MGUniversal Century

MS-06R-2 Zaku II (Gabby Hazard Custom)

The best Zaku frame Bandai ever built, wearing a paint job most builders never even knew existed.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Zaku II · 1/100 · 2015

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the MG Zaku II Ver 2.0 engineering, which I already rate as one of the best MG frames Bandai has made, dressed up in a deep cut MSV colorway that only P-Bandai shoppers tend to find.

If you already know the Ver 2.0 skeleton you know what you are getting: a Zaku that poses like it means it. The catch is entirely about access and finish, not build quality. This kit rewards someone willing to hunt it down and put in decal work.

Best for: Zeon collectors who already love the Ver 2.0 Zaku frame and want a rarer MSV ace paint scheme to go with it

The full review

What it is

Underneath the black and brown livery this is the same MG Zaku II Ver 2.0 chassis that has been winning people over since 2008, and I felt that the moment I clicked the first joint into place. The head turns with a geared mono eye that actually tracks as you rotate it, which is a small touch that made me grin the first time I saw it move. The shoulders swing forward further than I expected from a kit this old, the elbows are double jointed, and the skirt armor lifts out of the way on ball joints so nothing blocks a deep leg pose. Gabby Hazard's personal brown and black scheme is handled with molded color plus water transfer decals rather than a full repaint, which kept my build honest to the actual MSV markings.

The catch

The frame is not the issue, the packaging around it is. This is a P-Bandai Premium exclusive tied to a specific MSV ace pilot, so it shows up used or import listed more often than it shows up new, and pricing reflects that scarcity rather than a standard retail MG price band. The colorway leans on molded color plus a full sheet of water transfer decals and stickers to sell the look, and if you skip panel lining and decal work it reads as a plain green mushroom in different clothes, which is a criticism that has followed this base kit for years. Budget real time for decal application and topcoat if you want the markings to survive handling.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already like the Ver 2.0 Zaku II and want a specific ace pilot's colors instead of the standard green or Char red versions, or if MSV lore genuinely interests you and you are willing to source a used or import copy. Skip it if you just want an easy first Zaku at a normal price, a standard MG MS-06J or MS-06S gets you the same excellent frame without the exclusive-release hunt. This is a kit for someone completing a Zaku lineup, not someone's first Gunpla.

The build story

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

The build itself is genuinely relaxed by MG standards, this is a 13 runner kit and the assembly logic is closer to an easier weekend project than a fussy modern MG. Gate placement is reasonable and cleanup is manageable, though because so much of the surface is flat green style molding, any nub or seam you miss will show once the decals go on.

The engineering is where this kit earns its reputation. The mono eye gimmick alone sold me, and the way the skirt armor tucks out of the way on ball joints means you can actually get a Zaku into a wide stance without fighting the parts. Weapon loadout on this release includes a bazooka, machine gun, and heat hawk, giving enough accessories to pose a proper ace loadout rather than a bare frame.

Lore & trivia

01Gabby Hazard was a real MSV era Principality of Zeon ace credited with 138 enemy mobile suit kills and two ships by the end of the One Year War, making him the sixth highest scoring Zeon ace in that expanded backstory.
02Only four MS-06R-2 High Mobility Zaku II prototypes were built in the MSV fiction, piloted by Elliot Rem, Johnny Ridden, Gabby Hazard, and Robert Gilliam, before the MS-09R Rick Dom was chosen as the production space combat suit instead.
03The base MG MS-06 Zaku II Ver 2.0 mold this kit uses first released in 2008 and has been recolored into more variant releases than almost any other MG mold in the line, from Char's Custom to multiple MSV ace colorways like this one.