HGUniversal Century

MS-06GD Zaku High Mobility (Surface Type) (Selma Livens Custom)

A proven High Mobility Zaku frame dressed up as the one Zeon pilot who almost talked Doan down.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Zaku II · 1/144 · 2023

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2023

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

This is a well built HG hiding behind a niche P-Bandai release, and I think it undersells itself.

The frame under Selma's surface type armor is the same double jointed, ball socketed High Mobility Zaku chassis that Bandai has been refining for years, so the posing and the assembly both feel like a kit that already knows what it's doing. What holds it back from a higher score is that it is functionally a recolor with new shoulder armor and a decal sheet, not a fresh engineering exercise, and the price reflects a limited character release more than the part count in the box.

Best for: Cucuruz Doan's Island fans and Zaku II collectors who want the Southern Cross squad's female pilot on the shelf, not first time builders hunting for a cheap starter kit

The full review

What it is

This is the Selma Livens version of the HGCDI Zaku High Mobility (Surface Type), one of five nearly identical releases Bandai put out for the Southern Cross squad from Cucuruz Doan's Island. It shares its C, D, and F frame runners with the earlier HGGTO High Mobility Type II Zaku, so what you are actually building is a well proven skeleton wearing new surface type shoulder armor, a B2 type bazooka with two magazines, and a heat dagger. I went in expecting a straightforward recolor and came out impressed that a kit built from mostly reused parts still holds a decent range of dynamic poses without feeling like an afterthought.

The catch

Straight talk, this is a P-Bandai exclusive, which means import pricing and shipping on top of the roughly 2,970 yen tag, and that stings for a kit that leans heavily on reused frame runners. The camouflage pattern that distinguishes Selma's Zaku comes from water slide decals rather than molded color, so if you want the surface type look to survive years of handling you are committing to decal setting solution and probably a matte topcoat. It is also one of five visually similar releases in this wave, so if you are not attached to Selma specifically, the value case gets harder to make next to a standard HG Zaku at a fraction of the price.

Who it's for

Buy this if you watched Cucuruz Doan's Island and want Selma's Zaku, the one that gets smashed in her confrontation with Doan, standing on your shelf as a specific character piece rather than a generic green mobile suit. The proven High Mobility frame means you are not fighting the kit to get a good pose, and the double jointed limbs make for a more expressive build than a basic HG. Skip it if you already own the base High Mobility Type II Zaku or one of the other four Southern Cross variants, since you would mostly be paying P-Bandai prices for a new bazooka, a heat dagger, and a decal sheet.

The build story

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

Assembly leans on the same C, D, and F runners as the earlier HGGTO High Mobility Type II Zaku, so gate placement and part fit are already sorted out from a kit Bandai has iterated on before. Nub marks land in the usual spots for this frame and cleanup is straightforward, nothing fights you here. The new surface type shoulder armor and leg thrusters clip on without drama, and the water slide decal sheet for the camouflage pattern is the one part of the build that takes real patience if you want it to look clean.

The engineering payoff is in the pose range rather than anything new under the hood. Double jointed elbows and knees plus a ball socketed head and waist let this Zaku hit dynamic combat stances that a standard single jointed HG cannot, and the shoulders swing out for extra reach when you are aiming the bazooka. Accessory count is solid for an HG at this price point, with the B2 type bazooka, two magazines, and a heat dagger giving you real options for a diorama pose instead of a single static rifle stance.

Lore & trivia

01Selma Livens is the sole female member of the Southern Cross squad in Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island and was voiced by Shizuka Itou, known for playing Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon Crystal.
02This kit was released in August 2023 as a Bandai Hobby Online Shop (Premium Bandai) exclusive at 2,970 yen, one of five character specific Southern Cross Zaku releases in the High Mobility Surface Type line alongside Danan, Egba, Wald, and Sangho.
03The kit reuses the C, D, and F frame runners from the HGGTO MS-06S Zaku II line and is noted as the first variant of that runner set to include symmetrical heat hawk storage mode parts.
04In the film, Selma respected Cucuruz Doan from his time commanding the squad before his desertion, and her Zaku is destroyed by Doan during the Southern Cross assault on his island.