Post by zed on Feb 18, 2008 6:00:39 GMT -5
CannonFort was one of the latter OJR Zoids, and is pretty hard to find. So when TT announced it would finally be re-released as part of the Genesis line, I was eager to snap one up, and now I've finally got round to putting him together. Was it worth the wait ?
EDIT: The original pics I took were just too bad to see, so I've tried to take some better ones.
Box Front
Box Back
Standard Genesis style with a large photo on the front and a montage on the back. I do like the more graphic design vibe on the Genesis boxes. Gives a more professional, coherent feel to the Genesis Line compared to the earlier NJR.
CF is pretty simple and quick to build, about 30 parts plus caps. It is also smaller than I imagined, about Command Wolf size. Kinda makes sense as they have the same motor. Not sure why I'd thought it would be bigger, maybe cos the only similar Zoid is the Dibison.
Head on shot
Angled shot
Side Shot
The Good:
CannonFort is a gorgeous shade of green: very dark and military, it goes perfectly with the black, metal and red caps. The perfect partner for Cannonary Molga. I love to see matching Zoids, I'd love to see a coherent range like the early OER Reds & Blues.
The design and proportions are great. Better than both Dibison or Dethbellow. Smooth and organic, with just enough bulk to look solid and intimidating, without looking slow. The detailing is fabulous, very crisp with lots of panels and hatches on the armour, and hints of internal mechanisms. Unlike many Zoids, the insides of the legs are not hollow but detailed to match the outside. This is slightly spoilt by the copyright info being above the right shoulder. Oddly, in the photo on the back of the box, this is above the right shoulder.
When you wind him up, he walks, the turret rotates side to side and the guns swing up and down. Not bad for medium sized wind-up. You can also manually raise the head and jaw.
The Bad:
In a perfect world, I would have the throat guns a little further back, as they block the head when it is lowered. There is even a nice gap in the chest where it would fit perfectly. Also, the two main guns in the turret move in opposition: when one goes up, the other goes down. This looks a little silly to me, I'd prefer they were locked together. But you can easily adapt this with a knife and a spot of glue.
The Ugly:
One Pilot. ONE PILOT ? ONE PILOT ! ! ! Where the heck is the gunner ? ! ? ! So he drives to his target, climbs into the turret to shoot, then climbs back into the cockpit to escape ? This is a pretty cheap skate cost saving measure, personally I'd have happily paid an extra 50 yen for a gunner.
Overall, I really like CannonFort. A lot of great design in this mold, both artistically and mechanically, topped off with a great colour scheme. A great re-release, truly worth waiting for.
Definatley recommend this to anyone. Especially if you have a bored gunner sitting around. In fact, buy two CannonForts and three Molgas for a great artillery team.
zed
EDIT: The original pics I took were just too bad to see, so I've tried to take some better ones.
Box Front
Box Back
Standard Genesis style with a large photo on the front and a montage on the back. I do like the more graphic design vibe on the Genesis boxes. Gives a more professional, coherent feel to the Genesis Line compared to the earlier NJR.
CF is pretty simple and quick to build, about 30 parts plus caps. It is also smaller than I imagined, about Command Wolf size. Kinda makes sense as they have the same motor. Not sure why I'd thought it would be bigger, maybe cos the only similar Zoid is the Dibison.
Head on shot
Angled shot
Side Shot
The Good:
CannonFort is a gorgeous shade of green: very dark and military, it goes perfectly with the black, metal and red caps. The perfect partner for Cannonary Molga. I love to see matching Zoids, I'd love to see a coherent range like the early OER Reds & Blues.
The design and proportions are great. Better than both Dibison or Dethbellow. Smooth and organic, with just enough bulk to look solid and intimidating, without looking slow. The detailing is fabulous, very crisp with lots of panels and hatches on the armour, and hints of internal mechanisms. Unlike many Zoids, the insides of the legs are not hollow but detailed to match the outside. This is slightly spoilt by the copyright info being above the right shoulder. Oddly, in the photo on the back of the box, this is above the right shoulder.
When you wind him up, he walks, the turret rotates side to side and the guns swing up and down. Not bad for medium sized wind-up. You can also manually raise the head and jaw.
The Bad:
In a perfect world, I would have the throat guns a little further back, as they block the head when it is lowered. There is even a nice gap in the chest where it would fit perfectly. Also, the two main guns in the turret move in opposition: when one goes up, the other goes down. This looks a little silly to me, I'd prefer they were locked together. But you can easily adapt this with a knife and a spot of glue.
The Ugly:
One Pilot. ONE PILOT ? ONE PILOT ! ! ! Where the heck is the gunner ? ! ? ! So he drives to his target, climbs into the turret to shoot, then climbs back into the cockpit to escape ? This is a pretty cheap skate cost saving measure, personally I'd have happily paid an extra 50 yen for a gunner.
Overall, I really like CannonFort. A lot of great design in this mold, both artistically and mechanically, topped off with a great colour scheme. A great re-release, truly worth waiting for.
Definatley recommend this to anyone. Especially if you have a bored gunner sitting around. In fact, buy two CannonForts and three Molgas for a great artillery team.
zed
