Series: Mobile Suit in Action!! (MSiA)
Title: MS-06F/Fs Zaku II Dozle & Garma Zabi Custom
Release Date: 01/2004
Suggested Price: ¥ 1500
No. of Parts: Dozle Zabi: 1 Zaku II figure + 1 Dopp figure + 7 parts; Garma Zabi: 1 Zaku II figure + 1 Garma colors Dopp figure + 7 parts
Plastic colors: Dozle Zabi: black, green, gold, orange, gray, pink, light green (Dopp); Garma Zabi: black, green, gold, orange, gray, pink, yellow (Dopp) 
Gimmicks: Dopp figure, heat hawk, Zaku II machine gun, Zaku II bazooka, hand/fist (4)

Introduction

Contributor: Jones Kingsu
Date: January 2, 2006

WOW!!! Two special Zaku IIs that are available without entering some silly contest or buying a packaged Gundam game in order to avail of. (Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space Japanese version is packaged with the Gundam RX-78-4 MSiA. MSiA cannot be bought separately. DAGNABIT!!!) One might say that they’re both just Zaku IIs. They’re Ver 2s though but they’re still just Zaku IIs. That one’s wrong though since these two Zaku IIs belong to two significant personalities of the OYW era: Dozle Zabi and his younger brother Garma. Since these Two MSiAs were released at the same time, I might as well review them both in one go.  

Head

Both their heads are made of the same quality as the first MS-06F and Char’s Custom Ver 2s. The same poseability factor can be said for both of them. Both heads can be turned left and right at nearly 180º respectively and can tilt up and down about less than 15° respectively. The molds are different though since Garma’s Zaku II (orange) sports four 40mm machine guns on the head which rivals the Gundam’s twin vulcans. Whether the Zeon anticipated the Gundam’s weaponry is not my place to say but it does give Garma’s Zaku II’s head some attitude. It also has a commander’s antenna with a design, which I think is for Earth-based suits. Dozle’s Zaku II’s head has a commander’s antenna that’s specified for space use. It may not have quad machine guns built-in but it does have this intricate gold design on it. It has this regal feel to it. 

Torso

The torsos are molded the same for both. Poseability is great with the waist being able to turn a full 360°. The “skirts” of the lower torsos’ are made of the same soft plastic, which are standard in all 3rd generation MSiAs (late 2003 releases), that allows adequate bendability. Sadly, there’s nothing special with the design of Garma's unit. His torso kind of looks exactly like the Mass-Production MS-06 in both design and colors. Dozle's unit may not have a funky mold but it does have these nice gold trimmings about the front and a cool gold design on the chest.  The backpacks can be removed so that one can view the internals of it. Both of them have the same design and same-sized thruster nozzles which can be adjusted/played with. 

Arms

The arms are connected to the torso via pegs which can swing to and fro and allows 360° vertical rotation. But these Zakus still cannot raise their arms sideways restricted by the shoulders’ mold. (They still haven’t gotten around this even with the Extended MSiA Gouf). Double-jointed elbows allow greater pose-ability and the ball-and-socket wrists help a lot too. Garma’s unit looks like nothing special. Standard shoulder shield can be found on the right shoulder and spiked shoulder armor on the left. The only thing worthy of note here is that the arms has this two-toned colors going for it. Dozle's unit, on the other hand, makes his a good buy! With both shoulders sporting spiked armors instead of one being a shield makes the figure look menacing. The handsets are also special since they’re oversized and have three spikes on the backhand. Surprisingly, the hands are still capable of holding the standard Zaku machine gun and bazooka perfectly even with the oversized handsets.   

Legs

Both legs also came from the same mold. The legs are attached via ball-and-socket to the pelvis. It also has double-jointed knees to add pose-ability. The ankles are attached via ball-and-socket as well and has the same thing on the toes so that it can give that “feet bending” look. The Zaku cables do not get in the way and aren’t yanked off easily like the first generation MSiAs. Again, Garma’s unit seems drab with just the color scheme changed. But that’s what the original MSV has for it and I can’t find fault in it being faithful to its design. Same thing can be said with Dozle’s but his sports the usual gold trimmings on its lower legs. 

Weapons and Accessories

Both figures have the same set of weaponry. Both figures have the same colored Zaku machine gun and bazooka that they can hold firmly. The Zaku machine gun has the swivel handle, which the spare hand can hold for a firm grip on it, and the magazine can be detached. The bazooka also has a rotating handle and scope depending on how one would want it to be held. It also has a mounting piece so it can be stored at the back of the Zakus. 


The heat hawks of both are the special feature of the sets. Garma’s heat hawk has golden trimmings on the top of it and a golden handle. His heat hawk’s also significantly larger than the standard issue ones. (Funny that Char’s Zaku doesn’t have a special heat hawk.) Dozle’s heat hawk is ginormous! It’s that big that it has to be attached to the waist with a mounting piece. The same gold trimmings can be found on it and it seems to have a “leather” handle. The top of the weapon has a spike which makes it look more fearsome than Garma’s melee weapon. 


Both figures have a bonus Dopp fighter. Garma’s set features his personal Dopp fighter while Dozle’s has the generic, mass-produced Dopps. The figure is made of a single mold with no moving nor attachable/detachable parts. The design is very faithful to the anime movie/series with the right panel linings about. The pilots of the right size too so I guess the Dopp fighter is to scale as with the mobile suits. 

Conclusion

Both figures are an excellent addition to one’s collection. They may not be found in the series but both have personalities in them since they’re owned by key characters in the movies/series. Both also have good play and display features. Get both of these for the Dopp fighters if not for the über nice heat hawks!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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