Model Kit Review: High Grade Lightning Zeta Gundam

Welcome back to another gunpla review. After finishing up another MG, let’s go small and talk about this “old” but gold High Grade, the Lightning Zeta Gundam. The kit was produced in late 2015, after the Gundam Build Fighters Try anime ended, with ¥2200 in price or around Rp265,000 in Indonesia. Let’s start the review, shall we?

Box & Runners

The kit comes in your typical HG box and Build Fighters series design in terms of its graphic layout.

The size is not as high one with a monstrous HG like The-O for example but it is not as small as your regular HG. On the sides you will find pictures displaying the kit’s features, as always.

The kit comes with 14 plastic runners including two sets of polycaps and a sheet of decals. Most the runners comes small in terms of their size but that just to show you how intricate this HG is.

The first runner is the A1-plate which comes with all-white parts. Most of the parts will be used for the kit’s head, waist, parts of the arm, legs, and even for the backpack as well.

The second one, the A2-plate, is basically a copy of a quarter of the previous plate. Nothing too special and the parts will be making some elements for this HG’s legs and arms.

The B1-plate will come in dark grey and the parts from the runner will be used to build the “frame” and joints of the kit, along with several parts for Lightning’s one and only beam rifle.

The B2-plate is, again, only a partial copy of the B1-plate and the parts will be used for the joints and frames on the HG’s legs and arms.

The C-plate will come in an awesome looking jet black, a nice offset from the dull white and grey from the previous runners. The parts from the runner will be used mainly for the kit’s wing-like backpack and a bit for the kit’s shield.

Red will be the main theme for the D1-plate, and it is another nice addition to the color separation that this HG does have. The parts from the runner will be used to add color and details for the kit’s arm, chest, shield, wings, and feet.

The D2-plate is, yet again, just a partial copy from the D1 and the parts will mainly be used to install additional red details to the kit.

Another spectrum of color is being brought by the E1-plate. The blue is the familiar blue that you will see in other “common” gundam, like the RX-78-2 for example. The parts will be making the torso and the arms of the kit.

Similar pattern is again being repeated as the E2-plate is another copy of its preceding E1. Parts will be used to build the arms of the kit.

A small flat-silver colored runner will be your F1-plate. The parts from the runner will be used to build the extra piston details on the HG’s torso and legs.

The F2-plate, weirdly enough, is not a copy from the F1 but a completely different runner with a bright lemon yellow color for its parts. The aforementioned parts will be used for the v-fin and the collar of the HG along with additional details for the vents on its legs.

The small clear-pink colored runner will be the G-plate which parts will be used as effect parts, additional accessories and weaponry for the kit’s armaments.

Two runners filled with polycaps will also be found from this kit package. Yes. Not one, but two runners of polycaps.

A sheet of normal foil decals will also be given. The amount is quite daunting but most of them are quite easy to apply and they do add more colors to an already colorful HG.

The manual is your typical build fighter HGs layout, nothing too special. The guidelines are simple and easy enough to understand, as always.

Side note. One of the parts from the B1-plate of mine leave its runner even before I started to build the kit. Nothing bad happened but just be careful to always check the runners thoroughly before you actually build your kit.

Work in Progress

The overall building process of this kit is interesting as Bandai was able to balance both the simplicity of a HG and some flare with its excellent part separation. It is not as complex as an RG for example but it is not as “quick” as your common HG.

The head is quite simple as it is only comprised of five actual parts. Some decals will also be used including the eye stickers and cameras at the front and back of the head. You will need to add the black details for its machinegun on his cheeks though.

The torso will be constructed from as many as 14 parts with a ball shaped polycap for its base. You can see, yet again, how colorful this HG is even when you only look at its slender torso. Five different color overall in one small section, amazing.

The waist will comprised of 11 parts including one extra small thruster for its behind—weirdly enough—with three different polycaps especially for installing its side skirts. The waist is quite bland if compare with the torso yet you will be able to add some flare by lining some tick marks and even do some edging at the skirt armors curves and edges to even things up.

Moving back up to the arms, there are quite a lot of small parts being used but not too much difficulty in its actual building process. I did paint the vents on its forearms just to add more color variation and details, and it is indeed only optional and my personal taste. Stickers will be used to add yellow details of its arms while some lining opportunities are also available through some tick marks and grooves on the kit’s shoulders.

Moving down to its legs, abundant amount of parts will also be used in building both of them. Color separation will be good enough with and addition of yellow stickers to add some details near its vents. The white on the calves can be quite bland so I advise some lining even though it is quite difficult to do as the grooves are not that deep and quite narrow at that as well. You might need to use accent line color rather than forcing to use your drawing pen/ gundam marker to go through them. I also add some chrome silver details on the piston, thrusters and piping that went through the back of the legs just for some added flare.

The backpack, again, may come in a number of parts but the construction is actually quite simple. The big red stickers will be used to cover the bottom end of the backpack. Not a bad sticker overall but it is indeed a sticker. You may want to paint it yourself but be careful as the black base color will be affecting your result later on. The stickers were also used to give details to some vents of the backpack as well. I added, again, a chrome silver details to the tail-piece to add some more color.

The beam rifle is quite bland in color but the kit give you some excellent parts separation if say you want to add some different color to each of its elements like I did. I also added some detail with some dry brushing as well. Stickers will be used for the scopes.

The shield is quite simple yet not as bland as your typical one piece HG shield. Some lining opportunities are there on the front and the back of the shield. Additional shading may be added to just pop the shield a bit more.

Parts, Articulations & Gimmicks

After hours of building, hand-painting and some top coating, let’s go ahead and review the kit as whole.

In terms of its size, the height of this kit is quite tall compared to your typical HG or my old HGBF Gouf R35. It is not as tall as HG Nu Gundam or Sazabi but its slender and tall design in addition to its awesome colors are already making this kit stands out from the rest.

The head can go up and down pretty well but not as much to the sides due its chins and jaws along with the high collar that this kit does have.

The arms could go up not too far due to the bulk of the shoulders but the elbow joints is quite excellent with over 90 degree bend. The actual shoulders of the kit is attached in an unique way through two separate connections. In result, the shoulders are quite restricted in movement department. Biceps swivel are there even with additional forearm twist—which is sadly quite loose in mine. Hands are just your typical ball jointed hand with no extra hand pieces.

The torso is, sadly, too solid as in no good rotation or abs-crunch could be achieved.

The front skirts can be moved and separated while the side skirts are on hinges and can be swiveled to the back. No back skirt movement on this skirt.

The legs are on new universal waist joint so it can go pretty much everywhere unless it’s blocked by the skirts. The knee could be bend for more than 90 degree. Side to side movement is nice and quite a nice balance as well, if you do took off one of its backpack.

Talking about the backpack, each of the binders were connected through ball joints so wiggling and movement is quite there. Each of the flaps could be extended while the tail-piece can also be swung upward. The kit is not that back heavy but you do have to take cautions when trying to pose something ridiculous without the help of an action base.

The beam rifle is straight forward enough and can be held quite well on its hands. It can also be stored to the peg holes on the kit’s forearms.

The shield is nothing special either. No added gimmick but could attach well to the same holes on then kit’s forearms.

You will also be getting two beam effect part to be attached to the backpacks, thus turning them into two large beam blades. The blades could be attached securely, again, to those holes on the forearms. 

Another pose that you could get with this is the phoenix burst mode just like the anime. No actual phoenix effect parts were given and my kit’s left forearm is just that lose so that the beam blades often weigh itself down.

Conclusion

In terms of grading, I would confidently give this kit a 7.5 out of 10. 

The color separation on this kit is excellent and if you do have some higher level of painting skill, this kit will be a nice canvas for your own creativity. However, that only works if you do actually enjoy the re-worked Zeta design which is clearly one of the main points of the kit. I like the Zeta Gundam series but I never got any interest in its older design—with addition of poor animation and anime technology back then. The Lightning Zeta Gundam immediately changes all of the retro-feelings of the Zeta with some additional tweaks and flare. Even though there are no transformation yet it doesn’t decrease the whole value of the kit, in my opinion.

However, if you are looking for highly possible and articulated kit along with abundant of accessories, this kit will not give you that. I could say that the price itself is quite too high for something that is that sleek but I could understand it as well if say we look at the part separations that Bandai does give. If you see the kit as just a High Grade, this kit is just your typical modern high grade with neat design but lacking in accessories.

That’s all from me for the review. I am planning to buy some new Build Fighters kit as well in the near future so stay tune. See you then!