Series: High Grade Mechanics (HGM) 1/550
Title: AMX-002 Neue Ziel
Release Date: 01/2002
Suggested Price: ¥ 1200
No. of Parts: 104
Plastic colors: medium green, medium gray, white
Gimmicks: 1/550th Zaku F2, 1/550th Stamen, display stand

Introduction

Contributor: Jameson Leaser
Date: February 5, 2005

The second High Grade Mechanics release, actually rendered in 1/550th scale this time (I've read that the HGM Dendrobium is actually too big), and in my not-at-all-humble opinion, the coolest. It is, unfortunately, also the one that needs the most work. The green plastic it’s primarily molded in is just...too...DARK!! Zaku F2 green would have been much more accurate. Therefore, I must suggest the agonizing chore of pre-painting this kit before you assemble it (something I learned the hard way).

Head

An afterthought on this armor. The mono-eye is especially tiny in this scale, just the tiniest little dab of color.

Torso

Nicely done. As with other HGM releases, this kit uses a minimum of polycaps (actually none). The armor’s antenna (growing out of the torso’s back) is designed to be removable for storage in the kit’s box.

Arms

The wire-guided Zeong-like weapons are nicely done, though the claws have a tendency to fall off if fooled with too much. The main arms do not fold up into the shoulder armor; the forearms must be removed, then the upper arms rolled up on the ball-and-socket shoulder joint. The four sub-arms are also included, but they are fixed in the fully extended version, which never appeared in the anime. The sub-arms also include mounting holes for the armor’s beam saber. This is curious to be because in the anime the beam saber originates from the main arms. A little work with a hot pin on the main arm beam cannon can correct this oversight.

Legs

No legs, unless you count the drop tanks. A display stand with the MSV Zeon logo is included.

Weapons and Accessories

A non-clear version of the HGUC Gundam beam saber (molded in white) is included for the Neue Ziel’s weapon. Also included are two 1/550th mobile suits: an MMP-80 wielding Zaku F2 and the undocked Stamen. Personally, I would have rather had the undocked Stamen included with the 1/550th Dendrobium and a 1/550th Rick Dom II with this kit. Oh, well...

Conclusion

Overall, this kit is nicely detailed, but in comparison to the HGM Dendrobium, it looks surprisingly small. That’s because it is. The forearm of the Neue Ziel should be roughly the same size as the Dendrobium’s I-Field generator, making the HGM Dendrobium almost a third too big, or as I see it, the HGM Neue Ziel a third too small. Who knows, maybe one day Bandai will lose their minds and release a 1/144 scale HGUC version of this monster. Until that year, I’ve gotta recommend this kit. It’s just too cool to pass up.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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