Kit Review

Straight build +
panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Torso close-up. The color separation on the torso is pretty solid.

Head.

Back section

Legs

1/100 Gundam Kyrios - The color separation on the 1/100 Kyrios feels comparatively lacking. Especially the middle section of

The color separation on the 1/100 Kyrios feels comparatively lacking.
Especially the middle section of the shoulders — it should all be gray, and they definitely could've separated it out.
And looking at how Exia and Dynames handled their color separation, it was clearly doable.. Such a shame.

Rifle.

The shield's transformation. Pretty similar to the HG but a bit more refined.

The beam saber is stored behind the butt skirt.

1/100 Gundam Kyrios - There is a gimmick where the shoulders spread out slightly to the sides, but it barely moves at all so

There is a gimmick where the shoulders spread out slightly to the sides, but it barely moves at all so you can hardly tell..;

The folding articulation on the arms and legs is quite good. Probably because it's a transforming kit.

Action poses.
The leg articulation and joint strength are much better than the HG.

Rifle mounted on the arm

Beam saber action

Mounted on Action Base 1. Much more dynamic, right?

Kyrios's signature claw action

Transformation

First, fold the wings on the sides of the head and fold the crest back.

Spread the stabilizers on the back out fully and open the small wings.

1/100 Gundam Kyrios - Raise the shoulders up and rotate the arms 90 degrees. The locking parts for the shoulders and stabiliz

Raise the shoulders up and rotate the arms 90 degrees.
The locking parts for the shoulders and stabilizers that were on the HG are not included on the 1/100. A bit of a head-scratcher.

Rotate the legs and feet to get the pose set..

1/100 Gundam Kyrios - Spread the legs apart and plug the locking part into the crotch area. The separate locking part clips i

Spread the legs apart and plug the locking part into the crotch area.
The separate locking part clips in nice and securely.

Open the wings..

Move the shield's mounting point to the upper position. This is something that wasn't on the HG.

Attach the shield and rifle and the transformation is complete.

1/100 Gundam Kyrios - The transformed mode. It's quite a bit longer than you'd expect — feels like it's nearly 30cm. The tran

The transformed mode. It's quite a bit longer than you'd expect — feels like it's nearly 30cm.
The transformation looks similar to the Zeta's, but it's slimmer and longer.

The underside. Yeah, the pose is a bit ugly from this angle..;

1/100 Gundam Kyrios - The cockpit-shaped section on the stabilizer has a neat little treatment. You stick a shiny green stick

The cockpit-shaped section on the stabilizer has a neat little treatment.
You stick a shiny green sticker on the bottom and then press a clear part on top of it.
It gives a really nice sense of depth — pretty clever approach.

Enjoy it from various angles..

From the side it's incredibly slim.

Comparison with the HG Kyrios. Not much improvement in terms of color separation.

The Kyrios trio, now with the FG joining the gang.

Together with the 1/100 Exia/Dynames.

Straight build

One after another, this time Gundam Kyrios gets the 1/100 treatment. The HG was pretty decent, but the 1/100 is definitely a step up. First off, one of the main complaints about the HG — the leg joints — has been greatly improved. The HG's legs were a bit awkward to pose and the range of motion felt somewhat limited.. but the 1/100 is much more natural, with better ground contact and sturdier joints. Very satisfying.

That said, the color separation feels a bit lacking compared to other 1/100 kits. In particular, the center of the shoulders should be all gray.. they definitely could've done it, but they just left it white, which is a real shame since it's pretty noticeable. On top of that, this suit has a lot of small details throughout the design that should be gray, so you'll need to do spot painting in quite a few places to get the proper colors. I went back and forth on whether to do spot painting myself.. but since I've been consistently doing just panel lining on the 1/100s, I ended up skipping it.
There are quite a few spots that need painting, but none of them are particularly difficult, so it's not a big deal..

Anyway, the overall proportions are noticeably sleeker, and the joint strength and articulation — which matter even more on a transforming kit — are definitely solid selling points. Design-wise, the added panel lines give it a pretty detailed look, but after doing the panel lining I did wonder if it might be a bit too busy..

One other weird thing — in the HG, there's a locking part between the shoulder and the stabilizer that lets them connect really solidly. But in the 1/100, that part is left out, so the fit is a bit iffy. Especially once the stabilizer folds forward, there's no real locking mechanism, so it feels a little loose, and the shoulder angle doesn't feel like it locks in firmly. Normally you'd expect the 1/100 to have the locking mechanism and the HG to go without — so why it ended up the other way around is a bit...

Honestly, in terms of gimmicks and color separation, it feels like a small step down from the earlier 1/100 Exia and Dynames — but the spectacular look in transformed mode more than makes up for those complaints. The transformation is similar to the Zeta's, but it can transform into something much thinner and longer. The length after transformation is nearly 30cm, giving it this lo~ng, slender silhouette.

There are areas where it falls short compared to various earlier kits, and a few things that leave you wanting more, but overall the quality is satisfying. And since it's a transforming kit, not having to deal with loose joints is a very big plus! :-)

1/100 Gundam Kyrios | 2008. 1 | ¥2,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.