MG Gunner Zaku Warrior [Lunamaria Hawke Custom]

This is Master Grade Gunner Zaku Warrior Lunamari Hawke Custom from Bandai. This Master Grade shows what the future Master Grade will be. I am not sure I like it or not.

The Zaku Gunner is from Gundam Seed Destiny. When I first saw it I thought it was a great re-design of the original Zaku with more sleek and modern design. This particular model is a custom version for a pilot Lunamira Hawke.



I am not really fond of the Gundam Seed series as its more of a teen drama that gets really cringe. The pilot Lunamaria herself has been sexualized in many ways due to her fan service panty shot [?] and her sister. 

Still, I thought some of the mobile suits in the shows were awesome, my favorite being the Strike Gundam and Dagger. I wasn't really interested in this Zaku but when I saw this kit introduced, I really wanted to build it.

Let's start with box art.

It has an awesome box art that I don't mind putting it on the wall. The art also has some other suits in the background. I do hope that those kits will be made in the future.

Instruction Manual.

Here is the picture of the pilot.

Here are the included stickers. That foil sticker is for the eyes. That foil sticker pretty much represents what kind of master grade kit this is. This being an MG, I expect some clear red lens for its mono-eye, but no its a foil sticker just like HG kits. Disappointing.

Here are the effect parts. I really liked the wires.

This is the power line that goes on the leg. I first saw these kinds of parts from Real Grade and I am glad that Bandai are using it more and more.

This kit had this really bright red part. A really high-quality plastic.

The build was very simple. In fact, it was way too simple. I thought I was building a bigger high grade than a master grade that is known for its details. I think I built non-grade models that are more detailed than this kit. The outside parts look fine. its got panel lines, gaps, and raised panels that make this kit more realistic. the problem is its inner frame. there aren't a lot of details. I feel like this was built to be cheap. that being said I also believe that it was done to make this kit to articulate well. the fully built kit is light and joints are tight. It holds its poses without sagging and considering that most people don't take the armor off and leave it in a pose, changing it once in a while, I believe this suits most fans well. Still, that mono-eye really pisses me off. I mean its a sticker... on a master grade... for its eye.

Anyway here is the finished kit, built straight out of the box without its sticker.

It looks really menacing. If Zaku was from WW2, this is modern ear version.

This being Gunner Zaku, it has this large backpack with a large gun.

It's large but due to its lightweight and stiff frame, it holds it well.

Here is the highlight of this kit. It poses really well and it can hold that pose. I have seen kits that look good in a static pose, but it gets weird once in a dynamic pose, but that is not the case here. I put it on some action poses, and this thing just looks gorgeous. Here are some of the shots.

I forgave Bandai for a lack of details on its frame. Not for that sticker though.

Painting this was easy. Parts separated pretty well, and due to its great color operations, I didn't have to mask anything. I did have problems with flesh marks. there were a lot of them. It took a good chunk of time cleaning all the flesh mark and I still missed a lot of them which I realized after painting it.

I painted the kit using Vallejo and Badger primer as base and Tamiya and Vallejo paint was used for other parts. I used highlights to create a shaded effect which made it look a lot bigger. I kept the weathering simple. Bit of chipping effect and bit of staining with Tamiya Weathering Master. I kept the look generally clean and it came out looking great.

Here it is with its basic weapon.

And here is the picture with its backpack.

I also painted the pilot figure with Vallejo Acrylic. Little wash goes a long way. Here are couple of shots that show its scale.

Even after painting, the kit kept its awesome pose-ability.

I really enjoyed building this kit. If this is where the Bandai is heading with its Master Grade kits than I don't mind it. Being able to pull off some awesome action poses with a painted kit is something I like. Still, not using a clear part for its mono-eye is a bit too much. Also thank you for keeping its price cheap.

Here is the video of the build