Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
It's a pretty compact little thing.

Various angles

Detail shots

Accessories include a rifle, an open left hand, and a stand joint part.

The stand joint part attaches securely to the back of the hip joint.

The arm-extension gimmick for the punch is also reproduced.

The scope can slide left/right and rotate.
Unfortunately, the cockpit hatch doesn't open.

There are 3 spare PET stickers for the scope.

The leg gimmick for achieving the down form

HG Scopedog - You can pull off a pretty natural-looking down form. (1/3)

You can pull off a pretty natural-looking down form.

The ball joints at the hips and shoulders tend to pop out during posing..

Decent articulation given the design

The shoulder joints are surprisingly flexible.

You can lean the upper body forward.

The ankles are flexible too, though getting the angle just right is a bit tricky.

HG Scopedog - Various dynamic action poses (1/7)

HG Scopedog - Various dynamic action poses (2/7)

HG Scopedog - Various dynamic action poses (3/7)

HG Scopedog - Various dynamic action poses (4/7)

HG Scopedog - Various dynamic action poses (5/7)

Various dynamic action poses

Punch pose

Together with the 1/20 Scopedog released in 2007.

It's roughly the same size as a 1/144 Gundam.

Together with the HG Dragonar-1 & Vifam.
They've all been scaled to roughly the same size.

This kit is the Armored Trooper Votoms Scopedog released in HG grade. Just like the previously releasedHG Dragonar-1 Plus Lifter-1 and HG Vifam with Sling Pannierit's a kit that brings an older mech up to modern quality standards. It matches a similar size to those previous HG Gunpla kits, with clean molded colors and solid proportions.

First off, the excellent molded colors and color separation give it a great-looking straight build. The plastic feels smooth and the assembly is pretty stress-free, though since it's polycap-less, the joints feel a little stiff. Also, the ball-joint hips and shoulders tend to pop out during posing. The joint strength itself is fine, but they have a tendency to come apart easily once you push slightly past the range of motion.

Articulation is decent enough given the design, and the shoulder joints in particular are surprisingly flexible, which really helps with posing. The internal leg gimmick is also reproduced, so you can pull off the signature down form without too much trouble. That said, actually getting into the down form is easier said than done — with so many moving parts and somewhat inconsistent joint strength, it takes a while to dial in the right angles. As a bonus gimmick, the arm-extension for the punch is also included, along with an open left hand and a stand joint part that holds on nice and firmly.

Overall it's a nicely done kit that lives up to modern HG quality standards, but personally I'm a bit disappointed that the cockpit hatch open gimmick wasn't included. The price also feels a little steep for what you get — at ¥2,500, the box is surprisingly slim and some people might be caught off guard by that. The box is actually thinner and the runners look smaller in volume than some of the recent ¥1,000 EG kits, which I suppose you just have to chalk up to licensing costs..

Anyway, for old-school fans, this is definitely a kit worth recommending just for the chance to build a neat little Scopedog. And even if you're a newer fan who's never heard of Votoms, if the design appeals to you, I think you'll have plenty of fun with it :-)

HG Scopedog | 2023.10 | ¥2,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.