Author Topic: 1/144 HGUC Char's Custom Z'Gok  (Read 1044 times)

Alan Britten

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1/144 HGUC Char's Custom Z'Gok
« on: July 07, 2008, 01:16:03 am »
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Name: MSM-07S 'Z'GOK'
Grade/ Size: HGUC 1/144
Modeling leve: All levels
Parts: 80 inlucding polly caps
Inner frame/ transformable: No but very flexible and a lot of fun

Very easy kit, lots of fun and has something in it for everybody. Building, cleaning and snapping the kit for a test fix fit only tock me 3 and a half hours. If a beginner was to make this all there is left to do is panel lines and stickers which would also be easy. A few easy seam lines to fill along the legs, arms and body with out any trouble. This kit can also come apart for easy airbrushing and minimal masking and the possibility of adding an led mono eye with the amount of space inside the body (which I will do). Also for you advanced modelers the easy possibility for modding, adding extra amour, weapons or what not. An all round fun kit...

One major problem, the little parts joining the arms and legs easily break and reduce the strength of the joint and make your model floppy (Please be care full when pulling apart). This can be easily fixed with thick plastic cement and a small amount of two part putty to make the joint stiff again...   

Link to HLJ with pictures of box art, finished models price and more information...
http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN900568

George Caswell

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Re: 1/144 HGUC Char's Custom Z'Gok
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2008, 01:02:52 pm »
One major problem, the little parts joining the arms and legs easily break and reduce the strength of the joint and make your model floppy (Please be care full when pulling apart). This can be easily fixed with thick plastic cement and a small amount of two part putty to make the joint stiff again...   

I have a couple snap-assembled HGUC Z'Goks and I really can't recommend using any kind of glue or filler to tighten those joints... here's why...

Basically, while each ball socket on the Z'Gok looks like it's made of one part, in fact it's made of two: the first part is the ball socket itself, and the second is the armor piece that goes on top of it.  The armor "cuffs" that go over the ball joints aren't just decoration, they actually put some tension on the ball sockets, helping the sockets to conform to the shape of the ball and put pressure on it so that the joint can hold a pose.

The problem with this design is that, if the tension is too much, it can cause the "cuff" to crack, messing up the kit's looks and causing the joint to get floppy.  If you get a floppy joint and then try to re-tighten it by adding filler to the inside of the ball socket, that'll translate into more pressure on the inside of the cuff - you'll wind up back where you started, only worse - a floppy joint and a broken armor part.

If you want to tighten up the joints you need to do it in such a way that you're not putting more stress on the cuffs.  It might be possible to bind the outside of the joint part with wire to hold the tension - but it seems like once you do that you won't be able to separate the ball from the socket any more.  <shrug>  I don't know, really...
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Nick M

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Re: 1/144 HGUC Char's Custom Z'Gok
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2008, 05:50:01 pm »
I cut thin spaces in the ABS 'cup' part with a saw. That way it was more flexible and less prone to cracking. It can still crack at the base of the cut, but it is not as likely.
And now... In anticipation of your insight into the future...