Zaku II Gunpla Kits: HGUC Revive vs RG vs MG Ver.2.0

Zaku II Gunpla comes down to one odd fact: the cheapest kit in our table is also the youngest, a 2021 High Grade, while the Real Grade and Master Grade are from 2011 and 2007 to 2009. So pick the size you want first; the age of the kit runs the other way from the price.

Verdict: Pick the HGUC Zaku II for a first Zaku at $21. Pick the RG if you want more detail at the same 1/144 size. Pick the MG Ver.2.0 if you want a 1/100 Zaku. Skip the PG unless you find the 1999 kit; Newtype's search did not show it. Prices checked Oct 25.

Key Takeaways

• First kit: the HGUC 1/144 Zaku II, $21.00 at Newtype. Second kit: the RG or the MG Ver.2.0, by size.
• Youngest is cheapest: the HGUC (2021) is 10 years younger than the RG (2011) and 14 than the first MG Ver.2.0 (2007).
• No Entry Grade: Bandai's list has no standard EG Zaku II.
• Char's version at every grade: HGUC, RG, MG and PG all have an MS-06S Char's Zaku.
• 267 items in Bandai's Japanese list carry ザク (Zaku) in the name.

Overview: Zaku II Gunpla by grade

GUNDAM Official calls the Zaku II "synonymous with the mobile suit and commonly known as the mass-produced Zaku," the main unit of the Principality of Zeon. The same site says its main variations are the space-use F-type and the ground-use J-type. Bandai sells both, and Char's red MS-06S, in almost every grade.

The HGUC 1/144 Zaku II is the December 2021 High Grade at ¥1,760 with tax; US shops title it "HGUC 241 MS-06F Zaku II (Revive)". The RG 1/144 MS-06F Zaku II dates from July 2011 at ¥3,080. The MG 1/100 Zaku Ver.2.0 comes as the MS-06J (April 2007, ¥4,290) and the MS-06F (March 2008, ¥3,850). The PG 1/60 MS-06F Zaku II is from March 1999 at ¥13,200.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list (data/kits/catalog-jp.json, prices with 10% tax, read Oct 11), standard releases only.

Newtype prices are from its product pages; Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store prices are from their search results the same day.

GODEEPER: What HG, RG and MG mean, with the same RX-78-2 in all three. HG vs RG vs MG compared →

Price: HGUC vs RG vs MG

At Newtype on Oct 25, the HGUC Zaku II was $21.00, the RG MS-06F $34.00 and the MG Char's Zaku Ver.2.0 $47.00. The two Gundam Planet listings in our search, the RG and the MG MS-06J Ver.2.0, were $34.95 and $48.95.

Desk note: In Japan the RG Zaku II costs 1.75 times the HGUC (¥3,080 against ¥1,760 with tax). At Newtype the gap was smaller, 1.62 times ($34.00 against $21.00). The MG Ver.2.0 costs only ¥1,210 more than the RG in Japan for a 1/100 kit. For a US builder, the step from RG to MG is the cheap one.

Winner on price: the HGUC Zaku II, at $21.00.

Age: newest kit vs biggest kit

The HGUC Zaku II, from December 2021, is the last kit Bandai named HGUC in its Japanese list. No standard RG or MG MS-06F, J or S Zaku II came after 2011 and 2009 (the MG MS-06J Zaku Ver.2.0 "White Ogre", June 2009). Bandai's list also has a 2024 HG 1/144 Zaku II F-type Solari at ¥2,090 with tax, a kit from the Requiem for Vengeance series.

Winner on age: HGUC, by 10 years over the RG.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Data: our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list, standard releases.

Size: 1/144 vs 1/100 vs 1/60

GUNDAM Official lists the MS-06JC ground-type Zaku II at an overall height of 17.5 m. By our math, that is about 12.2 cm at 1/144 (HGUC and RG), 17.5 cm at 1/100 (MG) and 29 cm at 1/60 (PG). The jump from HG to MG adds about 5 cm of height. Our Gunpla scale guide shows the same math for other suits.

Winner on size: MG Ver.2.0, the largest Zaku II we found in the US shop searches we ran.

What builders say

Two r/Gunpla comments from October 2026, read through the Arctic Shift archive:

"I'm honestly surprised Bandai hasn't made an EG Zaku II but your best and cost effective option is definitely the HGUC Revive Zakus." u/Successful-Credit161 on r/Gunpla, October 2026

"If you want to stay in HG, the Zaku II Origin or the RX-78-2 Origin are both cheap and look great built straight. Save RG for later, the tiny parts can get frustrating fast." u/xwu30 on r/Gunpla, October 2026

Two builders, one first pick. Both point at an HG.

GODEEPER: Where these three shops sit among US options. Where to buy Gunpla in the US →

Side-by-Side Summary

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Newtype product pages; Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store search results, Oct 25.

Analysis: who should buy which

If this is your first kit, pick the HGUC Zaku II. It is the cheapest kit in our table, at $21.00, though older HGUC Zaku variants such as the HGUC 107 Zaku II F2 were $19.99 at Newtype.

If you already built an HG and want more detail without more shelf space, pick the RG MS-06F. It costs $13 more at Newtype and stays at 1/144.

If you want a bigger Zaku, pick the MG Ver.2.0. It is the oldest of the three you can find in US searches, and $13 more than the RG at Newtype.

If you want Char's Zaku, every grade has one: the HGUC and RG both list at the same price as the green kit at Newtype.

If you want the Gundam The Origin design, the HG Origin kits exist, but Newtype showed both of its Origin Zaku II listings sold out on Oct 25.

Our take

Start with the HGUC Zaku II; buy the MG Ver.2.0 only when you want a 1/100 kit. The HGUC is $21.00 and dates from 2021. The MG Char's Zaku Ver.2.0 costs $47.00 at Newtype and the MS-06J $46.99 to $48.95 at other US shops, for 2007 kits. Ignore this if you want the Origin look; those kits were sold out at Newtype. We recheck these prices when Bandai lists a new standard Zaku II.

What we don't know yet: whether Bandai plans an Entry Grade or a new Master Grade Zaku II. Nothing in its list or the GUNDAM Official pages we read says so. We also found no US listing for the PG Zaku II in the searches we ran.

How we checked this

On Oct 25, 2026 we listed the Zaku II kits in our copy of Bandai Hobby Site Japan's item list (read Oct 11; Bandai's site showed a maintenance page on Oct 25), read two GUNDAM Official Zaku II mecha pages, and read eight Newtype product pages. Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store prices come from their search results that day; their product pages returned rate-limit responses. Comments come from the Arctic Shift Reddit archive. We have not built these kits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Zaku II Gunpla should I buy first? The HGUC 1/144 Zaku II from December 2021: 1,760 yen with tax in Japan and $21.00 in stock at Newtype on Oct 25, 2026. It is the last kit Bandai named HGUC in its Japanese list. Shops sell it as the HGUC 241 Revive.

Is there an Entry Grade Zaku II? Not as a standard kit. Bandai's Japanese list in our Oct 11 copy has no Entry Grade Zaku II; the only Entry Grade item with a Zaku in its name is a 2021 Detective Conan set. The HGUC Zaku II is 1,760 yen with tax.

RG or MG Zaku II: which is newer? The RG. The RG 1/144 MS-06F Zaku II came out in July 2011 at 3,080 yen with tax; the MG 1/100 MS-06J Zaku Ver.2.0 in April 2007 at 4,290 yen. On Oct 25, Newtype had the RG at $34.00 and the MG Char's Zaku Ver.2.0 at $47.00.

How tall is a Zaku II kit? GUNDAM Official lists the MS-06JC ground-type Zaku II at 17.5 m. By our math that is about 12.2 cm at 1/144 (HG, RG), 17.5 cm at 1/100 (MG) and 29 cm at 1/60 (PG). Other Zaku II types may differ slightly in height.

Is there a PG Zaku II? Yes, an old one. Bandai's Japanese list has the PG 1/60 MS-06F Zaku II from March 1999 and a Char's version from July 1999, both 13,200 yen with tax. We found no US listing for either in the shop searches we ran on Oct 25.

What is the difference between the HGUC and HG Origin Zaku II? The design. HGUC kits follow the original anime; HG Gundam The Origin kits, such as the HG Zaku II Type C/C-5 (2017, 1,980 yen with tax), follow the Origin redesign. Newtype listed two Origin Zaku II kits on Oct 25, both sold out.

Related Reading

• What is HGUC?: the label on the Zaku II's High Grade box.
• Perfect Grade Gunpla explained: where the 1999 PG Zaku II sits in the 1/60 line.
• Entry Grade Gunpla list: the no-tools grade that has no Zaku II yet.
• Gundam Wing Gunpla: the same grade-by-grade choice for Wing Zero.
• Sazabi Gunpla kits compared: Char's later suit, HGUC vs RG vs MG Ver.Ka.

References

• GUNDAM Official: Zaku II (MS-06), Zaku II (MS-06JC)
• Bandai Hobby Site (Japanese): item list, HGUC 1/144 Zaku II, RG 1/144 MS-06F Zaku II, MG 1/100 MS-06J Zaku Ver.2.0
• Newtype: HGUC 241 MS-06F Zaku II (Revive), HGUC 234 MS-06S Zaku II (Revive), RG 04 MS-06F Zaku II, RG 02 MS-06S Zaku II, MG MS-06S Char's Zaku (Ver. 2.0)
• Gundam Planet: RG MS-06F Zaku II, MG MS-06J Zaku II Ver 2.0
• USA Gundam Store: HGUC 1/144 #241 Zaku II Revive, MG 1/100 MS-06J Zaku II (Ver 2.0)