EX Model

Extllabor

Kit Review

Straight build

EX Model Extllabor - Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's a decent size. (1/2) EX Model Extllabor - Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's a decent size. (2/2)

Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's a decent size.

EX Model Extllabor (1/2) EX Model Extllabor (2/2)

EX Model Extllabor (1/2) EX Model Extllabor (2/2)

EX Model Extllabor (1/2) EX Model Extllabor (2/2)

EX Model Extllabor - Head (?), arms, and legs. (1/3) EX Model Extllabor - Head (?), arms, and legs. (2/3) EX Model Extllabor - Head (?), arms, and legs. (3/3)

Head (?), arms, and legs.

EX Model Extllabor - Rear duct

Rear duct

EX Model Extllabor - View from below

View from below

EX Model Extllabor - The machine gun section. The ammo belt is made of soft rubber, but the angle it bends at is a bit awkwar EX Model Extllabor - The machine gun section. The ammo belt is made of soft rubber, but the angle it bends at is a bit awkwar

The machine gun section. The ammo belt is made of soft rubber,
but the angle it bends at is a bit awkward, so the attachment points tend to pop off easily.

EX Model Extllabor - The legs move with fairly good flexibility thanks to three joints.

The legs move with fairly good flexibility thanks to three joints.

EX Model Extllabor - Tilted to the side

Tilted to the side

EX Model Extllabor - Forward/backward range of motion for the legs (1/2) EX Model Extllabor - Forward/backward range of motion for the legs (2/2)

Forward/backward range of motion for the legs

EX Model Extllabor - The head (or whatever we should call it) can also rotate.

The head (or whatever we should call it) can also rotate.

EX Model Extllabor - The periscope-like part is a swappable piece that lets you recreate the stowed position.

The periscope-like part is a swappable piece that lets you recreate the stowed position.

EX Model Extllabor - The claw section on the arm can be swapped between a closed and open form.

The claw section on the arm can be swapped between a closed and open form.

EX Model Extllabor - Open hand and closed hand. (1/2) EX Model Extllabor - Open hand and closed hand. (2/2)

Open hand and closed hand.

EX Model Extllabor - The claw hand is on a ball joint, so it moves with a decent range of motion.

The claw hand is on a ball joint, so it moves with a decent range of motion.

EX Model Extllabor - You can plug a rubber pipe into the back of the machine gun to recreate the look of it connected to a po EX Model Extllabor - You can plug a rubber pipe into the back of the machine gun to recreate the look of it connected to a po

You can plug a rubber pipe into the back of the machine gun to recreate the look of it connected to a power cable, just like in the show —
but that's all you get;; It'd be nice if there was something on the other end of the cable to connect it to... but nope, just the wire.

EX Model Extllabor - Together with the EX Labor command vehicle in the same 1/35 scale.

Together with the EX Labor command vehicle in the same 1/35 scale.

EX Model Extllabor - A group photo with the Ingram Reactive Armor types that appear alongside it in Patlabor: The Movie 2. (1 EX Model Extllabor - A group photo with the Ingram Reactive Armor types that appear alongside it in Patlabor: The Movie 2. (2 EX Model Extllabor - A group photo with the Ingram Reactive Armor types that appear alongside it in Patlabor: The Movie 2. (3

A group photo with the Ingram Reactive Armor types that appear alongside it in Patlabor: The Movie 2.

EX Model Extllabor - MG Ingram + EX Patlabor Mecha Series group photo. They go together really well since they're the same sc

MG Ingram + EX Patlabor Mecha Series group photo.
They go together really well since they're the same scale.

This kit is the "Extllabor," a mech that appears in Patlabor: The Movie 2, made in 1993. Unlike the sitcom-like feel of the TV series or OVA, the Patlabor theatrical films are consistently heavy in theme and tone — and the second film feels like the weightiest of them all.

The story deals with themes that feel like they're really meant for adults (it's got that kind of vibe, lol) — things like the PKO dispatch issue, the Self-Defense Forces, militarism, betrayal of one's country, government cover-ups, and so on. But regardless, it's undeniably a great work. Even if you watch it thinking of it as a story-driven film rather than an anime, it's pretty engaging, far from lightweight, and packed with thematic depth. And of course, being an Oshii Mamoru production, it's entertaining too. Personally, it's the most memorable of the Patlabor trilogy for me.

Anyway, in the film, the Ingrams dressed in reserve military uniforms (-_-) raid a location to take down the final boss (;), and the Extllabor is the unmanned mech defending that place. It doesn't have the biggest role in the story, but it does leave a bit of an impression. It's definitely the kind of item that makes sense to release as an EX kit, right?

The kit itself is a solid mecha kit — three-jointed legs, ball-jointed claw hands, machine gun, and so on. All the mechanical features that need to be there are well executed. The detail level is pretty standard for a mecha kit, and like most EX kits, the main appeal is simply that the Extllabor is now available as an injection-molded kit.

The one downside is that the leg joints are a bit loose, so the body tends to sag — which makes it tricky to hold tighter poses. (Though what exactly counts as a "tight pose" for this thing...?!?;;;) The rubber ammo belt also has a bit too much spring to it, so it keeps popping off. Other than that, the overall quality seems pretty decent.

If you've got the MG Ingram Reactive Armor Type, or if Patlabor: The Movie 2 left a strong impression on you, this is a great item to display alongside the Ingram. (On the flip side, if neither of those applies to you, I'm not sure I'd really recommend it.)

EX Model Extllabor | 2002.10 | ¥2,800 | 1/35

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.