HGUniversal Century

MS-06S 'Zaku II Commander Type' (Char Aznable custom)

The Red Comet's ride in HG form, and it still poses like it means it.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Zaku II · 1/144 · 2002

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2002

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the good old HGUC kits, and I mean that as real praise, not nostalgia talking.

It came out in July 2002 as HGUC number 032, and for a kit that age it still holds a pose better than it has any right to. It is not fancy, it does not have an inner frame, and some of the color comes from stickers rather than plastic, but the engineering underneath is honest and the silhouette is unmistakably Char's Zaku the second you finish the torso.

Best for: beginners and UC completionists who want the classic Red Comet Zaku without hunting down a vintage kit

The full review

What it is

This is the original HGUC take on Char Aznable's personal Zaku II, the one with the enlarged verniers and the removed limiters that let him outrun everything else on the battlefield at Loum. Building it feels like an early-2000s HG should, straightforward polycap joints, a ball jointed neck, and a shoulder setup where the spiked pauldron and the shield both swing out of the way so the arms actually move. I like that the feet missiles and the three included weapons (machine gun, heat hawk, bazooka) all have dedicated mounting points on the skirt armor, so the finished kit does not feel like it is holding spare parts, it feels equipped.

The catch

The color separation leans on stickers for some of the trim, so if you want the cleanest look you are reaching for markers or paint on panel lines and details rather than relying on the runners alone. The plastic on kits from this era can be stiffer than newer HG lines, which makes gate cleanup a little more deliberate, and the polycap joints, while functional, do not have the crisp ratcheted feel of a modern HG. None of this is a dealbreaker, it is just what an early HGUC kit is, and it is worth knowing before you sit down expecting 2026-grade tolerances.

Who it's for

If you are building your first Gundam kit and want a piece of actual UC history rather than a generic trainer kit, this earns its spot on the shelf, it is cheap, it is simple, and it looks like Char's Zaku the moment it is done. If you already own the MG or RG version of this same mobile suit and are chasing the sharpest possible detail or the tightest articulation, this older HG will read as a step down and you are better served by the newer lines. For everyone in between, this is a fun, quick, satisfying weekend build.

The build story

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

The build moves fast and the parts fit is honest 2002-era HG, nothing snaps together with modern precision but nothing fights you either. The stiffer plastic means you want a sharp nipper and a little patience on gate marks, especially on the shoulder pauldron and the skirt armor pieces, since sink marks and tool marks show more on this older material than on newer runners.

Where it earns its keep is the pose range. The neck ball joint, the double jointed ankles, and knees that bend close to 100 degrees let you get Char into his signature kicking stance without fighting the frame, and the shoulder armor is hinged specifically so it does not block the arm swing. The three-weapon loadout with dedicated skirt mounts is a small touch that makes the finished figure feel complete rather than accessorized as an afterthought.

Lore & trivia

01The MS-06S was built for veteran Zeon pilots who wanted more raw performance, with enlarged vernier thrusters and roughly 30 percent more main thruster output than the standard F type, at the cost of some of the automatic control systems that made lesser pilots' lives easier.
02Char Aznable had the safety limiters stripped from his personal unit, letting him push the thrusters past their intended limits, a decision that produced his hit-and-run fighting style and, paired with the unit's red paint, earned him the nickname the Red Comet.
03This HGUC release (kit number 032) came out in July 2002, making it one of the foundational entries in Bandai's High Grade Universal Century line rather than a later remake or revive.