Review: Gundam HGUC 1/144 RX-79(G) Ez-8, Part 3

I'm not that big a fan of markings and stickers, as I think that at 1/144 scale, it's kind of ridiculous to have such large artwork painted on. However, in this case, I wholeheartedly approve, as the utilitarian/military starkness of the markings appeal to my "realistic" mecha aesthetic (at least when it comes to vehicle artwork).

Now, about the straps for the parachute: Don't be afraid to wrap the stickers around them - the sticker and the strap's material do not form strong adhesive bonds - after some time, you can slide the straps in and out of the sticker buckles. Still, I feel bad that they had to resort to stickers, as the original HG Ez-8 had small plastic buckles that actually worked!

Again, another gripe of mine are the strap handles on the shoulders - in this new version, they are fixed in place, but in the old HG version, they are fully functional, swiveling handles.

The internal calf mounts for the beam sabers is something I highly approve of - after all, it's a mecha, so "non-anthropomorphic" storage space should be no issue.

The beam rifle looks much better to go with the Ez-8, and its design is very much similar to the RX-78 first-gen beam rifle, except that it does not have a swiveling scope, trading it in instead for a vertical-mount fixed sensor. Do take note, though, that the hand grip has a raised area to fit into a slot in the gun hand, so this rifle may not work with some hand types, unless you cut off the raised area.

This is a shot of all the accessories that the basic mecha comes with, aside from the parachute backpack.

I know, some of you may be wondering: why didn't I feature the parachute backpack more? To be honest, there isn't much value in the backpack aside from it being an addition for the accessory completist. What should be noted is that the Ez-8 is compatible with most, if not all 08thMS HGUC accessories and weapons systems, and that includes RG weapons kits. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this kit is perfect for bulking up with all the existing and incoming add-on kit packs.

Is it a good buy? My answer would be: Yes, if you plan to add more stuff to it. As it is, aside from the backpack, it's a bit thin on the accessories. Part of me thinks that a good part of the push for coming out of this kit is based on teh popularity of the mecha itself. However, I really do wish they could have added more weapons, or kept some of the original HG kits details, like the working strap buckles, shoulder strap handles, and the support pistons to display the chest with the front armor disengaged.

Me? I'd buy this kit, simply because it looks cool,and yes, it would be a worthy addition to any collection on looks alone, and would probably be a good competition entry, once you have the right accessories for it.

Update: Click on the following links for the other parts of this multi-part review.

Part 1 - Part 2

 

Click here for more reviews of other kits.

Review: Gundam HGUC 1/144 RX-79(G) Ez-8, Part 2

 This is the second installment in the Ez-8 articles, and this time, we get into some details about mechanics and compatibility plus points for the kit.

 

 Epic posing is epic.

As with the original kit, the chest armor is removable. However, the original HG 1/144 kit had extending arms for the front chest plate, (more on that in the next article), which, while fragile, made for a more interesting build.

  

It's a given, of course, that the shoulder mounts ended up different, as the Ez-8 now uses the ball-joint shoulder. The advantage with this is that it allows for more posability, but the disadvantage is that it ends up with sagging shoulders more easily than the original stick joints - and even more so with the original HG version, which had no shoulder articulation beyond the basic stick and polycap joint.

 

The arm articulation for the new kit is actually just slightly better than the older HGUC version of the RX-79(G) standard kit.However, the older kit had full ABS joints, and this mean that as time went on (and if the person loved playing with the kit as an action figure), the joints would loosen. The current construction has returned polycaps into the center of the joints. One sticking point for the shoulders, though: the shoulder latches where the parachute straps are tied are not movable in this version, but was fully articulated in the older HG kit.

 

This is where the new polycap set wins mightily, as the newer torso has two balljoints versus a large stick joint for the earlier types.

 If you were wondering... yes, the backpack attachment holes are the same - you can technically use all HGUC RX-79(G) accessories with the Ez-8. And once the 08thMS GM comes along, it'll will probably be just as compatible.

In the next article: Some stickers and detail concerns.

Update: Click on the following links for the other parts of this multi-part review.

Part 1 - Part 3

 

Click here for more reviews of other kits.

Review: Gundam HGUC 1/144 RX-79(G) Ez-8

 

08thMS Team was one of those sleeper hits that opened a whole new vision for Gundam - whereas Gundam tended to have a rather epic feel - a leftover from its space opera origins, 08thMS was literally a microcosm - jungle operations, earthside! And nowhere was the philosophy of the OVA more apparent than in the "upgrade" for the RX79(G) - the Ez-8. And even that is tongue-in-cheek, as the Ez-8 is basically field modifications brought about by the need for better amor and literally repairs from what was left lying around - it was a "downgrade", actually, to make it more effective in the environment it was in.

Over the next few entries, we'll take a look at the HGUC version of this kit, a worthy successor to the old HG kit.

If anything, though, the Ez-8 is rather spare in its accessories, with saber handles and translucent saber parts the only ones not being shown in this equipment photo....

The big improvement of the HGUC kit version, of course, was posability. Heck, most Gundam kits can't even kneel like this.

If you want the Ez-8 to look even more nasty, all you need are the RC Weapons Systems - some of which are seemingly made for the EZ-8, like this Shield/Claw system.

Update: Click on the following links for the other parts of this multi-part review.

Part 2 - Part 3

Click here for more reviews of other kits.