your favorite scene. It comes with the 90mm machine gun and a heat hawk, which is really all a Zaku needs.

The catch

Color separation is where this kit shows its age. A lot of the small callouts, the vents, the trim, the Zeon markings, are handled with foil stickers rather than molded plastic, so if you want a clean painted look you are reaching for markers or paint on parts that came pre molded in other kits of this era. The mono eye sticker is a one way application since the eye itself does not pose, so you commit to an expression before you start. The waist barely rotates and the skirt armor limits how far back the legs swing, so dynamic action poses have a ceiling.

Who it's for

If you want an easygoing build that still holds a two handed weapon pose and looks properly Zeon on the shelf, this is a solid pick, especially if the 08th MS Team and War in the Pocket eras are your thing. It is a good one for builders who do not want to fight the kit, since nothing here is delicate or overengineered. Skip it if you are chasing top tier articulation or expect painted level color separation out of the box, since a lot of the detail work here still depends on stickers rather than plastic.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

This one goes together quickly with no tricky gates or awkward nub placement to worry about, and Bandai even warns builders not to yank the arm out of the shoulder socket with force since that joint is the one spot that can crack under stress. Everything else clicks together the way you expect from a mid 2000s HGUC.

The shoulder armor swivels independently of the arm itself, which is what lets this kit hold a proper two handed rifle stance, and the ball jointed hands and thighs give it more range than the simple silhouette suggests. Elbows and knees cap out around 90 degrees, which is standard for the grade and era, and it stands on its own without props.

Lore & trivia

01The Zaku II FZ is the final production model in the Zaku II line from the One Year War, built by feeding combat data from the MS-06F-2 back into the airframe.
02It is the signature Zeon suit of Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, piloted in the OVA by Corporal Bernard Wiseman against the RX-78NT-1 Gundam Alex.
03This HGUC release lets builders choose between the classic round mono eye head and a B-type head styled after a German Fritz combat helmet.