- MZ-001 Shield Liger
Number of Pieces: 205 | Number of Frames: 14
Shield Liger was the very first kit released in Tomytec's Modelers Spirit Series. This new line was extremely small, at only 1/144 the original size and has an amazing amount of detail. There are 205 pieces in this kit, compared to a regular 400 or so in Kotobukiya models and over twice what the D-Style Shield Liger has.
Many pieces are painted to add an extra field of depth and more importantly are connected to the sprues at ends or on sides that will be completely hidden from view so there will be no visible cut marks. There are prepainted 'decals' on the body, adding more dynamic to the aesthetic. You can see some of these in the last few photos. The articulation is great and they have just as many if not more gimmicks than the original motorized kits, not even including the articulation points.
Both currently released Zoids came with a dioroma stand and prepainted pilots. The kits are cast in colors to match the Original Japanese Release and the instruction manuals come with concept art that was originally printed on their very first releases as motorized model kits.
One issue I had was that some pieces were actually so small that it was hard to even hold and attach them. I assume for someone less careful the pieces can be fragile but I've had no broken parts. I also felt that the instructions were hard to follow in places. Their numbering system for steps is annoying and they have no symbols like the koto kits, so if something needs to be additionally trimmed or there is a confusing step there is no indication for those of us that cannot read Japanese. A couple sprues are also cast in frustrating order, with the numbers seemingly at complete random.
Pros:
-Very high quality with many pieces
-OJR concept art on the box
-Accurately painted pieces add depth, and attached in areas where cut marks won't be visible
-Excellent poseability
-Some additional moving pieces
Cons:
-Very tiny pieces can be hard to hold, and may be breakable
-Teeth tips bend very, very easily
-Very small size for the price
-Legs are not attached very securely
- Box Art
- Instructions
- Battle Story Information
Republican Army
A Highly Maneuverable Type for Local Fights | Fighting Mechanical Beast "Shield Liger"
[Fuselage Summary]
The Republic arm, which struggled against the Imperial army's high speed "Sabre Tiger", developed a mecha to take on the Sabre Tiger. In order to maintain high speeds of 250 km/h, it's equipped with radiators to cool the engine all over its fuselage. Moreover, it uses a system that stores the gun on its back inside of its body to reduce air resistance, and gives it a big speed boost. Armaments begin with laser sabers, arranged in various parts of the body to be powerful while being compact and such; the Republic army put all of their effort into developing it to use as a trump card against the Saber Tiger.
[Technical Data]
Overall Length: 21.6 m
Highest Point: 9 m
Overall Width: 6m
Weight: 92 tons
Max Speed: 250 km/h
[Weapons]
Laser Saber x2
Double Acceleration Beam Cannon x1
Triple Shock Cannon x1
Beam Cannon x1
Missile Pod x2
*Data based on the original setup.
Fuselage Variation:
[Cold Region Specifications]
It has a strong flamethrower on the lower fuselage, with a fuel tank equipped on its back. The heater, generator and other such things are strengthened for cold regions and a large booster is attached.
[Commander Specifications]
For officers the communication equipment is strengthened and a heavy machine gun is equipped on the back that can be immediately removed in an emergency. The fuselage is a gold tone, which gives it an appropriate appearance for a commander.
Gimmicks
Cockpit:
The openable cockpit is cast in the translucent brown that was known to many Original Japanese Release Zoids. The pilot (unpictured) is painted, but not like any specific pilot that we know.
Jaws:
His jaws also swing open. The teeth are VERY fragile. Please be careful when assembling, because the tips are razor thin and can bend/crumple very easily. All white pieces have a slight yellow tint to them.
Lower Shield Generator:
The generator under the mane extends forward a pretty good distance. This is nice considering that most of the recent Shield Liger releases haven't had this feature.
Upper Shield Generator:
The top one springs forward as well, enough so to stand straight up.
Head and Neck:
Another ball joint attaches the head. This allows the Ligers head to tilt very far but in some poses the legs can get in the way. When the neck is lowered down, the head can be tilted up to 'extend' far enough it actually looks a little disjointed.
AMD Beam Gun:
The back gun is very posable, much like the original~ The base arm of the gun flips upwards and the gun is attached on a peg that allows it to rotate 360. The gun can be aimed while the blue panel above it is laid flat. It can sometimes be hard to get the gun out when it's fully folded back down, though.
Missile Pods
The pods attach to the sides and flip outwards just like the motorized kit. An interesting thing to note is that they have a little bit of a natural spring, so if they're close to being fully extended they'll snap into place automatically.
Front Legs:
There is a /lot/ of articulation here. The shoulders can lean inwards and outwards. All four legs are attached to these pole systems that are inside the main body. These can extend outwards at the tip a little to give a better turning angle. Sadly the legs can come off easily. It is important to note that if you are having exceptional trouble with this, be aware that the rubber ball on the inside of the leg is facing the right way. There is slight trim around one side's opening that is meant to face towards the body.
In some of these pictures you'll see that the lower part of the legs can only fold up so much. Pipes are a big problem with the poseability, but thankfully it's still a decent range. Unpictured/noticeable is that there is a thin block behind the pipes in the front legs that can actually extend outwards. ... Fishing it out is difficult.
Back Legs:
The legs have a good range of articulation too. They can rotate at the base, are on the same foldable arm attachment, and are articulated at the knee and heel. The pipe on the knee really complicates the movement, and so does the one on the back of the leg.
Paws:
All four paws are attached on a ball joint. This is relatively long, but because of their ship it can be kind of hard to pose them. They flip upwards and downwards easily enough but for them to turn they must be pulled out a little. If you aren't careful they can pull right off but are easy to reattach.
Body:
The body is split into three separate sections. It can rotate up but not very far down. It can also twist sideways for cool turning mobility.
Tail Armor:
The flap over the top of the tail can flip all the way up. This should theoretically allow a lot of articulation but it's an interesting feature to include in the first place, since it's a feature not on other kits.
Tail:
Shieldy's tail can attach on a ball joint letting it swing up, down, and all around. The tail gun is cast in the off-white that is used on the original with painted pipe siding. It can spin on the top of the tail as well.
