Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - Detail shots (1/3)

Detail shots

Internal skirt construction
(This is for review purposes, so no funny ideas.. ;;)

It's got these cute rabbit-like ears~

The caterpillar-style soles are a pretty unique touch.

A total of 4 hand sets are included.

Impact knife parts that attach to the hands and feet.

The back-of-hand cover can be swapped out for an impact knife version.

The impact knives at the toe tips are each attached individually as replaceable parts.

Just like the previous kits, you can swap between 3 different eye directions.

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - You can open the back cover and insert a joint part to connect to a stand. The cover doesn't actually h

You can open the back cover and insert a joint part to connect to a stand.
The cover doesn't actually have an opening gimmick though — you have to pull it off and rotate it back on to change the angle.

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - The articulation of the weapon called the Neck Eater. True to its name, it's a pretty terrifying weapon

The articulation of the weapon called the Neck Eater.
True to its name, it's a pretty terrifying weapon that looks like it's chomping down on someone's neck..

Handle parts for connecting separately sold M.S.G weapons and weapons from other kits are also included.

Leftover parts.

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - Leg articulation is a bit limited by the skirt, as you'd expect, but since the skirt is shorter than th

Leg articulation is a bit limited by the skirt, as you'd expect,
but since the skirt is shorter than the Hoihoi-san's, it does move a bit more freely.

The cute ears move freely in all directions~

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - Impact knife action (1/3)

Impact knife action

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - Neck Eater equipped! (1/3)

Neck Eater equipped!

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear - Neck Eater action (1/3)

Neck Eater action

A look at the separately sold weapon handle parts attached.

Together with Hoihoi-san, the original of the series.

Usa-Gear has arrived as the first new release in a year and a half for Kotobukiya's Hoihoi-san lineup, which many thought had ended. "Usagi" means rabbit in Japanese, and the actual product name is Usa-Gear, which feels like a bit of a pun. Either way, it's got those big, cute rabbit-like ears that live up to the name.

The overall construction is the same as the existing Hoihoi-san kits — the 3-piece eye swap feature, joint structure, and articulation are all similar to the previous entries. The skirt is a bit shorter though, so the hip joints do move a little more freely. Joint strength is generally fine, but the waist ball joint is notably loose, which makes posing a bit of a hassle. In my case, I put a dab of glue on the ball, let it dry completely, then popped it back in to tighten up the fit. Also, the elongated back of the head tends to pop off, so be careful when posing.

The big mechanical rabbit ears are definitely the highlight here — they move surprisingly smoothly in all sorts of directions and hold their position well, making them really fun to play around with. Having such large ears also helps sell the character's emotions more convincingly in poses. The caterpillar-style soles are another quirky feature, though they do make the footing a bit tricky..

For weapons, you get a large claw called the Neck Eater — and true to its name, it's a brutal-looking weapon designed to grab an opponent by the neck. You can also swap out the back-of-hand and toe parts to equip impact knives, and four joint-style handle parts are included for attaching separately sold M.S.G weapons and Frame Arms Girl weapons.

Overall, it's a solid SD-style girlpla mecha kit that I'd recommend to fans of the Hoihoi-san Legacy anime or anyone who enjoys this kind of cute character model kit :-)

Hoihoi-san Usa-Gear | 2015.12 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.