Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

Outer armor removed

Internal frame

It looks like a proper inner frame was only built into the forearms and thighs.

HG Hyakuren - Just like the Hyakuri, the feet are very small, but since there's no center of gravity issue, it can still stan

Just like the Hyakuri, the feet are very small,
but since there's no center of gravity issue, it can still stand upright.

For weapons, it comes with a rifle cannon and a one-sided blade.

The one-sided blade can be separated into the scabbard and the blade as shown above.

The knuckle guard attached to the bottom of the side skirt can be detached and held in the hand.

There's a gimmick where the shoulder opens upward.

The articulation is pretty good for such a chubby design.

It's interesting how the large knee parts on the front of the thighs move in sync when you bend the knees.

HG Hyakuren - Knuckle guard uppercut action (1/3)

Knuckle guard uppercut action

HG Hyakuren - Rifle cannon firing pose (1/3)

Rifle cannon firing pose

HG Hyakuren - One-sided blade action (1/3)

One-sided blade action

One-sided blade action 2

Together with the Hyakuri released at the same time.

This kit is the "Hyakuren" released alongside the HG Iron-Blooded Orphans Hyakuri. The similar names and simultaneous release might make it look like a variation kit of the Hyakuri, but it's actually a 100% all-new kit with no shared parts.

If the Hyakuri showcased a space-use MS-style mechanical design, the Hyakuren goes for a stocky Japanese samurai warrior aesthetic. In a way, the heavily Japanese-influenced design feels like it'll be pretty divisive, but the thick thighs and flashy color combination do give it a certain personality of its own.

Despite the chunky design, the limb articulation is actually pretty good, and while the feet are very small like the Hyakuri being a space-use unit, at least it's not to the point where standing upright is impossible. That said, you'll probably want to put it on a stand if you want to pose it comfortably. It's also fun how the large armor piece on the front of the thick thighs moves in sync with the knee joint.

For weapons, it comes with a rifle cannon and a one-sided blade with a scabbard, and the scabbard can be mounted on the back of the rear. The knuckle guard attached to the bottom of the side skirt can also be detached and equipped in the hand, though the hold feels a bit loose, so you'll want to be careful when handling it.

Also, unlike the Barbatos or Graze/Hyakuri, the Hyakuren appears to have been designed without a full-body frame in mind from the start. There's only a slight frame skeleton structure in the forearms and thighs, which is about the same level you'd see in any regular HG kit. It seems like they probably won't be applying a full-body frame to every unit going forward.

Anyway, if you're into that Japanese samurai warrior aesthetic, this is definitely an interesting kit to build — but if that's not really your thing, it's not something I'd go out of my way to recommend. The kit quality itself is perfectly fine, but whether it's a car or a plastic model, you've got to like the look of it before you feel the urge to own it. :-)

HG Hyakuren | 2015.11 | ¥1,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.