Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
It's relatively small and compact.

Head

The cannon section

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - Various parts of the body. (1/4)

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - Various parts of the body. (2/4)

Various parts of the body.

Front legs and rear legs

Underside

The weapons mounted on the back move in a variety of ways, including rotation and angle adjustment.

Legs fully extended vs. bent

The spread angle of the legs

Given the short legs, lateral rotation makes for a more noticeable range of motion than bending.

Tail articulation

Small head, but it's got surprisingly free up/down and left/right movement.

Cockpit hatch open

Twist and pull out the belly button and the Zoid Core appears.

Remove the leg armor and you'll find a bit of inner frame underneath.

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - The side platform can also be extended out in two stages. (1/3)

The side platform can also be extended out in two stages.

Just like a real turtle, you can retract the head inside too..

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - You can tuck the head in, extend the legs out, and set it up in a kind of storage mode. (1/4)

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - You can tuck the head in, extend the legs out, and set it up in a kind of storage mode. (2/4)

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - You can tuck the head in, extend the legs out, and set it up in a kind of storage mode. (3/4)

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - You can tuck the head in, extend the legs out, and set it up in a kind of storage mode. (4/4)

Tuck the head in and extend the legs out like this,
and you can set it up in a kind of storage mode.

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - Action poses.. With those short legs, the range of poses you can pull off is pretty limited ^^; (1

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - Action poses.. With those short legs, the range of poses you can pull off is pretty limited ^^; (2

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - Action poses.. With those short legs, the range of poses you can pull off is pretty limited ^^; (3

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise - Action poses.. With those short legs, the range of poses you can pull off is pretty limited ^^; (4

Action poses..
With those short legs, the range of poses you can pull off is pretty limited ^^;

Comparison with the Shield Liger.
Small and stocky-looking, isn't it.

Together with the Shield Liger and Molga.

Together with the Shield Liger and Comando Wolf.
Size-wise, it's definitely on the small side.

The turtle-type Zoid, Cannon Tortoise, has made its appearance in the HMM lineup. It's a unit with a different kind of charm compared to the four-legged beast-type Zoids — a small but solid-feeling kit.

First off, the molded colors look great and the color separation is well done, so the straight build looks really nice. The intricate parts breakdown leads to a complex color combination, which makes the assembly feel really rewarding. Being on the smaller side, it has fewer parts than other Zoids kits, so the build goes pretty smoothly, and the unique style gives it a fresh feel in hand too.

With such short legs there isn't much in the way of major articulation, but the head, tail, and back-mounted weapons all move freely, so it still has its own kind of dynamism. The two-stage opening side platform, the removable Zoid Core, and the turtle's signature head-retraction feature are all faithfully reproduced — so even though it's small, it really does its job as a detailed mecha model kit.

The leg joints are a little on the loose side, which can be a bit annoying when trying to hold a pose, but since it's a relatively light and small kit, it doesn't really become a serious issue. The snap-fit connections are still a bit lacking in some spots, so I'd recommend using glue on the important areas.

A turtle-type Zoid was never going to be the kind of unit that wins you over with flashy poses — it needs to win on the satisfaction of a tight, intricate build and a packed set of gimmicks, and in that regard this is a very satisfying Zoid model kit. The build isn't too demanding and it delivers a solid, clean quality feel, so even those of you who've been a little intimidated by Kotobukiya's Zoids line can enjoy this one without any worries. :-)

Zoid HMM Cannon Tortoise | 2009. 3 | ¥3,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.