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- HMM-037 Psycho Geno Saurer
Number of Pieces: 544 | Number of Frames: 48 | Additional Figures: Rease, Hiltz, Specular, Ambient
Psycho Geno Saurer is another Zoid variation that had never before been released as a figure or model kit. While they stayed true to the anime palette (ignoring the fact that an accurate blue would be nearly impossible) they really took it a step beyond with the weapons. What were once simple square-shaped 8 shot missile pods have been evolved into a Phantom Projection Apparatus with a radically modified design that is unlike anything we've seen on other Zoids.
The stunning box art references a scene in Episode 49: The Distant Stars where Rease uses the Psycho Geno Saurer's pods to project ghostly images of the Zoids Raven is to fight.
I've heard a lot of mixed reviews for Geno Zoids. I've only got the Geno Saurer and Geno Breaker RS and they seem relatively ok but both have missing parts problems. The Psycho Geno Saurer has a lot of loose parts than the average Koto Zoid but they are almost all parts that can be easily glued. The kit also features the additional parts that were released with the Raven Versions that allow the electrostatic claw pose and a more accurate Charged Particle Cannon. It's hard to say how the kit will hold up later but for now it seems sturdy enough.
Color-wise the only marbling on the kit is in the greyscale parts. The unique colors are very solid thanks to plentiful paint mixing.
Pros:
-Unique variant not seen in other model kits
-Able to hold its own weight without sulking
-Additional figures that aren't Zoid-pilot specific
-Beautiful colors not seen in other kits
-Two colors for the projectors
Cons:
-Many loose parts that may need to be glued
-Marbling on all gray parts
- Additional Figures
Psycho Geno Saurer doesn't only come with the Rease figures that pilot-customs usually do, but comes with the first ever Specula figure. Hiltz and Ambient are also included -- which is interesting. I guess that means there's no plan to release a Death Stinger or a Toge Sniper. Hiltz is strictly a stand-up figure, there is no sitting version included. The Organoids come in a packaged box with no text on it.
- Box Art
Gimmicks
- Mouth and Particle Cannon
When the mouth is open the particle gun can be moved up and down on a separate hinge joint, meaning it can either be moved to the top or the bottom of the mouth. The jaws open a bit too far, in my opinion, but of course you don't have to keep them posed like that.
- Head Movement
Geno's head can move very far up and down and also rotate pretty much 360 degrees because of the way that it attaches to the neck. This really makes the poses more dynamic. I am not sure if I put the neck itself together wrong but I could not get it to actually move up and down, although it felt like it was supposed to. It may be restricted by the cables that run through the two back rings
- Neck Panels
Two ridges on the back of the neck are meant to flip upwards, though they don't fall flat very naturally. It is a little annoying getting them to look even. Unfortunately the panel on the bottom of the neck is stationary and does not rotate.
- Leg Joints
Both the arms and the legs are on the same kind of joint, which is a silver disc attached between the limb and the body. Not only can they rotate 360 degrees but they can also pivot inwards or outwards. The range of motion here is very nice and doesn't make the limbs look too unnaturally far away from the body.
- Elbow
Moves up and down. The range is of course restricted by the armor hitting the pipe of the arm, but that's to be expected. I forgot to take photos of it but the arm also attachs on a peg just above the elbow joint so the arm itself can rotate inwards or outwards.
- Wrists
... Crap forgot to take more photos. Well, the rest is shown here moving up and down a little but since it attaches to a ball joint the hands can also turn sideways and such. You can see the ball joint that the hands attach to in the third photo. It is very small and while the range of motion is great it can pop off pretty easily. The ball joint is attached to a peg that can be removed and you can use a replacement part seen in the later photos to represent the electrostatic claws.
- Claws
The two claws are separately articulated and have a gold gear between them. They can move up and down very far and the thumb also has its own range of movement that is independent from the other claws.
- Knee
The legs are absolutely coated in armor so the range of movement can be limited and hard to see in photos. You can see the hinge joint motion here. Also worth noting that the way the leg armor folds together is very unstable and prone to coming apart while posting the Zoid. Be attentive of how you hold it and try to hold it by the 'frame' underneath of the armor only. The knee armor itself is separate from the rest and can rotate up and down so that the legs don't look too broken while posing.
- Foot
The feet attach to a ball joint where they can rotate up and down (pictured). They should be able to tilt sideways, too, but with so many fiddly pieces around that area I had a hard time getting them to do so. As you can see in later photos the claws have a very wide range of motion and are all separate.
- Anchors
We're all used to the foot locks used in the anime but in the Kotobukiya version of these Zoids the side-panel of the foot is also meant to be used as an achor, with a jutted edge for better traction. It locks onto the ground just like the foot locks themselves do.
- Boosters
These two panels on the back of the leg flip open to reveal the boosters (which, well, aren't covered in the first place but it's a nice thought-). Because of the assembly these come off very easily. The 'bolts' that attach them to the front of the leg armor don't just come loose but they also come off of the hinge joints quite often as well. The boosters themselves are attached to a U-pipe that grants them a small range of motion.
- Pulse Laser Guns
I really like the design of these guns and how they encorporated diferent color tones. The pieces between them are silver with a blue armor on top but the guns themselves are made up mostly of flat gray plastic. Photos make them look shinier than they are. At any rate, both guns rotate independantly and the entire setup can swivel around on a peg.
- Tail Vents
What would a Geno be without the Charged Particle Gun? The Psycho is no different. At the very base of the tail are two giant frills that flip outwards. These aren't on any other segment of the tail. Aside from that every segment, including the first one have a vent on the top and bottom of the tail that open up. They flip backwards abnormally far and have two prongs in between the vent and the tail that can be positioned at different angles. Unfortunately the panel on the very top of the vents is loose and comes off often while trying to open them up. I recommend glue. It won't hinder movement here.
- Tail
Each segment of the tail is attached to a hinge that allows a minimal swing in either direction. The third segment of my Geno's tail wouldn't go together all of the way for some reason, even if it is very securely built.
- Phantom Projectors
These are the boxes seen in the anime. While they were used to emit smoke they shared the same shape as an 8-Shot Missile Box and were, well, very boring, design wise. They have been radically overhauled and now have amazing detail, complete with 'lenses' for them to project from. The two doors open vertically instead of horizontally and contain clear plastic. I was iffy about how these would look in person but really they look quite nice. The sprues for them are also given in two different colors: Pink and blue. There are enough parts to build them both in the same color but I chose to have each one a separate color. Vents in the back have been added to maintain the anime reference.
