| HCM Pro 1/200 ZGMF-X56S/α Force Impulse Gundam
Series: High Complete Model Progressive (HCM Pro) 1/200 Title: ZGMF-X56S/α Force Impulse Gundam Release Date: 03/2005 Suggested Price: ¥ 2000 No. of Parts: 1 Impulse Gundam figure + 24 parts Plastic colors: white, gray, blue, red, yellow, transparent pink, transparent light blue Gimmicks: transform into Core Splendor, Chest Flyer and Leg Flyer, high detail
Contributor: Jason Kwong Date: January 1, 2006 In mid-2004 Bandai released a line of figures not seen before. The HCM Pro were not your average model kits, instead they are 1/200 scale and the body, arms, legs come pre-built but some parts like the beam rifle and the hands have to be cut out from polycaps. These figures feature a lot of poseability and have more gimmicks than regular 1/100 scale models. One of the newest in the line of HCM Pro is the Force Impulse Gundam, released in March 2005.
The "V" is made of soft vinyl the figure also comes with a replacement "V" made of hard plastic. The eyes are transparent although transparent the greens eyes are still visible even in the lowest of lights. The heads can move 360 degrees horizontally, 10 degrees down and 25 degrees up, so it is possible to pose him looking upwards. Very nicely detailed and painted head with a few nice gimmicks like the replaceable "V."
The most interesting part in the Impulse Gundam, comprised of three pieces - Chest Flyer, Core Splendor and the Leg Flyer. The body is the most colorful piece with blue, gray, yellow and red all being pre painted on white plastic. On the bottom of the body there are two pegs that fit into slots on the Leg Flyer, which means that combining the Chest and Leg Flyers don't require you to use the Core Splendor, but you're left with a big hole in the back of the figure. The paint job on the body is very well done, and even if you plan to scratch off the paint you'll find It's very difficult. The body is the same as all other Impulse Gundams, so not much is improved here. The waist is also nicely detailed and painted and being able to move like its 1/100 scale counterpart. Although the side skirts are missing the panels that open up revealing the knives, which is a real let down. Overall a good torso for such a tiny figure, though some improvements could have been made.
The arms are the standard Impulse arms with the extra hinge in the body required for the Chest Flyer transformation. The only difference is that there are 7 different hands- open hand x 2, closed hand x 2, beam saber hand x 2, beam rifle hand x 1. The interesting part is that the hands are attached to the weapon themselves so you wont have to worry about the weapons falling out.
Not much change here- still just regular Impulse legs. But it has the same moveable joints as its 1/100 scale counterpart; the paint job on it is fairly well done. The only problem with the legs is they tend to get loose after a while, but nothing a little clear nail polish wouldn't fix.
The weapons and accessories are the only part of the figure that need to be cut out of polycaps, but don't worry about painting the pieces because they are already pre painted in the right colors.
Beam rifle- Standard Impulse beam rifle with rotating scope, and the only thing strange is that the hand is molded onto the rifle itself similar to some HG model beam sabers. Although there is a peg on the rifle for attaching to the back skirt, it now seems somewhat pointless since the hands are in the way.
Shield- The shield is one of the only accessories that are pre built. The shield can open up like the anime and unlike the 1/100 scale Impulse's shield, the HCM Pro shield actually slides open instead of removing the parts and placing them on another peg
Beam sabers- Regular beam sabers but with transparent pink blades, it's the same as the beam rifle in that the hands are also molded onto the saber themselves.
Knives- These things are really tiny- smaller than a fingernail. These are the only weapons that are not molded onto hands, but fit snuggly in the closed hand's hole.
Force Silhouette- The only accessory that is made up of multiple pieces, only the bottom two wings can move like its larger scale counterparts. It also comes with the little Silhouette Flyer that attaches to the pack and delivers it to the Impulse. The pack fits on Impulse's back with two pegs similar to the other Force Impulses out there. The only thing is that some of the piece when first attaching may take some force to get it to fit properly.
Core Splendor- Again this thing is very tiny, being fully transformable and also being fully painted and fully detailed like the anime. When transformed the only difference is that the cockpit's nose cone doesn't fold under. The cockpit is made out a transparent plastic that is painted over, except for the windows, which are a transparent blue which is a nice touch to such a tiny figure.
Overall not a bad figure, though the thing's smaller than the palm of your hand. With more poseability than a 1/100 scale, this guy's worth every penny, and since he comes pre painted and the only assembly is some accessories, this guy's recommended for beginners and experts. The downside for a 1/200 scale figure is that it's pretty pricey- for ¥ 2000 the price point may turn some away since the 1/100 scale is only
¥ 2000-2200, while the HG is only ¥1099. But I insist you pick this guy up if you find him since he is somewhat hard to come by these days.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars <<back to Gundam |
