XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Proto Zero Color Clear
The Katoki reinterpretation of Gundam Wing's founding machine, cast in glass.
MechaGrade Score
Wing Gundam Zero · 1/100 · 2015
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This is one of the better ways to own the Proto Zero, and the clear plastic makes an already good MG shine harder.
I built the standard color version's engineering here and it holds up: full transformation into Neo Bird mode, a real inner frame, and a cockpit hatch that pops open on a seated Heero Yuy. The catch is that this is an event-exclusive colorway, so the plastic you're paying a premium for is the whole reason to own this variant over the regular release.
Best for: Endless Waltz fans and inner-frame nerds who want the Proto Zero's transformation gimmick on display, seams and internals included
What it is
The Proto Zero is Hajime Katoki's redesign of the prototype that everything else in Gundam Wing grew out of, and this MG builds it around a proper xxxg inner frame with polycap joints instead of the older-style construction. Popping the cockpit hatch to find 1/100 Heero Yuy sitting inside never stopped being a nice touch through the whole build. The Color Clear version is a straight recolor of that same engineering into translucent smoke plastic, sold at the Art of Gundam exhibition in 2015, so what you're really buying is the frame and transformation gimmick you'd get in any Proto Zero MG, dressed in glass.
The catch
Because this is an exhibition exclusive rather than a retail kit, expect to pay well above the original MSRP secondhand, and expect the box art and manual to be exhibition-branded rather than standard retail packaging. The transformation gimmick that makes this kit interesting is also its weak point: the wing binders are heavy enough that the torso slouches without a stand, and the buster rifle is a two-hand prop in most poses because one arm alone strains to hold it level. Clear plastic also shows stress whitening at tight joints more readily than standard color, so test-fit before you force anything.
Who it's for
Grab this if you already love the Proto Zero's design and want the novelty of seeing the inner frame and transformation mechanism through translucent plastic, or if you collect exhibition-exclusive Gunpla specifically. Skip it if you just want a Proto Zero to pose and display normally, since the standard color MG gives you the identical engineering, transformation, and accessories for a fraction of the aftermarket price this one commands. It's a collector's variant on a genuinely good kit, not a better kit.
The build story
What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.
Runner cleanup is standard MG-era work, moderate nub count with a few visible seams on the wing binders that clear plastic makes harder to hide than opaque color would. The polycap-heavy inner frame goes together cleanly and the double-jointed limbs and swiveling thighs give a genuinely wide range of motion once the outer armor is on.
The transformation sequence is the standout: head and lower body rotate 180 degrees, the wings have their own deployment gimmick, and the waist side fins are separately articulated. Color separation is strong since the clear plastic carries the detail molding well, and the loadout includes the buster rifle and buster shield that define the silhouette. For an exhibition variant the part count and gimmick density match the standard retail MG, so the value proposition is entirely about the plastic, not extra content.
Lore & trivia
- 01The Wing Gundam Proto Zero is Hajime Katoki's redesign of the prototype machine for the Endless Waltz manga, giving it new proportions distinct from the original TV series suit.
- 02In the Endless Waltz storyline, the Proto Zero is destroyed and its wreckage, combined with parts from the Tallgeese Flugel, becomes the basis for the Wing Gundam Zero.
- 03This Color Clear version was sold exclusively at The Art of Gundam exhibition at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills, running July 18 to September 27, 2015.
What other builders say
This write-up is grounded in real reviews and builder discussion, not just one opinion. A few worth reading:
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