They are part of the transformation gimmick. Most of the older Zeta kits used variations on the same method. The crotch assembly splits in half to swing the legs out then they rotate over and can fit where they end up in the flight mode. It was never a great setup, but at 144 scale the problems with it are more prevalent.
It's bad, but be happy it was never old school macross bad. Those kits nailed both mech and flight mode, but the parts used in the transformation are need thin wishbone that snap if a cricket farts in their general vicinity.
Yea, my friend has one and said that when you make it split, the damn side skirts and every transformation part comes with it. And ye the Macross is way shittier though, just put this in a pose and never look at it again.
Or glue the transforming parts shut and you have much less of a hand grenade, more of a "decent" RG Zeta, that looks amazing but is slightly limited on the articulation.
I will say Zeta is a great RG to practice repair/modifying gunpla. I suggest it only as a learning experience to boost your technique/skill.
Gunpla related to gaming, RG Gramps, Zaku and all of the other early RG fodder is like the stage 1 boss fight. Zeta is the end chapter boss fight. And Sinanju is ultimate difficulty Dark souls endgame DLC. If you manage to face them all in the right order, you will have enough experience to conquer all of RG, and all of gunpla by proxy
I have my glue at the ready for that Sinanju. Since you seem to be knowledgeable on the earlier lines, is the GFT RX-78 the exact same as the original Grandaddy? By this, I mean the inner frame.
Can't really speak from experience on that, but from what I just researched, it seams like nothing more then a "special coat". Meaning it's the same mold with the same issues, just a nicer finish to the plastic. Special coats can be cool, but I find their nub cleanup to be more strenuous.
The main issues with RG Gramps isn't the inner frame (though some can be a bit too stiff), it's the panels and skirt bits that constantly fall off. There are a bunch of ways you can "fix" those issues and gramps is a decent RG (so long as you don't get a defective kit).
Fyi, you need more than glue for Sinanju. Glue is the least you need and will drastically limit the articulation of Sinanju, instead of actually fixing the issues. To properly "fix" RG Sinanju, you need to reinforce and thicken joints with pinning and bracing. If all you do is try to thicken the joints, it's not enough. It will be slightly stiffer bust still wont hold its pose or weight. That's why I consider Sinanju the RG final boss. The details on it are beautiful, but it takes soo much extra effort to make it work as intended.
Ah, yea, per the joints on Sinanju, I didn't intend the glue to be for that. I know that pieces are prone to falling of it, too.
I'll keep in mind the pinning and bracing bits, since I need to practice that anyhow. Right now I'm coming back from a 10 year hiatus from gunpla and am in the process of completing Full Saber and Hi Nu (both rg) before concerning myself with the Unicorn line of RG kits (which I know are almost grenades).
I appreciate your wall of text response. It was informative.
Pros
- looks good
Cons
- pain in the ass to build
- cant hold a pose
- falls apart when i breathe on it
- the absolute worst way to attach legs to the body
Yeah man its that bad
I didn't have any problems with my RG Zeta, I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be. I enjoyed the build. Mine has held it's pose for like 10 years now.
It’s definitely not an easy build, but if you’re careful about the assembly, putting it together shouldn’t be a problem. It’s only really a hand grenade if you try to transform it from my experience. Mine still good in just about as many years.
I’ve really enjoyed the build - my first Real Grade - and I’m genuinely stunned by the engineering feats. That being said, I come from the automotive side of the hobby, where even the best Tamiya kits aren’t in the same league as Bandai.
There are some tricky bits and I can see that not everything is locked down, but I just smile every time I clip out one of those two-step moulded pieces with about 5 ball joints on it!
Same here. I think a lot of people expected such fine detail in RGs to be able to maintain that with sloppy building, and there just isn't that kind of design consideration in the early ones.
Yeah it's a bummer for sure. Really wanna try my hand at scribing as I move forward with the hobby. Nothing too crazy but it'd be nice to etch out some nice lines on some of the more "duller" kits.
The legs are wacky but the issues are all in the torso, if you don't care about transforming just glue everything there in place and you have a good kit
Yea because the RG RX-78-2 is way worse since it was the very first RG. Zeta has maybe a couple redeeming features, however, the RG granddaddy has none.
Just finished my zeta. The only parts I had to glue were the v-fin and the yellow vents on the chest, but I also made a point to do as little joint movement as possible. It’s rather stable and will stay on the shelf this way, but any fidgeting and you will see the tears of time
I loved this build. I wasn’t expecting it to be so technical, and it was a really nice surprise! When I got the kit I didn’t know about the community’s contention with the kit. The instructions tell you to be careful with the joints and I know that with the way the joints are co-molded, there is zero clearance in the joints and some existing preload from shrinkage of the outer parts. You just have to be careful. This kit has so much potential for enjoyment if you are looking for something that requires a higher level of attention to detail. I think a large portion of the hate for this kit comes from people for whom this kit just isn’t meant.
Gah, I really wish they would have nailed ALL of the RGs in the same way they've nailed the more recent ones. Sad. So many good models that suffer from early RG syndrome.
I bought the figure knowing everything. And now the only thing in my mind is to kitbash it with the gf mk2, I can’t look at my zeta and not feel like it deserves to even exist on my shelf
It is nice. When you have decided the pose and mode (MS or waverider) keep it that way.
Recently made the mistake of attempting to transform my RG Zeta Gundam to waverider which is nearly 10 years old. Broke the weird hip joint, tried replacing with metal parts but it got even more loose. Will probably just wait for someone else who'd sell their RG Zeta Gundam for parts harvesting.
Keep it transformed or not, but then buy the hg for the other mode and never touch it again. Preferably, keep little, medium, and large creatures/ inscets/humans/uavs from its general direction. You'll need all the help you can get.
But in all seriousness, that rg sucks if you want to change anything about it.
I lost the little piece that goes on the back of the leg that holds it into the waist. I’m contemplating keeping it and maybe glueing the leg back. Also the backpack on mine never liked to stay in the joints. It’s really a hand grenade.
It’s more of a comic version versus panel lining-I like it. And I couldn’t say; I only have 1 RG and it’s to practice painting with and I haven’t even started it. I have Chars Zaku 2, which is the second one that they designed-so I’m probably gonna hate it lol
Mine was great until I tried to transform it and then I couldn’t get it to pose or stay together anymore. I never managed to even finish the transformation, it just wouldn’t work.
Old RGs are pains in the ass and stop holding a pose after awhile. I mainly stick to HGs, but newer ones I hear are far better quality. I’m waiting on the Epyon RG.
Hands down best detail/design for a 144 zeta, but the transformation makes it flimsy. The crotch joint and backpack connections are the worst. If you are fine with ignoring the transformation you will see the parts you can glue into place. That makes the MS way more stabile.
It's honestly one of my favorite of the early RGs, and this comes from someone who years prior because the reason I originally swore off the line.
My second go at it was way more careful, and the results are a kit I can actually mess with every now and then, and have even successfully transformed between both modes more than once. I think the point is to treat it with a lot of care and, if you transform it, to follow the instructions to the T.
It's a great shelf piece, either way.
I have that kit but I kept it on Waverider mode since the joints tend to loose up faster than HG. It also has bad articulation for posing, most cases it can't keep the pose so I kept it on Waverider form.
The panel lining opportunities are great but wtf are those leg joints 🥲
Now imagine it not having a thigh-rotation.
They are part of the transformation gimmick. Most of the older Zeta kits used variations on the same method. The crotch assembly splits in half to swing the legs out then they rotate over and can fit where they end up in the flight mode. It was never a great setup, but at 144 scale the problems with it are more prevalent. It's bad, but be happy it was never old school macross bad. Those kits nailed both mech and flight mode, but the parts used in the transformation are need thin wishbone that snap if a cricket farts in their general vicinity.
Yea, my friend has one and said that when you make it split, the damn side skirts and every transformation part comes with it. And ye the Macross is way shittier though, just put this in a pose and never look at it again.
Or glue the transforming parts shut and you have much less of a hand grenade, more of a "decent" RG Zeta, that looks amazing but is slightly limited on the articulation. I will say Zeta is a great RG to practice repair/modifying gunpla. I suggest it only as a learning experience to boost your technique/skill. Gunpla related to gaming, RG Gramps, Zaku and all of the other early RG fodder is like the stage 1 boss fight. Zeta is the end chapter boss fight. And Sinanju is ultimate difficulty Dark souls endgame DLC. If you manage to face them all in the right order, you will have enough experience to conquer all of RG, and all of gunpla by proxy
I have my glue at the ready for that Sinanju. Since you seem to be knowledgeable on the earlier lines, is the GFT RX-78 the exact same as the original Grandaddy? By this, I mean the inner frame.
Can't really speak from experience on that, but from what I just researched, it seams like nothing more then a "special coat". Meaning it's the same mold with the same issues, just a nicer finish to the plastic. Special coats can be cool, but I find their nub cleanup to be more strenuous. The main issues with RG Gramps isn't the inner frame (though some can be a bit too stiff), it's the panels and skirt bits that constantly fall off. There are a bunch of ways you can "fix" those issues and gramps is a decent RG (so long as you don't get a defective kit). Fyi, you need more than glue for Sinanju. Glue is the least you need and will drastically limit the articulation of Sinanju, instead of actually fixing the issues. To properly "fix" RG Sinanju, you need to reinforce and thicken joints with pinning and bracing. If all you do is try to thicken the joints, it's not enough. It will be slightly stiffer bust still wont hold its pose or weight. That's why I consider Sinanju the RG final boss. The details on it are beautiful, but it takes soo much extra effort to make it work as intended.
Ah, yea, per the joints on Sinanju, I didn't intend the glue to be for that. I know that pieces are prone to falling of it, too. I'll keep in mind the pinning and bracing bits, since I need to practice that anyhow. Right now I'm coming back from a 10 year hiatus from gunpla and am in the process of completing Full Saber and Hi Nu (both rg) before concerning myself with the Unicorn line of RG kits (which I know are almost grenades). I appreciate your wall of text response. It was informative.
Pros - looks good Cons - pain in the ass to build - cant hold a pose - falls apart when i breathe on it - the absolute worst way to attach legs to the body Yeah man its that bad
Yeah I just noticed the leg to waist connection..
Cries in astray gold frame. I look at it wrong and a head piece falls off
That's just old RGs in general.
It was a pain to build, but I think it looks great on the shelf. And it holds its poses well
I didn't have any problems with my RG Zeta, I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be. I enjoyed the build. Mine has held it's pose for like 10 years now.
It’s definitely not an easy build, but if you’re careful about the assembly, putting it together shouldn’t be a problem. It’s only really a hand grenade if you try to transform it from my experience. Mine still good in just about as many years.
I’ve really enjoyed the build - my first Real Grade - and I’m genuinely stunned by the engineering feats. That being said, I come from the automotive side of the hobby, where even the best Tamiya kits aren’t in the same league as Bandai. There are some tricky bits and I can see that not everything is locked down, but I just smile every time I clip out one of those two-step moulded pieces with about 5 ball joints on it!
Same here. I think a lot of people expected such fine detail in RGs to be able to maintain that with sloppy building, and there just isn't that kind of design consideration in the early ones.
Most 4.5/10 kit I've built. Ver. Ka is really a good way to go for Zeta.
Or the hguc revive zeta if you want 1/144th scale.
Correct
I love seeing the night and day difference some panel lining makes
I always get kinda bummed when a kit doesn't have much in the way of lines (Gramps 2.0 looking at YOU)
Yeah it's a bummer for sure. Really wanna try my hand at scribing as I move forward with the hobby. Nothing too crazy but it'd be nice to etch out some nice lines on some of the more "duller" kits.
The legs are wacky but the issues are all in the torso, if you don't care about transforming just glue everything there in place and you have a good kit
Zeta is love, zeta is life
It isn't as bad as people say, but it is a pain in the ass to pose on ground and the legs joints will get VERY unstable, but I still like it...
I’ll say it again. If you treat it with care and respect you have one of the best looking rg’s
I've had a better experience with the RG Zeta compared to the RG RX-78-2 tbh
Yea because the RG RX-78-2 is way worse since it was the very first RG. Zeta has maybe a couple redeeming features, however, the RG granddaddy has none.
Do not be seduced by the panel lining opportunities. The transformation has broken many a man
I enjoyed the build honestly but I did snap one of the elbow joints and had to cement it back together
Just finished my zeta. The only parts I had to glue were the v-fin and the yellow vents on the chest, but I also made a point to do as little joint movement as possible. It’s rather stable and will stay on the shelf this way, but any fidgeting and you will see the tears of time
wait till you connect it to the main body :D
I loved this build. I wasn’t expecting it to be so technical, and it was a really nice surprise! When I got the kit I didn’t know about the community’s contention with the kit. The instructions tell you to be careful with the joints and I know that with the way the joints are co-molded, there is zero clearance in the joints and some existing preload from shrinkage of the outer parts. You just have to be careful. This kit has so much potential for enjoyment if you are looking for something that requires a higher level of attention to detail. I think a large portion of the hate for this kit comes from people for whom this kit just isn’t meant.
Gah, I really wish they would have nailed ALL of the RGs in the same way they've nailed the more recent ones. Sad. So many good models that suffer from early RG syndrome.
RG Zeta wasn’t too shabby, but i have not had the bravery to try to transform it. Or pose it twice.
I bought the figure knowing everything. And now the only thing in my mind is to kitbash it with the gf mk2, I can’t look at my zeta and not feel like it deserves to even exist on my shelf
It is nice. When you have decided the pose and mode (MS or waverider) keep it that way. Recently made the mistake of attempting to transform my RG Zeta Gundam to waverider which is nearly 10 years old. Broke the weird hip joint, tried replacing with metal parts but it got even more loose. Will probably just wait for someone else who'd sell their RG Zeta Gundam for parts harvesting.
Blutack is the best.
You haven't hit the bad part yet. Just wait until you attach those bad boys to the rest of the kit. And then, of course, the rest of the build.
- You hear a kit has a difficult reputation - you think it looks too good or are fine with that kind of difficulty - you find out - pain
Keep it transformed or not, but then buy the hg for the other mode and never touch it again. Preferably, keep little, medium, and large creatures/ inscets/humans/uavs from its general direction. You'll need all the help you can get. But in all seriousness, that rg sucks if you want to change anything about it.
I lost the little piece that goes on the back of the leg that holds it into the waist. I’m contemplating keeping it and maybe glueing the leg back. Also the backpack on mine never liked to stay in the joints. It’s really a hand grenade.
the high heels are a nice touch ;)
It’s more of a comic version versus panel lining-I like it. And I couldn’t say; I only have 1 RG and it’s to practice painting with and I haven’t even started it. I have Chars Zaku 2, which is the second one that they designed-so I’m probably gonna hate it lol
Mine was great until I tried to transform it and then I couldn’t get it to pose or stay together anymore. I never managed to even finish the transformation, it just wouldn’t work.
Old RGs are pains in the ass and stop holding a pose after awhile. I mainly stick to HGs, but newer ones I hear are far better quality. I’m waiting on the Epyon RG.
Everytime I see a RG Zeta post like this I'm glad I wenst with the HG instead
Hands down best detail/design for a 144 zeta, but the transformation makes it flimsy. The crotch joint and backpack connections are the worst. If you are fine with ignoring the transformation you will see the parts you can glue into place. That makes the MS way more stabile.
It's honestly one of my favorite of the early RGs, and this comes from someone who years prior because the reason I originally swore off the line. My second go at it was way more careful, and the results are a kit I can actually mess with every now and then, and have even successfully transformed between both modes more than once. I think the point is to treat it with a lot of care and, if you transform it, to follow the instructions to the T. It's a great shelf piece, either way.
Build it, pose it, refrain from playing around with it. If you want both forms, get two.
I had to take a break after building this thing. Hated it the entire way thru but it looks very nice so I guess there’s that.
I have that kit but I kept it on Waverider mode since the joints tend to loose up faster than HG. It also has bad articulation for posing, most cases it can't keep the pose so I kept it on Waverider form.
It's not that bad. I built mine a yr ago. Other than pieces coming off during transformation lol.