Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
Yep, it's quite compact~.

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Detail shots (1/5)

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Detail shots (2/5)

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Detail shots (3/5)

Detail shots

Underside view

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Cockpit hatch open. A painted pilot figure is included, but... the seat is so oddly sized that the

Cockpit hatch open.
A painted pilot figure is included, but...
The seat is so oddly sized that there's absolutely(!) no way to sit the figure in it — a really strange design.
In the end I had no choice but to dab some glue on the figure's back and just stick it in there -_-;

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - The waist articulates quite flexibly. (1/3)

The waist articulates quite flexibly.

Range of leg bend articulation.

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Posed on the dedicated base. (1/4)

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Posed on the dedicated base. (2/4)

Posed on the dedicated base.

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - The posing options are limited, but the base quality is so good that the display effect is excelle

The posing options are limited, but
the base quality is so good that the display effect is excellent ^^

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Running pose. (1/3)

Running pose.

Tomy EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger - Together with the Kotobukiya Saber Tiger. The design itself is the same, but the molded colors are

Together with the Kotobukiya Saber Tiger.
The design itself is the same, but the molded colors are quite different.

As expected — father and so~n~

Together with the predecessor, the Tomy MSS Shield Liger.

The molded color is identical to the MSS Hammerhead.

The Saber Tiger is the third release in the Tomy-Tec MSS Zoids lineup. Right off the bat, the name itself can cause some confusion — Kotobukiya released it as the "Saber Tiger," while the Tomy version came out as the "Saber Tiger."

If you trace the root of this naming confusion... the original official name from the Tomy Zoids line back in the '80s was indeed "Saber Tiger." Apparently, Bandai later trademarked the name "Saber Tiger" — which was also the name of a character in Power Rangers — and as a result, Zoids re-released in the 2000s had no choice but to go with the name "Saber Tiger" instead. It seems the trademark has since expired, allowing the "Saber Tiger" name to come back, but either way, there was quite a complicated history behind all this ^^;

The basic kit composition is completely identical to the previous Shield Liger — it's intricately put together with a large number of painted parts and tiny little pieces. Kotobukiya kits have a lot of small parts, and RGs do too, but... the MSS Zoids series feels like it easily surpasses both ^^;

All those tiny parts do make assembly a bit of a challenge, but the actual difficulty level isn't that high. The size-to-price ratio still leaves you feeling a little deflated, but the intricate, finely-packed feel of it even at this small scale more than makes up for it to some extent. Despite the compact size, the color combination and sculpt quality are excellent and the articulation is great too — it genuinely feels like building an RG Zoid.

With the first release, the MSS Shield Liger, the hip joints connecting the legs had a tendency to pop out a bit too easily, which was a bit of a letdown — but the Saber Tiger has none of that issue, and there are no loose parts overall. That said, compared to Bandai kits, the snap-fit connections are still a little iffy in places, so I'd recommend adding a touch of glue here and there where needed.

True to MSS Zoids series tradition, a high-quality painted display base is included, and as always it's excellent — really adds to the overall satisfaction. The way these bases are shaping up, just collecting them alone feels like it's building quite a little treasure trove ^^

Aside from the fact that it's an MG-priced kit at ¥3,200 with an SD-sized body, this is a great pick for anyone who enjoys small, finely detailed kits like RGs. And unlike traditional Zoids which are too bulky to collect easily, there's no shelf-space anxiety here either. Either way, Zoids fans have got yet another fun item to add to the collection :-)

EPZ-003 Sabre Tiger | 2013. 3 | ¥3,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.