Destroid Monster

In 2015, Bandai re-launched the Hi-Metal series with the Hi-Metal R line. Not quite gokin, not quite robot spirits.. in fact I’m really not sure what denotes inclusion in the Hi-Metal R line.

Bandai describes the line as “On the basis of the respect of the historic “HI-METAL” series, It followed the, which is a component “deformation and gimmick”, “composite materials”, Brand renewed with the latest technology, continue to rebuild the A New Products.”

Um, yeah.

Basically, cool toys of older mecha designs that may have metal and transform.

Macross made the bulk of the line, with all but 4 of the releases being from the series. Of course there a bunch of transforming valkyries, but they’ve also included the support mecha of the Macross universe. I’ve always loved the Destroids, but bringing the classic Destroid Monster to life hasn’t been done since the original release of the diecast Takatoku toy. But now Bandai has decided to go balls out and create this HUGE modern Destroid Monster toy.

This particular Destroid Monster arrives courtesy of HobbyLink Japan

This Monster is actually a MONSTER of a toy. It’s 1/100 scale, 15 inches long and about 9 inches tall. It’s also heavy, at almost 5 lbs. The thing is a dream of a toy for me.

The only assembly you need is to attach the cannons. The box has some nice box art, and is a solid heavy cube that comes in about 12 x 12 inches.

The toy is gorgeous. All the details are painted on with crisp tampo printing. Little things move that have no real reason to, other than its cool.

Each of the cannons on the top are independently poseable on tight ball joints.

All the little red marking lights move in some fashion.

The cover to the cockpit is removable, but you need something to pry it open, or have good fingernails. There are spots for three pilots inside. This really gives you perspective about how big this thing really was meant to be.

Two little doors on the back open – i’m not sure if its for loading ammunition, or for some kind of exhaust. Either way – cool.

There’s even a flip down “Dozer Blade” on the back. This is used to anchor the Destroid in place when the large guns are fired.

Every joint clicks. The legs can extend and compress with an interesting dual-beam leg system. There’s a lot of great engineering here for a simple design.

Check out the feet. There’s some wonderful yet totally unnecessary articulation going on. Each foot has separate toe and heel joints, and even a separate foot pad rocker. The undersides of the feet are solid bare diecast metal.

Check out the large metal ball joints holding this thing up. Beautiful.

In order to get more of a range of motion, the top half of the Monster actually lifts up and can be supported by a metal strut. This almost makes a sort of mouth to the monster.

To get into the Monster, the front opens up and a loading ramp unfolds. Again, some great engineering going on here.

I mentioned the large cannons at the beginning of the review. While they are firm enough to hold a pose, it’s likely over time these joints will get weak, so Bandai has provided clear spacers to hold the cannons in place without straining the joints.

The arms are solid yet hold in any pose due to the extra strong clicky joints. There’s a ton of options available here, again, way more than is necessary, but it doesn’t at any point get figety.

So yeah, I kind of like it. I like it a lot. It’s just a phenomenal piece. The only drawback is that it’s a bit of an awkward size, and may be hard to find a spot in your collection. But this one is worth re-arranging for.

You can get your Destroid Monster at HobbyLink Japan