Kit Review

Straight build + decals

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Size comparison with the jeep. It's quite a bit smaller and more compact than you'd ex

Size comparison with the jeep. It's quite a bit smaller and more compact than you'd expect..

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Close-up shots of each figure (1/4)

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Close-up shots of each figure (2/4)

Close-up shots of each figure

View from a slightly different angle

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The highlight of this kit is definitely the jeep. It's got a pretty futuristic design

The highlight of this kit is definitely the jeep. It's got a pretty futuristic design to it.
It goes by the rather odd name of "Principality of Zeon Light Reconnaissance Vehicle PVN.3/2 Sauropelter",
but at the end of the day it's still just a "jeep".. ^^;

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The cockpit area. With decals only on the driver's seat, it feels a bit bare.. The mol

The cockpit area. With decals only on the driver's seat, it feels a bit bare.. The molding is decent enough though.

There's actually quite a bit of color separation done in the smaller details.

Details of the front and rear

Details of both sides

Front and rear bumpers

Shot of the underside. Pretty detailed, right?

Detail of the area under the rear wheels

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Detail of the area under the front wheels. Even the stabilizer bar connecting both whe

Detail of the area under the front wheels. Even the stabilizer bar connecting both wheels is nicely represented.

The front wheels can also be steered.

Open up the front hood and there's a spare tire inside.

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Open the rear cover and there's a canvas roof stored inside. Oh, of course it's not ac

Open the rear cover and there's a canvas roof stored inside.
Oh, of course it's not actual fabric — it's just the shape molded in plastic~
If you cut paper to match the template shown in the manual, you can actually make a fabric-style roof cover for it.

The front windshield can be folded forward, just like on a real jeep.

The windshield folded down

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The machine gun mounted on the right side can be repositioned upward by moving its sup

The machine gun mounted on the right side can be repositioned upward by moving its support bracket.

With the windshield folded down and the machine gun deployed

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The part on the left side is a choice assembly — you get two options, one with an ante

The part on the left side is a choice assembly —
you get two options, one with an antenna and one without.
Not exactly the most exciting option out there.. like, did they really need to include this..

True to its Gunpla(?) nature, you end up with a bunch of leftover accessories.

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - You can always make use of those leftover accessories by loading them onto the vehicle

You can always make use of those leftover accessories by loading them onto the vehicle like this..

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Size comparison with other UCHG mechanics. Fits perfectly in the hover truck's cargo b

Size comparison with other UCHG mechanics. Fits perfectly in the hover truck's cargo bed!!

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The dreaded figure decaling. You have to cut that frog pattern into roughly 5mm x 5mm

The dreaded figure decaling. You have to cut that frog pattern into roughly 5mm x 5mm pieces and apply them one by one.
Cotton swabs are an absolute must, and you'll need a fair amount of patience to pull this off;;

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - And here's the completed frog-suit soldier figure. His name is listed as Squad Leader

And here's the completed frog-suit soldier figure.
His name is listed as Squad Leader "James Huang". Is he Korean??
Anyway, just this one figure alone took forever to put together.
You might wonder why I bothered applying decals if I wasn't going to paint it, but hey, that's up to whoever's building it -_-)r

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Up close though.. it looks a bit rough from all that patching together. Think of it as

Up close though.. it looks a bit rough from all that patching together.
Think of it as a "rose button" and please view from a distance.. ^^;
("Rose button" 長美短醜: looks beautiful from far away, but ugly up close..;)

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The figure of the pot-bellied fellow, Second Lieutenant Mikhail Kaminsky. Apparently h

The figure of the pot-bellied fellow, Second Lieutenant Mikhail Kaminsky.
Apparently he was modeled after Master Kawaguchi. ;;
I did get to meet Master Kawaguchi when he visited Korea, but.. I'd say only the body shape is similar.. (^^;;)

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The figure of a boy with a cocky attitude. This one has no color separation. From the

The figure of a boy with a cocky attitude.
This one has no color separation. From the back, it kind of looks like he's taking a leak..

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The figure of Captain Hardy Schneider. Interestingly, even a cigarette is included as

The figure of Captain Hardy Schneider.
Interestingly, even a cigarette is included as a separate part..;;

The figure of Sergeant Gabriel Ramirez Garcia (what a mouthful;;)

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Up close, his expression looks a bit shifty.. The head comes in two options — with or

Up close, his expression looks a bit shifty..
The head comes in two options — with or without a hat — and you choose one to assemble.

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - The figure of Second Lieutenant Andy Strauss in the driver's seat. He kind of looks li

The figure of Second Lieutenant Andy Strauss in the driver's seat.
He kind of looks like Im Chang-jung for some reason.. But seriously, how low on the totem pole do you have to be for a second lieutenant to be driving??

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set - Straight build shot. James Huang on the far right is missing his right arm — that's be

Straight build shot. James Huang on the far right is missing his right arm —
that's because it's much easier to apply the decals without the arm in the way..

The 4th entry in the Hard Graph line, which pops up every now and then, is the Code Name "Cyclops" set.
It feels a bit sparse compared to other Hard Graph kits,
but the main mechanic of this kit is none other than the jeep.

The figure quality is on par with previous releases,
though the facial expressions do seem a bit more realistic this time around. (or maybe it's just me?) This kit includes a total of
6 figures, 2 of which are seated inside the jeep.
One of them is a kid figure with a smug pose — he does seem to appear in the original series,
but it's been so long since I watched 0080 that I can't quite remember.. ^^; (If anyone remembers, let me know)

As is typical with Hard Graph, the real star of the kit is the mechanic.
The jeep included in this kit is, true to the line's style, a futuristic take rather than a conventional military vehicle.
The overall layout isn't too different from a modern jeep, but the design itself has a distinctly
futuristic feel to it. The level of detail holds up well against Tamiya's military jeeps,
and the undercarriage mechanics and steering articulation are
all nicely done.

The jeep comes with a variety of options — the hood opens up
and there's even a spare tire neatly tucked inside. Due to the design, there are no doors so you can't open and close them,
but there's still the tool box on the side of the rear seat that opens and closes, a choice assembly for the machine gun support bracket, an optional antenna piece,
and a fold-down front windshield — all in all, it's packed with fun little details. On top of that,
if you cut paper to the size shown in the manual, you can even make a canvas cover to fit over the jeep.

That said, quite a few of the options require you to
choose a configuration at assembly time and glue them in place.. so for the review photos,
it was tough to capture all the different option combinations — apologies for that. (A lot of them are a pain to remove once glued..) That said, the movable machine gun support bracket,
for instance, holds its position well enough without glue even though the manual says to use it.

One thing I remember about this kit is the frog suit decals. As you can see in the photos above, the frog suit decals are about 5mm x 5mm in size — you have to cut out each little frog decal individually and apply them one by one onto the suit. It sounds like a pretty daunting task, but it's the kind of decaling that stirs up your inner challenge-seeker. In the end, after about 2 hours of cutting out dozens of pieces and applying them one by one with a cotton swab, it does come together — though it's quite a grueling process ^^; But as with any model, when you put in the effort and finish the work, there's that satisfying feeling of accomplishment... (along with a bit of emptiness too... ;;) When applying decals to the suit, the curved areas are the biggest challenge, so using something like Mark Softer is probably the way to go.

Anyway, in terms of being "unique," this kit definitely has its own appeal, but it's hard to call it a mainstream Gunpla. The jeep might turn out to be smaller than you expected, which could be a bit disappointing — but it does have a distinctly compact, futuristic mecha feel to it, so it's still a fun kit in its own way.

I'd love to see them cut out a portion of an MS again and release it as a kit next time. No matter what, from a Gunpla fan's perspective, assembling a massive chunk of an MS is just more fun. ^^

* This review is a special global review — images edited in L.A. and San Jose, written in Seattle. ^_^;

UCHG Code Name "Cyclops" set | 2007.11 | ¥2,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.