RGUniversal Century

MS-06R-1A Shin Matsunaga's Zaku II

The RG Zaku II inner frame, dressed in the White Wolf's colors and finally given the wrist joint it always deserved.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

Zaku II · 1/144 · 2018

GradeRG

Scale1/144

Released2018

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the RG Zaku II I actually wanted the first time around.

Same brilliant Advanced MS Joint frame, same monoeye gimmick that still makes me grin every time I twist the head, but Bandai used this P-Bandai run to quietly fix the parts that bugged people about the original RG Zaku, and it shows the moment you start posing it. It costs more and takes patience to track down since it was a webshop exclusive, but as a display piece it earns the premium.

Best for: RG collectors and One Year War Zeon fans who already know the base RG Zaku II and want the definitive ace-pilot version with the kinks worked out

The full review

What it is

This is the MS-06R-1A High Mobility Type in Shin Matsunaga's personal colors, built on the same Advanced MS Joint inner frame that made the original RG Zaku II a landmark kit back in 2011. The monoeye still runs off an actual gear train that swings when you turn the head, which never stops being a neat trick to show off. Because it is the high-mobility R-1A variant, you get the beefed-up leg thrusters and the more aggressive silhouette instead of the plain MS-06F loadout, and the paint scheme translates straight off the runners in mostly molded color rather than relying on paint. Holding it, the frame feels dense for something this small, and every joint has actual resistance instead of flopping.

The catch

Being a Premium Bandai release means the price sits well above a standard RG and it is not something you can just walk into a shop and buy, secondary market pricing runs high once it sells out. The RG Zaku frame is also a genuinely small, fiddly build at 1/144, with tiny inner-frame parts that test your patience and your tweezers, and the front skirt armor on this frame family is known to pop off when you lift a leg into an aggressive pose. Bandai's own build notes flag the shoulder socket and shoulder armor joints as needing a firm, deliberate snap, and the wrist joint that lets the weapons pivot can shed the rifle or shield if the tabs are not seated all the way.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already respect what the RG Zaku II frame does and want the ace-custom version as the better-engineered, better-articulated take on a suit you probably already own in HG or MG form. It rewards someone who enjoys small, dense, technical builds and does not mind hunting a secondary market listing. Skip it if RG-scale parts already frustrate you, if you just want a Zaku on the shelf and would rather spend less on the standard MS-06F, or if you are newer to the hobby, this is not a forgiving first kit and the price-to-availability ratio is rough for a casual pickup.

What works

Advanced MS Joint inner frame still delivers genuinely great range of motion for a 1/144 kit, especially through the hips and ankles
Working monoeye gear mechanism that visibly moves when you rotate the head, a small touch that keeps paying off
Color separation off the runners is strong enough that the Matsunaga scheme reads correctly with minimal paint needed

Worth knowing

Premium Bandai exclusive pricing and limited availability make it a hunt-and-pay purchase rather than a shelf pickup
Front skirt armor is prone to popping off during leg articulation, a known quirk of this frame family
Weapon-holding wrist joint can shed the rifle if the mounting tabs are not fully seated, so first assembly needs care

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

The build itself is classic RG Zaku: small, dense, and a little unforgiving. You are working with a real inner frame under the armor, so expect a higher part count than a comparable HG and expect the tiny frame pieces to test your nail clippers and patience. Bandai's own instructions call out the shoulder socket and shoulder armor joint specifically, they need to be pressed together firmly or the arm articulation will feel loose later. Gate placement on RG runners of this era is generally clean, but at this scale even a small nub mark is visible, so slow, deliberate cutting pays off more than usual.

Where it earns its keep is articulation and presence once it is together. The head's ball-and-socket joint paired with the geared monoeye is still one of the best small mechanical gimmicks Bandai has put in a Zaku. Elbows and knees are double-jointed, the manipulator hands have 3+1+1 finger articulation per hand, and the waist spins a full 360 degrees, so it holds dynamic poses that flat HG Zakus simply cannot. Front, side, and rear skirt armor are all independently poseable to clear the legs, which is the right idea even if the front skirt's retention needs watching. For the price, you are paying for engineering density and a distinctive paint job you cannot easily replicate on the standard release, not for extra plastic.

Lore & trivia

01Shin Matsunaga earned the nickname 'the White Wolf of Solomon' for his combat record during the One Year War, including sinking a battleship and five cruisers in the war's opening stages.
02He started the war piloting an early MS-06C Zaku II and was field-promoted after his commanding officer was killed at the Battle of Loum, later graduating into the high-mobility MS-06R-1A depicted by this kit.
03The MS-06R High Mobility Type line was popular among Zeon's aces beyond Matsunaga, with variants also associated with Char Aznable, the Black Tri-Stars, and Johnny Ridden.
04This RG release was a Bandai Hobby Online Shop (Premium Bandai) exclusive, meaning it never had a standard retail run and was sold with no guarantee of reissue once stock ran out.