My main bread and butter for Mazinger Z and adjacent collectibles has always been Tamashii Nations’ Super Robot Chogokin line, providing a perfect balance between the appeal of die cast figures with desktop scale play patterns without the complexities of any transformation gimmicks. But as we all know, Tamashii Nations has already killed the line, so the next best option is Good Smile Company as it continues to release more Mazinger Z variations, including this guy.
I’m not sure how many retellings of the Mazinger Z story exists, but MazinSaga is by original series creator Go Nagai as serialized in Weekly Young Jump. Tha manga is currently unfinished though Go Nagai mentions the intent to eventually finish it.
Here’s a synopsis of the story according to everyone’s favorite source of information, Wikipedia.
MazinSaga tells the story of the young Koji Kabuto, a university student who finds a strange helmet that is the fruit of his late father’s research. The helmet, named Z, also called the Armor of God, reacts to its user’s will and spirit. When Koji wears it, the overwhelming power of Z causes it to violently destroy everything on Earth. After the armageddon, Koji is contacted by the spirit of his father who frees him from Z’s influence. Waking up on a colonized Mars after being teleported by Z, Koji encounters Sayaka Yumi who tells him of the problems the colonies are facing. Koji decides to fight with Z to protect the colonies from several threats including the evil God Kaiser Hell.
All these Mazinger variants have a tendency to destroy the world for some reason.
Most Mazinger-based designs have the similar elements present regardless of the variation. Black and silver armored pieces with red chest-mounted heat sinks. There’s few that deviate from this, first being God Mazinger, who’s also getting a MODEROID release in October, and then this guy. Z, Armor of God has a more gladiator-esque armor design but it still has the signature red heat sinks on the chest.
On second thought, I’m having second guesses if this design really resembles a gladiator armor. But regardless, anyone getting this kit will need to apply light blue dry brushing to bring out the edges and sculpted details. Otherwise, the effect won’t be as convincing as how it’s shown here. Also, it has a cape, but more on that later.
Unlike other Mazingers that have a plethora of weapons and gimmicks, the MazinSaga version only has a sword. The kit does provide two hilt parts for the sword, one for wielding using a single hand/manipulator while a longer one for holding using both. And no, I don’t think it comes with an exaggeratedly proportioned blade for those who wanted to do the “Obari Pose.” with this kit.
If the plastic cape seems restrictive, then you’re absolutely right, which is why the kit also comes with a cloth cape. As per usual, the cloth came has wires on the edges to allow the cape to be manipulated and hold the form afterwards.
The above photo appears to be the best demonstration of this kit’s articulation and it’s okay. Not the best but it’s not a brick either. So the cloth cape would really help sell the idea of dynamic kit for something that appears static.
I’ve been telling myself to start picking up on the MODEROID backlog I’ve been continuously growing recently. And with this kit, along with a couple of reissues I’ve missed previously, there’s no reason for me to hold off on building these. As of now, I’ve built the Sousuke Sagara’s Savage from Full Metal Panic! and a couple of Ingrams from Patlabor, both of which are part of the initial waves. They have engineering comparable to SMP [Shokugan Modeling Project] kits so I’m hoping these recent releases would be a step up.
MODEROID Z, Armor of God (MazinSaga)
May 2026 / ¥9,800
Order from HobbyLink Japan
NOTE: Pre-orders are currently closed, but you can put this in the wishlist and order when it becomes available.
