Gunplanerd: Kit Insight: SD BB Senshi NZ-999 Neo Zeong (Painted Build)

The NZ-999 Neo Zeong is a beast of a mobile suit/mobile armor.

When it first appeared in the final episode of the Unicorn Gundam OVA, it messed shit up right from the get-go, taking control of ECOAS Jegans and turning them on each other. And that was when the full machine was still concealed. Suffice to say, the Neo Zeong was a badass machine, and the HGUC version is the largest HGUC kit ever, with the box itself larger than the packaging of any known Perfect Grade Gunpla.

While I save up for my own HGUC Neo Zeong, I decided to take a trip down memory lane with the construction of a SD-scale Gundam, the scale that triggered the entire hobby. Even as a SD, the Neo Zeong is still a goddamn beast.

Overview

The Neo Zeong is the final, ultimate machine piloted by Char Aznable clone Full Frontal as the ultimate vessel of the Neo Zeon cause. Based loosely on the MSN-02 Zeong that fought the original Gundam to mutual destruction during the closing battle of the One Year War, the Neo Zeong is more than an upgraded version of the Zeong. It is in fact the amalgamation of all existing Neo Zeon technology, coalesced into a massive mobile armor that has to be interfaced with using another mobile suit.

Featuring an arsenal of beam and projectile weaponry, the Neo Zeong is by and large a Newtype machine, with most of its weapons usable only by a Newtype. Boasting 30 mega particle cannons spread across six "hands", each individual "finger" is able to generate a heavy particle beam and are also able to be controlled remotely via a Psycommu wire a la the original Zeong. In addition, it is also equipped with a large number of mega particle cannons placed across its shoulders and on its waist.The Sinanju piloting the Neo Zeong is also able to use all of its own weapons, including the rocket bazookas.

However, the most powerful weapon the Neo Zeong possesses in the PsychoShard Generator. Deployed from the skirt and shoulder amour, the Generator creates a golden ring composed of hexagonal pieces, generating a massive psychowave that causes all enemy weaponry in the vicinity to overheat and detonate, including loaded head vulcans. Even beam sabers still in their recharge racks as not spared, as seen in the action sequence when the Neo Zeong activates the PsychoShard for the first and also last time.

The SD Neo Zeong has big shoes to fill, with all the awesomeness that stemmed from the Neo Zeong in the OVA. Surprisingly, the kit doesn't disappoint.

Construction

Even the box for the SD Neo Zeong is massive, easily twice the height of a standard HGUC kit box.

SD kits are a breath of fresh air for one-grade modellers: the building is simple, the pieces are large and the stickers go onto the components ideally. In fact, one thing I like about SD kits are the way the sprues are connected to the parts - they twist off rather easily without cutters and leave nary a nub mark.

Even for a SD kit, the Neo Zeong consists of an enormous amount of runners/parts, more so than many of the HG GM kits I've been building recently. They come in surprisingly the correct colours, with the trickier blends achieved by stickers. I decided to give the SD Neo Zeong a slight recolour, in an attempt to bring out the awesomeness of the kit more. Therefore, the Neo Zeong red became metallic red while the grey parts for the Neo Zeong became gunmetal.

SD Neo Zeong with old-school SD Nu Gundam.

SD Neo Zeong with SD Sangouken Dendrobium.

SD Neo Zeong with HGUC Sinanju.

SD Neo Zeong with MG Unicorn Gundam.

For a SD kit, the Neo Zeong is massive, and I do mean MASSIVE. It is larger than all existing SDs, including the flashy-ass ones from the Sangouken series. It is larger than a HGUC Sinanju, which is a larger-than-usual HG kit to begin with. It is however, slightly smaller than a MG Unicorn Gundam.

Detail

SD kits have come a long way since the time I first built them. There is an impressive amount of detail for such a tiny kit: panel lines, mechanical markings and other detailed features adorn both the SD Sinanju and the Neo Zeong. You can be forgiven for thinking that the kit is a HG one, for the level of detail is nearly equal.

Articulation

This is where the SD grade suffers. Cutesy proportions don't necessarily translate to a wide range of motion or articulation, and the Neo Zeong is proof of this. The SD Sinanju isn't capable of much dynamism in its poses, and the Neo Zeong itself relies on camera angles and placement of its cannons to achieve good shots.

Then again, if you are going for highly-articulated kits, then you shouldn't be looking at SD kits at all.

Extras

The Neo Zeong kit comes with a whole load of extra stuff. First and foremost, the PsychoShard halo is provided with the kit, no ridiculous P-Bandai orders for this. Interestingly, it comes with two halos: a wider one that is almost as large as the kit itself and goes behind the machine as well as a much smaller one that resembles an angel's halo when placed above the Sinanju's head. Nevertheless, the halos add some flair to the all-red kit, lending a break in colour.

The kit also comes with all of the Sinanju's weapons: the beam rifle with underslung grenade launcher, the beam tomahawks with beam blades, one beam saber, the Sinanju's shield as well as the rocket bazooka. The latter can be fitted under the beam rifle, just like in episode 4 of the OVA.

Conclusion