MGUniversal Century

MSZ-006-P2/3C Zeta Gundam III P2 Type Red Zeta

The Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0 frame wearing a suit of spikes, built for a pilot who never got a TV series.

MechaGrade Score

3.9/5

Zeta Gundam III P2 Type Red Zeta · 1/100 · 2015

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit more than I expected to for something this deep in Gundam trivia.

It takes the proven MG Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0 engineering, which already nails the wave rider transformation, and dresses it in an almost completely new set of armor with a genuinely striking spiked silhouette. It is not a suit most builders will recognize on sight, but once it is on the shelf next to a standard Zeta the redesign earns its keep.

Best for: Zeta Gundam completionists and Universal Century deep-cut fans who already know the base MG Zeta and want a shelf-mate that looks nothing like it

The full review

What it is

This is a P-Bandai exclusive built on the MG Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0 skeleton, but Bandai reworked roughly 80 percent of the exterior parts to give it the spiked, aggressive armor that Red Snake's suit wears in the Zeta Gundam III movie compilation. That means you get the same inner frame and transformation gimmick builders already trust, paired with new molds for the shoulders, shins, backpack, and the fin-covered shield. It comes with a dedicated beam pistol built for rapid fire and a shield studded with its own fins, plus a 150-page instruction manual that is fully in color. Building it feels like meeting an old kit wearing a new costume, and the costume is the whole reason to pick this one over the plain Zeta.

The catch

This is a P-Bandai release, so you are paying exclusive-channel pricing and hunting secondary market listings rather than grabbing it off a store shelf. The thin spike protrusions on the shoulders and shins are the kind of detail that looks great finished but demands careful gate cleanup, since a nub left on a spike tip is obvious. Waterslide decals cover the panel markings rather than stickers, which looks better on the shelf but adds setup time most standard MG builders are not doing. The suit itself is also a deep pull for anyone who has not read into Zeta Gundam III or the Evolve shorts, so the design payoff depends on caring who Red Snake is.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already own or have built the standard MG Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0 and want a second one that does not look redundant on the shelf, or if the Universal Century side stories are your specific corner of the hobby. The waverider transformation alone is worth having a second copy of this frame for. Skip it if you want your first Zeta Gundam, since the plain MSZ-006 is cheaper, easier to find, and the more recognizable version of the suit. This is a kit for the builder adding to a collection, not starting one.

What works

Inherits the MG Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0 wave rider transformation, which still holds up as one of the better transformation gimmicks in the line
Roughly 80 percent new armor parts give it a genuinely distinct spiked silhouette rather than a simple recolor
Waterslide decals instead of stickers for the panel markings, plus a fully color 150-page manual

Worth knowing

P-Bandai exclusive pricing and availability, so it costs more and takes more effort to track down than a retail MG
Thin spike details on the shoulders and shins need careful nub cleanup or they read as damaged rather than sharp
A deep pull for anyone unfamiliar with the Zeta Gundam III movie compilation or Red Snake as a character

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

The frame underneath is the same engineering builders already know from the standard MG Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0, so if you have built that kit the runner logic and joint assembly will feel familiar. The new parts are concentrated in the outer armor, the backpack, and the shield, and those spiked pieces are thinner than typical MG armor plates, which rewards a slow pass with side cutters over rushing the sprues.

The transformation into wave rider mode is the standout piece of engineering here, carried over from the base Zeta frame, and it locks together solidly rather than feeling like a compromise between the two modes. The dedicated beam pistol and fin-lined shield give it a loadout that actually looks built for this specific suit rather than reused parts, and the color separation on the new red armor comes through in the molded plastic rather than leaning on paint or stickers to sell it.

Lore & trivia

01The suit appears in Zeta Gundam III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars, one of three imaginary Karaba pilot variants of the Zeta Gundam shown alongside a White Unicorn type and a yellow Type B piloted by Grey Wolf
02Its pilot is Red Snake, identified in later material as Yurii Ajissah, and the suit's cockpit was built around a custom setup distinct from the standard Zeta
03This MG marks the first time the P2/3C Type Red Zeta was produced as a three dimensional model kit, since it originated as a compilation film design rather than a mass production television suit
04The kit reuses roughly 20 percent of its parts from the existing MG Zeta Gundam Ver 2.0 mold while the remaining armor is entirely new tooling