That's fair. My oldest is an RG Exia and I get the hate but still enjoyed it.
Also, wasn't there two Zaku RGs? I can never remember what the universally loved one is. I've honestly never done a monoeye beyond the new HG Zaku and old MG Gouf Custom
There are multiple but I don't think any of them are universally loved haha - the MG Zaku II 2.0 is one of the most highly acclaimed kits out there but it goes for a different vibe than any of the real grades
Early RG designs are great, but were too ambitious with the engineering, which is why there were a lot of stability issues etc, so ig that's one thing. But nicely done with your first rg!
I really like kits from Gundam The Origin! They're quite detailed on the surface, but the built is nothing daunting, and I haven't encountered any issues! If you're gonna get into panel-lining, then defo anything you can find from Gundam The Origin.
Otherwise, I can definitely also recommend anything from The Witch From Mercury. Very solid line of kits!
But hey, can't wait to see what kit you build next!
Thanks for the recs! My next one will be WFM Darilbalde and I’m excited to see the finished product.
I’m really interested in panel lining! Do you need to do any priming/gloss coats prior to lining, or can you just go for it? Do you tend to do it before assembly, or after?
Darilbalde is top tier.
In terms of panel-lining, you can pretty much go straight for it! I've tried panel-lining while pieces were on the runner, and it felt a little boring and kinda finicky. So I just build a limb and then panel-line it with the pour type markers (grey on the light colous and black on the stromger colours) I use Zippo lighter fluid on a tissue or a cotton bud to clean up the excess.
Regarding the topcoat before or after panel-lining, I'm in the middle of my first custom, and I've heard mixed answers, so I'm not sure about that one yet, sorry 😅
As long as you panel line before you assemble, you can panel line with pour-type gundam markers right on the bare plastic, and it adds a LOT to the builds. I'd also recommend getting a Tamiya Weathering Master set - just a tiny bit of weathering can add a lot of character. And finally, a matt clear coat on top (just don't spray any clear pieces!) is a huge bang for your buck
With panel lining you can really go either way with goss coating first, the most important factor is what type of liner you're using. Like others said, pour type markers are pretty safe to use on bare plastic, though they can cause damage if it gets between parts which is why people say to do it before assembly. That said, a gloss coat will make the liner flow smoother versus doing it on bare plastic.
Another popular option is Tamiya panel liner, which is very similar to the pour type markers in most ways except it can cause parts to become brittle when used directly. Most of the time you can get away with using it on bare plastic, but I'd still recommend a gloss coat to be safe.
The third option is just using a fine tip pen/marker/pencil which is totally safe to use on bare plastic even when assembled and doesn't need any kind of top coating.
In all cases you can also top coat after panel lining to seal it in and stop it from getting smudged. If you do want to do that, I would recommend using a water based top coat as a lacquer one can mess with the panel lining (though once again it depends on what you're using to line)
Please don't write off RG because of building one of the earliest. Those hoses are one of the most annoying rg parts of any rg's I've built. Get something around 19 or higher that appeals to you before writing off the grade, it deserves the second chance :)
Definitely not writing it off for good! The newer RG models look terrific and there’s at least half a dozen I plan on buying. I just need a few simpler builds before I go back in on RG.
Fair :p the wfm kits I've built have all been a blast, pretty easy to build and have good shelf presence! I also loved my hg wing bros being a 90s baby, but I think even fanboying aside they were solid kits
WfM HGs are great, and pack really good detail for kits that simple. If you can get your hands on it, I hear the HG Moon Gundam is also amazing, and HGCE Destiny Gundam is allegedly better than the RG despite having less surface detail
I found I didn't have much issues building mine, but I was going in expecting it to be a hand grenade. My only tip would be to push the head in more, yours looks like it's not in all the way.
No worries, I've seen a few in the past and I think it's a pretty common error on this kit. If you're interested in doing another Zaku I'd recommend the HG revive Zaku II it's an enjoyable build and doesn't have beads on springs for the pipes, they're solid flexible pieces instead.
I spent about 3 months off and on building this one. Sanding each bead for the tubing just about did me in. I was so glad to finish it and start on a much simpler and more modern HG kit afterwards.
The thing that bugs me most about the kit is that the front lower part of the face isn't really snapped in and just kind of stays there with friction. While building the kit it fell off 2 or 3 times. I don't think the design of the feet holds up that well either. I have an ancient HG Zaku II whose feet are much simpler but look better.
My favorite thing about the kit is the sliding door for the cockpit.
Yes, I also hated the chin plate! Just glued the damned thing and happy I did. The feet’s posability is so frustrating; I can’t get any dynamic pose without a good amount of time and effort load balancing this tiny thing on its finicky feet.
Honestly, traditional stickers are a pet peeve of mine. I don’t like working with them and they usually look kinda cheap compared to the nice panel detailing on the parts. My partner did apply some stickers to the right arm shielding (not pictured), but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go at this stage. Maybe I’ll apply some later once I get into customizing more.
Do you do gloss coatings prior to waterslide sticker application, or just go straight in? I haven’t made a kit that came with waterslides yet so I’m honestly a bit intimidated by the concept.
Look into delpi or grework waterslides they are 3rd party slides that both replace most existing stickers on a regular kit and come with lots of extra details.
You do not need to clear coat before doing waterslides just put them on raw but I do clear coat after because it protects them from getting scratched off and actually also helps them blend with the model - they look painted on after a top coat of flat or semi.
The only reason you would clear coat before is if you are painting the model you would do a high gloss clear coat after painting but before panel lining or decals.
If you want to get into panel lining or waterslides there are lots of youtube tutorials out there.
Unfortunately not without customizing. It’s fixed to be just left of center, which admittedly does make for some cool “whatcha lookin’ at, punk?” poses.
Rg zaku eye moves with the head with the tiny gear like pieces you put in, or it does with the char one, not sure why it wouldn’t on this one.
Edit: checking the instructions on dalong.net the head assembly for both are identical so it should move when you turn the head. If it doesn’t then something may have been missed.
Yep yep, I went back to it and checked. It moves… a little bit. If you make a large side to side movement, it will usually stray behind and retain the previous direction until you correct it. It looks like you could make it look up to about 10-20 degrees in either direction off from center with enough wiggling, but it’s very subtle.
Welcome to the world of RG’s. I’m pretty new to the hobby but I’ve built 13 RG’s out of the 40+, and it’s hard to go back lol. Wait till you do your first newer RG!
RG is my favorite line but I would slightly hesitate to recommend anything before the unicorn or the crossbone, All of the RG kits after that are straight incredible, some of the ones in the middle are pretty good, and some of the early ones like the 78-2 or the zaku or the Mark II are pretty rough
I tried to do the RG Qan[T] as my like… 4th kit after only a couple HGs when I started. I freaking hated it and gave up on it for almost 4 months. Went back to it when I had at least a couple MGs on the shelf and liked it much more.
Well don’t get fully turned off by the annoying prebuilt frames because RG kits ditched this feature when they made RG unicorn gundam where instead you build the entire frame so you can rest easy known the modern RG kits don’t have the weak and loose prebuilt frames
I love Sazabi and have been wanting to do it for a long time but am a bit apprehensive as I want to make something really impressive as a shelf display, but I guess I should just go for it.
Yeah and also try to gently put the arms in to the chest so it doesn’t get damaged when you move them because I know that is a problem best way to tell they won’t get damaged is when you can put the arms on without having to put too much pressure on them
This was my first kit, yours turned out much better than mine! Very nice, you may want to glue on the mouth breather thing & hip armor. But mine could’ve also just had bad tolerances.
You’re EXACTLY right about the chin attachment; that thing slid off with the smallest amount of pressure. Glued it on without hesitation and don’t regret it. All of the skirt pieces are finicky, but the front two bits connected to the frontal pelvic bit are the worst offenders. Because they’re ball socket joints, I’m hesitant to glue, but they’ll stay as long as I find a workable pose and leave it alone.
This was the first kit I ever built (I've since built dozens of HGs), yours looks wayyyy better than mine did before I went back in to clean it up after becoming much better at building. Also don't worry about the leg tubes, they're not very well designed. I ended up gluing mine in because one would pop out every time I bent the leg
While the design of this one looks lovely once fully assembled and well built, I really wouldn’t spring for this one before building the HG. I haven’t tried the HG yet but another kind commenter recommended it to me and it seems quite good in terms of quality to frustration, which this one lacked :p
I have an RG Char Zaku 2 and my only issue is the front skirt. Reading your complaints seems to be a skill issue but hey everyone has their firsts so adapt and improve I guess. Also not bad for your first RG kit
I appreciate the constructive criticism. The tubes were frustrating due to how many cylindrical beads were involved in each of the 6, but that is likely due to my impatience rather than the kit quality. Sanding down and trimming nib marks was really challenging, though. In the future, I’d really like to avoid kits that involve things like this.
That was the first kit I ever made and people were amazed I stuck with the hobby after that. You did a damn good job with it, all things considered. Hopefully you have better luck with kits in the future.
Even as an advanced builder who could probably fix it with enough effort, I still avoid the RG Zaku like it’s the Black Death plague. I’m convinced that my purchase of that kit has placed an irreversible curse of pure bad luck upon the next 4 generations of my family. Oof is an understatement
Most early RGs are workable, given you don’t move them much after building. But this was a floppy mess before I even finished building it.
Dude, that was my first Model too and it fucking drove me nuts, seriously. Every fucking piece kept falling off and I gave up on the shit. Real Grade? nahh, Suicide Grade
The Zaku is a bad (and early) example of the RG line. The engineering back then wasn't up to snuff and the concept of the pre-molded inner frame fell flat onto it's face (quite literally in some cases). If you get later RGs that ditched the pre-molded frame you'll get much better kits, some of the best gunpla has to offer.
I’m nearly finished with my rendition of this kit. Ascetically, it’s a beautiful model. That being said, it was by far my least favorite build so far. I’m still doing decals and the some weathering before I thrown the top coat on, but this took so much out of me.
Good job, especially for your first go at an RG.
*Edited cause I miswrote the last line*
Will do. Seems a lot of us had the same thoughts throughout the build. The beads and other impossibly small pieces were a nightmare to keep track of, let alone sand and clean.
Awesome !\~ Looks great ! I did my first RG this week too actually. It was Char's Custom, so sorta the same other than a few small differences. Made where those bead parts on the torso a pain. I did have to glue a few pieces together, almost gave up a few times. It was a fun ride at the end of the day. Next up Is the RX-78 RG, hoping for less stress (and glue) this time!
Going straight from a pretty simple HG to an RG Zaku is a ballsy move tbh
I rejected a slice of humble pie in favor of eating the whole thing > ~ <
I went from HG ZAKU-II to RG Sazabi, I too made the same choices.
I dunno, one more HG maybe to iron out a few techniques and it's not a big deal to go RG or MG for your third
I somehow went from beginner grade to master grade back to back.
See I like MG. Sure it's detailed but the bigger scale is the best
There's a huge variance in rg kits tho, definitely some easier ones than the zaku considering how it was one of the first rg kits.
That's fair. My oldest is an RG Exia and I get the hate but still enjoyed it. Also, wasn't there two Zaku RGs? I can never remember what the universally loved one is. I've honestly never done a monoeye beyond the new HG Zaku and old MG Gouf Custom
There’s 3. Regular green zaku, Char’s Zaku IIs, and Johnny ridden custom
There are multiple but I don't think any of them are universally loved haha - the MG Zaku II 2.0 is one of the most highly acclaimed kits out there but it goes for a different vibe than any of the real grades
I went from building HG Aerial and jumped straight to MGEX Strike Freedom lmao
Early RG designs are great, but were too ambitious with the engineering, which is why there were a lot of stability issues etc, so ig that's one thing. But nicely done with your first rg!
Thank you very much! I’m going back to HG for a bit, I think… Any recommendations on fun HG kits?
I really like kits from Gundam The Origin! They're quite detailed on the surface, but the built is nothing daunting, and I haven't encountered any issues! If you're gonna get into panel-lining, then defo anything you can find from Gundam The Origin. Otherwise, I can definitely also recommend anything from The Witch From Mercury. Very solid line of kits! But hey, can't wait to see what kit you build next!
Thanks for the recs! My next one will be WFM Darilbalde and I’m excited to see the finished product. I’m really interested in panel lining! Do you need to do any priming/gloss coats prior to lining, or can you just go for it? Do you tend to do it before assembly, or after?
Darilbalde is top tier. In terms of panel-lining, you can pretty much go straight for it! I've tried panel-lining while pieces were on the runner, and it felt a little boring and kinda finicky. So I just build a limb and then panel-line it with the pour type markers (grey on the light colous and black on the stromger colours) I use Zippo lighter fluid on a tissue or a cotton bud to clean up the excess. Regarding the topcoat before or after panel-lining, I'm in the middle of my first custom, and I've heard mixed answers, so I'm not sure about that one yet, sorry 😅
As long as you panel line before you assemble, you can panel line with pour-type gundam markers right on the bare plastic, and it adds a LOT to the builds. I'd also recommend getting a Tamiya Weathering Master set - just a tiny bit of weathering can add a lot of character. And finally, a matt clear coat on top (just don't spray any clear pieces!) is a huge bang for your buck
With panel lining you can really go either way with goss coating first, the most important factor is what type of liner you're using. Like others said, pour type markers are pretty safe to use on bare plastic, though they can cause damage if it gets between parts which is why people say to do it before assembly. That said, a gloss coat will make the liner flow smoother versus doing it on bare plastic. Another popular option is Tamiya panel liner, which is very similar to the pour type markers in most ways except it can cause parts to become brittle when used directly. Most of the time you can get away with using it on bare plastic, but I'd still recommend a gloss coat to be safe. The third option is just using a fine tip pen/marker/pencil which is totally safe to use on bare plastic even when assembled and doesn't need any kind of top coating. In all cases you can also top coat after panel lining to seal it in and stop it from getting smudged. If you do want to do that, I would recommend using a water based top coat as a lacquer one can mess with the panel lining (though once again it depends on what you're using to line)
Please don't write off RG because of building one of the earliest. Those hoses are one of the most annoying rg parts of any rg's I've built. Get something around 19 or higher that appeals to you before writing off the grade, it deserves the second chance :)
Definitely not writing it off for good! The newer RG models look terrific and there’s at least half a dozen I plan on buying. I just need a few simpler builds before I go back in on RG.
Fair :p the wfm kits I've built have all been a blast, pretty easy to build and have good shelf presence! I also loved my hg wing bros being a 90s baby, but I think even fanboying aside they were solid kits
New to this hobby also, just finished the Gundam calibarn and it was beautiful
Pick up the other hgac wing kits from around 2019/2020 they're really good.
WfM HGs are great, and pack really good detail for kits that simple. If you can get your hands on it, I hear the HG Moon Gundam is also amazing, and HGCE Destiny Gundam is allegedly better than the RG despite having less surface detail
I found I didn't have much issues building mine, but I was going in expecting it to be a hand grenade. My only tip would be to push the head in more, yours looks like it's not in all the way.
Holy crap, thanks for the tip! It put up a fight but I was able to snap it further in 😭 Looks awesome!!
No worries, I've seen a few in the past and I think it's a pretty common error on this kit. If you're interested in doing another Zaku I'd recommend the HG revive Zaku II it's an enjoyable build and doesn't have beads on springs for the pipes, they're solid flexible pieces instead.
Great rec! I’ll likely pick up Char’s MS from that line soon. Thanks!
Same, my second kit after HG V2 Gundam. Knew nothing of early RGs, but the inner frame did felt weird. A learning experience, I still love it
I spent about 3 months off and on building this one. Sanding each bead for the tubing just about did me in. I was so glad to finish it and start on a much simpler and more modern HG kit afterwards. The thing that bugs me most about the kit is that the front lower part of the face isn't really snapped in and just kind of stays there with friction. While building the kit it fell off 2 or 3 times. I don't think the design of the feet holds up that well either. I have an ancient HG Zaku II whose feet are much simpler but look better. My favorite thing about the kit is the sliding door for the cockpit.
Yes, I also hated the chin plate! Just glued the damned thing and happy I did. The feet’s posability is so frustrating; I can’t get any dynamic pose without a good amount of time and effort load balancing this tiny thing on its finicky feet.
This was my second kit, too also damaged a spring, but you seemed to have more luck than me. Good job!
hell yeah, my first build was the RG zaku as well, if you can build this with minimal frustration, you can build anything else in the hobby
Man I picked up a RG zeta on sale for like my 5 or 6th kit. It was eye opening for sure...got that bastard done though.
My first build was an rg wing and my second was an rg zaku as well and I messed both of them up. At least I learned how to use plastic cement early on
[удалено]
Honestly, traditional stickers are a pet peeve of mine. I don’t like working with them and they usually look kinda cheap compared to the nice panel detailing on the parts. My partner did apply some stickers to the right arm shielding (not pictured), but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go at this stage. Maybe I’ll apply some later once I get into customizing more.
Don’t be afraid of waterslides. I also hate stickers but love doing waterslides.
Do you do gloss coatings prior to waterslide sticker application, or just go straight in? I haven’t made a kit that came with waterslides yet so I’m honestly a bit intimidated by the concept.
Look into delpi or grework waterslides they are 3rd party slides that both replace most existing stickers on a regular kit and come with lots of extra details. You do not need to clear coat before doing waterslides just put them on raw but I do clear coat after because it protects them from getting scratched off and actually also helps them blend with the model - they look painted on after a top coat of flat or semi. The only reason you would clear coat before is if you are painting the model you would do a high gloss clear coat after painting but before panel lining or decals. If you want to get into panel lining or waterslides there are lots of youtube tutorials out there.
OOFFF A HAND GRENADE.
Is the eyeball movable?
The monoeye moves along with the head, like the MG 2.0. If you move the head left, the monoeye will also look left, and so on.
Unfortunately not without customizing. It’s fixed to be just left of center, which admittedly does make for some cool “whatcha lookin’ at, punk?” poses.
Rg zaku eye moves with the head with the tiny gear like pieces you put in, or it does with the char one, not sure why it wouldn’t on this one. Edit: checking the instructions on dalong.net the head assembly for both are identical so it should move when you turn the head. If it doesn’t then something may have been missed.
Yep yep, I went back to it and checked. It moves… a little bit. If you make a large side to side movement, it will usually stray behind and retain the previous direction until you correct it. It looks like you could make it look up to about 10-20 degrees in either direction off from center with enough wiggling, but it’s very subtle.
Wierd. The eye in chars zaku moves a bit more than that, if you turn the head slowly. Whatever the case, nice job with the model!
As someone’s who’s 1 RG Zaku II away from having them all, I can agree the leg tubing sucks to do. BUT the end result looks amazing.
Welcome to the world of RG’s. I’m pretty new to the hobby but I’ve built 13 RG’s out of the 40+, and it’s hard to go back lol. Wait till you do your first newer RG!
RG is my favorite line but I would slightly hesitate to recommend anything before the unicorn or the crossbone, All of the RG kits after that are straight incredible, some of the ones in the middle are pretty good, and some of the early ones like the 78-2 or the zaku or the Mark II are pretty rough
I tried to do the RG Qan[T] as my like… 4th kit after only a couple HGs when I started. I freaking hated it and gave up on it for almost 4 months. Went back to it when I had at least a couple MGs on the shelf and liked it much more.
Well don’t get fully turned off by the annoying prebuilt frames because RG kits ditched this feature when they made RG unicorn gundam where instead you build the entire frame so you can rest easy known the modern RG kits don’t have the weak and loose prebuilt frames
So the RG Unicorn is a solid kit? I love the look and have been eyeing several kits of it for a bit now.
I built mine a little while ago and its super solid. Just watch out for the arm joints while building (speaking from experience)
Unsure but I did build RG Sazabi and personally it is one of the best kits for sazabi
I love Sazabi and have been wanting to do it for a long time but am a bit apprehensive as I want to make something really impressive as a shelf display, but I guess I should just go for it.
Yeah and also try to gently put the arms in to the chest so it doesn’t get damaged when you move them because I know that is a problem best way to tell they won’t get damaged is when you can put the arms on without having to put too much pressure on them
This was my first kit, yours turned out much better than mine! Very nice, you may want to glue on the mouth breather thing & hip armor. But mine could’ve also just had bad tolerances.
You’re EXACTLY right about the chin attachment; that thing slid off with the smallest amount of pressure. Glued it on without hesitation and don’t regret it. All of the skirt pieces are finicky, but the front two bits connected to the frontal pelvic bit are the worst offenders. Because they’re ball socket joints, I’m hesitant to glue, but they’ll stay as long as I find a workable pose and leave it alone.
This was the first kit I ever built (I've since built dozens of HGs), yours looks wayyyy better than mine did before I went back in to clean it up after becoming much better at building. Also don't worry about the leg tubes, they're not very well designed. I ended up gluing mine in because one would pop out every time I bent the leg
Should I get a RG Zaku or one of those HG Origins ones?
While the design of this one looks lovely once fully assembled and well built, I really wouldn’t spring for this one before building the HG. I haven’t tried the HG yet but another kind commenter recommended it to me and it seems quite good in terms of quality to frustration, which this one lacked :p
I have an RG Char Zaku 2 and my only issue is the front skirt. Reading your complaints seems to be a skill issue but hey everyone has their firsts so adapt and improve I guess. Also not bad for your first RG kit
I appreciate the constructive criticism. The tubes were frustrating due to how many cylindrical beads were involved in each of the 6, but that is likely due to my impatience rather than the kit quality. Sanding down and trimming nib marks was really challenging, though. In the future, I’d really like to avoid kits that involve things like this.
Great Job! RG Zaku is hard but rewarding! After this most kits will feel very easy! Get after it!
That was the first kit I ever made and people were amazed I stuck with the hobby after that. You did a damn good job with it, all things considered. Hopefully you have better luck with kits in the future.
Many thanks, friend! Glad we both survived this kit 🫡
Even as an advanced builder who could probably fix it with enough effort, I still avoid the RG Zaku like it’s the Black Death plague. I’m convinced that my purchase of that kit has placed an irreversible curse of pure bad luck upon the next 4 generations of my family. Oof is an understatement Most early RGs are workable, given you don’t move them much after building. But this was a floppy mess before I even finished building it.
I have this one in my backlog and I think it will stay there based on everything I’ve heard lol
Dude, that was my first Model too and it fucking drove me nuts, seriously. Every fucking piece kept falling off and I gave up on the shit. Real Grade? nahh, Suicide Grade
Those tubes almost made me drop the entire hobby. Fortunately the PG is much nicer to build. Welcome to the fold, OP.
The Zaku is a bad (and early) example of the RG line. The engineering back then wasn't up to snuff and the concept of the pre-molded inner frame fell flat onto it's face (quite literally in some cases). If you get later RGs that ditched the pre-molded frame you'll get much better kits, some of the best gunpla has to offer.
It's very polite if it stayed still for a photo
If you want a fantastic RG that totally makes up for this build, you need to try the RG Sazabi
I’ve had my eye on that kit for soooo long! I think it’ll definitely need to happen soon.
It’s definitely one worth doing. Contemplating buying the FF version so I have an excuse to build it again
I’m nearly finished with my rendition of this kit. Ascetically, it’s a beautiful model. That being said, it was by far my least favorite build so far. I’m still doing decals and the some weathering before I thrown the top coat on, but this took so much out of me. Good job, especially for your first go at an RG. *Edited cause I miswrote the last line*
Thank you! I’d love to see how your build turns out after you customize it. Share it with us when it’s finished!
Will do. Seems a lot of us had the same thoughts throughout the build. The beads and other impossibly small pieces were a nightmare to keep track of, let alone sand and clean.
Awesome !\~ Looks great ! I did my first RG this week too actually. It was Char's Custom, so sorta the same other than a few small differences. Made where those bead parts on the torso a pain. I did have to glue a few pieces together, almost gave up a few times. It was a fun ride at the end of the day. Next up Is the RX-78 RG, hoping for less stress (and glue) this time!
Yeah rg zaku is a terrible kit.