Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Head

Chest

Waist

Back weapons

Tail weapons

Front legs

Rear legs

Bottom view.
The underside has impressive detail and color separation too.

Underside of the body

Paw pads

Leftover parts are very minimal.

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - The waist bends sideways in 3 sections, but the range of motion is limited — the neck actually moves n

The waist bends sideways in 3 sections, but the range of motion is limited —
The neck actually moves noticeably more.

Range of motion for the 3-section waist

When the neck moves, the cylinder above it moves in sync.

Legs fully extended vs. folded.

Cockpit hatch open

The mouth opens incredibly wide ^^;

Legs together vs. spread apart.

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - When the mid-leg joint moves, the joint cover is designed to move along with it.. but that part pops o

When the mid-leg joint moves, the joint cover is designed to move along with it..
But that part pops off pretty easily, which is a bit of a pain.

Toe articulation

Weapons articulation

To remove the Zoid Core from the body, you need to pull the neck all the way out first.

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Crouching pose (1/4)

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Crouching pose (2/4)

Crouching pose

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Pouncing action (1/5)

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Pouncing action (2/5)

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Pouncing action (3/5)

Pouncing action

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Alert pose before the hunt (1/5)

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Alert pose before the hunt (2/5)

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Alert pose before the hunt (3/5)

Alert pose before the hunt

Sniff sniff~ crouched pose

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger - Together with the Shield Liger. The Saber Tiger looks a bit bigger overall, but has a much slimmer, le

Together with the Shield Liger.
The Saber Tiger looks a bit bigger overall,
but has a much slimmer, leaner build.

Together with the Shield Liger / Command Wolf.

The Saber Tiger has arrived as a Zoids kit, and it's been released with quality that's two or three steps above the earlier kits — including the Shield Liger and other predecessors.

First off, the overall proportions are excellent as you'd expect from a Kotobukiya kit, but the color combination and color separation are more striking than any other Zoids kit out there — it's so flashy that even a straight build looks like a painted kit. The deep crimson molded color is rendered with a subtle, rich depth that you wouldn't normally expect from a Kotobukiya kit, putting it on nearly the same level as Bandai's Shizuoka-made kits. On top of that, the detail is sharper and more refined than previous kits — it almost makes you wonder how there can be such a huge quality gap between products in the same lineup.

True to Kotobukiya form, the part count is still high, but compared to the earlier Shield Liger, the assembly is much more efficient and beginner-friendly, and the snap-fit is reasonably well implemented. That said, there are still a few spots where I'd recommend gluing for durability.

The articulation is well realized for a quadruped mech, allowing for a wide variety of dynamic poses. Joint strength is solid too, so there aren't really any worrying spots — except for the linked cover on the mid-leg joint, which keeps popping off. That's probably the biggest flaw of this kit. Since it's a moving part, you can't just glue it down, and it falling off repeatedly can get a little frustrating when you're trying to pose it.

All in all, this is one of Kotobukiya's finest efforts — a standout kit that sets itself clearly apart from their other releases in terms of quality. It's probably the Zoids kit that feels the least out of place next to a Bandai kit. You'd almost wonder if it's really from the same lineup. Great looks, great quality — if you're at all interested in Zoids, this is one I'd recommend without hesitation :-)

Zoid HMM Saber Tiger | 2008. 6 | ¥5,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.