Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

The frame is only present as a skeletal structure in the forearms and thighs.

Probably due to its chunky build, the limb articulation is pretty average.

You can pull the front cover of the shoulder armor forward to give the arms a slightly wider range of motion.

HG Hekija - Bayonet rifle firing pose (1/3)

Bayonet rifle firing pose

Tobiguchi blade action pose

Tobiguchi blade action pose 2

The rotating blade on the forearm can be swung 180 degrees to face forward.

HG Hekija - On top of that, you can open the rear shoulder covers and the center rear skirt cover, and rotate the ankles 90 d

On top of that, you can open the rear shoulder covers and the center rear skirt cover,
and rotate the ankles 90 degrees to point forward.

Rotating blade action pose using all the gimmicks
It's the canonical pose, but it does look a bit awkward..

Together with HG Gundam Vidar.

The Hekija, a new mobile suit from Teiwaz appearing in Iron-Blooded Orphans, has been released as an HG kit. "Hekija" is written in kanji as "僻邪" (Bìxié), a creature from Chinese mythology — a horned, tiger-like beast said to ward off evil spirits. Perhaps that's why the design and color scheme carry a distinctly Chinese feel.

First off, as you'd expect from the ¥1,000 price point, the parts count is pretty simple, but it actually builds up into quite a three-dimensional shape. The lumpy, chunky design combined with the color separation and seals makes for a straight build that looks both flashy and refreshingly unique.

Just looking at the Hekija alone, you can tell that Iron-Blooded Orphans doesn't really have a consistent design concept across the board. Unlike SEED or 00, there doesn't seem to be a unified design language running through the whole series. That said, having unpredictable and fresh-looking units keep showing up isn't necessarily a bad thing, I suppose..

The overall quality feels clean and polished as you'd expect from a modern HG, though the design does limit the articulation to a pretty average level. On top of that, there's a simple transformation gimmick into a high-mobility combat/assault mode where the ankles fold forward and the shoulders open up. That said, the way the ankles bend kind of looks like someone slipping and falling on ice, so no matter how you pose it, it's hard to make it look cool. -_-

One thing that bugs me is that the rotating blade on the forearm is a bit loose and tends not to stay in place. It's supposed to fold back against the forearm when not in use, but it has a habit of drooping down during posing, so it's probably safer not to mess with it too often. Other than that, the joint strength is decent enough, and the Tobiguchi blade and bayonet rifle can both be stored on the rear skirt.

This kit does a solid job of cleanly recreating the look from the source material, and if you're into Hekija's Chinese-inspired design, it's definitely worth picking up. :-)

HG Hekija | 2017.1 | ¥1,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.