RMS-106 HIZACK 1/144 BANDAI PLASTIC KIT Modeling by Lewismaster Photos by R. Petti

	The RMS-106 is the workhorse mobile suit of the Federation and Titans forces during the Grips conflict in U.C. 0087, as depicted in the Z Gundam series. It's an evolution of the main Zion mobile suit MS-06 Zaku, involving Federation technology in generators and thrusters applied on the successful and reliable frame of the Zeonic machine. The result is a much faster and powerful war machine than any of the old Zaku models, with the capacity for beam weapons. I like this kit, because, despite the usual defects of every Zaku model (huge head, lack of mobility), it has in general very good proportions and can be worked upon and modified quite easily. The modifications are as follows:

	HEAD - Just as in every other Zaku model that I saw, the head of this one is huge. I think that the Bandai producers do it on purpose, to give some more work to the shrewd model makers. Anyway, to remedy I cut out about 2 mm of plastic in width from the head, giving it a much better proportion with the rest of the body. The visor was cut out, too, and substituted with a visor made with transparent plastic, fixed inside the head with universal glue. A white plastic speck, fixed inside the head at about 1 mm behind the visor, simulates the monoeye. The back of the head was modified, to make it the same as the specifics of the original design. The neck had to be reconstructed with plasticard and putty, after I cut it off to house the B-joint that gives the head mobility.

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