By Loran
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the amphibious mobile suits were a staple of the Principality of Zeon’s arsenal during the One Year War. They’re quite an ugly bunch of critters that seem to have gained a following of their own, but tend to be disliked by most. I tend to be indifferent towards them, for the most part, although this guy is actually the only amphibious suit active in my collection right now…
Char’s Z’Gok was the third amphibious mobile suit in the HGUC line, after the mass-production type Z’Gok and the Gogg. Out of all of Char’s Mobile Suits that have appeared in animation, this one tends to be the most overlooked, and for good reason. He only used it in what, two episodes, and it didn’t have the epic “last boss” appeal that the Zeong did, and it has the “amphibious MS” stigma attached to it. So, is he worth adding to your Char collection? Let’s take a look…
The… head, I guess we could call it, consists of two parts and a polycap. The monoeye is a sticker, which is to be expected. The problem is, the amphibious suits are known for how much their monoeyes move around, and with this kit, when it’s done, it’s done. I positioned mine facing off to the right which makes putting it in action poses much easier. It can’t do much when it’s dead center.
The torso actually isn’t too bad. It doesn’t have much depth to it, but the polycap actually gives it some good flexibility that lends itself to the Z’Gok’s “stabby” poses. The two oxygen tank-esque jets on the back are affixed by polycap joints.
Now… the arms are where my issue with this kit really starts to come up. The part of the arms that aren’t the forearm/claws aren’t attached by a polycap joint-it’s all hard plastic, not even ABS. And when I say hard plastic, I mean it. It’s very glossy and you’ll need some serious wire-cutter action to get through it. They hold the pose well, but they don’t really move that much, and WILL get floppy with time. I wonder why they chose to go this route, honestly. Someday I might try replacing the joint system in the arm with a heavy wire or something. The claws open and close, and are based on plastic-on-plastic hinges which will probably wear out with time.
The legs, unfortunately, are pretty much the same as the arms, but the way the feet/ankles are constructed adds to its ability to strike the “stabby” poses, at the cost of looking a bit taller than they should.
So, is the Z’Gok a worthwhile kit? Well, not really, in my opinion. If you’re a fan of amphibious suits, a completist, or want to own all of Char’s suits, you’re gonna end up with this one either way. While I don’t have one of my own, our store carries the Acguy kit, which I’ve heard many good things about-and come on, you gotta love the Acguy-it’s adorable!
I can’t believe I went three years with this as my only 1/144 scale Char suit…
If you’re interested in ordering Char’s Z’ Gok for yourself, you can order through the FPNYC website here.
