One annoying thing about this release is that it actually has the wrong gun! It should have a lengthened version of the Hyaku Shiki/Dijeh rifle. The Delta Plus rifle didn't exist when the Amuro Test Type as made.
The weirdest thing is that IIRC they already made that rifle, too. It wouldn't be very hard at all to reproduce it, either as part of the new runners or even just reuse whatever runner it's on from whatever old kit it was a part of.
Yo Zac, just wanna say your new background is much cleaner and pleasing to the eye. The thumbnail also looks fantastic. Doesn't look as cluttered as the previous thumbnails where there's the box and the kit. Keep it up!
One neat little detail you missed is that there's a second tab you can fold out on the beam rifle, which you can then use to tab it onto the front of the stabilizer in flight mode
I totally agree with you Zach! The Zeta Plus looks much cooler than the original Zeta Gundam. The kit does need a lil' love to make it look its best but it's one I enjoyed building regardless of its flaws. I feel Bandai could've put in a little effort into giving us the proper beam rifle to make it truly standout from the standard release kit. But hey at least there's also the C1 that came out as well. I hope to nab one for myself someday.
Z3_T4C0_B0Y YES! Thank you hahaha I was trying to remember the name of the exact figure but couldn’t (probably didn’t help I was off with the years) Looking at it again now and there’s a lot of similarities
@@Z_TC_BY G1 Jetfire was a bootleg VF-1S from Macross. But yes, Macross and Transformers were crushing it and Gundam had to incorporate this new trend into the franchise which gave us these wacky transforming designs in the 80s.
I prefer this color version over the UC version. Also, think you missed the part where you can tab the rifle into the tail binder while in waverider mode, storing it top and centerline. Also I would have to check your video archive in case you'd already done so, but otherwise you might should check out the also P-Bandai HG Zeta Wave Shooter type, which is the Zeta made with Zeta Plus style wings.
I wish that Bandai would rerelease their expo exclusive kits more often. Also, I wish that they used the expo box version instead of the monochrome version.
Isn't the Amuro Ray color one supposed to be orange and cream colored, like a creamsicle? Does this mean that the red and white PB variant is the wrong color scheme?
I’ll start by saying that the Zeta Pluses are my #1 favorite mobile suit designs, and they were my favorites to get the HGUC treatment for *years* before the Unicorn Version was eventually released in 2014. So if what I’m about to say sounds picky, know that I took what Bandai did to these kits personally lol. Generally, I think these HG Zeta Plus kits have pretty great sculpts, and they look good collecting dust on a shelf -but they have problems and they need work. Like you said, articulation really is lacking for their age. And their parts separation and panel line management feels half-assed. My biggest gripe is with their head vents. I just wish they were molded in their appropriate respective colors. I do think their proportions are pretty decent (by admittedly iffy HGUC standards.) Their arms are a little gorilla-like, but that problem is common to nearly all HG kits. All in all, these Zeta Plus kits look alright, but they feel quite a bit older than their actual age. I was very disappointed with the Test Color A1. It just feels so damn lazily done. Color separation is garbo for its age -no yellow mold for the collar, and the stickers for the wing tips and, again, the head vents really bummed me out. But what really chapped my ass was the downright laziness of that recast Unicorn-era beam rifle. While all three HG Zeta Plus kits share the same problems, I think those problems are most evident with this A1 recolor. It’s only saving grace is that sheet of waterslide decals. I’d only pick it up if I saw it on the cheap. All that said, the C1 is completely worth it. Its accessories are fantastically sculpted and really help to make the whole package feel more complete than either of the A1 kits. It’s had the prime real estate spot on my shelf for years
Bandai have been giving out more waterslides with PB HG/ rg kits. I noticed my rg x2 crossbones had slides *Edit imo the HG and MG both require painting, the stickers imo seem worse on the MG as it's a bigger surface to cover.
I hope you're right about the waterslides in P-Bandai 1/144 kits because I pre-ordered the RG Tallgeese Animé Version. I was bummed when the RG Tallgeese II had regular stickers.
Premium Bandai is just a pretty name, stuff on the site doesn't necessary have to be a "premium" product because it is a site that bandai selling products directly to their customers. If you check out the JP PB site you can find that they even have the regular release kit or Gundam base tokyo exclusive kit on sale in PB site. It makes people more accessible to their product. And the box is not meant to display on the store so they don't have to put a lot of effort on the packaging (Of course there're exception) I have the Zeta plus UC ver and I painted it into Sentinel Blue color ver, nice kit but the hip articulation is pretty lacking....
I own the MG and heres some things to consider before getting it: -Joints are very prone to getting loose -Articulation is good but it finds it very hard to hold a certain pose consistently over time -The hand refuses to hold the sabers and youll find that sabers will easily fall through -The shield connector easily gets loose, but the shield itself is also too heavy for the arms -The rifle is good, the details are well defined and much lighter than it looks but its length and the movable hands make it also prone to being let go -The red on the wings are stickers that are prone to peeling -The legs are HEAVY, and the joints find it hard to hold bends for too long which also worsens the next one on this list -Worst of all, the hip joint is just VERY unstable and coupled with the heavy legs, it causes the entire kit to become a plastic handgrenade -There are screws used in the construction -It does come with dry transfers and waterslides (i thinl) and a standable cardboard portrait of the kit -The V-fins and joint pipes are soft but they do keep their shape which prevents breaking -The Waverider mode is surprisingly stable Overall, treat it as one of those older Ver Ka kits. Like a Plastic Hand Grenade that needs a bit too much love. A reminder of what was among the best kits of the early 2000s was like Edit: I watched a few reviews, their MG Zeta Plus' were holding up much better than mine. I was probably too hard on the kit from what I said above but it is the case for my copy, and maybe those issues are limited only to my copy. So take from it what you will.
I have the Mg too. Honestly I don't see all those issues you mentioned. The only annoying issue is the grey piece under the groin that should "lock" other pieces instead it keep "unlocking" by itself. I still don't know how to fix it to make it more stable. I don't like also the huge red stickers for the wings border. Ugly to see and don't stick to the plastic at all. Better mask the part and paint them. It looks so good and is very tall too! I love it.
This kit was my first MG, it is pretty solid but not very poseable and kind of stiff. The shield joint part is floppy, so while the connection is secure, the position of the shield wobbles on that hinge. The transformation is very solid. The hands are the typical old MG hands, and yes it does come with lovely dry transfer decals, god I miss those!
Eh... Considering the premium you'd have to pay for this, you may as well just get the MG instead. It would be the more accurate kit, too. EDIT: A question: Do the Deltas and Zetas differ in transformation at all? If the kits are any indication, I haven't built the MG Delta Plus, but from what I remember perusing Dalong, it seems to follow basically the same steps and features functionally the same moving parts as the Zeta/Zeta Plus. It makes me wonder if a "2.0" Zeta Plus would be better served recycling Zeta 2.0 parts or Delta Plus parts, or if it could recycle parts at all.
Having a hard time finding sites that are reliable to order from don't wanna get ripped off and Amazon is kinda pricey, doesn't help I'm from Canada. Can you recommend some sites I would safely be able to order gundams for cheaper?
So I actually have the old MG of this design and sadly it's not very good. It looks great aside from the badly placed gates you'd expect on a kit of that age, but unfortunately the transformation really spoils the MS mode. The kit has a hard time even standing on its own because of the way the hip joint transforms. The legs always slide apart and don't hold a pose. The Wave Rider mode looks fantastic, though, so if you want to display it like that the MG is a good option. Amuro's Zeta A1 is my favorite Gundam-type MS, so I think I still might pick this HG up and paint it. Thanks for the review!
Definitely a weird design choice. The GM III came out like 3 years before this model did and it had universal hip joints, hell a sizable portion of high grade kits post-2009 were piggybacking off the 00 line's use of universal hips.
One annoying thing about this release is that it actually has the wrong gun! It should have a lengthened version of the Hyaku Shiki/Dijeh rifle. The Delta Plus rifle didn't exist when the Amuro Test Type as made.
good eye, I didn't even notice that. bandai is really trying to save mold money
The weirdest thing is that IIRC they already made that rifle, too. It wouldn't be very hard at all to reproduce it, either as part of the new runners or even just reuse whatever runner it's on from whatever old kit it was a part of.
Same problem in battle operations 2
Yo Zac, just wanna say your new background is much cleaner and pleasing to the eye. The thumbnail also looks fantastic. Doesn't look as cluttered as the previous thumbnails where there's the box and the kit. Keep it up!
One neat little detail you missed is that there's a second tab you can fold out on the beam rifle, which you can then use to tab it onto the front of the stabilizer in flight mode
I was about to comment on that. The manual fails to mention it saddly.
I totally agree with you Zach! The Zeta Plus looks much cooler than the original Zeta Gundam. The kit does need a lil' love to make it look its best but it's one I enjoyed building regardless of its flaws.
I feel Bandai could've put in a little effort into giving us the proper beam rifle to make it truly standout from the standard release kit. But hey at least there's also the C1 that came out as well. I hope to nab one for myself someday.
Yeah I feel that, I hope you got that C1, currently mine will come just in time for Christmas
Seriously heavy early-mid 90s transformer vibes with this colour scheme.
Reminds me of i think it was g1 jetfire
Z3_T4C0_B0Y YES! Thank you hahaha I was trying to remember the name of the exact figure but couldn’t (probably didn’t help I was off with the years) Looking at it again now and there’s a lot of similarities
I thought of painting one in Starscream or Skywarp colors. Although I think it would suit the Vent Saviour better.
@@Z_TC_BY G1 Jetfire was a bootleg VF-1S from Macross. But yes, Macross and Transformers were crushing it and Gundam had to incorporate this new trend into the franchise which gave us these wacky transforming designs in the 80s.
I prefer this color version over the UC version. Also, think you missed the part where you can tab the rifle into the tail binder while in waverider mode, storing it top and centerline.
Also I would have to check your video archive in case you'd already done so, but otherwise you might should check out the also P-Bandai HG Zeta Wave Shooter type, which is the Zeta made with Zeta Plus style wings.
I wish that Bandai would rerelease their expo exclusive kits more often. Also, I wish that they used the expo box version instead of the monochrome version.
I recently got the HGUC Hrududu and was pleasantly surprised it comes with waterslides
Isn't the Amuro Ray color one supposed to be orange and cream colored, like a creamsicle? Does this mean that the red and white PB variant is the wrong color scheme?
Wow. This kit is really "Transformers" style. Especially his Wave Rider mode, looks so much like Jetfire!
Ah! High grade coming with the oob waterslides!
Amuro has a logo???
Currently working on my HG Zeta Plus. The shoulder parts are loose as well. You can glue it since you won't need it for the transformation.
I’ll start by saying that the Zeta Pluses are my #1 favorite mobile suit designs, and they were my favorites to get the HGUC treatment for *years* before the Unicorn Version was eventually released in 2014. So if what I’m about to say sounds picky, know that I took what Bandai did to these kits personally lol.
Generally, I think these HG Zeta Plus kits have pretty great sculpts, and they look good collecting dust on a shelf -but they have problems and they need work. Like you said, articulation really is lacking for their age. And their parts separation and panel line management feels half-assed. My biggest gripe is with their head vents. I just wish they were molded in their appropriate respective colors. I do think their proportions are pretty decent (by admittedly iffy HGUC standards.) Their arms are a little gorilla-like, but that problem is common to nearly all HG kits. All in all, these Zeta Plus kits look alright, but they feel quite a bit older than their actual age.
I was very disappointed with the Test Color A1. It just feels so damn lazily done. Color separation is garbo for its age -no yellow mold for the collar, and the stickers for the wing tips and, again, the head vents really bummed me out. But what really chapped my ass was the downright laziness of that recast Unicorn-era beam rifle. While all three HG Zeta Plus kits share the same problems, I think those problems are most evident with this A1 recolor. It’s only saving grace is that sheet of waterslide decals. I’d only pick it up if I saw it on the cheap.
All that said, the C1 is completely worth it. Its accessories are fantastically sculpted and really help to make the whole package feel more complete than either of the A1 kits. It’s had the prime real estate spot on my shelf for years
Bandai have been giving out more waterslides with PB HG/ rg kits. I noticed my rg x2 crossbones had slides
*Edit imo the HG and MG both require painting, the stickers imo seem worse on the MG as it's a bigger surface to cover.
I hope you're right about the waterslides in P-Bandai 1/144 kits because I pre-ordered the RG Tallgeese Animé Version. I was bummed when the RG Tallgeese II had regular stickers.
Premium Bandai is just a pretty name, stuff on the site doesn't necessary have to be a "premium" product because it is a site that bandai selling products directly to their customers. If you check out the JP PB site you can find that they even have the regular release kit or Gundam base tokyo exclusive kit on sale in PB site. It makes people more accessible to their product. And the box is not meant to display on the store so they don't have to put a lot of effort on the packaging (Of course there're exception)
I have the Zeta plus UC ver and I painted it into Sentinel Blue color ver, nice kit but the hip articulation is pretty lacking....
I own the MG and heres some things to consider before getting it:
-Joints are very prone to getting loose
-Articulation is good but it finds it very hard to hold a certain pose consistently over time
-The hand refuses to hold the sabers and youll find that sabers will easily fall through
-The shield connector easily gets loose, but the shield itself is also too heavy for the arms
-The rifle is good, the details are well defined and much lighter than it looks but its length and the movable hands make it also prone to being let go
-The red on the wings are stickers that are prone to peeling
-The legs are HEAVY, and the joints find it hard to hold bends for too long which also worsens the next one on this list
-Worst of all, the hip joint is just VERY unstable and coupled with the heavy legs, it causes the entire kit to become a plastic handgrenade
-There are screws used in the construction
-It does come with dry transfers and waterslides (i thinl) and a standable cardboard portrait of the kit
-The V-fins and joint pipes are soft but they do keep their shape which prevents breaking
-The Waverider mode is surprisingly stable
Overall, treat it as one of those older Ver Ka kits. Like a Plastic Hand Grenade that needs a bit too much love. A reminder of what was among the best kits of the early 2000s was like
Edit: I watched a few reviews, their MG Zeta Plus' were holding up much better than mine. I was probably too hard on the kit from what I said above but it is the case for my copy, and maybe those issues are limited only to my copy. So take from it what you will.
I have the Mg too. Honestly I don't see all those issues you mentioned. The only annoying issue is the grey piece under the groin that should "lock" other pieces instead it keep "unlocking" by itself. I still don't know how to fix it to make it more stable. I don't like also the huge red stickers for the wings border. Ugly to see and don't stick to the plastic at all. Better mask the part and paint them.
It looks so good and is very tall too! I love it.
my bicep arm piece cracked right down the middle for some reason, it's a good kit though for that time period
This kit was my first MG, it is pretty solid but not very poseable and kind of stiff. The shield joint part is floppy, so while the connection is secure, the position of the shield wobbles on that hinge. The transformation is very solid. The hands are the typical old MG hands, and yes it does come with lovely dry transfer decals, god I miss those!
this looks very similar to the zeta+ c1 hg kit I got back in the early 90s
Yea C1 is based on this one
The old one can transform without swarping parts too.
if I got this kit I'd keep it in its plane mode
I think that this was released a few years ago but with a different box art
Yep as an expo exclusive kit!
Has anyone attempted to kitbash this with the revive zeta?
is it just me or the red on the stickers and the red on the plastic are a different shade of red
slightly different
The master grade version is a nightmare to build. Flimsy transformation, with some pegs that are prone to breaking.
pretty old MG, really needs a V 2.0
So what's the difference b/n this P-Ban and the Expo version you unboxed a few years ago?
Eh... Considering the premium you'd have to pay for this, you may as well just get the MG instead. It would be the more accurate kit, too.
EDIT:
A question: Do the Deltas and Zetas differ in transformation at all? If the kits are any indication, I haven't built the MG Delta Plus, but from what I remember perusing Dalong, it seems to follow basically the same steps and features functionally the same moving parts as the Zeta/Zeta Plus. It makes me wonder if a "2.0" Zeta Plus would be better served recycling Zeta 2.0 parts or Delta Plus parts, or if it could recycle parts at all.
Based on reviews of the MG Delta Plus I believe it would be wiser to make use of the Zeta 2.0 instead.
This looks more like The red Cross Gundam.
Love the zeta mobile suits. Speaking of, does anyone have the wave shooter zeta gundam?
Why haven't I bought the hguc Zeta Plus A1 yet.
I am trying to find it
Having a hard time finding sites that are reliable to order from don't wanna get ripped off and Amazon is kinda pricey, doesn't help I'm from Canada. Can you recommend some sites I would safely be able to order gundams for cheaper?
I've heard Canadian Gundam is fairly reliable, but I've never used their services myself
So I actually have the old MG of this design and sadly it's not very good. It looks great aside from the badly placed gates you'd expect on a kit of that age, but unfortunately the transformation really spoils the MS mode. The kit has a hard time even standing on its own because of the way the hip joint transforms. The legs always slide apart and don't hold a pose. The Wave Rider mode looks fantastic, though, so if you want to display it like that the MG is a good option. Amuro's Zeta A1 is my favorite Gundam-type MS, so I think I still might pick this HG up and paint it. Thanks for the review!
Is there any reason as to why most transforming gundams have ball joints instead of universal joints at the hips?
Probably to make it slightly more stable(?). That’s my best guess.
Definitely a weird design choice. The GM III came out like 3 years before this model did and it had universal hip joints, hell a sizable portion of high grade kits post-2009 were piggybacking off the 00 line's use of universal hips.
woah
The old Zeta Plus C1 can transform without swarping parts.
that straight OOB looked just old
So much lost detail
This thing looks like a mid 90s kit...
the lack of detail is astonishing
I thought you were using this video to test your image color . . Don't I feel silly.
wait, Amuro also appeared in Sentinel? huh?
Vust Valeo Sadly, no Amuro didn’t appeared in Sentinel. This is just a design/Ms Amuro might have piloted during the Gryps War.
Whenever i see a pbandai review i instantly click off knowing ill never buy a pbandai kit