HG Zaku F2 Black Tri-Star

Introduction

Despite the ridiculously high standard the Origin version of the Zaku has set; the Zaku F2 has an awesome design. It's my favorite upper torso design of any Zaku design I can think of. It looks broader, thicker and more tank like that the standard Zaku design. And, it features a better The legs on the other hand are less interesting than the original Zaku in my opinion.

Kit Talk:

My rendition of this kit is fairly basic. The standard model does not feature many panel lines or molded details. I'm perfectly fine with this as I like the simplicity of the design, however its not hard to see why some people will think it is too plain.

Towards the end of the build a large crack formed on one of the legs. This was due to lighter fluid weakening the plastic and required me to purchase a second kit for a future kit bash.

I modified the shoulder with a set of 1/144 Builder Part HD spikes to improve their size and shape. I also added detail to the mono eye and scribed a 'track' that the eye would move on. I also did the usual seam line remove on the legs, shoulders, and rifle.

The main feature of this build is the Black Tri-Star color scheme. The black white and grey colors are straight out of the bottle. The bright purple color on the chest is Mr. Gundam Color Purple. The navy blue was custom mixed using a basic navy blue as a base and incorporating other mixed blue colors. I was fortunate to have enough of this color to repaint the leg.

If you like my work and would like to help me out, consider purchasing this and other kits from Amazon using this link or others featured on my site. Every purchase helps me out considerably and it doesn't cost you a dime! 
 
Photos:

The Tri-Stars frequently feature this symbol on their shoulder shield instead of the standard Zeon insignia. I am unsure if this logo is representative of their unit, or has some other meaning. 

These two grenades on the skirt are another feature of the F2 design. 

The revised 120mm machine gun of the Zaku F2 is shorter, stockier and has a more 'modern military' vibe going on. The model still has issues posing with it due to the limited articulation of the design.