Mg ReZEL Regular

The Rezel is probably one of the coolest and most badass looking grunt in EFSF. So badass that it is the only grunt unit in gundam unicorn that got the master grade treatment. It was released in 2 variations, the regular and the commander version. If i am not wrong, the differences between the 2 is that the commander version has a bigger backpack, green clear parts instead of pink, and the mega beam launcher instead of the regular beam rifle. I decided to get the regular, mainly because the pink clear parts appeal to me more. Anyway the only scene i can recall of the commander version is the scene in episode 2 where it got pawned by the sinanju.

1. Intro:

Model: Mg ReZEL Regular. ( ReZEL stands for Refined Zeta-Gundam Escort Leader)
Size: Mg 1 100
Pilot: Countless EFSF grunts, including the unpopular Riddhe Marcenas)

Sideshots:

Always good to have the unpainted kit shown at the side of the box. The action poses does not seem too dynamic, indicating that articulation is probably gonna be restricted. I could not care much about the waverider mode, after transforming my Mg Zeta 2.0 i now have little interest in transforming this kit. The Mg Zeta 2.0 was released in 2005, and had very good articulation for its time and for it being a transforming kit. I wonder if this Refined Zeta is actually better as a model kit, seeing that it is released in 2010?

Standard manual for UC master grades.


Price: 4800yen
With only a shield and the beam rifle as its weapon, 4800yen seems very expensive. Mg 00 Qan[t] is at 4500yen, and it comes with many weapons and clear green parts, and a stand.

2. Parts:

Head and torso. The clear pink parts look very sharp and really brings the kit to life. For some weird reason, the head's small head sensor (the one on top) is supposed to be covered by a red metallic sticker as stated in the manual. I decided to not use the sticker at all, as covering clear parts with stickers seem ridiculous to me. For the torso, the clear pink parts on the shoulders are placed on top of the grey inner frame underneath. The manual states that we are supposed to put the red metallic stickers on the grey inner frame before covering it  with the clear pink parts. I decided to ditch the sticker route again, and instead painted that part of the grey inner frame with red paint. Hence the result seems less shiny and metallic but the clear pink parts look like they have a sense of depth.

The arms. The shoulder parts are directly attached to the arms unlike most master grades. Articulation is pretty standard for a 2010 kit, at over 100 degrees bend. Both arms have this slot at the forearm area to attach the shield. For the shoulders' clear pink parts i did the same as with the torso's. Ditched the stickers, and painted the grey frame underneath. I am pretty pleased with the overall results.

One thing i really like about the hands is that they are the trigger finger/ 3 finger split variant. The newer MGs' fixed pose hands can be very annoying to pose with.

The arms also have a very nice gimmick where a flap can be opened to reveal grenades and beam saber handles. Grenades for the right hand, beam saber handles for the left. The beam saber handles are fitted rather securely and i have to use the pink saber part to get them out. Simply attach the pink saber part to the handle and pull the whole beam saber out gently.

The front, side and back view of the waist. The yellow v part is an actual plastic part, not a sticker like its HGUC counterpart. No side skirts because they are directly attached to the legs. Overall the waist is pretty average as far as MGs waists go, but what makes this waist part stands out is the legendary crotch piece that sticks forward like a boss. I love these crotch pieces.

And NG arios is my first gunpla with the sexy crotch piece. 

The legs, with surprisingly awesome articulation as the leg can bend all the way till it touches the armour pieces. The side skirts are attached to the legs and they have can rotate and swivel around. The back of the legs look fantastic with the grey tube-like parts showing, which will look better if painted by a pro.

 The backpack. The backpack consists of these two parts. I painted all 5 of the thrusters' inner side in chrome silver instead of yellow as shown in the box and manual, because yellow inner thrusters seem weird to me. The nose cone part actually has small tiny slits of clear pink parts at the sides which did not show up in the picture.

Weapons selection consist of the usual shield and beam rifle, and 2 beam sabers. The beam rifle is almost identical to the Zeta gundam's while the shield looks very similar as well. The beam saber's pink beam part can also attach to the tip of the beam rifle just like the MG Zeta 2.0.

Here are the pictures of the original Zeta gundam's beam rifle and shield.

2 action base connector, and 2 unpainted figures of riddhe in addition to one pilot figure already sitted inside the cockpit. The bigger action base connector is for the waverider mode, while the smaller one is for the MS mode.

One personal achievement for me as a gunpla builder is that i did not use any of the red stickers provided. For the decals, i used some of the dry transfer decals and many of the waterslide decals leftover from my Mg rick dias and MG Zeta. One most notable waterslide from MG Zeta which worked really well is the waverider decal on the torso. I did not use any of the clear stickers provided because stickers are horrible.

By the way,the waverider waterslide decal is the one on the left of the torso.

3. Details and Articulation

 All assembled without the backpack, the Rezel looks like a boss already. The teal colour makes the kit stand out in a good way among other predominantly white gundam kits though the teal plastic also mean the nubmarks are much harder to clean off. Speaking of nubmarks, most of the nubmarks in the kit are very well hidden, except for a couple at the forearms. Looking from the front i cannot see any nubmarks at all.

Backpack on, the Rezel feels very heavy, and is probably one of my heaviest master grades. The kit feels solid overall despite being a transforming mobile suit. The dry transfers and the leftover waterslides do make this kit look more detailed. The white parts in the kit are also very well designed as they show the grey pieces underneath them without us needing to add stickers or lining for the details to show. This is a kit that looks very good even when simply built out-of-the-box.

As a 2010 master grade, the rezel has no problem reaching its hands across, looking up at the stars, or pulling off a decent kneeling pose.

The cockpit mechanism is simple and works well. 

All armed up with the standard looking beam rifle and shield, the rezel look less like a grunt and more like an ace unit.

A side by side comparison with its predecessor, the legendary Zeta gundam. The Mg Zeta 2.0 has bad feet design and i had to lean it against the wall to make it stand. The arms, the legs, the side skirts and the torso are clearly similar in design, while the shoulder pieces, the backpack and that sexy crotch piece are very much different.
Model kit wise, the Mg rezel regular has a much simpler and effective construction process and the result feels much more stable and solid than the Mg Zeta 2.0. I am not going to attempt to transform the Mg rezel because i do not want to risk scratching the decals and i am never going to display it in waverider mode anyway.

4. Poseability

 Ground poses are rather easy to pull off, although the legs do not move much sideways. This pose is probably as far as the legs can go.  On a sidenote, i numbered the shield 013 so that it is not Riddhe's unit.

The beam rifle pointing forward pose looks good after some adjustments to the arm position to accommodate the long beam rifle.

 Up on an action base 3, i find that the custom base attachment that comes with the rezel works really well. The attachment is much more secure than my 3 Setsuna MG kits for sure.

 The Rezel's shield has a surprise beam gun hidden underneath to catch unsuspecting neo zeon remnants.

The legs seem rather heavy and they may want to sag downwards if you put them in more extreme positions. The shield looks good but its movement is hindered by the giant backpack. Overall i would say that the Mg Rezel is not made for more dynamic poses. So, no char kicks for this fellow.

5. Sturdiness

Sturdiness wise, the kit is very sturdy but still has some minor common issues with master grades. 

Falling side skirts. The sideskirts are attached to the legs in this kit and yes, they still fall off.
The kit is also obviously back heavy and the rezel will tend to lean backwards. The legs are very heavy, which make them good for ground poses, but may sag if placed in a extreme aerial position.


6. Conclusion

Negatives:
1. 4800 yen seems rather steep for a MG with only 2 main weapons.
2. Backpack is rather heavy and the kit tend to lean backwards.
3. Falling sideskirts as per usual with most other master grades.
4. Some harder to clean off nubmarks due to the teal plastic.
5. Poses can be rather limited due to overall lack of weapons and the heavy legs.

Positives:
1. Kit is very nicely detailed with the white trims and clear pink parts.
2. Construction process is easier and overall kit is more stable and Refined compared to the Mg Zeta 2.0.
3. Custom attachment for the action base is extremely secure.
4. That sexy crotch piece.

Details: 8/10
Articulation: 8/10
Sturdiness: 8/10
Poseability: 6/10

All in all, i would recommend getting this kit if you are a gundam unicorn or Zeta fan, or if u simply like cool grunt suits. Badass grunt suits master grades are few and far in between afterall. However, if getting a good deal for your yen is your priority, then for 4800yen you can definitely find other master grades with more weapons and gimmicks for your money.