HGIBO Hyakuren Mini Review

During Christmas last year, my friend gave me this kit as a Christmas present, in it contained the HGIBO Hyakuren, which would go on to be my first IBO kit. Now at the time, I wasn't an enormous fan of IBO, I really disliked most of the designs and they just all seemed weird to me. I eventually grew to their designs but at the time I still wasn't a fan of the series at the point. Still, it was a free gift my friend gave me, so I happily took it.

As a kit, the Hyakuren differs from typical HGIBO engineering and is more similar to that of a regular kit. The kit itself only has a partial inner frame and has quite a lot of parts that are just standard polycaps. Personally I don't mind this, however some joints might feel less sturdy than an average HGIBO kit. It's not a bad kit though, as articulation is mostly pretty good, with 180˚ elbows and moving thigh armor as well. The main problem is with the thighs, they do limit articulation a little bit due to how large they are, so keep that in mind. The tiny feet also do not help with stability a whole lot, an Action Base is recommended. Also, i've found problems holding the knife with this kit, although my personal preferred weapons are the knuckle guards that store in the sideskirts.

Verdict:

As a kit, I think the HGIBO Hyakuren is a really good release. There are minor missing color apps, but they're mostly just black areas that can be filled with a Gundam Marker. The kit doesn't really use a lot of stickers either, so those are my main problems with most HGIBO kits gone. Articulation is great, although like I said, it's a bit limited by the thighs and balance of the small feet, just stick it on a base and call it a day. It's got a small amount, but useable accessories, and all for the cheap price of 1000 yen. If you're a fan of Hyakuren, don't hesitate, this kit is a bit underrated due to it's unconventional design and balance, get past that and you've actually got quite a good kit!

Pros:

- Unlike most IBO kits, color accuracy is not a worry, and the stickers while small, aren't much. (!)

- Quite cheap at 1000 yen.

- Pretty good articulation.

Cons:

- Tiny feet don't like to balance well sometimes.

- Can't hold her knife very well.