Gunpla Build - Real Grade Wing Zero (Build)

I just want to say - that golden yellow plastic I saw in the promotional photos? It looks even better in person:

It it so dark, and so golden, and it is exactly what this mobile suit needs.

Also, did you notice something that isn’t here? That’s right folks - this kit has NO ADVANCED MS JOINTS!!

According to my research, Wing Zero is not the first RG model to do this; that would be the 2.0 Gundam (with Wing Zero being the second). But it still feels notable.

Also also, this is my first experience with the new Real Grade box design, where one side of the box is vertically oriented so that the art looks presentable whether the boxes are stacked like this:

Or like this:

I think it looks kind of weird, but I understand why they did it.

Also also also, I noticed another change to the box. On older Real Grades, there was always a little icon in the top left corner telling you what series the mecha came from:

But now it’s been replaced with this:

Boy, I’m sure glad to know that this official Gundam product, manufactured by Bandai themselves, is also officially licensed by Bandai subsidiary Sotsu. It’s not like there’s anything else on the box to indicate that, like some text in the very same corner that says “Sotsu · Sunrise” /s

Alright, that’s enough overthinking about the finer points of box design. Let’s go to the build.

Under-Gating Issues

Generally speaking, under gating is a good thing. By moving nubs to the underside of a part, you reduce or eliminate their visibility.

However, I’m starting to think that they’re becoming a problem with Real Grades. A lot of the under gates show up in very tight spaces, which makes them really hard to snip off and clean up, no matter what tool you use.

This in turn creates another potential problem: if you can’t fully remove an under gated nub, then the part may not sit flush.

And this is to say nothing of the fact that, if you make a mistake and accidentally carve into the plastic, the damage is going to be extremely noticeable.

I’ve seen some folks assert that the problem is with where Bandai places the under gates, and while I wouldn’t disagree with that, I would also ask this followup question: why is the placement so bad?

In the case of Real Grades, I think the answer is simple. The models are getting more and more complicated and intricate, which means the individual parts are getting smaller and smaller - which means there are simply fewer and fewer viable places to put an under gate.

Now, they could work around this by simply not under gating it as much, but I guess they don’t want to do that because they still want to minimize nub marks. They’ve basically painted themselves into a corner, and for the first time in my life I’m beginning to wonder if maybe Bandai is biting off more than it can chew with the Real Grade line.

With all that being said, I will warn you now - I had trouble with a lot of these nubs, so you may notice that some parts indeed are not flush, have been carved into, etc. I’m not proud of it, or pleased, but in my defense they didn’t make it easy for me.

Decals

Just a reminder that I’m using G-Rework waterslides for this project, and G-Rework loves to include their own unique decals, either to replace some of the standard ones, or to supplement them.

I bring this up so that you know that the markings on my finished model are not going to be indicative of what they’ll look like with the official decal sheet.

Now, with all that said, it’s time to start the build.

Shield

We start with some popping in locking. These two parts are fastened perpendicularly:

And then they lock into place:

Next we have to attach the two little yellow wings. These have a gear system that allows them to fold inward, and the gears have to be perfectly aligned in order for it to work properly.

As you can see, there is a ton of surface detail on the inner frame, even though most of it is going to be covered up when we’re done.

The shield has a pair of guns built in, and during assembly they’re attached facing outward, and then have to be rotated inward:

Now we add all the layers of outer armor, and it’s done:

Comparison to High Grade

I’m not going to compare every single part of this build to its High Grade equivalent, but I will point out some of the places where the differences are notable. The shield is … borderline notable. It’s not that different, but I do think the subtle tweaks make a difference.

As you can see, the shields are the same exact length and same general shape, but the Real Grade’s is a bit wider and, for the lack of a better word, more robust:

That’s a good thing, because it makes it look just a little bit more like an actual shield, and not simply the nosecone of a spacecraft mounted to the arm.

Twin Buster Rifles

We get some more popping and locking:

And … that’s the only WIP photo I have. Woops!

Suffice to say that it’s made up of quite a few more parts than that before all is said and done.

Comparison to High Grade

What is the Twin Buster Rifle supposed to look like?

That’s a serious question! If you look at the lineart here, it looks kinda short and fat:

This is what the High Grade version of the rifle is based on:

But if you look at how it’s depicted in the show itself, it typically looks longer and thinner:

And this is what the Real Grade version seems to be based on:

The difference between the two is quite striking side by side. Take a look at the photo below, and remember that these two rifles are supposed to be the same exact scale!

This is the first of many instances in which Real Grade Wing Zero takes something about this mobile suit and makes it bigger and crazier looking, and I am of the opinion that this is unequivocally a good thing.

I think the problem I have with the OG Wing Zero design is that it’s trying to look cool and kinda edgy, but it doesn’t go far enough. On the other hand, the Real Grade version fully leans into that vibe, and it’s exactly what the Wing Zero concept really needs in order to work.

(One more thing I almost forgot to mention - this version of the rifle has an extra gimmick where it can extend open even further):

Feet

Looks like a pretty standard Real Grade foot, with the nice toe bend and everything. But this foot has a secret little gimmick.

Wing Zero’s foot has a bit of a transformation, where the heel opens up and the embedded thruster rotates 90 degrees so it faces outward rather than downward. On the High Grade, this was achieved by a parts swap, taking off the normal foot and replacing it with a pre-transformed version. But of course, this being a Real Grade, they went ahead and implemented the transformation:

Anyway, under gating problems or not, here they are when they’re done:

Legs

These are very reminiscent of God Gundam, in that they’re split right down the middle so that the back half of the leg can open up. But before that, we get this very complicated series of joints around the knee:

As you can see below, we get all sorts of two-toned armor plating, no color correction needed:

Speaking of which, I’m really glad for all that grey. Normally Wing Zero’s legs look way too plain and monochrome, but the grey adds that little bit of extra texture that really goes a long way. Then you add the decals on top of that and it gets even better:

Lower Torso

Under the hood, the inner frame is made up of a bajillion parts:

Okay, so it’s only six (not counting the rear skirt), but that’s still a lot!

As for the outer armor, it’s not made of many parts, but they all layer nicely to create some excellent detail:

And here it is all finished:

Fun fact: on this model, the hole for the Action Base adapter is hidden behind a secret flap on the rear skirt:

I’m 99% sure I’ve had other model kits that do something similar, but it’s been a while. I’m curious to see if repositioning it will make poses easier or harder.

Upper Torso

It’s like the legs all over again: we build out a structure like this:

And then fold it in on itself like this:

And now comes the parts layering:

I love how it uses that big clear green part just for the little green rectangles in the chest:

Similarly, it uses that one big silver part just for the area underneath the green gem. It’s that extra attention to detail that makes Real Grades look as good as they do.

And don’t forget the shoulder guns:

I’ve had problems in the past with these breaking on different models, but these ones here are mounted on sturdy hinges, so I don’t think anything is going to happen to them.

Before we move on, let’s build the backpack. Or at least part of it:

The lighting here isn’t great, but there’s some nice surface detail to be found.

Here, look at the finished model and you’ll see what I mean:

On the Real Grade version of Wing Gundam, the chest gem was made noticeably smaller than it is on the original model (a change which I wholeheartedly welcomed). That’s not really the case here with Real Grade Wing Zero, but in this case I’ll allow it.

That’s because of all the extra detail that’s embedded underneath the gem; it helps convey the fact that it’s not actually a gem, or merely decorative, but actually a giant radome sensor. I’m more okay with something like that when it’s designed to imply a clear purpose or function.

Head

This model follows in the footsteps of other Real Grades (and even some High Grades), in that the eyes are now fully color separated. The kit still comes with an eye sticker if you want to use it, but now you don’t have to:

As is typical of Real Grades, they pulled off their usual sorcery so that the head is extremely detailed, with only one tiny little seamline at the very back of the head:

I’ve never been a fan of Wing Zero’s elf ears, but they’re okay here. They almost look like they’ve been tapered back a bit.

Arms and Shoulders

One thing I’ll give the old High Grade model credit for is that it does a pretty good job with the shoulders, capturing all of the parts and color separation, and even including the embedded thruster.

Naturally the Real Grade does all the same things, but it also manages to make space for storing the beam sabers.

Also, those little yellow circles are now fully color separated. No need to color in the little black section in the center:

I don’t have much to say about the arms. They’ve always been extremely basic, and the same is true here. The only thing they tried to do to make them a little more interesting is that they added little gaps in between the blue armor sections so that you can see some of the inner frame peek out from beneath:

It’s cute, but it’s not something you’re likely to notice from a distance.

Before we move on, a note about holding hands. This kit comes with five: two fully closed fists, two open fists for holding weapons, and one open palm hand. Notice that this means there are no trigger finger hands, which under normal circumstances I would pitch a fit about (on account of many mobile suits look really weird holding their gun without a trigger finger hand).

But in the case of Wing Zero, I think it can get away with it. It’s gun(s) is/are so big and eye catching that I don’t think most people are going to be staring at its hands. Not to mention that because the grip is positioned all the way in the back, it’s even less noticeable than usual (if the grip was positioned closer to the center, then it might be more of a problem).

Thrusters/Wings

This is where it gets fun.

In my intro post I pondered why exactly this kit commanded such a premium price. Now I have the answer.

It’s the wings. They’re really bit, and extremely intricate, moreso than you might realize at first glance.

They’re also such a huge improvement over the original design. Think about it: Wing Zero has these relatively large foldout wings, but when they unfurl you learn that underneath there’s only these rinky dink little thrusters:

Seriously, that’s it? That’s what’s supposed to give Wing Zero all its extra speed and power?

And another thing - while those wings are relatively large compared to other mobile suits (or at least pre Gundam SEED mobile suits), they still don’t look big enough to me:

To my eye they just don’t convey that sense of “oomph” that they’re meant to.

And one more thing - I hate how the wings are attached on hinges.

I guess that makes sense from a practical standpoint, but it makes the wings far too static. There’s just not much you can do with them, despite the fact that they add so much character to the mecha. They’re just kind of … there.

Now here’s the good news. The Real Grade version fixes all of these problems.

First, the engines. They’re now insanely huge. Here is one one of them next to the High Grade version:

Remember, that is just the engine, without the wings.

And it’s not only bigger too. It’s entirely redesigned, with a different shape, extra armor, and a ton of extra surface detail.

It even comes with a new gimmick. There is a little knob in the structure that will allow you to open or close the thruster:

It’s completely unnecessary, yet also extremely cool. This feels like Bandai trying to flex a little.

Now for the wings. Here is one next to its High Grade equivalent:

Again, it’s simply huge. And with all the extra color and detail, they also look so much more interesting (with or without decals).

A couple build notes. First, the engines have what is essentially a screw mechanism on the inside, which is what enables the thruster to open and close (it basically just pushes down until it opens):

Second, the inside of the wings has both a ton of color separation and a ton of surface detail:

I took this as an opportunity to grab some metallic markers and go to town.

And now for the pièce de résistance. The wings are not mounted via clips, but on ball joints. This gives them a range of motion that they’ve never had before, and I have a feeling that that’s going to make for much better posing.

(I’m also hoping the ball joints will be sturdier. When I wasn’t looking, one of the hinges on my High Grade snapped off. Good thing I’m planning on ditching it after this build, as I have no use for it anymore now that this Real Grade can replace it)

Finished

Building this model was a revelation. Aside from its color palette and its color placement (which I’m still not in love), I finally understand why I’ve never truly been smitten with Wing Zero. And I can sum it up with a Simpsons meme:

Wing Zero wants to be seen as this kinda edgy, overpowered monstrosity, but it’s a check that it can’t cash. It’s hard to believe the Buster Rifle is so strong when it looks stubbier than the original one used on Wing Gundam, and it’s hard to believe it’s super fast and agile when it’s wings and thrusters are so puny.

But none of that is true of the Real Grade. It takes these supposed selling points and makes them as sublimely over the top as they need to be, as they always should have been.

Now the only question is, how will it pose?

Additional Thoughts

So far I’ve only briefly put this model in the lightbox. As you might have guessed, the wings make it very top heavy, so I’m probably going to keep it propped up on a stand the whole time.

On the other hand, despite this being a Real Grade with lots of tiny parts, the model feels extremely sturdy.

Looking forward to seeing how it fares during the photoshoot.