Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - It's so massive it completely fills my 55cm-wide photo studio. (1/7)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - It's so massive it completely fills my 55cm-wide photo studio. (2/7)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - It's so massive it completely fills my 55cm-wide photo studio. (3/7)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - It's so massive it completely fills my 55cm-wide photo studio. (4/7)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - It's so massive it completely fills my 55cm-wide photo studio. (5/7)

It's so massive it completely fills my 55cm-wide photo studio.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail shots (1/8)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail shots (2/8)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail shots (3/8)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail shots (4/8)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail shots (5/8)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail shots (6/8)

Detail shots

The kit is so large and complex that I'll go over each section in detail.

Even just the head is a bit bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

Top/bottom view of the head.

The detail inside the mouth is really well done too.

The jaw opens on a double joint.

Canopy open.
Interestingly, the eyes are designed to sit on the inside of the canopy.

The torso is made up of four main sections.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail on the chest and backpack area — it's got a pretty intricate feel to it. (1/4)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail on the chest and backpack area — it's got a pretty intricate feel to it. (2/4)

Detail on the chest and backpack area.
It's got a pretty intricate feel to it.

Even the inner face of the backpack, which you'd never normally see, has detail on it.

The multiple spines on the back are on a rotating structure.

Detail on the waist section.

Movement of the gun barrels mounted on either side.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detail on the hip joint area. (1/3)

Detail on the hip joint area.

It's not articulated, but the suspension is still represented pretty nicely.

Detail on the rear section where the tail connects.

The gun barrels on either side of the rear can only rotate.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Assembling the upper body, waist, and rear section together, then adding the head. Even just the

Assembling the upper body, waist, and rear section together, then adding the head.
Even just the body on its own is pretty massive.

The tail alone measures 30cm in length.

The tail is made up of 6 segments.

The up/down range of motion on the tail.

There are articulated cylinders attached to each segment along the underside of the tail.

The horizontal rotation range of the tail.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - There's a support strut at the front of the tail that also includes an articulated cylinder. (1/2

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - There's a support strut at the front of the tail that also includes an articulated cylinder. (2/2

There's a support strut at the front of the tail,
which also includes an articulated cylinder.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - You can spread them out to either side or stand them upright to prop it up like wheels — but thes

You can spread them out to either side or stand them upright to prop it up like wheels —
but these are the parts that fall off most easily in this kit...
Rather than providing any support, they're just a nuisance that don't help at all. T_T

The tip of the tail, loaded up with all kinds of weapons.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - You can also retract the gun barrels and stow them neatly inside the tail cover, as shown. (1/4)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - You can also retract the gun barrels and stow them neatly inside the tail cover, as shown. (2/4)

You can also retract the gun barrels and stow them neatly inside the tail cover, as shown.

The machine guns on either side can also fold down 180 degrees.

Arm section.

Divided into the shoulder and arm sections.

The elbow only bends to about 90 degrees...

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - But when you bend it, there's a gimmick where the pipe and cylinder on the front of the arm retra

But when you bend it, there's a gimmick where the pipe and cylinder on the front of the arm retract slightly in sync.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Looking at the internal gimmick, there's a support part that, when you bend the elbow, automatica

Looking at the internal gimmick, there's a support part that, when you bend the elbow,
automatically causes the articulated cylinder above and the pipe below to fold inward and retract.
It's a linked joint you don't often see in Kotobukiya kits..

Detail on the underside of the forearm.

The fingers have a two-knuckle structure that lets them bend and straighten.

Big, chunky legs, as you'd expect.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detailed look at the legs. (1/5)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detailed look at the legs. (2/5)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Detailed look at the legs. (3/5)

Detailed look at the legs.

The knee's range of motion is about this much...

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Remove the leg armor and there's something that passes for an inner frame underneath — a bit plai

Remove the leg armor and there's something that passes for an inner frame underneath — a bit plain, but it's there.

Even a single foot is way bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

The color separation is nicely done across each segment.

Sole detail.

Toe articulation.

There's a gimmick where the heel drops down like a high heel to help it stand.

A look at the backpack —
no special gimmicks to speak of.

Mounted on the back.

Removing and reattaching the Zoid Core.
The fit is loose so it keeps popping out during posing..

Over 50 runners, which is an insane amount — but there are very few leftover parts. ^^;

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - RAWR~ Action pose. (1/6)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - RAWR~ Action pose. (2/6)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - RAWR~ Action pose. (3/6)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - RAWR~ Action pose. (4/6)

RAWR~ Action pose.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Pose with the tail coiled around and arms reaching out. (1/6)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Pose with the tail coiled around and arms reaching out. (2/6)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Pose with the tail coiled around and arms reaching out. (3/6)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Pose with the tail coiled around and arms reaching out. (4/6)

Pose with the tail coiled around and arms reaching out.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Rearing up on raised heels in a roaring pose. The presence and sheer impact of this thing in pers

Rearing up on raised heels in a roaring pose.
The presence and sheer impact of this thing in person is incredible.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Comparison with the Iron Kong, which had been the big bruiser of the Zoids HMM lineup up until no

Comparison with the Iron Kong, which had been the big bruiser of the Zoids HMM lineup up until now.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Even next to the Geno Breaker, which was no slouch in the size department, the Gojulas is on a wh

Even next to the Geno Breaker, which was no slouch in the size department, the Gojulas is on a whole other level.

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas - Next to the PG First — it's taller, sure, but the sheer bulk is just on a completely different sc

Next to the PG First —
it's taller, sure, but the sheer bulk is just on a completely different scale..

The Gojulas — one of the most talked-about mechs around — has finally made its appearance in Kotobukiya's Zoids HMM series. This thing has an absolutely massive, imposing presence in the lore, and it certainly arrived with a lot of buzz, coming in at a steep price of over ¥20,000.

As expected, it comes in a huge box that dwarfs even the old Iron Kong packaging. Interestingly, each sub-kit is individually wrapped in a plain brown outer box first, and then inside that is a full-color box with a rounded band wrap around it for yet another layer of packaging. Being a premium top-of-the-line kit at this price point, the packaging alone is something else.

Open up the three sub-boxes inside the big box and you're greeted by an absolutely staggering number of runners — over 50 of them — which is enough to make your head spin. It gives you serious déjà vu of the PG Zephyr. With this many runners, just finding the right parts during assembly becomes a massive task in itself. In my case, I'd say the time spent hunting for parts was almost equal to the time spent cutting, cleaning up gate marks, and actually building. That said, despite the intimidating pile of runners and parts, it actually goes together surprisingly quickly — I think because while there are a lot of runners, many of the individual parts are quite large.

In my case, I thought it would take me a full week of non-stop building to finish — but I was able to wrap it up casually over a weekend plus a few weekday evenings. It felt about on par with building a single PG Gundam in terms of workload. If you're worried about it being an overwhelming project, I'd say don't stress too much — it's not as bad as you might think. In fact, unlike typical Kotobukiya kits with their fiddly small parts, this one goes together in big, satisfying chunks, which makes the building experience even more enjoyable. And the satisfaction of that enormous finished product... it's honestly not an exaggeration to call it a culture shock that blows any PG Gundam clean out of the water.

The overall detail isn't what I'd call delicate, but it's well-sculpted with a good sense of depth throughout. The color separation on the cylinders and pipes — a hallmark of Kotobukiya Zoids kits — is nicely done, so the straight build looks really impressive. I was particularly worried about joint strength in the legs and torso given the sheer size of this thing, but the polycaps used are tighter and sturdier than in any other Kotobukiya kit I've built, and the stability is surprisingly excellent given the size and weight.

The Iron Kong — a similarly bulky kit (though more cute than the Gojulas in its own way) — had a tendency to topple forward due to its odd body proportions and weak joint strength. The Gojulas, on the other hand, holds its position rock-solidly as long as you don't throw the center of gravity way off. Even in a leaning pose, as long as you balance the weight between the head and the tail, it locks into position reliably. Articulation isn't great given the nature of the design, but the stability once you've got a pose set is really satisfying.

That said, there are a few parts with weak connections — the individual joints of the six-segment tail have a tendency to come apart during posing. The hold is fine once you've got a pose set, but they pop apart easily when you're moving things around, so the tail keeps disassembling itself. At least it stays together once you've locked in a pose, so there's that. ^^; Also, the articulated support struts at the front of the tail are loose and keep dropping to the floor. With that kind of hold, they're basically useless as supports, which is a bit of a shame.

And as always with Kotobukiya kits, the snap-fit isn't perfect, so there are plenty of parts that will come loose over time if you don't glue them. It's worth paying attention to how things connect as you build and applying glue where it counts. One other minor gripe — for a kit this size, you'd think they could have done a proper inner frame structure, but aside from parts of the legs, there's no separate internal mechanical frame to speak of. What you see on the outside is basically all there is. I suspect they deliberately left out frame-style construction to keep the overall rigidity of the kit intact.

To sum it up, this kit comes with an incredible number of runners and parts, but it doesn't take as long to build as you'd expect, the assembly feel is great, and the key joints in particular have outstanding stability that supports the massive frame really well — it's an exemplary large-scale kit. And above all, the sheer bulk and presence of the finished model is this kit's greatest strength. If you're a fan of impressive-looking models and love Zoids, this is an absolute must-have — a truly monumental kit that deserves a place in the history of plastic models, in every sense of the word. :-)

Zoid HMM RBOZ-003 Gojulas | 2013. 12 | ¥23,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.