Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Size comparison with HGUC/MG

Upper body

Nicely color-coordinated head.

Super Robot War R-1 - Arms and shield/rifle (1/3)

Arms and shield/rifle

Back section

Legs

Despite the calves being quite small, a lot of care went into the color separation.

G-Revolver mounted on the side

Weapons and overall loadout are fairly generous.

The extra-long Boosted Rifle

G-Revolver and Cold Metal Knife

Super Robot War R-1 - The Cold Metal Knife is originally stored in the backpack, but due to scale limitations this kit can't

The Cold Metal Knife is originally stored in the backpack, but…
Due to scale limitations this kit can't do that — instead it comes with a backpack-mounted fixed piece and two separate knife parts.

Super Robot War R-1 - The shield can be separated front and back, though it's a feature you'd only really need if you're comb

The shield can be separated front and back, though it's a feature you'd only really need if you're combining it into the SRX.

Hands come in two sets: fists and weapon-holding hands.
The detail is a bit plain though..

Extra parts needed for the R-Wing mode transformation.

A dedicated stand is included, and…

It's designed to work with both robot mode and flight mode.

The bottom of the stand has the model designation and name embossed in raised lettering.

Articulation is an honest ~90 degrees or so..

Super Robot War R-1 - Due to the transformation gimmick, joint strength on several parts is seriously lacking — the shoulders

Due to the transformation gimmick, joint strength on several parts is seriously lacking..
The shoulders pop off easily and the knee joints are weak.

Super Robot War R-1 - Shooting action pose (1/4)

Super Robot War R-1 - Shooting action pose (2/4)

Shooting action pose

G-Revolver action

Real men dual-wield!

Cold Metal Knife action

Transformation

To transform, first separate the upper and lower body…

Then remove the head, hands, chest cover, etc.

Fold and extend the body to straighten it out…

Rotate the arms back and spread the wings — upper body transformation complete.

For the lower body transformation, you need to detach the hip joints, crotch, and legs.

Fold and push things around to transform the legs…

Then attach them to the separately included flight-mode hip joint section.

Remove the shield's mounting piece and swap in the cover, then…

Connect the shield, upper body, and lower body in a straight line.

Super Robot War R-1 - Clip the removed crotch armor onto the top and secure the rifle on the left wing — transformation compl

Clip the removed crotch armor onto the top and secure the rifle on the left wing — transformation complete!

These are the parts left over from robot mode after transforming into R-Wing.

A pretty clean R-Wing transformation, all things considered.

Gives off a bit of a Zeta Waverider vibe, doesn't it.

Underside

Super Robot War R-1 - Close-up shots by section (1/3)

Close-up shots by section

Together with the Hückebein. The R-1 really is on the small side.

Together with the non-scale SRX

Originally, the R-1 handles the upper body combination of the SRX.

The top part of the R-1's shield becomes the SRX's head…

The backpack stays on as the backpack

And the legs fold up and attach to the back — that's how it works in the lore.

Super Robot War R-1 - Together with the Super Robot Wars R series lineup. You can really feel Katoki Hajime's touch throughou

Together with the Super Robot Wars R series lineup.
You can really feel Katoki Hajime's touch throughout.

After the non-scale SRX was released, the R-1 followed in 1/144 scale. The R-1 is designed to combine with the R-2 and others to form the SRX, though it doesn't seem like future combination compatibility was taken into consideration here. Instead, it offers a transformation from robot mode (Personal Trooper mode) to flight mode (R-Wing). It's also Kotobukiya's first transforming kit.

The overall color combination is a pretty tricky one to pull off in kit form, but despite being quite a small 1/144 kit, the color separation is impressively well done. The primary color scheme of white, yellow, blue, and red really comes through nicely — this is one of those kits where you can't help but say "Kotobukiya, nice work!"

On top of that, it also supports the somewhat complex R-Wing transformation mode. It's not a full transformation — there's some disassembly, reassembly, and swap-out parts involved — but the end result looks really great. Aside from having to swap out the hip joint section, it's pretty close to a full transformation.

That said, being Kotobukiya's first transforming kit, it does come with a fair share of issues. The most frustrating part while building is the joint strength problem. Whether it's due to limited experience with transforming kits, the joints tied into the transformation gimmick are generally in rough shape — the whole thing feels floppy all over. The knees flop backward easily, the shoulders keep popping off, and it's hard to get the waist to hold a pose…

It's not too bad just sitting on a shelf, but if you try to transform it or pose it in action poses, parts start falling off left and right, and the seriously weak knee joints mean you really have to watch the center of gravity. Fortunately, once transformed, the overall lock-up is better than expected — the body section holds together fine, except for the wings drooping downward due to weak attachment.

The R-1's transformation method, designed by mecha designer Katoki Hajime, isn't necessarily harder or more complex than Zeta's transformation — but since this is their first transforming kit, it's hard to avoid the many shortcomings that show through in various areas..

Anyway, the joint strength as a transforming kit is seriously problematic, but the dazzling color combination and the craftsmanship on display are definitely worth giving credit for. There's a part of me that wishes for Bandai-style clean full transformation, but the effort and spirit of challenge here are worth acknowledging too. :-)

Super Robot War R-1 | 2006. 12 | ¥3,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.