HGUniversal Century

MS-06S Zaku II (Red Comet Ver.) Yasuhiko Edition

Char's personal Zaku gets an HG loadout that actually earns the Red Comet name.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

Zaku II · 1/144 · 2022

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2022

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the best HG kits Bandai has ever put out, full stop.

I built it expecting a quick weeknight project and ended up spending an extra hour just swapping between its weapon options because every one of them clicks into the hands cleanly. The mono-eye toggle switch and double-jointed elbows and knees give it a pose range that has no business being this good at HG price and part count. My one real gripe is the instruction manual, which crams so much onto each page that it is easy to lose track of a part.

Best for: Char's Zaku collectors and HG builders who want RG-level detail and a full weapon loadout without stepping up to RG price or fragility

The full review

What it is

This kit is built off the Gundam The Origin line, so the proportions and detailing lean into Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's redesign of the original 1979 mobile suits rather than the classic HGUC sculpt. That shows up immediately in hand, the shoulder armor has real depth to it and the frame under the skirt armor is more than a placeholder. I like that Bandai treated this as the definitive Char's Zaku for the HG line instead of just another repaint, because it comes loaded with a bazooka, the anti-ship rifle, leg-mounted missile launchers, two styles of heat hawk, and two different machine guns. Building it felt less like snapping together a budget kit and more like a small event, in a good way.

The catch

The instruction manual is the real weak point here. It is compressed down small enough that steps blur together, and I lost a tiny accent piece early on because I skimmed past it. The kit also leans on stickers for some of the finer color accents rather than molded color, so if you want the full clean look you are breaking out a panel liner and maybe some paint on the small details. None of this affects the frame or the posing, but if you were hoping for a completely sticker-free build straight out of the box, you will be doing extra work.

Who it's for

If you are a fan of Char Aznable or the Zaku II generally, this is the HG version I would point you to before any other Zaku at this price point. It is also a genuinely good pick for someone who has built a few basic HGs already and wants to feel the jump in engineering without committing to RG's tiny fragile parts. I would steer total beginners toward something simpler first, since the accessory count and the dense manual can be a lot to track on a first build. But for anyone with a couple of kits under their belt, this one rewards the extra attention.

The build story

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

Gate placement is clean and parts click together with real confidence, nothing felt like it was fighting me during assembly. The accessory count is the thing that stretches build time here, since you are clipping and test-fitting two heat hawks, two machine guns, a bazooka, and the anti-ship rifle rather than just one or two weapons. Keep a parts tray handy given how compact the manual is, that is where I nearly lost a piece.

The mono-eye switch is a small but satisfying feature, letting you flip the eye angle without disassembly. Shoulder joints swing forward and the torso has a bit of tilt to it, which combined with the double-jointed limbs gives this Zaku a genuinely dynamic stance range rather than the stiffer poses older HG Zakus were known for. For the price band, the accessory-to-detail ratio is one of the strongest I have seen in the HG line.

Lore & trivia

01The 'Yasuhiko Edition' styling reflects character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's redesigned mobile suit look from the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin manga and anime, which reinterpreted the original 1979 UC designs.
02MS-06S denotes the commander-type Zaku II, the personal specification piloted by Char Aznable, tuned for higher output and speed, which is the in-universe reason for the 'Red Comet' nickname and paint scheme.
03This kit bundles the full accessory roster collected across earlier HG Char's Zaku releases into one box, including both classic and Origin-style heat hawks and two distinct machine gun types.