Before I started working on this kit, my friend and I were discussing some of the mobile suits from Zeta Gundam just aren’t cool. Sure, everyone likes the major mecha, but what about some of the less-known ones like the Dijeh, or the Barzam? I personally like the Dijeh for some reason, but I never cared for the Barzam. Both suits have some fantastic redesigns (I LOVE the Dijeh SE-R) so one has to wonder what happened in the initial design process. Chances are, there were some disagreements in the design departments, as evidenced by the fact that I’ve never even heard of the Barzam’s designer before.
Still, one thing we could both agree on was how awesome the Marasai was… and here we are.
The Marasai was introduced fairly early on in Zeta Gundam as a replacement for the Hizack. Like many of the other Titan suits, it has quite a few Zeon elements, so doing the suit in Zeon colors fits all too well, like it w as meant to be this way. The shades of green used are pretty cool. They feel very military, and when I’m painting I’m probably going to use an olive drab instead of a lighter green.
Being a kit from 2005, this one isn’t as complex or intricate as the other suits I’m reviewing in this batch. However, I will say that it is still a decent enough kit, since 2004 is when Bandai really started ramping up the quality of their High Grades and stopped messing around (for reference, other kits released around this period were the Mass Production Type Guncannon, the Psyco Gundam, and the Hazel; the precursor to the modern GM frame).
As such, the construction of this kit is quite sturdy, but it doesn’t offer much in terms of gimmicks. It doesn’t have any double joints or special ports for stands/action bases. It’s just a decent standalone kit. That being said, it does have a few problems. For one, the head’s design is… awkward. It looks cool, yes, but it doesn’t do much in terms of articulation. It has no chance of ever looking up without being modified.
While it avoids the problem many other kits of the era had, with beam sabers being molded into their hands, the hand selection on this kit is quite lacking. They’re all constructed nicely, sure, but it seems kind of pointless to give a suit with two sabers the capability of holding only one. The left hand allows for some great poses with the beam rifle, though.
It also has a hard time holding the sabers. They just… kind of flop around in the hands…
The big draw to the kit is the new weapons. They’re the weapons from the Hambrabi! It took me a while to realize, but yes, they are. I guess that was a bit of early confirmation for that HGUC. They’re both pretty damn cool, even if it has a bit of trouble holding the gun/javelin.
Sadly this kit doesn’t have any new stickers, like Neo Zeon emblems of whatever…
Also I guess it was really important for the circle things on the backpack to be a lighter green, because you got a second pair. Well then.
If you already own the Marasai and are just looking for a new kit to pick up, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you really wanted the guns. If you don’t have the regular Marasai already, then I recommend this one, especially if you were planning on painting. In either case, keep your eyes peeled at FPNYC… this one’s worth getting, just don’t expect too much.
Finding this post. It’s just a big piece of luck for me.