MGUniversal Century

MS-06F/J Zaku II "One Year War 0079" Color Version

The original MG Zaku wearing a video game's paint job, and it still builds like it's 1999.

MechaGrade Score

3.1/5

Zaku II · 1/100 · 2005

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2005

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the Ver 1.0 MG Zaku II mold from the late 90s dressed up in a limited color scheme tied to the 2005 One Year War PS2 game, and building it feels exactly like that sounds.

It is a history piece first and a modern build second. I had fun with the huge weapon loadout and the parts that still nail the Zaku silhouette, but the joints told me their age within the first few poses.

Best for: Zaku collectors and UC history buffs who want the original MG mold in a distinct colorway, not builders chasing MG 2.0 level poseability

The full review

What it is

This kit is the original 1990s Master Grade Zaku II tooling reissued in 2005 in a special muted colorway tied in to the One Year War 0079 PS2 game, and there is something genuinely charming about that. You get the classic F/J spec Zaku silhouette, that boxy proportioned torso and the round shoulder spikes, in a paint scheme you will not see on the standard release. Snapping the frame together and watching the monoeye piece slot into the head is a small nostalgia hit if you know your Zaku history. It reads less like a modern MG and more like a time capsule of where Master Grade started.

The catch

The articulation is the real limiter here. Both the elbow and knee only bend to about 90 degrees, the skirt armor does not move independently, and the whole thing settles into standing and firing poses rather than the dynamic kneeling or striding poses newer Zaku kits pull off easily. Color separation is dated too, meaning you lean on the sticker sheet for some of the detail work, and those stickers run big and can look clumsy once applied. Seam lines show up on the limbs and there is some fit work needed during assembly that a modern kit would not ask of you.

Who it's for

Pick this one up if you specifically want the One Year War 0079 colorway or you care about owning a piece of Gunpla history, the original MG Zaku tooling, in a display case. Skip it if you want a Zaku that poses well next to modern MG or RG kits, that is what the Ver 2.0 releases exist for, with double jointed elbows and knees and a genuinely engineered inner frame. I would call this a kit for the shelf and the history, not the pose.

The build story

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

This is a 1990s era MG build in feel even with the fresh colorway. Runner cleanup is straightforward and the parts snap together without the fiddliness of a modern high part count kit, but you will hit fit points, especially around the skirt and joints, that ask for a bit of extra attention and sanding if you want clean lines. The stickers are the weak link, they are noticeably large and can look clunky once applied compared to how modern MGs handle color through molded plastic.

Where the kit earns its keep is the loadout. Between the two machine gun variants, the bazooka, heat hawk, leg mounted rocket launchers, cracker grenades and strum fausts, plus a full pilot figure and swappable hand sets, you get a genuinely generous accessory count for the price band. The monoeye gimmick and detailed head and cockpit interior are small touches that still land. Just do not expect the frame underneath to keep up with the accessory game, the engineering is a Ver 1.0 frame through and through.

Lore & trivia

01This color version was originally released to tie in with Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War, a PS2 game built around the original 0079 conflict, giving the kit its distinct in-game inspired paint scheme rather than the anime standard colors.
02The tooling underneath is the original Master Grade Zaku II mold, first introduced in the 1990s, making this one of the earliest Zaku frames Bandai put into the Master Grade line before the more articulated Ver 2.0 retool arrived in the 2000s.
03The MS-06 Zaku II is the mobile suit credited with popularizing the entire mass produced mobile suit concept in Gundam, appearing across dozens of variants (F, J, S, F2, R-2 and more) since its 1979 debut in the original series.
04This limited colorway has since seen a Premium Bandai reissue, keeping the One Year War 0079 scheme in circulation for collectors long after the original PS2 tie in run sold out.