Series: 1/100
Title: RGM-111 Hardygun
Release Date: 04/1992
Suggested Price: ¥ 1000
No. of Parts: about 80 + polycaps + paper stickers + film stickers
Plastic colors: white, black, gray
Gimmicks: shoulder cannon, beam rifle, shield, beam sabers (1 lit 1 unlit)

Introduction

Contributor: Elliott "Hiddenpower" Solomon
Date: October 31, 2003

First off, I'd like to point out that this kit is 1/100 yet it's not much taller than my 1/144 HGUC GM, making it a pretty small kit.

Head

This head is very fragile. The actual head bit goes together with the standard fare of visor + faceplate + polycap + 2 halves, but then on the outside of the head there is a pair of "rabbit ears" which are very flimsy, tend to fall off and could break very easily if you're not careful. The polycap gives the head a decent range of motion that allows it to turn and look up and down fairly well.

Torso

This part of the kit is pretty simple as well: just two segments for the abdomen that are then attached to the chest and the skirt. My first complaint is the front skirt armor; the polycaps are too big for the ball joint that goes into them and so the front skirt has a tendency to fall out and generally not be poseable at all. The other problem is that the upper body is on a peg which allows it to rotate independently from the lower body, but again the polycap is too loose and you will find that the kit likes to fall apart at the midsection.

Arms

These arms are fine, no complaints here. The shoulder armor stays in place and the arms are pretty sturdy, allowing you to pose it with the shield and beam rifle pretty much any way you like. The hands are simple with a fixed thumb and a poseable index finger which hold the one weapon fairly well.

Legs

These legs are where I have the most problems. First off the feet have no sideways motion, so there is no way to get this guy to stand up when the legs are more than a few centimeters apart because it can't stand flat footed. The knees on this model are actually quite nice for a no grade kit; they're double-jointed allowing for a nice range of knee movement. The legs also have a nice touch in the form of individually poseable thrusters on both legs. The hips are evil though; the polycap in the legs will not stay on the ball joints and they flop all over the place and the legs often fall off, making this model a bitch to pose.

Weapons and Accessories

The shoulder cannon on this guy is pretty cool; it can be pointed in any direction without hindering the stability of the model. It's also a complete tube up to where it connects to the body so no horrible flat ended cannon here. The beam rifle leaves something to be desired; it's a simple two piece job with a little clip on the side but there are no points on the model where it can attach, which gives the impression that the makers forgot something. The shield comes molded in all white, meaning it's time to break out the paint or a permanent marker to get it the way it should be.

Conclusion

Overall this model is a very poorly made kit with flaws that can be easily solved by better manufacturing tolerances for the parts. I love it anyway though because it's the Hardygun, but this kit really doesn't do it justice. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but hardcore lovers of the design.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

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