Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body.
The chest being the only white part is a bit… distracting, hmm.

Head.
It has 2 antennae that look like giant strands of hair.

Arms and shoulders.

Back section

The rear looks like an airplane was just plopped on top of it.

Legs

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - True to its feminine design, it has a high-heel structure — which means you'll need to get the ang

True to its feminine design, it has a high-heel structure.
Which means you'll need to get the angle just right when standing it upright. ^^;

Weapons.

Even the bullets inside the magazine are nicely detailed.

Hands come in 4 sets total.

Leftover parts

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Articulation isn't great. The inner frame itself moves well, but there's so much decorative armor

Articulation isn't great.
The inner frame itself moves well, but there's so much decorative armor on top that it severely limits the range of motion.
The hip joints in particular are heavily restricted, so there aren't many leg poses you can pull off.

The head antennae move fairly freely.

The verniers on either side of the rear also articulate.

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - The 5 lace-like structures on the shoulders do move to some degree, but they pop off easily so you

The 5 lace-like structures on the shoulders do move to some degree,
but they pop off easily so you have to handle them carefully.

You can also remove the head antennae and swap in a plain bare headband piece.

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Aerial pose (1/5)

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Aerial pose (2/5)

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Aerial pose (3/5)

Aerial pose

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Weapon action (what's it called..;;) (1/4)

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Weapon action (what's it called..;;) (2/4)

Weapon action (what's it called..;;)

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Sniper rifle action (1/3)

Sniper rifle action.

Together with the similarly-vibed Frame Arms Stylet.
They look like a guy and a girl.

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - Both of them look like they're about to transform into some kind of flight mode… but neither actua

Both of them look like they're about to transform into some kind of flight mode…
But neither actually does.

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere - A gathering of feminine mecha. That's Fei-Yen from Cyber Troopers Virtual-On and Fairlion from Sup

A gathering of feminine mecha.
That's Fei-Yen from Cyber Troopers Virtual-On and Fairlion from Super Robot Wars.

A feminine mecha, the SA-17 Rapiere, has joined Kotobukiya's original mecha series, the Frame Arms lineup. It's a kit armed with a cute proportions, pink coloring, and high heels — and just like the Stylet, it has that "looks like it's about to transform into an airplane" kind of design. (Of course, it doesn't actually transform.. ㅡ,.ㅡ)

First off, this kit went so overboard with the design that it ends up barely taking advantage of Frame Arms' articulation or its inherent strengths. Once all the complex, flashy armor is on, it feels like you can only use about 30% of the inner frame's range of motion. The front skirt in particular restricts the hip joints so severely that it's hard to even lift the legs more than 20 degrees.;;

On top of that, the high-heel structure means you have to carefully dial in the angle when standing it upright, so a stand is pretty much mandatory if you want to pose it. On the flip side, as a rare feminine mecha, the design, molded colors, and proportions are genuinely quite beautiful. In the end, it feels less like a poseable action figure and more like a pretty robot girl figure that happens to have some articulation…

The limited articulation is one thing, but the lace structures on the shoulders pop off way too easily, which is pretty annoying when you're trying to pose it. The verniers on either side of the rear also fall off easily, the fixed angle of the airplane unit on the back feels a bit awkward… all in all, it's not the most enjoyable kit to handle.

Anyway, it's a bit of a departure from the Frame Arms tradition of ultra-poseable inner frame kits, but in terms of efficiently reusing the frame to quickly realize a brand-new design, I'd call it a success. The articulation and durability take a bit of a hit, but it's definitely an interesting item for anyone into feminine mecha. :-)

Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere | 2011.2 | ¥3,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.