MS-06R-2 Johnny Ridden's High Mobility Zaku II (Asian Release Vers 2.0)

Synopsis: I had already acquired the version 1 MSiA of this unit but I could not turn down the opportunity to get the Version 2.0.  Needless to say I was not disappointed. A lot of the old flaws were addressed with only the difficulty of wielding the Dom's 360mm Bazooka not being fixed. 

  I did not know much about Johnny Ridden's story until I saw a manga scanned of it on another site.  Quite frankly he should have been known as the Red Comet given his skill and well his suit is..well red. 

  The unicorn on the shield is supposed to symbolize is loyalty to Kycilia Zabi.  The manga depicted a unicorn decal on the elbow a decal not reflected on either version of MSiA. 

 
The Figure:  Like Shin's Zaku II Version 2.0 it is loaded with detail and while the accessory loadout is less then the Char and Mass-produced variants before it the figure supports a few surprises! 

  The Head is well painted and well detailed.  The sculpt job of the head is great with the area of the mono-eye being made of a separate plastic almost leading one to believe that the area of the mono-eye could swivel around but it cannot really move.  The overall sculpting job is similar to Char's Zaku with the only significant difference being a command antenna resembling the Gouf Custom's antenna.  Like the previous version 2.0 Zakus the Head stands on a rather odd joint that allows for 360 degrees of rotation and good head elevation.  I say the joint is odd because the head has to be lined up with part of the joint in a particular way.  The power cables around the head are loose compared to the other Zakus.

  The arms are the same as the other Zaku II Version 2.0 in terms of articulation.  The shoulder joints can swivel forwards and backwards freely as well as rotate without being hindered.  Only thing the arms cannot do is spread the arms out to show its arm-span.  The elbows feature the trademark double joint debuted in the RX-78-2 Gundam Version 2.0 which allows for almost complete natural bending at the elbow.  Twisting of the elbow is achieved not at the elbow but in between where the deltoid and triceps would be.  The Hands rest on a ball joint providing natural pivoting.  Hands included are 2 closed fists, 2 gun hands, and 2 sword hands.  One thing to note is that the hands do not have painted on panel lines whereas the rest of the Zaku has panel lines drawn in.  The only cosmetic differences are that the right shoulder sports a RB decal, the 402 on the left shoulder plate. and of course Riddens unicorn emblem is featured prominently on the shield.  The only other major difference is the really long and sharp looking spikes on the left shoulder Armor.

   The Legs differ the most from the other Zaku figures since it is a high mobility model after all.  Unfortunately the knees are not as Highly Mobile as the Suits designation would infer.  While this is due in part by the larger lower leg the movement is still on par with most MSiAsjust not Vers 2.0 figures.  The rest of the leg has great articulation matching the other Version 2.0 Zaku Figures.  In fact the foot excels the previous figures due to the absence of some of the lower skirt armor.  This suit has additional armor around the high mobility thrusters reflecting the MS-06R-2 Design. 

  The Torso is well sculpted and well painted.  An added bonus is that the Waist articulation is better then the past suits due to the rerouting of the power cables that wrap around the waist and into the backpack.  This reveals that the waist joint is a ball joint allowing for SLIGHTLY better movement then the other Zakus.  The thruster pack is removable revealing internal mechanics however is NOT compatible with the Mass-produced or Char's Zaku.  That also means the minelaying accessory cannot be worn either. The Thruster backpack IS Compatible with Shin's Backpack.  Johnny's Backpack is larger giving credibility to the R-2 designation as opposed to Shins R-1.  The internal workings of the backpack are different then the other molds (except for other high mobility versions) and the thruster nozzles on the backpack do move slightly. 

The Accessories: This Zaku II is sadly lighter on accessories then the Mass-produced and Char variants however the loadout is still somewhat decent considering the weapons the figure usually sports

Zaku 120mm machine gun: Like the old version 1.0 this gun looks a little oversized however that is where the similarities end.  The forward handle can swivel to allow for more accuracy to the animated counterpart.  The figure holds the weapon well.  The Weapon's color is a darker gun metal color compared to the blue-gray color of the Mass-produced and Char variant.

   Dom 360mm Bazooka:  This Bazooka is possibly a preview of the one used by the upcoming Dom 2^nd version release.  Like the Zaku bazooka the handle rotates to accurately portray the MSG Dom's use of the weapon.  Near the barrel muzzle the ring can fold up, a flaw shown in the version 1 weapon.  With all the adaptions Johnnys Zaku still cant weild the bazooka adequately a flaw that should be corrected in the Dom version 2.

  Heat Hawk: Same Heat Hawk that comes with the Mass-produced and Char variant.

Play Value: Decent Accessories but lots of articulation make this figure have a good deal of Play value and can be used as a greater bad guy to face the Gundam when Pink Zakus just wont do;-)!  Please note that with all the extra hands and small parts this figure can present choking hazards kids that are too young.

Display Value: This guy has the uniqueness to stand apart from your Zaku Army along with being able to hold some great poses by itself or with one of its weapons.  Its Blood Red Paint scheme and well-armored body make this figure look very formidable. 

Dollar Value: This guy I had won in an auction on eBay for  $19 with shipping (less then approximate price it would take me to ship it from Japan had I ordered it from there). The price is a bit high but the quality of the figure is very good so it kind of evens out.  The price factor makes buying these things a once in a while pleasure since buying too many would be cost prohibitive but I considered the money well spent on this figure. 

Conclusion: Despite some flaws, this Figure lives up to what we expect from Version 2.0 MSiAs.  Great-articulation is always a nice feature for a figure and had there been more accessories this would make it next to perfect!