Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
It's absolutely massive.

Size comparison with the MG Origin Gundam.
This kit is nearly PG-sized in terms of bulk.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Detail shots (1/5)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Detail shots (2/5)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Detail shots (3/5)

Detail shots

The detail on the underside of the head is pretty impressive, too.

Cockpit open

Four 1/100 scale figures are included, pilot and all.

Among them, the Third Child figure can be floated beside the head using a clear parts piece.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - The duct under the chest and the missile hatches on the thigh armor can be opened. It's not

The duct under the chest and the missile hatches on the thigh armor can be opened.
It's not a hinged mechanism — you bend the cover off and plug it back in the open position.

Two hand options are included, and both look great.

A look at the inside of the shield.

The rail gun in its folded state

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Remove the top and bottom covers, and you can slide the center section of the rail gun forw

Remove the top and bottom covers, and you can slide the center section of the rail gun forward to extend it.
Then add two connector parts in the middle and put the covers back on to get it into the deployed state.

The rail gun in its deployed state.

The pile bunker on the right elbow can also be extended in length.

The thigh armor slides open and closed.

Only one leftover part.

Overall articulation is pretty decent.

A unique draw pose.
The Axial Blade's handle is tucked into the waist.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Axial Blade action (1/4)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Axial Blade action (2/4)

Axial Blade action

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Pile bunker action (1/3)

Pile bunker action

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rail gun deployment action (1/4)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rail gun deployment action (2/4)

Rail gun deployment action

Transformation

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - To transform into Rex mode, you have to disassemble the body piece by piece like shown abov

To transform into Rex mode, you have to disassemble the body piece by piece like shown above.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Also, since this is a parts-swap transformation rather than a full transformation, you'll n

Also, since this is a parts-swap transformation rather than a full transformation,
you'll need several additional Rex mode parts as shown above.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - First, the waist section needs to be reassembled using the bipedal walking form parts (left

First, the waist section needs to be reassembled using the bipedal walking form parts (left) and the Rex form parts (right).

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - The left is the waist assembled in bipedal robot form, and the right is the waist assembled

The left is the waist assembled in bipedal robot form, and the right is the waist assembled in Rex form.

The arms are folded in completely as shown above.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - The knee parts on the legs are swapped out entirely to create the reverse-jointed bent appe

The knee parts on the legs are swapped out entirely to create the reverse-jointed bent appearance.

The hip joint connector needs to be removed and repositioned.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - The left shows the hip joint mount in bipedal form, and the right shows it in Rex form. It'

The left shows the hip joint mount in bipedal form, and the right shows it in Rex form.
It's a detachable rather than slide type, so I was a bit worried about stability — but thankfully it holds nice and firm.

The stand mounting pin also needs to be swapped between bipedal form and Rex form.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Next, bend the waist forward and pull the backpack back, and you've got the Rex form postur

Next, bend the waist forward and pull the backpack back, and you've got the Rex form posture.

Finally, rotate the crotch area 180 degrees backward to form the tail.

Even in Rex mode, it's a big one.

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rex mode. (1/7)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rex mode. (2/7)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rex mode. (3/7)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rex mode. (4/7)

Metal Gear 1/100 Sahelanthropus - Rex mode. (5/7)

Rex mode.

Action poses in Rex mode

Together with the Metal Gear REX released in 2012.
The size difference is incredible.

Even comparing them in Rex mode, this one is way bigger.

Following the previously released REX and RAY, Sahelanthropus from Metal Gear Solid V has now arrived as a Kotobukiya plastic model kit. As you can see, it's a Metal Gear capable of bipedal walking just like a mobile suit, and it can transform between a bipedal walking form and a reverse-jointed REX-style form.

First off, for a PG-level price of ¥15,800, the box itself is only about the size of a Bandai ¥4,000–5,000 kit. Open it up and there are a ton of runners and parts packed inside, so it does feel like they did a good job with compact packaging — but when you think back to the previous REX (¥7,800) and RAY (¥8,400), it's still hard to shake the feeling that this is just too expensive.

After trimming and assembling the massive number of parts that justify the steep price, you'll be genuinely surprised by how much bigger it is than expected. As you can see in the comparison photos above, it dwarfs not only the previous REX but also an MG Gundam by a wide margin. Going by head height, it looks to be around 28cm — which puts it squarely in PG territory.

Metal Gear RAY had some pretty sad joint strength, so it's a relief that Sahelanthropus holds up quite well despite its enormous size. That said, the feet are surprisingly small for the overall bulk, and the upper body is much more voluminous than the lower body, so finding the center of gravity isn't easy. That's why a support stand is included in the box — use it well and displaying the kit shouldn't be much of a problem. Overall articulation isn't bad, but the structurally high center of gravity does make it a bit tricky to pull off dynamic poses freely..

The transformation into Rex mode is a parts-swap rather than a full transformation — which seems like a deliberate design choice given the size, prioritizing stability over seamless conversion. Thanks to that, once you get the center of gravity sorted, you don't really need to worry about things falling apart after transforming, and it actually holds its shape more solidly than the previously released Metal Gear REX.

Overall, the color separation is great even as a straight build, the detail work in various spots is quite refined, it's genuinely fun to put together, and the massive bulk and sculpt quality after completion are satisfying. But as always, the biggest sticking point is that ¥15,800 price tag. Metal Gear fans will no doubt be thrilled that Sahelanthropus — the only bipedal Metal Gear and the final boss — has finally been kitted, but even for a pretty dedicated fan, it's a price that'll make you hesitate before opening your wallet. :-)

Sahelanthropus | 2016.1 | ¥15,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.