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Preface
Going
back to a ship normally sucks for me. The uncertainties of a job can really get
the butterflies riled up in my stomach. However, after a couple beers, some
friendly conversation, and emptying my wallet at the local hobby shop in Sasebo, Japan,
everything was alright.
Currently,
my friends and I are trying to come up with ideas for space pirate mobile suits
for a group build project. One of the ideas I came up with in my mind was giant
coat cuffs. However, when I saw the regular Rozen Zulu on the shelf, too many variables
to my original idea popped in my head. That evening, my brother mentioned that
the episode seven version had just released, but even still, I put it off; at
least until I visited the hobby shop the very next day. There it was, sitting
next to the HG Kampfer; the two mobile suits I wanted to mash together.
First Impression
Nothing
looked more evil and feminine than the original Rozen Zulu box art. It looked
like something that would hover over your shoulder and would puncture your eyes
as you turned around after getting a glimpse of its purple and pink body. The
episode seven version did not give me that feeling. Is this kit supposed to be
the phoenix from the flames, or did they slap the kit together as fast as
possible to make money off of me?
Well,
whatever the case, when I removed all the runners from their bags, I found that
this kit included many small runners that had individual pieces, all of which
looked like pieces in the main runners, but smaller. I figured since the only
difference between episode six and seven is the fact that an arm was lobbed
off, these pieces would be that shield arm.
Leg Unit
While
I put together the high heels of Angelo Sauper, I realized that this whole suit
was trying to be a rose; maybe trying a little too hard. In the case of the leg
unit, I figured they were the thorny stem. Of course, even though they may have
been clever, it did not come with out problems.
As I
tried to slip the heels onto the leg, I found that the toe is actually there
more for show than anything else. It will slide off if you are not pushing from
the heel. This may be a minor problem, but because the suit is so top heavy,
there are very few poses that will allow it to stand on by itself. But then
again, the special skirt pieces are oversized and do not allow the legs to move
all too much so posing the legs is pretty much out of the question.
Body Unit
Moving
up, I really like the amount of pipes going around the core and how they are
separated making a nice amount of movement around that area. However, this is
the only way this suit is going to look both ways before crossing the street.
This is because the collar inhibits the movement of the head. I figure if the
head wants to keep in the same horizontal plain, it will only have about thirty
to forty degrees of movement. But this value does not increase much even if it
looks up.
Arm Unit
If
you are looking for the coolest claw arms, look no further. Complete with the
sleeves detailing, these claws have got to be the coolest set of hands I have
ever seen!
While
I was putting together one arm, I noticed that I had enough pieces for the
second one. However, there are three pieces shared between the episode seven
version, and the regular version; three poly caps. If you can get extra poly
caps from some of your other kits, the arm switch should be very simple.
Weapons and Armor
Because
I mentioned the claw arm things, I believe the only other weapons are from the
back pack. The back pack holds two giant roses. They look beautiful, but that
is about it. They cause the suit to be even more top heavy than it already is,
and only looks cool when you are looking at it from the back side.
The
shield is made up of four pieces; two front pieces, a grey detailing piece, and
a back side. The original shield can also be made, but the grey detailing
pieces will be shared.
Conclusion
I
really enjoyed putting this together, and I believe that with a straight build,
this could look nice on your shelf. However, if you are going to get a Rozen
Zulu, get the episode seven version (because all the parts in the regular
version come with this one). If you do end up getting one, get an action base
for it. Yes, I know, I did not get into the full details of the weapons and how
they are supposed to fly around Angelo like a romantic walk in a Japanese park
during the spring time, but I feel those pieces are unimportant due to the fact
that they have their own stands, and I cannot make them fly around and shoot
lasers.
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