Post by LoveGame on May 15, 2016 5:32:36 GMT -5
I've always loved the Shield Liger over any other Zoid. It's not too bare, but not over-designed either. Over the years I've had a few of these kitties, but the standard motorized one always bothered me, mostly due to that annoying square piece that sticks off of the canopy that I can only assume was put there because Tomy didn't think kids could pull it open otherwise... Anyways, I first learned of the HMM line way back in late 2011, but couldn't justify spending that much on a kit back then. If only I'd known...
I'm especially fond of the Mk. II variant, so I guess it'd be more accurate to call the SL MkII my favorite Zoid of all time. Wanting to get my hands on an HMM, I took to eBay and listed some of my rarest collectibles, including:
Seriously, could someone give me an idea on how rare this guy is? How tf did he go from ~$45ish to over 100? Was the stock always really limited or what? Also, thanks to some primer, paint, and clear coat, this is the only image you're gonna see where he's still white.
The build:
I did everything basically in order of the instructions, all while sprawled out on my bed in lieu of a proper desk to work at. Over about 5 sessions, here are my thoughts:
The head pieces can be tough to fit together, seriously. The "nose" piece connecting the canopy to the head is probably the single hardest piece I've ever had to fit on any kit. Other than that it went pretty smooth.
Although while I was watching the masterpiece that is Jason X and building the legs, one of the little gold pistons on the front of the foreleg did snap. It was the only piece on the kit to do so and one brush of plastic cement made it look just like new! Give him a nice kitty pedicure of glue to secure the foot armor on! Not literally the toes, but you know what I mean.
The body pieces were pretty easy aside from the gold pistons in the middle being super loose until you put the whole thing together. Also, glue the hip! The ass isn't gonna stay on too well during posing otherwise.
The guns and rubber tubes gave me no issue.
Painting was fairly straightforward as well. I only painted sprue A and the tail, as I was satisfied with the rest of the default colors. Materials used were Tamiya gray fine surface primer, Testors Purple-Luscious, and Testors Model Master Semi-gloss clear coat. I'm amazed at the power of that coat, even when I had to press pieces against my desk to get them to fit, there wasn't so much as a scratch. Of course, this process is entirely optional as always, and the default white color scheme looks fine. Better than the blue IMO!
Overall, this might not be the ideal kit for one's first HMM, but I couldn't resist! Maethius mentioned how the HMM line tends to have many incredibly superfluous individual pieces that could very well have been molded onto existing parts without taking away anything from the kit itself, and I'll be damned if he wasn't right. Still, the issues I did have during the build were minor and didn't affect the final product, and it was more time-consuming than anything. Definitely satisfying and a good level of challenge, though!
The kit(ty):
To say the finished build is aesthetically pleasing is an understatement. Like most of the HMM line, the SL is somewhat of a "reimagining" of the original rather than just an articulated version of it. The E-shield now has four panels on the main, versus the old one that just had two. There is also a cooling system on the legs akin to Blade Liger's, which I surmise would increase the overall performance in battle. I like this a lot because I had always wanted to mod an SL to give it some sort of edge over the BL instead of being completely outclassed. This feature also makes the kit easy to pose, as the hind legs get stuck on the back missile pods otherwise. Overall poseability and articulation pretty great as far as the felines tend to go. I've been able to put it in a variety of poses without having anything pop off so far.
Of course, I love all the little details like the gold/silver pistons, and especially the little green lenses on the cannons. It contrasts so well with the purple repaint, IMO.
The HMM line does have a few odd color choices, but dammit I love that almost-black navy blue they chose for the body. Again, goes great with so many colors. I'll admit the cannons themselves do look a bit dull, and I miss the gold variant, but it does look more realistic and the colors blend well. Might try to repaint them at a later date. They have a ridiculous range of motion in regards to where they can aim, though!
Closing thoughts:
Kotobukiya really brought their A-game when it came to my all-time favorite Zoid. This will be very hard if not impossible to top as the favorite piece in my collection as it continues to grow. Other than that one piece I mentioned, not one of them snapped under pressure, so the plastic is of at least decent quality. When I first got back into Zoids in late 2011, I dreamed of owning something like this, but didn't think I'd be able to paint it without messing something up. It's all the more satisfying to see it here now. With a little glue here and there, this is one cat that's built to last.
My next HMM is most definitely gonna be something smaller like a Gun Sniper; this guy burnt me out good!
Pros:
Cons:
Pics!:
Dynamic shot of the head and side. Notice all the little "bolts" and such!
Here are the guns folded out as well as the shield fully deployed.
SL upon learning of his outrageous price point. You can see the green lenses I was talking about, aren't they great?
"Drank up in my cup, mayne hol' up..." What, this is legal! This guy was definitely built in Texas.
Bonus: A group shot on the box featuring the two Zoids I obtained from Enbahan. Thanks!
I'm especially fond of the Mk. II variant, so I guess it'd be more accurate to call the SL MkII my favorite Zoid of all time. Wanting to get my hands on an HMM, I took to eBay and listed some of my rarest collectibles, including:
- The show-accurate Takara Tigatron (I'll replace you eventually!)
- The GoW3 retro lancer replica, which I made a huge profit on
- A Japanese Neo Destiny Shining Mewtwo card that got bent in the mail and had to be returned...
- Legacy of Kain Raziel figure (the guy was a huge fan, so I didn't feel too bad about it)
- and of course, a Zoid. The Black Impact Blade Liger, sold to a great friend of mine
One transaction and a few days later (yay for US sellers), this showed up...
Seriously, could someone give me an idea on how rare this guy is? How tf did he go from ~$45ish to over 100? Was the stock always really limited or what? Also, thanks to some primer, paint, and clear coat, this is the only image you're gonna see where he's still white.
The build:
I did everything basically in order of the instructions, all while sprawled out on my bed in lieu of a proper desk to work at. Over about 5 sessions, here are my thoughts:
The head pieces can be tough to fit together, seriously. The "nose" piece connecting the canopy to the head is probably the single hardest piece I've ever had to fit on any kit. Other than that it went pretty smooth.
Although while I was watching the masterpiece that is Jason X and building the legs, one of the little gold pistons on the front of the foreleg did snap. It was the only piece on the kit to do so and one brush of plastic cement made it look just like new! Give him a nice kitty pedicure of glue to secure the foot armor on! Not literally the toes, but you know what I mean.
The body pieces were pretty easy aside from the gold pistons in the middle being super loose until you put the whole thing together. Also, glue the hip! The ass isn't gonna stay on too well during posing otherwise.
The guns and rubber tubes gave me no issue.
Painting was fairly straightforward as well. I only painted sprue A and the tail, as I was satisfied with the rest of the default colors. Materials used were Tamiya gray fine surface primer, Testors Purple-Luscious, and Testors Model Master Semi-gloss clear coat. I'm amazed at the power of that coat, even when I had to press pieces against my desk to get them to fit, there wasn't so much as a scratch. Of course, this process is entirely optional as always, and the default white color scheme looks fine. Better than the blue IMO!
Overall, this might not be the ideal kit for one's first HMM, but I couldn't resist! Maethius mentioned how the HMM line tends to have many incredibly superfluous individual pieces that could very well have been molded onto existing parts without taking away anything from the kit itself, and I'll be damned if he wasn't right. Still, the issues I did have during the build were minor and didn't affect the final product, and it was more time-consuming than anything. Definitely satisfying and a good level of challenge, though!
The kit(ty):
To say the finished build is aesthetically pleasing is an understatement. Like most of the HMM line, the SL is somewhat of a "reimagining" of the original rather than just an articulated version of it. The E-shield now has four panels on the main, versus the old one that just had two. There is also a cooling system on the legs akin to Blade Liger's, which I surmise would increase the overall performance in battle. I like this a lot because I had always wanted to mod an SL to give it some sort of edge over the BL instead of being completely outclassed. This feature also makes the kit easy to pose, as the hind legs get stuck on the back missile pods otherwise. Overall poseability and articulation pretty great as far as the felines tend to go. I've been able to put it in a variety of poses without having anything pop off so far.
Of course, I love all the little details like the gold/silver pistons, and especially the little green lenses on the cannons. It contrasts so well with the purple repaint, IMO.
The HMM line does have a few odd color choices, but dammit I love that almost-black navy blue they chose for the body. Again, goes great with so many colors. I'll admit the cannons themselves do look a bit dull, and I miss the gold variant, but it does look more realistic and the colors blend well. Might try to repaint them at a later date. They have a ridiculous range of motion in regards to where they can aim, though!
Closing thoughts:
Kotobukiya really brought their A-game when it came to my all-time favorite Zoid. This will be very hard if not impossible to top as the favorite piece in my collection as it continues to grow. Other than that one piece I mentioned, not one of them snapped under pressure, so the plastic is of at least decent quality. When I first got back into Zoids in late 2011, I dreamed of owning something like this, but didn't think I'd be able to paint it without messing something up. It's all the more satisfying to see it here now. With a little glue here and there, this is one cat that's built to last.
My next HMM is most definitely gonna be something smaller like a Gun Sniper; this guy burnt me out good!
Pros:
- Build isn't hard, just lengthy
- Looks absolutely gorgeous and detailed
- Fairly easy to pose for an HMM, pieces won't be flying off
- Comes with both orange and smoke canopies
- It's an SLMK2
- Them cannons tho
Cons:
- Stupidly expensive for no reason, resellers are... Grrr...
- Needs glue, especially the hip
- building the head takes some serious force... Maybe you'll have better luck there
Pics!:
Dynamic shot of the head and side. Notice all the little "bolts" and such!
Here are the guns folded out as well as the shield fully deployed.
SL upon learning of his outrageous price point. You can see the green lenses I was talking about, aren't they great?
"Drank up in my cup, mayne hol' up..." What, this is legal! This guy was definitely built in Texas.
Bonus: A group shot on the box featuring the two Zoids I obtained from Enbahan. Thanks!
