Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body

Head

Back

Arms and missile launcher

Arms with the missile launcher removed

The uniquely shaped legs

Viewed from the side, the knees have a double reverse-joint structure.

The feet have a very unusual shape as well.

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Articulation — the arms and legs have such an odd shape that it's hard to get a read on the ra

Articulation...
The arms and legs have such an odd shape that it's hard to get a read on the range of motion,
but it's pretty decent overall.

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - The double-jointed waist has great forward/backward range of motion, but the joint strength is

The double-jointed waist has great forward/backward range of motion,
but the joint strength is a bit weak so it doesn't hold poses all that well..

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Extending and folding the double reverse-jointed knees actually changes the overall height qui

Extending and folding the double reverse-jointed knees actually changes the overall height quite noticeably.

It's sort of a squat pose in its own way.. but something about it feels a little awkward.

Both the arms and legs each have sub-arms that can be deployed.

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - This kit requires you to almost completely disassemble and reassemble the Architect frame that

This kit requires you to almost completely disassemble and reassemble the Architect frame that serves as its base.

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Looking at the leftover parts, you can easily tell which frame parts are left over and which o

Looking at the leftover parts, you can easily tell which frame parts are left over and which ones are actually used.

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - The missile launcher comes with three different joint parts — one for holding in the hand, one

The missile launcher comes with three different joint parts — one for holding in the hand, one for mounting on the backpack, and one for attaching to the forearm.

The handle folds away.

A total of four sets of hands are included.

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Missile launcher firing pose (1/5)

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Missile launcher firing pose (2/5)

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Missile launcher firing pose (3/5)

Missile launcher firing pose

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Missile launcher mounted on the back (1/4)

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Missile launcher mounted on the back (2/4)

Missile launcher mounted on the back

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Sub-arms deployed! (1/4)

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Sub-arms deployed! (2/4)

Sub-arms deployed!

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen - Thanks to the sub-arms and double reverse-jointed knees, you can pull off all kinds of unique

Thanks to the sub-arms and double reverse-jointed knees, you can pull off all kinds of unique poses.

It's a uniquely distinctive kit even compared to other Frame Arms kits.

The 8th kit in Kotobukiya's original design mecha kit series, Frame Arms, is the Greifen. Right off the bat, the design is distinctive in all sorts of ways — it features double reverse-jointed knees, uniquely shaped feet, and four sub-arms. Its signature weapon, a massive missile launcher, comes with separate joint parts so it can be optionally mounted in the hand, on the forearm, or on the back.

The reverse-jointed knees give it a pretty unusual silhouette to begin with, and the height changes quite a bit depending on how much you extend or fold those knee joints. The oddly shaped feet actually have a fairly wide contact area with the ground, but the body's center of gravity is a bit tricky, so you really have to work to get it standing stably.

The overall range of motion across the joints is pretty good, but unfortunately the joint strength is generally a bit shaky. The waist double joint, neck ball joint, shoulder joints, hip joints, and ankle polycaps all feel like they're not tight enough. On top of that, the unusual proportions make it hard to balance, so getting it into action poses is quite a challenge.. Kotobukiya kits can vary a lot in terms of joint strength, and unfortunately the Greifen falls on the weaker end of that spectrum.

In the end, if you're into unusual mecha designs this is a fun enough kit to build, but the weak joints in key areas like the hips, waist, and ankles leave something to be desired. I'd strongly recommend reinforcing them with the super glue trick (applying a thin coat of super glue to the joint connections, letting it dry, and reassembling to tighten up the slop). Get those joints sorted out and it's actually a pretty characterful and interesting kit. :-)

Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen | 2011.7 | ¥3,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.