MGUniversal Century

MS-06K Zaku Cannon (Unicorn Ver.)

The old Zeon workhorse dressed in dusty Torrington Base colors, and it hits harder than the price tag suggests.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

Zaku II · 1/100 · 2013

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2013

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the MG Zaku II 2.0 frame at its best, dressed up as a battlefield relic and given a genuinely huge gun to justify the name.

I went in expecting a reskin and came out with a kit that earns its spot on the shelf through sheer presence, that 180mm cannon changes the whole silhouette. It is a P-Bandai exclusive so you will pay more and hunt harder to find one, but the parts and articulation underneath are the same excellent 2.0 engineering that made the standard Zaku a modern classic.

Best for: Zeon collectors and MG Zaku II 2.0 fans who want the desert-worn Unicorn variant with a backpack-mounted cannon as the centerpiece

The full review

What it is

This kit takes the proven MG Zaku II 2.0 frame and repaints it into the sandy, war-weary color scheme the Zaku Cannon wore in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, then hands it an enormous 180mm cannon for a backpack. Building it feels familiar if you have touched a 2.0-era Zaku before, but the color separation is genuinely different enough (browns, tans, faded olive) that it does not read as a repaint on the shelf. The cannon detaches cleanly at an accurate mounting point, the waist-mounted rocket launchers and magazines pop off too, and you get both a normal head and a second head sculpt in the box, so there is more posing variety than I expected from what is technically a variant release.

The catch

Being a Premium Bandai exclusive means this one was never a mainline retail kit, so expect to pay a markup over a standard MG and to source it through secondary sellers or resellers rather than a shelf at your local shop. It is still fundamentally the 2013-era 2.0 Zaku frame, so if you have built two or three Zaku variants already the core assembly will feel repetitive rather than novel. A few of the smaller backpack and cannon-mount parts need careful gate placement to keep panel lines clean, and the molded sandy colors, while accurate to the show, run a bit flat and reward a wash or panel lining more than most Zakus already do.

Who it's for

If you already like the MG Zaku II 2.0 and want a version with real weight and a signature weapon instead of just a paint job, this earns its premium. It is also a natural pickup for anyone building out the Torrington Base skirmish from Unicorn, since it stands next to the Efreet Schneid and the Federation's Guncannon Detector and Guntank II as a specific piece of that fight rather than a generic Zeon grunt. Skip it if you are hunting for a first Gunpla or want the cheapest way into Zeon suits, a standard retail MG Zaku II will get you the same frame quality for less money and less hassle finding one.

What works

Inherits the MG Zaku II 2.0 frame's excellent range of motion, including the ball-jointed skirt armor and the geared mono-eye that tracks with head movement
The detachable 180mm cannon, rocket launchers, and waist magazines give real loadout variety instead of one fixed pose
Two head sculpts in the box (a standard head and an alternate) add posing and display options most single-release kits don't offer

Worth knowing

P-Bandai exclusive pricing and availability, you will pay more and have to look harder than for a retail MG
Same core build as other 2.0-era Zaku kits, so it can feel like familiar territory if you've already built one
Molded sandy/olive colors are accurate to the show but flat out of the box, benefits from panel lining or a wash

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

The build runs on the same 2.0-era Zaku II frame that reviewers have praised for years, so assembly feels confident and well engineered rather than fiddly. Gate placement on the armor pieces is mostly forgiving, though the cannon's mounting hardware and the smaller backpack connectors deserve slow, careful clipping since nub marks show more on the lighter sandy plastic than they would on standard Zaku green.

The frame's articulation is the real selling point: fully rotating ball-jointed shoulders, double-jointed elbows and knees, and a skirt armor setup that swings out of the way for deep leg poses. The mono-eye gear gimmick that shifts the eye as the head turns is a small touch that still delights. Add the detachable cannon, side-mounted rocket launchers, removable magazines, and the second head option, and the accessory count punches well above what a typical Zaku variant offers for the format.

Lore & trivia

01The Zaku Cannon originated from Zeon's MS-06J-12 project, initially planned as an anti-aircraft unit before being reworked into mid-range fire support after the Earth Federation's RX-77-2 Guncannon appeared on the battlefield
02In Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, a Zeon remnant Zaku Cannon took part in the assault on Torrington Base in U.C. 0096, fighting alongside MS-08TX/S Efreet Schneids against the Federation's newer Guncannon Detectors and Guntank IIs
03This release reuses the MG Zaku II Ver. 2.0 frame, first released years earlier and still regarded as one of the stronger-articulated Zeon MG frames on the market
04The kit was sold as a Premium Bandai online exclusive rather than through standard retail channels