Build process: RG Zaku II
Hello there zesties! I recently impulse bought the RG Zaku II during a short getaway to JB (if I waited another day I could have gotten 20% off from the shop's promo :( ), and here is my process for building it. Firstly, I must say this kit is a lot more fragile than my other kits (tbf I have done mostly newer HGs and RGs) and once I get it into a pose I like I'll probably never touch it again. I was also hoping to take my time with this as well but towards the end I succumbed to rushing it. Hopefully I don't do this again, because now that I have nothing to move onto, I'm browsing online again...
TOOLS
-Stedi MS-104 nipper
-StyleX sanding sticks and sandpaper
-Dispae siren glass file
-craft knife
-gundam marker panel line (liner, pour, eraser)
-an eraser
-q tips
-satay sticks and paint sticks
-tweezers
-box to sort everything out
-dspiae paint markers (MK01 black, MK03 grey, MK04 red, MK08 mech grey, MKM02 silver, MKM07 gunmetal, MKA09 magenta, MKA12 bronze)
-mr hobby uv cut topcoat (matte)
BUILD PROCESS
This kit in particular presents a few unique challenges:
1: Small parts. Tbf this applies to all RGs, since to achieve fine details at a small scale you need small pieces. For this kit, they mostly take the form of verniers and the infamous tubes. I handled this by sorting them into a container with dividers, dividing based on body part (I do this for all my kits). If you're considering buying one, look for one with a cover that can close tightly so that they won't all fall out if you accidentally knock it over. Tweezers can also help to pick up parts in case your fingers are too big.
2: The tubes. On the topic of small parts, the Zaku II is infamous for having to string numerous tubes (42 to be exact) 6 times to achieve the tube effect. I wanted to just cut out the tubes and string them through without having to clean the part, but after cutting I realized that there were visible nub marks and seam lines. So yes, I filed every tube 1 by 1. To make it easier I sit each tube onto a satay stick and filed in a circular motion.
SPIKES
Some custom works I saw online sharpen the spikes to make them look less cartoonish, and I decided to have a go at it myself. I initially tried flattening the top, sticking excess runner using cement, then sanding to sharpen. However, the pieces could not stick (idk if I did it wrong or the cement is not that strong), so I gave up and resorted to sanding in a circular motion to sharpen. The first 2 came out ok. The last 1 was the best, though visibly longer than the other 2. For uniformity, i flattened the spike and sanded abit more. Unfortunately I over sanded to the point that a hole appeared at the tip of the spike :/
PAINTING
Feet: I wanted to break up the monotone gray at the bottom of the feet, so I used the 2 tones of grey I had, red and silver to paint the different panels and the verniers. I may have gotten a bit to ahead of myself, as the final product was kinda rough.
Greebling and verniers were painted with gunmetal, while accents on the inner frame and some areas by right meant to be stickered used silver and bronze. These accents help to give the kit a slight pop to it. The kit comes with silver reflective stickers which can be placed across the kit. Where possible, I opted to paint on the silver detail instead.
I initially didn't know whether to paint the weapons, especially since they were already designed with some colour separation that I didn't want to lose. However there was quite a bit of sanding marks left from removing seam lines. In the end, I settled for black and gunmetal.
TOPCOAT
Tbh this part took the longest because school started and there was heavy rain for many days in August, so i had to wait for ideal conditions and find a day when I was free to start. I went with a matte top coat, and am generally happy with the results after 1 round of coating.
That being said, I ran into the same problem as the last time of the panel lines smudging. Turns out, gundam marker ink will react with mr super clear, causing it to smudge. The last time when I used the gundam eraser marker to remove the smudges worked because the topcoat was also removed by the alcohol. So after consulting r/gunpla, it turns out the solution is to go with lighter coats by spraying at a distance. Guess I'll have to be more careful next time, as I've only found out about this after ruining a few of my favorite kits :/
When working on the RG Zaku II, especially if you're new to RG kits, organizing your workflow can really improve your experience. Sorting tiny parts into containers with dividers helps prevent loss and saves time hunting for pieces, especially for the numerous tubes this kit requires. Using satay sticks to hold small tubes while filing makes cleanup much easier and more precise. Another helpful tip is to use lighter, multiple coats of matte topcoat, sprayed from a good distance to avoid panel line smudging caused by interactions between Gundam markers and Mr. Super Clear. Patience is key here, as rushing through topcoating can ruin your panel details. Masking clear parts like visors and scopes is essential for a clean finish. For painting, I found mixing different shades of grey and adding metallic accents to verniers and inner frames really makes the model pop visually. If painting small details is tricky, consider using the kit's included foil stickers where appropriate. Lastly, if you want to sharpen the iconic Zaku spikes, sanding in a circular motion without applying glue might be more reliable, as excess runner cement may not always hold well and could fall off during sanding.
