Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + decals

Close-up shots of the body. You can see the verniers have been changed here and there.

Backpack

Arms and legs. Even more verniers, and bigger ones too.

Outer armor removed

The inner frame. Not exactly impressive.. ^^;

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - Hatch open. The RRR Layzner's hatches only open a tiny bit, so the hatch-open shots don't lo

Hatch open.
The RRR Layzner's hatches only open a tiny bit, so the hatch-open shots don't look all that cool. OTL

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - Cockpit open. I painted the seat and figure on the standard version, but for this enhanced v

Cockpit open. I painted the seat and figure on the standard version, but for this enhanced version I just left them as-is. *cough*

Arm hatch open. These barely open either!

The leg hatch open — only opens a crack.

The rear leg Calf Missiles are carried over as-is.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - The inner frame behind the hatches looks decent enough.. but since the hatches barely open,

The inner frame behind the hatches looks decent enough.. but since the hatches barely open, you actually have to remove them entirely to get a decent-looking shot.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - The enhanced version comes with four 1/48 figures. Clearly an attempt to differentiate it a

The enhanced version comes with four 1/48 figures. Clearly an attempt to differentiate it a bit from the standard version..

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - Leftover parts. Some parts from the standard version that couldn't be separated out via syst

Leftover parts. Some parts from the standard version that couldn't be separated out via system injection remain unused.

Action poses. The articulation isn't great, so posing options are pretty limited.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - A stand is pretty much essential if you want to get any decent poses out of the Layzner. It

A stand is pretty much essential if you want to get any decent poses out of the Layzner.
It is compatible with a generic Action Base, but the part that plugs into the crotch
doesn't quite fit right and ends up a bit loose. (Poor Layzner, getting the short end of the stick in every way T_T)

Stand action poses.

Recreating the action pose from the manual cover.

Standard version vs. Enhanced version.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - The enhanced version kit actually has quite a few changes compared to the standard, but at a

The enhanced version kit actually has quite a few changes compared to the standard.
But at a glance you'd barely notice. -_-;
You really have to look closely at each section.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - First, a head comparison. The structures on the sides of the head are larger on the enhanced

First, a head comparison. The structures on the sides of the head are larger on the enhanced version, and the shape has changed to a more rectangular form.

On the front of the body, the ducts, verniers, and handle(?) have been changed.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - There are quite a few changes to the arms. The shoulder, shoulder armor, forearm, and hand a

There are quite a few changes to the arms. The shoulder, shoulder armor, forearm, and hand armor have all been revised,
and the pipe at the inner wrist joint has been removed on the enhanced version.

The center of the backpack has completely different molding as well.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - The verniers have changed too.. oddly enough, the enhanced version's verniers are actually s

The verniers have changed too.. oddly enough, the enhanced version's verniers are actually smaller;;

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - The legs are where the differences are most noticeable. Verniers have been added and made la

The legs are where the differences are most noticeable. Verniers have been added and made larger.

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner - A collection of all three RRR kits. The quality direction of this series is still a bit hard

A collection of all three RRR kits. The quality direction of this series is still a bit hard to pin down.

Straight build

Bandai's ambitious project to reimagine classic robots with modern technology — the RRR (Real Robot Revolution) series — reaches its third entry with the New Layzner (Enhanced Layzner). As you can tell at a glance, it's a straightforward variation of the existing standard Layzner.

The basic structure is identical to the existing RRR Layzner, with only some of the outer armor changed, so RRR
1/48 Layzner Reviewplease refer to that for the full breakdown. Now, about those changed armor parts — they're based on the official design specs, and there are actually quite a few changes, but the problem is that they're not very obvious at first glance. ^^;

The changed points include the details on both sides of the head, the chest ducts, various ducts and verniers on the arms, verniers on the legs, and the backpack details and verniers — easily a dozen or so areas in total. However, none of the design changes are dramatic; it's mostly about adding and enlarging verniers to improve mobility. So at a casual glance, you really can't tell the standard and enhanced versions apart. You'd need to already know what differences to look for and examine them closely to spot them.

In the end, it honestly feels like a variation that was knocked out pretty easily by reusing existing work. Sure, you could argue it's a natural release of two versions since both units exist in the official lore — but there's just not much personality to distinguish it.

More than anything, I think the real issue was the pretty harsh reception the RRR series' first entry, the Layzner, received. The articulation was absolutely terrible for a modern kit, the joints were stiff in a very un-Bandai-like way, and the inner frame was underwhelming — it was bound to disappoint anyone expecting MG-level quality. Sure, nothing of this quality had ever existed for the Layzner before, so the kit has its own reason to exist — but it really felt like Bandai had missed the mark somehow. Like they misread what consumers actually wanted.

Maybe that's why — if you look closely at the runners, you'll notice something interesting. The runners shared with the existing RRR Layzner kit are sealed in heat-sealed bags, while the bags containing the new enhanced-version runners are just loosely closed with tape. This has led to suspicion that sales of the standard RRR Layzner were so poor that Bandai collected the unsold standard runners, threw in the enhanced-version runners alongside them, and repackaged the whole thing with just a strip of tape. In other words, they essentially rereleased the standard Layzner kit as the enhanced version by swapping out some of the contents.

Whatever the case, it seems like it was Bandai's last-ditch measure, and I'd hope they took some lessons from the whole RRR Layzner situation. The unfortunate part is that the rocky start has probably cast a shadow over the future releases of many other real robot kits we were hoping to see. Still, for mecha fans, the hope is that the RRR series keeps going so we can get our hands on more kits down the line.

I ended up talking more about market dynamics and the product's situation than the kit itself — but anyway, the RRR Layzner is something of an ill-fated kit. The stiff, unsmooth joints and assembly feel — reminiscent of early Kotobukiya kits — are honestly still pretty bad. Don't expect that satisfying, snappy "click" feel of parts fitting together just right. If anything, this is a kit that'll leave your hands a little sore.

That said, once you've built it, detailed it, and set it on a shelf, it does have a certain presence that's hard to deny. In particular, if you were thinking of picking up one RRR Layzner, the enhanced version is probably the better deal — it comes with a few more parts and two extra figures. Sadly, the fate of the RRR Layzner Enhanced seems to be little more than a slightly sweetened repackaging of the standard version to clear out old stock.

Even so, Bandai — take what you've learned from the RRR Layzner and keep pushing forward to give us a great next RRR release! :-)

RRR E-SPT-LZ-00X-B New Layzner | 2007. 3 | ¥4,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.