Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

The large shield on the knee is removable.

HG Kabakali - You can take out the red ring stored inside the backpack and attach three beam parts to recreate

You can take out the red ring stored inside the backpack and attach three beam parts to recreate the beam ring weapon.

HG Kabakali - The large binders on the shoulders have a premium parts breakdown on the inside, with clear parts

The large binders on the shoulders have a premium parts breakdown on the inside, with clear parts included as well.

Articulation is surprisingly not that great. Barely hits 90 degrees.

Binder range of motion.

Beam shotgun action

Two-handed beam shotgun action

HG Kabakali - Beam ring action. The wire connecting the palm to the beam ring doesn't hold very well, so posing

Beam ring action.
The wire connecting the palm to the beam ring doesn't hold very well, so posing is a bit of a pain.

HG Kabakali - Two-handed beam ring action (1/3)

Two-handed beam ring action

HG Kabakali - Together with its predecessor, the Gastima. You can definitely feel a consistent design concept r

Together with its predecessor, the Gastima.
You can definitely feel a consistent design concept running through the G-Reco MS lineup.

The 16th kit in the G-Reco HG lineup is the Kabakali, with its heavy, dark silhouette. The overall armor color is black, which could easily look drab, but red accents and milky clear color separation details scattered throughout give it a surprisingly well-balanced look.

The overall build process is clean and polished as you'd expect from a modern kit, and while the articulation falls a bit short of expectations, joint strength and everything else is solid enough. This is the kind of kit where you're better off appreciating the overall volume and style rather than focusing on poseability.

Feature-wise, the knee shield is detachable, and the shoulder binders have great volume with a fairly wide range of motion. The inside of the binders also features milky clear parts, giving it a really premium color combination. That said, the large shoulder binders seem to make the shoulders pop off a bit more easily during posing — though this is a common issue seen across kits that use the newer HG polycap system.

As a special weapon, you can pull out the red ring stored inside the backpack, attach three beam parts to it, and recreate the beam ring weapon. A dedicated stand and connecting wire are included, but the wire that's supposed to connect the palm to the beam ring doesn't hold well at all, making it really hard to pose. It basically just sits there loosely and keeps falling out — I really wish they'd put more thought into how the wire stays in place.

Anyway, the beam ring's wire connection and the overall articulation do leave something to be desired, but style-wise this is a pretty unique and cool-looking kit — so if you like the silhouette, it's definitely worth recommending. :-)

HG Kabakali | 2015.7 | ¥2,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.