MGUniversal Century

Re-GZ (Char's Counterattack Ver.)

An old Master Grade finally gets the frame and proportions it always deserved.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Re-GZ (Char's Counterattack Ver.) · 1/100 · 2024

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuine rescue job, and it mostly works.

Bandai took the bones of the 2001 original MG Re-GZ and the later Re-GZ Custom, bolted on new joints and a resculpted head and thighs, and handed back a kit that finally poses the way the Zeta-lineage design always should have. It is not a ground-up modern engineering flex like a fresh MG release, and it shows in a few leftover panel lines and part choices, but as an update to a genuinely dated kit it delivers real, usable improvement.

Best for: UC completionists and Zeta-lineage fans who want the definitive built-up Re-GZ without hunting down a 20-plus-year-old kit

The full review

What it is

This is a 2024 do-over of a mobile suit that first got an MG back in 2001, and you can feel Bandai's intent the moment you start clipping parts. The new abdomen joint alone changes how the suit sits, the resculpted head reads far more proportionate than the old bulbous original, and the redone thigh and forearm armor closes gaps that used to look awkward mid-pose. I went in expecting a straightforward rerelease and came out genuinely surprised at how much better this stands and moves than its reputation suggested. The Back Weapon System dock is the novelty here, since this suit skips a true transformation gimmick in favor of a waverider add-on you clip on rather than fold the body into.

The catch

Because this kit is built from a mix of old Re-GZ tooling and Re-GZ Custom parts recut for the update, you end up with more spare and leftover runners than a clean modern release, which makes bag-sorting and initial parts ID more of a chore than it needs to be. A few panel lines and surface details still read as dated next to a current MG. The BWS waverider unit is fun to look at once but has genuinely little to do once it is off the display stand, and docking or undocking it risks scuffing paint or decals on the shoulder covers if you are not careful. It is also a Premium Bandai release, so pricing and availability run higher than a shelf-standard MG.

Who it's for

Grab this if you already love the Zeta Gundam design lineage or the Char's Counterattack film and want the best-engineered version of this specific suit that exists, extra parts and all. It also rewards builders who like sorting out a slightly fussier bag of runners for a payoff in articulation. Skip it if you want a clean first MG experience or you are shopping by part-count value alone, since a same-price fresh-tooled MG will usually out-engineer this one. If you already own the original 2001 Re-GZ and are happy with it on the shelf, this is a nice-to-have, not a must-replace.

The build story

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

Runner sorting is the first speed bump here, since this kit carries parts descended from two earlier releases rather than one clean modern tree. Gate placement on the newer resculpted pieces (head, upper forearm panels, upper thigh panels) is tidy and easy to clean, but you will notice the older-tooled parts feel a step behind in nub placement and mold seam control. Overall assembly is straightforward MG snap-and-cement-optional building, nothing fiddly or frustrating, just a bit more parts triage up front than a same-era fresh release.

The engineering payoff is real: new joint parts in the abdomen and legs give this Re-GZ a noticeably wider range of motion than the original 2001 MG, especially through the waist and hips, and the suit holds dynamic poses without the old kit's tendency to sag. Color separation on the newer parts is strong for an update job, with the classic Re-GZ white, blue, and red scheme reading cleanly with minimal sticker reliance. The included Back Weapon System and display stand let you build the waverider mode as a separate display piece alongside the mobile suit, which is a nice bit of added value even if the BWS itself is static once assembled.

Lore & trivia

01Re-GZ stands for Refined Gundam Zeta, a suit built to keep Zeta Gundam's mobility without its costly and complex full-body transformation mechanism.
02Instead of transforming, the Re-GZ docks with a separate Back Weapon System (BWS) unit to assume a waverider-like form for atmospheric and space travel.
03In Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Amuro Ray is the first to pilot the Re-GZ before the damaged unit is later used by young Londo Bell officer Chan Agi against the mobile armor Alpha Azieru.
04This 2024 version updates the original 2001 MG Re-GZ by borrowing and recutting parts from the later MG Re-GZ Custom kit, including a new head, forearm panels, and thigh armor.