Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Detail shots. I accidentally had one leg's wheel inserted in the wrong direction when I took these p

Detail shots.
I accidentally had one leg's wheel inserted in the wrong direction when I took these photos.. T_T

The articulation folds up nice and deep, just as you'd expect from a Frame Architect.

The wide range of motion on the Finger Machetes, which serve as the hands.

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Finger Machete action poses. (1/3)

Finger Machete action poses.

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Aerial action pose (1/3)

Aerial action pose

Aerial action pose 2.

Transformation

Spread the wheel sections that were resting on the shoulders out to the sides.

Open the two inner locking pins to connect the wheels together.

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Raise the wheel sections straight up, then swing the shoulders forward 90 degrees and bring them tog

Raise the wheel sections straight up, then swing the shoulders forward 90 degrees and bring them together to connect the front wheel.

Swing the cowl parts from the back forward into position.

Rotate the forearms 180 degrees so the hands face upward.

Insert the dedicated transformation lock parts into the rear end.

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Lower the legs, fold the feet in, then rotate 180 degrees to bring the wheels inward. (1/2)

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Lower the legs, fold the feet in, then rotate 180 degrees to bring the wheels inward. (2/2)

Lower the legs and fold the feet in,
then rotate 180 degrees to bring the wheels inward.

Connect the rear wheel, and...

Bring the Finger Machetes, which were pointing upward, down so they face rearward.

Raise the large rear skirt up and tuck it in snugly behind the front cowl.

Next, fold the side skirt sections up tight, and...

Open the sides of the cowl to expose the handlebar section.

Finally, you can lower the front skirt parts down to use as a stand.

Transformation complete — and it actually looks the part!

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Oh wow. It's a pretty convincing bike shape. The official name for this mode is Stinger Mode. (1/4)

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - Oh wow. It's a pretty convincing bike shape. The official name for this mode is Stinger Mode. (2/4)

Oh wow. It's a pretty convincing bike shape. The official name for this mode is Stinger Mode.

If you open up the rear/side skirt sections again,

Frame Arms Wilber Nine - you can deploy the Finger Machetes in attack mode like this. (1/3)

you can deploy the Finger Machetes in attack mode like this.

Kotobukiya's Frame Arms line has gotten a rare transforming mech release. That would be the RF-12 Wilber Nine — and as you can see, it's a bike-transforming mech that's very reminiscent of Mospeada. ^^

One thing that stands out right away is that it uses a white Frame Architect inner frame, and the polycaps feel a bit sturdier compared to earlier releases, so joint strength does seem somewhat improved. That said, it's still a frame where just building it straight out of the box can lead to frustration with parts fit, so I'd recommend disassembling the key frame parts (hip joints, thighs, forearms, etc.) and re-bonding them with glue before final assembly.

The outer armor has better color separation than most other Frame Arms kits, so even a straight build looks pretty decent color-wise. The overall style is quite unique, and the design alone makes it a fun build. The Finger Machetes — a three-bladed weapon — are especially cool-looking and let you pull off some really dynamic action poses.

The transformation into bike mode is fairly involved, so you'll want to follow the manual carefully step by step. The locking pins that connect the two wheel halves are a bit weak in particular, so you need to be careful about maintaining the position of that section during transformation. But once you carefully work through it all and complete the transformation into Stinger Mode, you end up with a really sleek and convincing futuristic motorcycle.

The Stinger Mode bike has a long, lean silhouette with a futuristic design that looks like it rolled straight out of the anime Akira. Even after transforming into Stinger Mode, the parts hold together reasonably well, and you can use the front skirt as a stand, making it easy to display on a flat surface. You can also open up the various covers and deploy the Finger Machetes — it can be configured into quite an aggressive-looking setup for a bike.

In terms of sheer personality, this kit stands out as one of the most distinctive in the entire Frame Arms lineup, and the bike transformation gimmick honestly feels like it tops even Mospeada's. ^^ That said, being a transforming kit, there are a lot of moving parts, which makes getting a clean, stable pose in robot mode a bit tricky. Fortunately the joint strength isn't terrible, so you can get things to hold reasonably well. Either way, if the style appeals to you, this is a genuinely interesting kit worth taking on. :-)

Frame Arms Wilber Nine | 2013.10 | ¥4,400

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.