1. Introduction
The "Hybrid" in HY2M stands for combining different technologies together — essentially a mashup of various engineering approaches. The defining feature of the HY2M lineup is its LED lighting system. The most common product is the HY2M Light-Up Headset, which sells three MG heads as a set. And then there's the other jaw-dropping series — the 1/60 big-scale HY2M Glorious series.
The HY2M Glorious series kits were each limited to 8,000 units and released without much fanfare, so quite a few people probably missed them entirely. Information about what they looked like and how they were structured was very limited, and honestly I wasn't sure what to make of them myself — I figured I'd just take a chance and grab one. When it first arrived I was surprised by the massive box that dwarfs even a regular PG box... then a little disappointed by the plain, yellowish cardboard packaging, but once I opened it up and saw the contents, the sheer volume and quality blew me away all over again.
2. Volume / Proportions
First of all, the Rick-Dom is already known for its chunky volume, and now it's in 1/60 scale — so the individual parts for the legs, torso, and everything else are seriously large. The finished model has a presence that feels like it surpasses even the recently released MG Perfect Zeong, which caused quite a stir. The Perfect Zeong (as you can see in the photos above) is tall but gets narrower toward the top, giving it a somewhat odd silhouette — whereas the Rick-Dom has a full, well-rounded, and stable volume throughout. I think the photos speak for themselves.
Honestly, since this isn't part of Bandai's regular lineup but rather an outside development, I wasn't expecting much in terms of proportions or molded color (having been burned before by the baffling quality of the 1/400 White Base). But the HY2M Glorious Rick-Dom is different. The molded colors are excellent overall, and despite the large plastic panels, everything came out smooth and even without any warping or inconsistencies. Some of the outer armor pieces also use an under-gate system. The odd thing is that some panels use under-gates and others don't — it's a bit puzzling what the criteria was — but hey, it's better than nothing ^^;
The proportions are also excellent, really capturing the feel of the Rick-Dom. Overall, it gives the impression of an MG Rick-Dom simply blown up in scale. The proportions, articulation, and level of detail are all very much on par with MG. Since it's the same scale as PG, comparisons are inevitable — but there's no inner frame here. The internal structure is actually less substantial than MG, which makes sense given all the LED wiring packed inside. But once it's finished and on display, you can't see the inner frame anyway, so it fits right in alongside PGs with no issues. In fact, it's arguably the most imposing kit in terms of sheer bulk, putting all the other PGs to shame. Just the fact that the Rick-Dom has been rendered so cleanly at 1/60 big scale is enough — it simply dominates everything else in terms of volume.
3. Articulation / Joints
Articulation isn't quite at PG level, but for such a chunky build it's surprisingly capable — you can pull off some convincing action poses. Most non-PG 1/60 kits don't have fully articulated fingers, but this Rick-Dom does, and that's a big plus for me. (The 1/100 MG Perfect Zeong is an exception...) The waist also uses a double joint with a pretty wide range of motion.
The internal joints are all secured with hex screws and nuts at the key connection points, allowing you to adjust joint strength to support the large body. In other words, you can tune the tightness or looseness yourself during assembly. That's why there are no polycaps used at all. This screw-adjustable joint system was already used in the PG Wing Zero Custom, but it's a bit different here — the adjustment screws on the Rick-Dom are noticeably larger.
The screw adjustment does compensate for joint strength to a reasonable degree, but there's an inherent characteristic of this type of joint where the kit just feels a little... wobbly somehow. It's hard to describe — like the limbs have a kind of loose, rattly feel to them... (that probably makes even less sense -_-;;) Anyway, it's something you'd have to feel for yourself, but the joints don't move smoothly — they creak and grind a bit. I suppose if they moved smoothly they'd be too loose? The PG Wing Zero Custom just felt "stiff," but the HY2M Rick-Dom has that stiffness combined with a slightly rattly quality, which is a little off-putting.
That said, if something this big were actually floppy, it'd be a real disaster — thankfully it's not. ^^;
4. Assembly Process and What You'll Need
If you've looked through the Joint section, you'll have a sense of this already — the HY2M Glorious is not an easy build. It's a different beast from PG or MG where you just clip off parts and follow the instructions. The trickiest part is definitely the wiring and connections, and the manual isn't exactly hand-holding — it's more of a "figure it out yourself" situation. And the sheer amount of wiring is considerable.
First off, the biggest stumbling block right at the start will probably be the hex wrenches. You'll need two sizes — 1.5mm and 2.5mm — and the problem is these cheap little tools are NOT included with the kit! A screwdriver is common enough that it's fine to leave out, but hex wrenches aren't something most people have lying around unless they work in a technical field, so you'll need to go buy them at a hardware store. As it happens (?) my job is in electronics, so I had all sorts of odd tools on hand and just used what I had — but if you've never dealt with hex wrenches before, this could catch you off guard. It's especially frustrating that a kit this expensive can't even throw in a couple of cheap wrenches as a freebie. (What the heck...) For reference, the HY2M Gouf that came out after this does include the wrenches — so buying both together might actually be a reasonable option. (^^;;;)
Next, having a pair of needle-nose pliers will make your life much easier. (Needle-nose pliers are those thin, long-tipped plier-like tools.) There are countless times you'll need to thread wires through small tubes and clamp them down tight, and trying to do that with wide-jaw pliers is a pain. Some masking tape or scotch tape is also handy. You'll often need to temporarily hold wires in place, and with so many wires it gets chaotic fast. Taping them down as you go (it doesn't matter if they stay taped — you'll never need to open the armor again) helps keep things manageable.
One important tip when connecting wires: make sure to twist the wire ends properly — it makes for a better connection and prevents them from coming loose later. This applies to any kit with wiring. Some people split the wire end into two strands and twist them together like a braid, but that's not the best approach — the connection ends up a bit weak. Let me share the know-how of a seasoned engineer who twists wires all day... (follow along~) Grab the entire exposed metal wire end firmly with your fingers, then hold the rubber insulation with your other hand and simply spin it around. Twist it enough and the whole wire winds together into a nice, tight, solid end. (See theJoint section photos for reference.) It takes a little practice, but after a few tries you'll realize this method is much stronger. (When new hires join my team, I have them practice a hundred wires in a day and they become pros. -.-;)
With most kits that include wiring, you have to strip the insulation off the wire ends yourself and twist them yourself... but the HY2M series is thoughtful enough to come with the wire ends already slightly stripped. (Joint section photos Note) Now that's what I call a genuinely helpful tip. Instead of twisting each wire one by one like shown above, you can get a decent twist by just grabbing the slightly pulled-out insulation and slowly rotating it as you pull. That said, the very ends don't twist up completely, so you'll still need to combine that with the method mentioned above to get a really clean result.
The most important thing when assembling the HY2M Rick-Dom is that you absolutely must read the manual very carefully. You also need to follow the steps in the exact order given, or the assembly can get all tangled up later on. In particular, every time you install an LED, you should use the button cell battery as shown in the manual to check the connections step by step — if you skip this, you're going to run into serious trouble down the line..! The difficulty of this tedious work really peaks when you're finishing up the switch section on the upper body, so anyway... you need to be thorough, take it slow, and work carefully just as the manual says.
With a whopping 247 pieces — LEDs, metal parts, wires, screws, metal rings, and more — and a fairly complex assembly process, the HY2M Rick-Dom is hands down the most "demanding" build of any Gunpla kit out there. The time it takes to complete even surpasses a PG. That said, if you've been building Gunpla for years and have the experience to back it up, it's really just a matter of being fiddly and tedious — actually finishing it shouldn't be a major problem. Still, you'll want to stay a little on edge throughout.. ^^;
5. Light it up!
In the end, the HY2M is a kit that lives or dies by its lighting. ^_^
The glow from 17 vernier LEDs spread across the backpack, rear skirt, legs, and foot soles is... simply breathtaking. It's a feeling you just can't get from any other kit, and that uniqueness puts the HY2M Rick-Dom in a class of its own — nothing else even comes close. The way the light looks changes depending on your lighting conditions, and seeing it in person is so much more intense than any photo can capture. No matter how many times you look at it, it never stops being amazing..!
By comparison, the mono-eye and the chest light don't really leave that big of an impression. After all, even a PG can do that much as a baseline.
One more unique feature of the HY2M — the Hall IC.
A Hall IC is a type of non-contact sensor switch that allows current to flow when it detects a magnetic field of a certain strength nearby. For reference, it's very widely used as the switch that detects when a flip phone is closed and turns off the display. Price-wise, they run about 10–20 cents each. The name "Hall IC" might sound unfamiliar, but once you know what it is, it's actually something everyone carries around in their pocket every day.
Since my job is being a tech guy in the mobile phone industry, I got a little sidetracked there (-_-;) Anyway, the power switch on the HY2M headset uses this very Hall IC — and it's also used for the bazooka's power on the HY2M Rick-Dom. When the magnet hidden in the palm of the hand gets close to the Hall IC inside the bazooka grip, it lights up automatically. So when the left hand grabs the bazooka grip, it just turns on by itself — the first time you see it, it's seriously mind-blowing ^^;
And as you sit there watching more than 20 spots blazing away with dazzling LED light... all the pain of that wire-connecting grind just melts away and disappears..
6. Final Verdict!
Honestly, on a personal level — my day job already has me designing circuits, soldering, twisting wires, and making connections all day... so even if I'm used to it, coming home and doing the same thing felt a bit like, what am I even doing with my life.. But for someone who normally just builds regular Gunpla, this is probably quite a refreshing kit.
The hefty weight, the impressive bulk, the fantastic LED lighting — when you think about all that, it really is an incredibly unique kit. But the biggest hurdle is probably the steep price tag of ¥18,000. So from a value-for-money standpoint, opinions are bound to be all over the place. And the fact that it's not exactly a mainstream release and is limited production makes it a bit of a pain to track down as well.
Either way, the Rick-Dom — a fairly popular mobile suit — coming out in this massive scale with some wild technology thrown into the mix, and at a solid level of quality, is something to be genuinely grateful for in and of itself. ^^
Rick-Dom | 2003 | ¥18,000
AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.
