HG EMS-10 ZUDAH

 EMS-10 Zudah is a mobile suit that was shown on an MS ISGLOO series. I saw the show and loved how it looked like, so I decided to pick up a model kit. It is an HG kit that was made in 2006 so some perks of an old kit were there, but nevertheless, it ended up being a good-looking kit even without painting. I did some extra work and made it more modern like and I am liking what I got. 

Starting from the box art. 

It's an older style box art, showing a simple picture of the Zudah showing off its main attraction of the mobile suit, 'Saturn Engine'

Being an old kit, it comes with a clear sticker, which unlike the ones from RG kits, is thick and is not cut to the design, but cut to a large square. This led to a lot of issues. It also includes a foil sticker for its eye. 

And of course, polycaps. 

Still, for a kit that came out in 2006, the color is good, and the details are great. 

The build was what I expected from a kit that was released in 2006, although it wasn't that bad. It had a lot of flesh marks that required a lot of cleaning time. Still, the fit and finish were great. While appearance-wise, it has that early 2000 mobile suit look with a large head and short leg, it has a lot of fine details that make it stand out. It has some articulation issues such as his elbow, but there was some interesting design on his shoulder which made some interesting moves. 

Overall, its a bit old but great looking kit. 

That weird copper color has to go though. It doesn't do justice for that Jupital Engine. 

That big gun. Gotta love big gun.

Here are everything that this kit comes with. 

Before painting, I decided to extend its arm and leg so it looks more modern. 

The arm was easy, it already was already a bit long and it has a gimmick to extend on the bicep. So I extended the biceps and filled it with pla-plate before sanding it to a smooth finish. 

For the leg, I cut the thigh in half and glued on a piece of pla-plate. I used Expoxy putty to form a shape and sanded it to a smooth finish. I also extended the connection of the knee joint to make it more proportional. 

Here is how it looks after the surgery. 

Next, I painted them with Mr. Color lacquer paint. 

I also used some random leftover and generic water slide decals before weathering them with oil paint. I also used acrylic paint on a sponge to create a random chipping effect, and some Tamiya Weathering Master to create some streaks and stains. 

Here is the finished kit. 

The extended arm and leg gave it more modern aesthetics, and the weathering came out great. I really like how that copper color on its thruster really highlights the main attraction of this mobile suit, the Saturn Engine. 

This is the first time where I did some major surgery on a kit. So far I am proud of how it came out. It also kept its ability to pose, despite its lack of articulation. 

Here are more pictures. 

Despite being an old kit, I enjoyed building this kit. The magic of Bandai kit is here although it does show how far they have come compared to the more modern kit. I recommend this kit. 

here is the video of the build.