HGUC 1/144 ReZEL Review - Part 2

This review is a continuation of the first part here.

Phew, thought I wouldn't be able to finish this by then end of this week but luckily, I did! There is a minor problem for the static shots though as I forgot to put the clear stickers before going to this part of the photoshoot. Forgetful me. ^^;
I didn't get a chance to retake those shots properly though but I did take some close-up shots of the clear stickers placements so I hope that will be good enough.

At any rate, read on for the full review~

Note: There's a battle at the end of the review. Hope you'll enjoy it~ =)

Part 1: Comparisons

Against my empty mint bottle~

Oh my! Its taller than Unicorn Destroy! Oh wait...

That was my Robot Damashii Unicorn Destroy. XD

Against the Unicorn.

Against the AHEAD... which is supposed to only be 0.1m taller than the ReZEL... *coughs*

Part 2: Up, Left, Down, Right!

No matter how you look at it... a certain "part" will look really obvious... you KNOW which "part" I' talking about here. Its... its... just too obvious. XP

Part X: Now With Clear Stickers

As I said before, I forgot. At any rate, here is the ReZEL with its clear stickers on. Note that the number on the left side of the chest and shield is dependent on you. I picked the number "134"... it does have a meaning but I'll let you guess on that.

...plus an additional "BANDAI" sticker. XD

Part 3: Articulation & Gimmicks

The shoulder DOES NOT move forwards to back due to its transformation design. It can move a bit front to back, but very minuscule, as it is a ball joint.

The maximum leg spread - by removing the side skirts.

The leg, with some orientation to the side, can be moved all the way up!
*The arm only has a 90 degree bend if it s not obvious in this shots.*

Thus, the ReZEL can even do a high kick!

The waist can sway quite a lot from side to side but due to the design, it can't really turn. Actually, there isn't much waist turning headroom for the ReZEL. The head can't really be moved as high up as past HGUCs, a weakness on the 00 polycaps but Bandai didn't really have to use the 00 polycap for the neck as the usual HGUC uses a plastic connection for the neck (stiff but the head can go up higher).

Part 4: Action!

Some early shots~ The 00 polycaps sure are great to use in terms of articulation. ^^

Of course, the upcoming shots features the ReZEL with its clear stickers on - fortunately. ^^;

No normal captions under the shots can actually express how amazing the ReZEL is to me, especially when posed properly. I really love the Zeta based designs from the Universal Century. You can say it is my favorite type of MS in that series of Gundam. =)
I find the rifle kinda sags the wrists but you can tuck the rifle under the armpit to "lock" it, so no worries there.

Part 5: Transformation
Since this is a HGUC and not a MG or PG, we don't get any sort of transformation. It can be a pro or con for some people but after actually transforming the ReZEL, I find it as a pro. I have a MG Zeta Plus A1 and a full transformation gimmick isn't all that fun to play around with. Well, that totally depends on the person in the end.

I won't really explain in detail for the transformation unfortunately as it really is quite straightforward and hopefully the pictures are enough to actually give you a good idea how it is done. ^^;

Open up the ReZEL as shown.

These are the parts you'll need for the Wave Rider mode.

First off, these parts are combined first. I'm gonna call the big piece the "main body".

The handle of the beam rifle needs to be tucked inside.
*The main body part in the beam rifle close-ups are in the wrong position here.*

The chest part. It is connected to the front of the main body part.

The shield and beam rifle. The beam rifle is connected to the shield which is connected to the bottom of the main body part.

The waist part. It is connected at the bottom after attaching the shield and beam rifle. The crotch actually holds the rear section or the beam rifle which kinda seem redundant.

The legs. Transformation should be self explanatory here.

...and then, connect all the parts together - sensor unit and the legs.

Here are the "leftover" parts. A whole top section of a body. ^^;
You can do THIS if you want.

Part 6: Wave Rider

The top and bottom shot. You can pull out the handles on the wing binders so that another MS can hold onto the ReZEL. I forgot to do this actually but my previous early shot in part 1 should be good enough, I hope.

You'll need to use the 1/100 action base to put the Wave Rider ReZEL in air. The HG action base doesn't have a long enough connector unfortunately. O.o

Part 7: ReZEL VS AHEAD?
Just a simple battle with no sound effects nor conversation. ^^;

Note: Minor edits on Photoscape plus some effects. Saved in PNG originally but hosted here under 50% JPEG conversion. Hopefully the decreased quality won't look bad to you guys.

An unfortunate meeting indeed, but unfortunate for who? Find out by reading on~

It starts with them shooting each other.

ReZEL manages to disable one of the AHEAD's arms including the shield on it!

ReZEL quickly swoops in for a clean cut but the AHEAD blocks with its beam rifle?!

Any good that did...

AHEAD is officially screwed?

No! It isn't giving up yet!

And the AHEAD manages to disable the ReZEL's beam rifle right before a fatal shot!

They clash!

But...

ReZEL KICK!

ZETA TACKLE!
...ouch.
AHEAD: WHY ME?!

Part 8: Conclusion
Pros

• Great articulation. Not as good as the 00 but great nonetheless
• Good color accuracy - no need to paint for average OOB-ers
  
• Can use 00 beam sabers parts as well as general 1/100 beam saber parts
• Sturdy Wave Rider mode - no sudden moving parts when playing around in Wave Rider mode
• 00 polycaps! (They are known for making the joints of the kits more articulated)
  
• Part swapping for transformation?
  

Cons

• A bit pricey @ 2000 Yen.
• Only one beam saber part
• Two of the rear thrusters (on the wing binders) are a tad bit loose
  
• Part swapping for transformation?

Overall, I love the HGUC ReZEL! Its great! It wasn't in my "to get" list initially but since my budget was permitting it, I bought it in the end. What a great decision it was! The articulation is great for a transformable MS. If you had the MG Zeta, you'll understand why I'm saying this. It isn't back heavy at all but I prefer to put it on an action base when posing (as it looks much better airborne). =)

I totally recommend getting the ReZEL or maybe the soon to be released ReZEL Commander. Its great! Sure the "hardon" might put some people off but you can just "remove" it... I don't mind it that much personally, it is its trademark. It won't be "ReZEL" without the "hardon". XD

Okay, that's all for now folks. I think this could be the last review for a while unfortunately as I'll be busy with university stuff but maybe not so soon. XP
We will see. ^^;