Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Hidestorm in Zoatex Mode with arms spread wide (1/7)

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Hidestorm in Zoatex Mode with arms spread wide (2/7)

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Hidestorm in Zoatex Mode with arms spread wide (3/7)

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Hidestorm in Zoatex Mode with arms spread wide (4/7)

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Hidestorm in Zoatex Mode with arms spread wide (5/7)

Hidestorm in Zoatex Mode with arms spread wide

Underside

Body detail shots

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Remove the droid attached to the front and swap in the feet, and it can stand on its own. (1/3)

Remove the droid attached to the front and swap in the feet, and it can stand on its own.

Four articulated ring-type parts can be attached at various points on the body.

Using the joint parts, you can move and attach the tentacle arms in a variety of positions.

A Kotobukiya-exclusive clear plastic stand is included.

Leftover parts

Articulation of the tentacle arm mounting points

Each tentacle arm has around 5 points of articulation, allowing for a wide range of movement.

Articulation of the 4 sub-arms on the front

VIC Blade articulation

Tentacle arms spread wide pose

VIC Blade action

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Various poses with the tentacle arms arranged in different configurations (1/4)

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - Various poses with the tentacle arms arranged in different configurations (2/4)

Various poses with the tentacle arms arranged in different configurations

Hexa Gear Hidestorm - To transform into Cruise Mode, start by removing the 2 tentacle arms on the back and folding them as sh

To transform into Cruise Mode, start by removing the 2 tentacle arms on the back and folding them as shown on the right.

Rotate the large sub-arm on the front 180 degrees so it faces rearward.

Align and fold the 3 tentacle arms on each side at the angles shown above.

Reattach the one tentacle arm you folded at the beginning, and the transformation is complete.

Cruise Mode

Underside

Together with the Hexa Gear Motor Punisher.

The Hidestorm has joined the Hexa Gear lineup, bringing a truly bizarre design to a series already known for its unique mechanical aesthetics. It's a tentacled craft reminiscent of the Sentinels from The Matrix, and the kit lets you freely arrange its 8 appendages — called tentacle arms — however you like.

Each tentacle arm has around 5 points of articulation, so you can position them across an incredibly wide range — forward, backward, and with multiple folds. The tips are equipped with a total of 6 VIC Blades and 2 machine guns, and the freedom to arrange all 8 tentacle arms means you can pull off a huge variety of poses.

The center of the body features 2 sub-arms and a droid. Remove the droid and swap in the feet, and it can stand on its own as a separate unit. This tentacled combat configuration is called Zoatex Mode, and you can also convert it into a high-speed Cruise Mode by neatly folding up the tentacle arms.

Since the kit has no legs of its own, a stand is essential — and a Kotobukiya-exclusive clear plastic stand is included. That said, the body is large and the tentacle arms are long, so if the center of gravity isn't balanced properly, the stand joints can give out and the whole thing tips over to one side. You'll want to tighten the screws in each stand joint nice and snug.

Having lots of articulation points on the tentacle arms is great, but given how long they are, you'd naturally worry about how well they hold their position. Fortunately, aside from the mounting points where they connect to the body, the joints are actually pretty solid. The body-side mounting points take the most stress from the weight, so some looseness there is kind of unavoidable — but if you push them in firmly, they don't really sag. Overall, the joint strength is more than adequate for holding poses, so I'd call it a pass.

All in all, this is a kit that wins you over with its unique design, excellent articulation, and decent joint strength — all of which add up to virtually endless posing possibilities. If you're into this kind of weird, wild mechanical design, this is definitely one you don't want to miss. :-)

Hexa Gear Hidestorm | 2018.1 | ¥5,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.