Exploring the articulation design of HCM-Pro Cherudim Gundam and some its extra features in this posting.
While I noted some features that are missing on this figure as compared to its High Grade 1/144 scale Gunpla version in the previous posting, in terms of articulation however, this thing is packed with quite a few surprises not available on any other merchandise version of Cherudim Gundam ^^
The default V-Fin and yellow fin are made of soft plastic, so they are plenty safe for clumsy hands XD
There are also the ABS hard plastic option parts for these two components as mentioned in the introduction.
Chest panels that can be lifted to reveal the chest vents is a unique feature of this HCM-Pro version.
Some molded details behind the chest panels are quite a nice touch.
The clear part used for the scope (?) in the middle of the chest is pretty nice to see as well.
Pretty standard articulation design for the head.
The shoulder blocks can be expanded when the shoulders are bent to the back, revealing more of Cherudim Gundam's chest vents.
The expansion is much more subtle as compared to 00 Gundam's design though. ^^
Not much upward lifting for the shoulder joint though, with the head getting in its way too quickly. ^^;
Very cool feature of the connector on the left shoulder armor that allows it to be pulled outward, sending the two Shield Bits mounted on it to the back of the shoulder. ^^
This feature is also available on the HG Gunpla version actually.
Mounting the sniper rifle onto the connector on the right shoulder armor is via its supporting handle.
I prefer mounting the rifle in its "long" mode as compared to the retracted mode.
The latter feels somewhat imbalance in terms of weight distribution to me.
Just like the one on the left, the connector can be pulled outward and moved to the back of the armor as well.
Surprisingly, with or without shifting the mounted items to the back of the shoulder armors, articulation range for the shoulders and arms is not affected at all. ^^
To compensate the 90-degree (only) elbow articulation, the figure is designed with a pair of separated and movable wrist components, ...
... plus another pair of bendable wrist joints on the hand units.
The waist is quite a magical component, which is really lavish in its articulation design:
(1) very normal left and right rotation, ...
... (2) very normal vertical bending to the left and right as well, but interestingly, the front skirt armors seem to be following the bend of the upper body in these poses.
A closer look at the joint design beneath the waist and you will find that the joints are located right beneath the white abdomen part, which doesn't follow the conventional waist design on most other action figures.
But that's really just half the fun ^^
(Left) (3) Front skirt armors can be lifted upward, which is very wide in range I should add,
(Right) (4) the armors can also swing to the side as well. ^^
Super flexible design that is very rare for an action figure. I totally salute the design. ^^
While the waist is awesome, the hip joint is very standard. In the merchandise world of "Gundam Double O", especially Season 2, that means it's pretty poor. ^^;
No double point joint (hip + thigh) like 00 Gundam's design, just very tight old-school ball-type joints. ^^;
The joint of the tail unit is of course movable.
The range of movement allowed for the tail unit depends on the Shield Bit mounted on it actually. ^^
It's already the "end of the line" (XD) for the tail unit shown in the image above - the top Shield Bit is already hitting the spine.
Very wide knee articulation range, and the knee is seemingly a very thin component. ^^
Some line details on the knee joint.
Like the backpack connectors for the Holo-Screen, the scope on the side of the knee contains no clear part as well. ^^;
The "planks" on the heel (XD) are movable.
Movement of the double point ankle joint to the back and to the back.
Ball-type joints between the ankles and feet allow the later to rotate freely.
The feet can even slide to the side for some really unnatural-looking poses. ^^;
But the flexibility of the ankle joints is well acknowledged, based on the poses the feet can perform.
Kneeling pose is too easy for this figure.
Even though the front skirt armor can slide to the side, it doesn't have to since the thigh is not in any way being limited by it when it's in front.
Tremendous design for the waist, which mixes complexity of movement range and simplicity in design unbelievably well. ^^ In comparison, the knee seems to be of textbook standard fair, even though it's very flexible nonetheless. The shoulder joints are somewhat limited when they are lifted upward, but the multiple joints designed for the forearm can make up for the limitation I believe.
Everything is set for some really cool action poses from this HCM-Pro figure it seems. ^^
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