RX-78-3 "G3 Gundam" Ver. 2.0 (Snapbuild)

This was a great kit, extremely high quality. I've always had a soft spot for the G3 but never bought one, when I saw the 2.0 I just had to have it. The colder color scheme fits the design of the Gundam so well I almost wish this was the standard color palette. From what I know, the RX-78's nickname 'White Devil' comes from the original concept art in which the Gundam was primarily white and gray. The G3 is, more or less, the realization of the original concept. The sparse bits of stormy blue and bright yellow spice the suit up a lot and the 2.0 mechanics are a real home run. I'm personally a huge fan of the retro look and the simplicity of the outer armor.

 

Katsumi Kawaguchi Pro-Shop Edition Ball / Zaku

I finally did it! After months and months of biding my time I had enough cash on hand to purchase the final pair of Katsumi Kawaguchi limited edition models to complete my collection. There's something about his sense of design that I really love, he pulls a lot of realism into his models while still keeping that distinct Gundam flavor. I will say that I buy these kits with the intent of preserving them as collector's items. I might attempt to build duplicates but I value them in their unbuilt state. I should also give credit to goodguydan on /r/gunpla for finding the Ball on Plamoya.com (thanks for the heads up, Dan). I saw they had the Zaku available and the rest is history! I'll skip the babbling and go to the photographs.

RB-79 Ball Factory Image Color (Katsumi Kawaguchi Produce Version)

MS-06R-1 Zaku II A Baoa Qu Defence Squadron Color Ver.

Minor box damage from shipping. Kinda blows but it's not a big deal. The model itself is pristine.

Here are the other models I have from Kawaguchi -

RX-78-2 Katsumi Kawaguchi Produce Version

MS-06J Zaku II Katsumi Kawaguchi Produce Version

I still hear the frog screaming...

While working on a 1/100 RX-78-3 Gundam G3 2.0, I finished up the core fighter and could only think this:

1/100 MG Char's Z'Gok Snapfit

Finished up the 1/100 Master Grade Char's Z'gok. The first Gundam kit I ever built was an SD Char's Z'Gok almost a decade ago so this was kind of a sentimental build.

The size of his upper body is formidable compared to my other models. His arms and legs are not as sturdy as I wish they were but the overall design is great, very unique.

The dark gray parts that show through the red armor look very nice, the bottom of Z'gok's boots has a similar look with large screws showing.

They did a great job making the MS appear to be amphibious, it's like a great big crustacean with Char's red.

The backpack is great, it has the same gray-through-red appearance as the rest of the kit and has great internal detailing as well. The very bottom of the cylinders have spinning blades that would presumably propel the suit through water. These are also found on the bottom of the Z'gok's feet.

The arms and legs can extend but don't bend much. The forearms and knees are where all the bendy action happens.

Very mean looking claws! The kit has a lot of rubber detailing, you can see some of it in the dark lines surrounding the waist armor so every time it leans the exposed innards are covered by ribbed sheets of rubber.

And a good look at the torso mechanics. Every fin of those vents is individual and had to be sanded one by one. Overall it's a very fun kit even though its arms and legs lack posability.