ThreeA x Bandai Exclusive ZAKU Inspiration model figure Preview

This will be the Ashley Wood / ThreeA and Bandai exclusive Zaku prototype figure, which is slated to stand in somewhere around 16 inches tall. This is Ashley Wood's interpretation of the famous anime / manga giant robot (mobile suit) from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" metaverse. Due to its role as the most common antagonist mobile suit in Mobile Suit Gundam, the Zaku II is one of the most recognizable "mecha" designs in anime.

The Zaku II has seen various redesigns and variants for hundreds of pieces of merchandise, and the Japanese post office has two stamps with Zaku IIs on them. So this take by Ashley Wood on this mobile suit is a rather nice touch.

The ThreeA x Bandai Exclusive ZAKU Inspiration robot model figure will come with its Ashley Wood-style weapons of the gun and axe, and will stand 16 inches tall with full articulation. This will look pretty impressive on anyone's table / desk / display but at USD330 a pop, it's beyond me :(

The original concept of the Zaku was simply a disposable underling, with its name derived from the sound of a huge man (or many soldiers) walking and the Japanese term 雑魚 (zako), meaning "inferior fish" (the term also signifying expendable grunts).

The Zaku later became better known as a common military machine, symbolizing the realism of the Mobile Suit Gundam series. It was portrayed as nothing more than another weapon such as a tank or fighter plane that was assigned to pilots.

Scroll down for more pictures of this post-apocalyptic looking Zaku designed by Ashley Wood for ThreeA in collaboration with Bandai. It's a pretty awesome design and I certainly like Ashley Wood's take on it

All of Ashley Wood's robot figures suffer from the used universe / decaying world look to the extent that they look ill maintained and rusty, like they are going to fall apart at any moment, sorely in need of some lubricating oil and proper maintenance. In the real world, if things reach this stage, machines and weapons might not work at all and all you end up with is just a piece of junk, good only for the scrapyard.

Some close-up pictures of the ThreeA x Bandai Gundam Exclusive ZAKU Inspiration robot model figure designed by Ashley Wood.

If you aren't sure how the original Zaku is supposed to look like, check out the picture below and my post HERE of the MS-06 Zaku II robot figure

And then there's the Gundam RX-78-2, the titular mobile suit of Mobile Suit Gundam from the Gundam Series (ガンダムシリーズ, Gandamu Shirīzu). Check out the post and pictures HERE :)

It would be most interesting to see how Ashley Wood interprets and designs this Mobile Suit Gundam robot figure with his own take and spin on it.