The 1/144 Zaku Mariner, which was created by refurbishing the mold of an old kit, nearly drowned in the chaotic world of "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ" when it was assembled! The 20th issue of "80's B-Grade Anime Plastic Model Natural History

I asked the editor in charge of the series, "If we don't introduce a Gunpla once every six months, will anyone really read this series?" As usual, I expressed my concern to the editor in charge, and he pointed out sharply, "I understand that, but the Gunpla that Mr. Hirota brings are all 'Z' or 'ZZ' models. ......
During the period from "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" (1985) to "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ" (1986), I was reading model magazines with great enthusiasm, but I was a college student and had an awakened feeling of, "This isn't Gundam plastic models anymore, is it? I was a college student, and I had an enlightened feeling that "this is not Gundam models anymore," so it is refreshing to build them now. So, this time, I made the "Zaku Mariner" that appeared in "ZZ.

▲ The unnamed pilot is still printed on the model, following the format of the first generation Gundam Model Kits. This machine seems to have appeared in "Mobile Suit Gundam UC," but I'm not sure how its role differs from that of the "Marine Hizack," a mobile suit whose raison d'etre is still unclear!

The interesting thing about this kit is that the mold of the "MS-06R Zaku II," the first model in the MSV series released in 1983, has been modified to make a new kit. I heard this directly from Mr. Masatoshi Muramatsu, the designer of the 06R, who said that he not only added runners, but also modified the mold. Speaking of Mr. Muramatsu, the previously mentioned Psycho Gundam ( # ) was also designed by him. This information is also self-reported by him, so there's no doubt about it!

▲ This blue runner was newly made for the Zaku Mariner. You can see the notation "1/144 Zaku Mariner" (without Nakaguro) on the tag in the upper left corner.

▲ The bad news is this green runner. The shoulder parts of the Zaku Mariner are newly carved on the part where the complex snout of the 06R was originally carved. The body parts have been partially refurbished, but the plate-like shield and spiked armor that attaches to the 06R's shoulders remain in their entirety.

▲ This long and narrow runner is almost unchanged from the 06R; many of the small fins around the vernier, which are only used on the 06R, are still there. The tag engraved "1/144 Zaku 06R" has been neatly removed. I was told they welded them to cough up the plastic so it wouldn't flow.