- ZA001 Murasame Liger
Released in November 2015, Murasame Liger was the flagship model for the new series known as Zoids Aggressive. It was the first major figure release since the motorized model kit, boasting high articulation at a smaller size.
Unlike the Highend Master Model series it stays true to the original character design. Just a few extra details are added, with some painted features. It delivers well on the articulation front with no parts that are really loose and proportionately this kit looks amazing. The body is a bit too skinny but those familiar with Genesis may recall, this Zoid has always had the body of a fish.
It's worth noting that among the English Speaking community there were a few cases of quality control. Errors happen in all toy lines, it's unavoidable. I am just noting this because there were several reports in the small English speaking communities. Examples being excessive glue seeping from parts, the eye not being glued in right (sticking out of the head), the body joint being so loose that it rotated out of place, things like that. Plenty of people got figures that were just fine, but with the amount of personal detailing that goes into these it's not completely unrealistic for this to happen.
Most of the ZA series had some sort of bonus for ordering from Kotobukiya Direct. In the case of the Murasame Liger you received the typical white stickers used to decorate the leg armor as well as a special Murasame Liger flying stand. These were exclusive to the Kotobukiya online store, so weren't available from places like HLJ or AmiAmi.
- Gimmicks
Cockpit:
Murasame Liger's cockpit opens and closes in the same manner that it does in the anime. On one hand this is really cool! On the other hand it's a little obnoxious. It's very easy for the cockpit to get bumped open because of the mask.
Jaws:
While the jaws don't open far I really appreciate how nice the profile is, and how the teeth of the Liger are designed.
Lower Mane:
The Lower Man of the Liger folds back and can come forward. You'll notice a tiny bit of flash here. Since this kit was built in the warehouse there'll be a few spots like this, but you can carefully touch them up.
Head:
Lots of articulation here! The head can turn all the way around, as well as from side to side. As can be expected with the Murasame Liger's full mane, there are some minor inconveniences of it being blocked by the thick shoulders.
Neck:
The neck was kind of a let down. I feel like it could've been permitted to move up and down a lot more. It still does a little, which I'm happy with, but it could've been improved upon.
Shoulders:
The joint these attach to has a wide range of movement. They can stretch all the way back, and allow for great posing. The legs also fold in a tiny bit but I forgot to get pictures of this. Each shoulder also has a small amount of pre-paint detailing for the little notches.
Front Legs:
This elbow-like joint has a wide range of motion. A little too much, maybe! It can bend back so far it looks broken, but personally I love that they allowed that much.
Paws:
The Murasame Liger's paws look excellent, though there's some minor paint bleed. Typical for any pre-painted figure, really. The bottom is also designed to permit for the pile banker to push into it a little, so as to maximize the range of motion.
Pile Banker:
While I didn't get comparison shots the pile bankers on the front legs are fully functional, which is amazing! Here you see the bolt sticking out a bit at the top. It can actually slide all the way down!
Back Legs:
The knee joints here aren't quite as articulated but it works fine for what it is. The kick back of the lower legs works a lot better.
Body:
Murasame Liger's body is split into three different sections. This allows it to bend a decent amount to the side, as well as up and down.
Murasame Blade:
The Murasame Liger's blade is the best designed of any figure this Zoid has seen! One of the biggest disappointment of the motorized kit was that the blade wasn't fully articulated, but the new adjustments are so, so amazing. It rotates along the rail to both sides, as well as twists and extends along the blade hilt. The blade can even turn forwards or backwards.
The blade is pre-painted silver, with the black text inkwashed to accent the details. It's hard to pick this up on camera but the shine of the blade is fantastic, and easily my favorite thing about this Zoid.
Tail:
Murasame Liger's tail is actually composed of a wire. This allows for it to be bent into whatever pose that you like. This is nice, but also provides some resistance. It may slowly shift back into the pose it was before. The plus side is that it's more than capable of holding up the tail blades and holds its pose over long periods once it has settled in those initial few seconds. You'll also notice that the blue plate above it rises and lowers to allow tail movement.
