Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

One Pluma is included alongside the Hashmal.

Mobile Armor Hashmal - Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Pluma - Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Detail shots (1/4)

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - The tail-like Superhard Wire Blade can be fixed in mid-air using the height-adjustable mini stand,

The tail-like Superhard Wire Blade can be fixed in mid-air using the height-adjustable mini stand,
but the black wire parts are thick and sturdy enough that it holds up in the air just fine without the stand.

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - You can remove the shoulder cover, slide it back, and lock it in place to expose the Unmated Weapon

You can remove the shoulder cover, slide it back, and lock it in place to expose the Unmated Weapon section.
Though with no color separation there, opening it up does leave things looking a bit plain. ^^;

Separate beam parts are also included.

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - You need to disassemble the head, spread it apart top and bottom, then reattach it to fit the beam

You need to disassemble the head, spread it apart top and bottom, then reattach it to fit the beam parts in.

Recreating the beam weapon firing scene.

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - You can pull out the wrist cover on the claw section, plug it in from behind, and then attach the k

You can pull out the wrist cover on the claw section, plug it in from behind, and then attach the kinetic energy round ejection parts.

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Details of the sub-mech Pluma. (1/3)

Details of the sub-mech Pluma.

A new sword for the HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus is also included.

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Arm articulation range. Since this unit only has arms and shoulders, it's a bit tricky to properly

Arm articulation range.
Since this unit only has arms and shoulders, it's a bit tricky to properly evaluate the articulation.

The Pluma's arms and tail section are also articulated.

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Combined action with the Pluma (1/4)

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Combined action with the Pluma (2/4)

Combined action with the Pluma

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Beam weapon firing scene (1/4)

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - Beam weapon firing scene (2/4)

Beam weapon firing scene

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal - The arms can also be stowed inside the shoulders, Qubeley-style. (1/3)

The arms can also be stowed inside the shoulders, Qubeley-style.

Together with the HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus.

Combined action with the HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus.

The Hashmal, the unmanned mobile armor from Iron-Blooded Orphans, has been released in HG. It's pretty rare to see a mobile armor come out at the 1/144 scale, and it seems like it got the HG treatment partly because it's on the smaller side as far as mobile armors go. That said, it's still a pretty big kit — the width clears 30cm by a good margin.

It does a solid job of translating the original design into three dimensions, with the massive shoulders, long arms, and imposing claws all well represented. Feature-wise, it covers the beam weapon firing scene from the head, the claw deployment, the arm stowage mode, and the shoulder Unmated Weapon open gimmick. Fitting the beam parts does require you to disassemble the head and fiddle around with it before putting it back together, which is a bit of a hassle — but thanks to that, the scene where the head splits open to fire the beam is pulled off pretty convincingly. On top of that, you can deploy the claws and attach the kinetic energy round ejection parts to the center section as well.

The tail-like Superhard Wire Blade is supported by a thick steel-core wire, and it's sturdy enough to hold whatever angle you put it in. The only slightly iffy part is where the wire plugs into the head — if you get that connection nice and tight, you can position the blade pretty much anywhere you want. There's also the option of using the height-adjustable mini stand (which doubles for the Pluma) to lock the blade in a specific position.

The kit also includes one unmanned sub-mech Pluma, though you'd need quite a few of them to properly recreate scenes from the show. Including multiples probably wasn't really feasible, so I guess one is better than nothing... Either way, the Pluma manages to pull off a nice sense of three-dimensionality with a pretty modest parts count.

A new sword for the HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus is also included, letting you set up combined action shots, and the large stand that came with the MG Psycho Zaku can be used to display the Hashmal solidly in mid-air.

On the downside, the arm joint strength is a bit lacking for a kit this size — when you raise the arms up, they have a tendency to droop. They gradually sink down over time in particular, so if you want to lock them in an action pose, you'll probably want to reinforce the joints a little (especially the elbows). Also, the Unmated Weapon on the shoulders has zero color separation, so in a straight straight build the deployed section just looks pale and washed out. Even a quick coat of gray paint there would make a world of difference.

All in all, this is a pretty significant release as a rare HG mobile armor kit — though the design is definitely one that'll split opinions, so it's probably most appealing to fans of the Iron-Blooded Orphans anime. There's nothing here that screams top-tier quality, but between the impressive size, solid sculpt, and sheer rarity of the subject matter, it's still worth recommending. :-)

HG Mobile Armor Hashmal | 2016.12 | ¥4,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.