Bandai Officially Brings Back Gundam’s Exclusive High Mobility Prototype Zaku Gunpla Kit for 2027 Re-Release
Image by Charlotte DavisBandai is bringing back the experimental Zaku seen during the opening battle of Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, with the HG 1/144 MS-06RD-4 High Mobility Test Type Zaku set to receive another limited re-release.
The machine appears during the first episode of the OVA as Aina Sahalin’s mobile suit, combining the familiar upper body of a Zaku with heavily developed lower-body equipment created as part of Zeon’s work toward a space-capable Dom.
This particular kit is based on a redesign of the mobile suit that took place within the Mobile Suit Discovery design series for Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN.
The MS-06RD-4 was developed by Zimmad while the company was experimenting with its own space-combat mobile suits.
A Zaku body was repurposed for the project and paired with legs containing experimental thrusters, with data gathered from the machine later feeding into the YMS-08B Dom Test Type and helping accelerate development of the MS-09R Rick Dom.
Its appearance in The 08th MS Team sees Aina piloting the prototype during testing near Earth before eventually battling Shiro Amada in his Ball K Type, leaving both machines heavily damaged and their pilots stranded together.
Bandai originally turned the machine into an HG Gunpla in April 2016, and now the Premium Bandai exclusive is officially returning for another production run.
The kit recreates the MS-06RD-4’s purple, blue, and black color scheme primarily through molded plastic, while dedicated parts reproduce its head, chest, shoulder armor, waist, backpack, and large thruster-equipped legs.
Those oversized lower legs are central to the model’s appearance, visually bridging the slimmer proportions of the Zaku with the heavier structure that would eventually become associated with the Rick Dom.
Its weapon selection consists of an MS Machine Gun and Heat Hawk, with the former receiving its own sculpt to reproduce the different shape and surface details of the weapon carried by the prototype.
A dedicated waist joint allows the Heat Hawk to be carried at the side of the model, while original markings are also included for builders wanting to add further detail to the finished kit.
Its re-release has been announced at a time when Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team is seeing renewed attention from Bandai through both returning Gunpla and completely new kits based on the OVA’s mobile suits.
Among them is the returning HG 1/144 Ground Type Gundam (Parachute Pack), which recreates the machine descending with the large parachute equipment seen during the anime’s opening and also includes the replacement Ground Type GM head used for Karen Joshua’s famous “GM Head” configuration.
Bandai has also recently revealed the first-ever RG 1/144 Ground Type Gundam, giving the Earth Federation machine a completely new Real Grade interpretation with increased mechanical detail and articulation designed to support poses such as its deep kneeling stance with the 180mm Cannon.
Together, the announcements are giving collectors several new opportunities to build machines directly connected to The 08th MS Team, ranging from Aina’s experimental Zeon prototype to two very different 1/144 versions of the Ground Type Gundam.
Pre-orders for the “HG 1/144 MS-06RD-4 High Mobility Test Type Zaku” opened through Premium Bandai Japan on September 2, 2026, at 11:00 AM JST.
A corresponding Premium Bandai US re-release has not yet been confirmed, although Japanese Gunpla reissues of this type are frequently followed by separate US pre-orders, so availability for American builders may be announced later.
The kit is priced at ¥2,420 (approximately $16 USD / £11 GBP) and is scheduled to ship in February 2027.
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