HMM SABER TIGER

[尹 眞悟]

hydocker said:

vishus said:

And I definitely don't like where Koto is going with their pricing

Me either, but someone on ZP summed it up quite well:

Strong yen
Inflation
Oil prices

Along with strong yen, add WEAK DOLLAR.

Something else to keep in mind is that this Tiger looks to be almost completely new parts unlike the Shield Liger which will have been released three times in March with a lot of other parts used in the Blade Liger (which retails in Japan at 5,040 yen as opposed to 6,090 for the Tiger).

Anyway, more photos than you can shake a stick at.
www.amiami.com/images/product/review/TOY-RBT-0176_04.jpg

[D00mLiger]

Sqweee!
First the HMM Geno (It and my Command Wolf are the only Kotos I have that don't fall apart when I think at them) then Gungy for May, now this? Next they'll say they're doing a Berserk Fuhrer and Gairyuki in Koto-form. Suffice to say, this is good news.

Impressions!
The Good: It's a Saber Tiger, with GUNS, and it looks pointy 'n slashy. Colors are also a win.
The Ugly: Der Nose. It's not nearly as bad in profile, fortunately. And it'll likely look better in person, like the Bladey does (much better.) It also seems lanky (and fragile, gasp) and I fear it shall implode when I finish building, after leaving out a bunch of pieces because they are microscopic and really flimsy.

The Verdict: Will buy for great justice!

[Metal Wolf]

Would it be considered heresy to buy the kit solely for the purpose of using that armor for customs?

A bit of splicing between the Command Wolf and the Saber Tiger's armor and you could have one mean looking hybrid.

[brightcat13527]

... It looks like a bear...
The head is a real turn off, and when I first saw it, it made the whole thing look ugly, but now that I look at it again, it's not so bad. Of course the detailing and body is great, but the head looks... like a bear's head. And not to mention the price... I dunno about this one. Still might get it.
It looks better on that advertisement thing on the Japanese site.

[Maxiewolf]

I dotn mind the head too much. Makes it look less organic.. But i Will say one thing... Its getting a paint job before it even sets paw off the sprues.

[Maethius]

Mine will set a paw off the sprues... THEN get a paint job... THEN get assembled.

Big nose, but I think it will look better in dark, evil red.... ooooohhhh.....

Sorry, I just envisioned an HMM Darkhorn or Dimetrodon. Dimet is really an under appreciated kit... imagine him all HMM'd up!

[Ernestotaku]

I want also small HMM, revrapter, molga, killer dome...this kind of guys...
And of course they MUST be cheaper, because even if it sounds incredible the cheapest one (price/number of pieces) is the liger.

[Snowflake]

It actually looks like it's SNARLING at us... such expression! That's what makes empire zoids unique

[Tilly]

I thought about the whole angry look thing and realized what bothered me more than the shape itself: I prefer more neutral expressions on my mecha, especially posable ones - I'd rather their emotions show in their pose and body language. A permanent GONNA BITE YOU face looks odd on a Zoid posed in the equivalent of "omgwtf" or "pleasedon'thurtme", and a cat or dog in an aggressive stance can look cross without it if you know your animals.

Or for another take on that...Gilvy has a definite grin, but it's interpretable depending on angle and mood from "I am a happy dragon :]" to "I WILL KILL YOU ALL AND ATOMIZE THE REMAINS :D". That's the sort of expression I dig.

Or maybe I'm just weird..

[Phenotype]

The head looks odd to me but I'll have to see it in person. The Command Wolf's head looked strange in photos as well but upon assembly I thought it looked fine. The price is a disappointment but I guess that has more to do with the current economic climate than anything else.

[Maethius]

Just got me Geno in the mail.... that is a LOT bigger box than I expected! Oddly, the head is about 25% smaller than the regular Geno, the guns are 20% larger. I think the stylizing makes it seem odd because we are used to the "right' proportions of Zoids. Some of those aspects have to be in Saber as well. Personally, I think this sucker looks great. In a way, I feel bad for the guy who made those incredible customs we all thought were HMM... now, here we are!

[hanzkaz]

I think we may get an unmodified recolour of the HMM Saber Tiger before we see a Great Saber version. HMM Shield Liger went from standard blue Shield Liger to Desert Shield Liger to Shield Liger Mk II. I don't see why it's opposite number wouldn't do the same. Now could that mean a yellow HMM Zaber Fang..?

[尹 眞悟]

Given how well the Empire LC sold though (unlike the Desert Liger which languished for ages and can still be found, the LC disappeared quick smart), there may very well be precedence for the Tiger to get a CP straight away. Even the Desert Liger came with a bonus clear canopy for recolouring after all. It's not in any company's best interests to have their product killing time on store shelves.

[Ernestotaku]

maethius said:

Just got me Geno in the mail.... that is a LOT bigger box than I expected!

Is it bigger than Bladey's?

[zed]

HLJ has the Geno Box at 40 x 33 x 13 cm and the Bladey at 40 x 33 x 11.2 cm. So about the same but thicker. Both are way bigger than Shieldy at 31 x 24 x 11.6 cm and weighs about 900g. But oddly both the Geno & Bladey both weigh around 1500g. Why the 3000 Yen difference ? Thats the price of a whole HMM Command Wolf !

Maethius - is the big box really needed or is it mainly air ? Empty boxes look impressive but take up a lot of shelf space and eventually leave the buyer feeling cheated.

I think I'll pick up some HMM's if anyone I know heads to the Hong Kong or Japan, but I ain't paying the shipping too.

zed