Kit review: Kotobukiya - Frame Arms Jagd Falx

Kotobukiya is the secondary model kit manufacturer after Bandai in the mecha modeling world. Their quality isn’t quite top-notch like our overlord big B, but their design game is always on-point. One of their most iconic line is the Frame Arms line – which has seen hundreds of releases throughout the years. With high customizability and compatibility with other model kit, it is a go-to line for builders who want to create some really crazy customs. This time, we’re looking at one of the relatively recent Frame Arms – the Jagd Falx

– Info:
Frame Arms Jagd Falx
Series: Frame Arms
Price: 4,480 yen
Release date: Nov 2017

– Design: The Jagd Falx is a variant of another design – the Rayfalx. The Rayfalx is known for its humongous wing-span and huge melee weapons. Whereas the Jagd Falx has a more dimmed down color-scheme and a less extravagant weapon set. You can think of it like a stealth assault version of the Rayfalx. It also has less clear-parts for the wings and replaced with solid blades instead. The Falx line looks more like a hero unit than the other more grunty look FAs like the Gourai, Stylet or Wilburnine variants. For the Jagd though, it looks cool and menacing, definitely more in-line with a rival unit.

– Build quality: As the name suggests, the Frame Arms line has two main aspect: the frame and the arms (weapons). True to Kotobukiya’s fashion, the Frame part is a very hit-and-miss. The frame is pre-assembled out-of-the-box (but it is possible to completely dismantle it). And every buyer is in a draw for either a super loose frame or a relatively solid one. So either you accept your luck of the draw, or you reinforce the frame by dismantling it and thicken up the parts with paper or nail polish (or other hobby specialized liquid).

Then came the armor parts. It’s quite straight-forward and similar to building a Gunpla. It’s like a smaller Hi-Res model. There’s many small parts but at least the snap-fit is quite nice for this unit. There’s no overly hard parts like Zoid kits so the assembling process isn’t too bad. Do be careful when cutting the clear parts out though as they are quite hard so it’s easy to leave stress mark on them. The best way is to cut very far away from the parts then use metal file to slowly sand them down. It’s gonna take a while, but it’s super worth it when you get perfect clear parts at the end.

– Articulation: The good thing about this kit is the posability. Frame Arms are extremely poseable depending on the design. If you have relatively humanoid and sleek design like a Mobile Suit (Gourai line), you can enjoy all of the positives of the frame: more than 90 degree elbow and knee bend, great ab-crunch, 360 torso swivel, universal thigh joint and a great feet pivot. This kit can pull off many dynamic poses and will look pretty amazing for aerial pose due to the design. Although if you happen to get a loose frame, it’s going to be more difficult to hold a pose if the arms are holding a heavy weapon or the legs are raised too high if the frame isn’t reinforced. All in all, you need some work to bring the Frame Arm to its full potential.

– Gimmicks: Kotobukiya is quite frankly the king of external gimmicks. The combination of parts and option configuration is endless. For Jagd Falx, most of the gimmicks are located around its body. You can remove armor plates on the shoulders, the forearms, the knees, the shins, etc… to attach clear blades on it. The guns and crescent/half-moon blades can be attached to the wings to simulate an alternative Rayfalx look (which looks great btw). The blades can also attach to the rifles as well as themselves to create a double-edged sword. There are also a lot of 3mm slots and configurations that you can mix and match them with.

– Accessories: If there’s anything Kotobukiya excels at, it’s accessories:

x 2 Crescent Blade
x 2 Beam Rifle
x 2 Weapon clear parts set (red and transparent)
x 2 Shuriken parts
x 1 Katar handle

There are lots of parts that are left-over from the Rayfalx that isn’t in the manual, but you can consult the Rayfalx manual to build them and use it for this kit. Lots of accessories, lots of stuff to play with. You can also buy the Rayfalx Expansion Arms to turn the Jagd Falx into the Rayfalx but with even more weapons. Although it might be difficult to get the option pack for retail price nowadays.

–> Overall: The Jagd Falx is a very, very cool looking kit. It also excels at accessories and posability. What set it back is unfortunately the chronic issues that Kotobukiya has had since forever. The hit-or-miss frames, the easy-to-stress clear parts, and high price. However, the Jagd Falx has been seen pretty affordable on online Japanese hobby stores. This kit is worth it for those who love the sleek aesthetic and looking for a great base to customize a sick original design.

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