Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
It's insanely small;;;;

Less than 10cm long, it sits neatly in the palm of your hand...

Even compared to the HGUC First, which you could call a standard-sized kit, it's really tiny.

It's called a twin set because the kit includes two identical Lotos bundled together.

HGUC Loto twin set - It's also a pretty tough kit to keep standing upright. (1/7)

HGUC Loto twin set - It's also a pretty tough kit to keep standing upright. (2/7)

HGUC Loto twin set - It's also a pretty tough kit to keep standing upright. (3/7)

HGUC Loto twin set - It's also a pretty tough kit to keep standing upright. (4/7)

HGUC Loto twin set - It's also a pretty tough kit to keep standing upright. (5/7)

It's also a pretty tough kit to keep standing upright.

Upper body

Tiny little head

HGUC Loto twin set - Arms and backpack section (1/3)

Arms and backpack section

Legs

HGUC Loto twin set - The biggest headache with the Loto is... as you can see, the heels are completely off the ground, so it

The biggest headache with the Loto is...
As you can see, the heels are completely off the ground, so it has to stand on just the front of its feet.
On top of that, the knee joints are a bit iffy, making it pretty hard to get it standing properly..

It comes with a pretty generous set of weapons and accessories.

By default, the right shoulder has a machine cannon and the left shoulder has a floodlight.

HGUC Loto twin set - The arms themselves are missile containers, so there are no hands as such — instead, you can swap out th

The arms themselves are missile containers, so there are no hands as such —
You can swap out the cover at the hand position to show the missile launch ports open.

The beam burner on the forearm is also reproduced as a swappable part.

You can choose to mount either the long cannon or the mega machine cannon on the shoulders.

Twin Loto.

HGUC Loto twin set - For the second Loto, I tried brown panel lining. It's a military-style mobile suit, so the brown lining

For the second Loto, I tried brown panel lining.
It's a military-style mobile suit, so the brown lining actually suits it pretty well...

Articulation is an honest 90 degrees

HGUC Loto twin set - Missile launch action pose (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - Missile launch action pose (2/4)

Missile launch action pose

HGUC Loto twin set - Beam burner pose (1/3)

Beam burner pose

HGUC Loto twin set - A dedicated mounting part for connecting to Action Base 2 is included — and it attaches to the underside

A dedicated mounting part for connecting to Action Base 2 is included —
And it attaches to the underside of the backpack rather than the usual crotch area.

HGUC Loto twin set - Mega machine cannon action (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - Mega machine cannon action (2/4)

Mega machine cannon action

HGUC Loto twin set - Long cannon action (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - Long cannon action (2/4)

Long cannon action

HGUC Loto twin set - Loto twin action (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - Loto twin action (2/4)

Loto twin action

Transformation

First, tuck the head in, then spread the front skirts out to both sides.

Despite the tiny body, it has an extending/retracting gimmick for both the head and arms.

Rotate the hip joint lock 180 degrees and pull it forward.

Fold the legs as shown and get them into position,
Then curl in the ankle covers and feet.

HGUC Loto twin set - Bend the arms to 90 degrees and snap them firmly into the body. Once they're in, the arms are completely

Bend the arms to 90 degrees and snap them firmly into the body.
Once they're in, the arms are completely locked and won't rotate anymore.

Rotate the caterpillar tracks on the backpack out in a wide arc.

Pull the caterpillar cover back and fold it over to finish the transformation.

Tank mode complete!
(Though honestly it does look like it just plopped down on the ground..)

HGUC Loto twin set - Views from various angles. Pretty convincing, right? (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - Views from various angles. Pretty convincing, right? (2/4)

Various angles.
Pretty convincing, right?

Even the underside looks the part..

HGUC Loto twin set - I think the coolest way to display them is one in robot mode and one in tank mode. (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - I think the coolest way to display them is one in robot mode and one in tank mode. (2/4)

I think the coolest way to display them is one in robot mode and one in tank mode.

Both transformed into tank mode

HGUC Loto twin set - Tank mode double action (1/4)

HGUC Loto twin set - Tank mode double action (2/4)

Tank mode double action

HGUC Loto twin set - Alongside the same-scale Unicorn Gundams... super tiny and cute, right? ^^; Almost half the size.. and n

Alongside the same-scale Unicorn Gundams...
Super tiny and cute, right? ^^; Almost half the size..
And no, I'm definitely not comparing it to an MG.

HGUC Loto twin set - The Unicorn kits are already on the larger side to begin with, which makes the size difference with the

The Unicorn kits are already on the larger side to begin with, which makes the size difference with the Loto stand out even more.

HGUC Loto twin set - Comparison with the Kshatriya, the biggest of the bunch. It's honestly hard to believe they're the same

Comparison with the Kshatriya, the biggest of the bunch.
It's honestly hard to believe they're the same scale..;;;

MS mode straight build shots

Tank mode straight build shots

The Loto — a tank-transforming MS — has gotten the HGUC treatment, and its in-universe height is already tiny at 12.2m. Scale that down to 1/144 and you get 8.4cm, and sure enough, that's exactly how big the kit is. (Well, of course it is..;)

First off, I think most people are going to be caught off guard by the size when they build the Loto. Injection-molded Gunpla this small is pretty rare, so the surprise is understandable. It looks small in photos, but when you actually hold an 8cm Gunpla in your hands, it feels even tinier. The recent Unicorn kits have all been on the large side, which makes the contrast even more striking.

That said, despite the small size, it packs in a pretty slick transformation gimmick for a full transformation, and the color separation and molded colors are solid, so the overall quality feels quite high. The transformation itself is basically just the kit squatting down, so it's nothing too dramatic — but having so many accessories and gimmicks crammed into such a tiny package gives it a really unique feel in hand.

The transformation gimmick itself is great, but because of it, the overall joints are a bit lacking. In tank mode it holds its shape well with no stability issues, but in MS mode the shoulders, knees, and ankles are all a bit loose and vague, making it really hard to get a good pose. Simply put, just getting it to stand on the shelf is a pain T_T The knees are already iffy, and on top of that the foot structure — no heels, standing only on the front of the feet — makes it even worse. Even when you do manage to get it standing, the slightest nudge sends it toppling over..

It's less that the joints feel loose and more that they're just hard to lock into a good angle. I'm pretty sure a lot of people are going to be complaining that "the Loto is impossible to stand up." Even if you nail the center of gravity, the weird knee structure means it falls over anyway. And even if you get the knees locked, the terrible ground contact on the feet means it falls over again. Honestly, just leaving it in tank mode on the shelf is probably better for your sanity. Anyway, aside from the difficulty of getting it to stand in MS mode, the kit is overall quite high quality...

You could reasonably complain that they should've just released a single Loto for around ¥800 instead of doubling the price by throwing in two identical kits — but the building experience is unique enough that making two of them doesn't feel like much of a chore. In a way, it almost feels like they're telling you to display one in MS mode and one in tank mode, but more likely, the transformation mechanism was complex enough to develop that they bundled two together to recoup the development costs.

In conclusion, the fact that they managed to pull off a full transformation in such an adorably tiny package deserves a really high score — but you should go in knowing that getting it to stand in a good pose takes some effort. Of course, despite that drawback, the unique design, transformation, and overall feel in hand make it a genuinely fun item that any Gunpla fan should try at least once. :-)

HGUC Loto twin set | 2010.3 | ¥1,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.