Status: HMM, I AM DISAPPOINT
Last Modified: 2014-01-06
First Posted: 2010-01-03
For the longest time, people have wanted an HMM Kong. Especially me! But now that it’s out, and I have built it, I’m kind of disappointed, because it did not overcome the worst qualities of HMM kits—the fragility*. I haven’t gotten around to it yet, but this one’s going to require serious amounts of glue just to keep it from shedding armor and fingers every time you look at it.
Pics still to come, if it can survive being photographed (don’t expect any exciting poses; I don’t have the patience). Screw it, just look at Dalong’s pics instead.
*For a kit this size, it’s as fragile and fiddly as the Molga or Command Wolf (two of the worst in this regard). Kotobukiya has shown they CAN build sturdy kits—look at Saber Tiger and Gun Sniper! That makes it even more disappointing that the Kong is so weak.
Before I got it in my mitts I told myself that if this kit was as fiddly as I feared, that I was going to quit HMMs. The level of detail is incredible, and the kits are beautiful, but they’re just too expensive and I’m too clumsy for this to be a good deal.
Xehn said:
I’d actually wondered, recently, whether the HMMs are really as bad as you seem to feel, or if it’s just an inexperience with Kotobukiya kits in general, compared to Gunpla and traditional Zoid kits…
Have you built any Koto stuff, before you got into HMMs?
May 30th, 2010 at 3:40 pm | #
then Xehn said:
…As an aside, that I forgot to include, my own experience with the wolf is quite happy, I didn’t have any problems with it being fragile or fiddly, beyond where hoses are involved…
May 30th, 2010 at 3:41 pm | #
then RCM said:
@Xehn: Good question! I built a couple Armored Core kits (after getting into HMM, I think). They were a little fiddly, but wouldn’t actually explode from prolonged touching. Even some MG Gundam kits are fiddlier than others (Exia, ugh), but in general are more sturdy than Koto kits. I’m not even playing with these… just trying to get a pose set up.
I also think I’ve gotten clumsier in the past couple years, which is why I’ve been sticking to figures (HCM-Pro, Robot Damashii) lately.
May 30th, 2010 at 5:53 pm | #
then Schuzrum Dias said:
Well, I was wondering whether or not to get this, and I stumble across your site. I guess I’ll be getting the Gun Sniper and Saber Tiger, then!
And good God, don’t even mention MG Exia.
July 20th, 2010 at 1:09 am | #
then RCM said:
@Schuzrum Dias: Kong and Exia are tied for most explody kits ever. :(
July 20th, 2010 at 3:40 am | #
then mzz said:
I do have the liger zero hmm kit, the only problems I have with it is that its white armour pieces fall off and the tail, but the liger zero hmm required no glue and it looks great, very articulated. I also have the hmm command wolf, it’s also really cool. Should I order the iron kong? Will I have to glue parts?
August 10th, 2012 at 4:32 am | #
then RCM said:
@mzz: I really don’t know if I can recommend this one. It’s really expensive, the box is so huge that shipping will kill you, and then there’s the whole thing where it’s totally fragile. There probably will be a lot of parts that need gluing, but I never got around to figuring out exactly which ones. I was too mad after I built it, and haven’t touched it in over a year and a half.
About the fragility thing, I honestly don’t know if it really is that fragile, or if I’m just too clumsy for model kits anymore :(
August 12th, 2012 at 9:19 pm | #
then mzz said:
Oh ok. I am probably going for the blade liger and the Schneider unit. You should really try getting the liger zero hmm, it’s really worth it.
August 13th, 2012 at 3:01 am | #
then Steven Dolce said:
How come the Iron Kong doesn’t use his middle finger in the show?
November 26th, 2013 at 1:29 pm | #
then RCM said:
@Steven: 1) I dunno if “the bird” is a thing in Japan, 2) that would totally not fly on a kid’s show in the US.
But any toy/model I get with fully articulated hands, it’s the first thing I do.
January 6th, 2014 at 10:22 pm | #
then Steven Dolce said:
What do you mean when you said “that would totally not fly on a kid’s show in the US”?
April 9th, 2014 at 1:48 pm | #
then RCM said:
@Steven: you can’t show someone giving the middle finger on a kid’s show in the US. Or any show. It’ll get blurred out on adult shows. Because of our delicate sensibilities.
May 8th, 2014 at 9:58 am | #