The Zeta Project

Zeta Gundam was the first follow up to Mobile Suit Gundam, which much like Star Trek, had only found it's true popularity after being cancelled in 1979. Following this came compilation movies, and remolded kits under the Mobile Suit Variations header. But it wasn't until 1985 that a full series would begin to carry on the Gundam name, with new mobile suits appearing in animation for the first time in nearly six years.

Today's review is in fact the very first suit to be seen in Zeta Gundam, the Rick Dias in Quattro Bageena's custom colors. The Rick Dias itself holds more than just this distinction - it's also the first mono-eye style suit to appear in a hero role, the first MSiA of a production level Zeta design, and the first suit Char had that wasn't pink!

Zeta Gundam is actually my favorite UC series, and with the compilation movies in Japan, I'm finally getting the chance to own MSiAs of Zeta suits that might have been made along with the aborted release of Zeta merchandise in North America, so this week is especially meaningful to me.

Over this week we'll be covering a mix of older and much newer figures. Although much is technically out of date, we feel it appropriate to bring it all to you for completeness - especially with the renewed attention Zeta is and will be getting, we want to offer guideance if you decide to pursue one of the older figures so you'll know what you're getting into before you put your money down.

This week is part one of our little Zeta Project, the second part will take place sometime toward the end of the year, and will feature all reviews that are much more current, or at least relevant to more recent releases. If there's enough additional product scheduled, we may even do a third installment a few months after that. I sure hope so, anyway!

And once again, It Figures! is proud to present a week of themed reviews, this one devoted to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, excellent as sequel, as series, and as showcase for a veritable horde of inventive mechanical design.

To start off, we have a review of the Rick Dias in its dark blue color scheme- the second Mobile Suit to be seen in the series, and one of Mamoru Nagano's finest, most grounded designs. In my opinion, a lot of your potential appreciation for this figure will hinge on how much you like the design- technically it's a bit behind the times, even behind this time last year, when it was rereleased in this color. Even so, that works in its favor in terms of decoration, as the technically superior Zeta-MSiA released to support Heirs to the Stars don't look anywhere near this purty. It's a tradeoff, to be sure, and your personal mileage may vary.

We've got a slightly different setup this time than our previous theme weeks- every other day, you'll get a review each from ExVee and I, so check back Wednesday for your next dose, as presented in order of appearance.

Two reviews from me today. Friday will feature two reviews from RAC, as a result of scheduling oddities, followed by one each again on Sunday.

Before getting into the details of today's review, I'd like to direct your attention to RAC's existing reviews of the EMIA Titans's Gundam Mk II Unit 03, and the RMS-108 Marasai, which conveniently bookend my reviews for today, going by order of appearance.

First up is the only remotely original design Federation exclusive use model, the Galbaldy Beta. Even if it is adapted from an MS-X design, it's more original in that regard than the straight recycled MSV designs and the Hi-Zack otherwise employed by the Federation. Not that the (admittedly brief) animated appearance of a number of MSV designs wasn't fun, but the Federal Forces proper sure did get the short end of the stick compared to the Titans.

To follow that is a review of the EMIA AEUG Gundam Mk II, the first hero Gundam, and the first in a string of recolors in the Extended line. Too bad it was not then followed by an Extended Hyaku Shiki as many people hoped for.

Be sure to check back day after tomorrow for our next installment!

That Sign is of the previously reviewed Zeta Gundam Second Version, which falls neatly between the end of today's offerings and the beginning of Sunday's.

For today, in order of appearance, we have the Hyaku Shiki with Mega Bazooka Launcher and Asshimar. To me, these represent opposite ends of the MSiA spectrum in terms of quality.

On the low end, we have Hyaku Shiki, which deserves better, and desperately needs an EMiA as ExVee said. Shiki is quite the break from Char/Quattro's previous pattern of personal Mobile Suits. Well, yes and no- while it's not any shade of red or pink, it's a very ostentatious gold. Originally a rejected Mamoru Nagano design for the Zeta Gundam, Shiki is an offshoot of the Zeta Project, which would later produce the Methuss, and of course, the Zeta Gundam. In my opinion, Nagano, though more famous for The Five Star Stories, did his best work on Zeta Gundam, designing many of the most distinctive and best-looking Mobile Suits in the series- and also the Argama, as well as the modern cockpit design employed by most Zeta MS.

The Asshimar, on the other hand, was initially designed by the much-maligned Kunio Okawara. Though much of his recent output strikes me as stale, the Asshimar is an extremely distinctive design. It's one of the first Mobile Suits designed for atmospheric flight without the assistance of a sled. To Okawara and Kazumi Fujita's credit, the transformation mechanisms come off extremely well in toy form, having none of the problems that have plagued every plastic incarnation of Zeta itself. And, despite the confusing scale questions raised by the animation itself, I believe it to be to scale with most of the Zeta MSiA when you go by the official dimensions.

And that's it for today. ExVee and I will be back to wrap up our first installment of the Zeta Project on Sunday. Don't miss it!

The final chapter of our first installment in The Zeta Project begins with the MSiA AMX-004 Qubeley, the figure representation of Axis regent Haman Karn's personal mobile suit. This Newtype use suit, operated by one of the more powerful Newtypes of the era, was actually just the start of the AEUG's hard times as the Gryps Conflict drew towards its conclusion.

The figure also presented a hard time, as it has been one that I've long had issues with. One does not often find MSiA to be overextending itself beyond the practical means of the available technology, but the Qubeley is a sure case of this happening. Originally made more than three years ago, it featured kinds of articulation that would not be seen again in general use for nearly two years. A positive result, as it allowed time for materials and engineering techniques to progress sufficiently to support these new points of articulation in the way they are intended.

It's something that may not be realized generall, just how far Mobile Suits in Action(!!) have come in their six year life. Where once a feature only of the special "Second Version" type figures, all new figures now have double hinged elbows and knees, and some even have a third joint in the knee. There has been much experimentation, where many figures can be found with a unique feature, maybe good - maybe bad, that doesn't exist in the majority of figures that follow it for one reason or another. And for all of this, we may be reaching the height of what is possible both at this scale and while retaining more or less the original appearances of the designs these figures are made to represent.

Bandai Japan claims that the upcoming Extended MSiA Zaku II will be their pinnacle, a "new standard" for MSiA in general. Is it true? Well, we won't know until some of us hold the figure in our hands. Is it the end of new development in MSiAs? I don't think so, and certainly hope that it isn't, because stagnation in one way will soon lead to stagnation in other areas. Innovation in whatever form is what keeps a line viable. When that stops, the line has only so much time remaining.

I know some people are of the mind that MSiA should have been the way they are right now from the very start. And sometimes I think it would have been nice if that were the way it was. But in reviewing the Qubeley, I was sharply reminded of what would happen if such things had been applied before they were ready. But beyond that, the innovation and resulting novelty found when a figure has a new joint or other engineering trick would have stopped long ago, and we might not be here now reviewing the product of a toy line that has gone solid since 1999. Just something to think about.

My last contribution for this week is The-O, Kamille's Vidan's final opponent as a Mobile Suit pilot, and a gigantic monster of an MSiA. The only things I know of that would be larger all come in boxes and cost a relative fortune, like the Psyco Gundam and Byg-Zam. The only "standard" figure that might be a match for it is the Dark Gundam Final Mode, which fortunate US collectors were able to purchase for roughly $10 a few years ago. Aside from the Gundam Mk.II's Flying Armor being shelved, the inability to lay down ten bucks for The-O is my greatest regret for the planned Zeta Gundam line's unfortunate fate.

Other than "big," the most distinctive things about MSiA The-O have to be the hidden arms, and especially the leg design. They have to be the most complex legs to ever grace an MSiA, and fully-removeable leg armor is usually restricted to Master Grades, which quite often cost more than The-O.

As he did with the Asshimar, Kazumi Fujita did cleanup work on The-O's design, and I can only think of this as a good thing- original designer Makoto Kobayashi's default style is a bit too rough and rounded-looking for me- his mecha designs, in the illustrations I've seen, tend to look like they were carved out of stone rather than manufactured. It's an interesting look, but not one that really fits in with Gundam, in my opinion.

The-O wraps things up for the first round of the Zeta Project, but we, and fortunately Bandai, aren't done with the series yet.

To support the release of Zeta Gundam II: The Lovers, Bandai is planning a number of additional MSiA, many of which were recently shown at the Chara Hobby 2005 show. (Click here for the page in the original Japanese.) You can also get a good look at the EMiA Zaku-IIs ExVee made mention of, as well as a number of upcoming Gundam SEED: Destiny releases.

Naturally, we're not gonna ignore these, and plans are already in motion to acquire and review the Zeta-MSiA shown here. We'll certainly do our best to keep you entertained in the meantime, but fellow Zeta afficionados should look forward to our next installment of the Zeta Project in the fall!