Kit review: Moderoid – Iron Saga Deer Stalker RxR
Iron Saga is the ultimate mecha mobage…if only it isn’t just top-down automated combat. The game is full of amazing original designs as well as crossovers – but their extravagant aesthetics of all the top mechas make it difficult for toy companies to create toys for them. Well, have no fear since Good Smile is here! The first Iron Saga model kit finally make its way into the Moderoid line-up, albeit it is one of the more simpler design, the Deer Stalker RxR is one of the main female characters mecha, and it combines the real robot aesthetic with some very stylistic choices.
– Info:
Moderoid Deer Stalker RxR
Series: Kidou Sentai Iron Saga
Price: 7,440 yen
Release date: Dec 8, 2022
Get yours here!
Moderoid Deer Stalker RxR
Series: Kidou Sentai Iron Saga
Price: 7,440 yen
Release date: Dec 8, 2022
Get yours here!
– Design:
The Deer Stalker RxR is an upgrade of the Deer Stalker, with an emphasis on heavy-ranged weaponry. The unit is extremely Katoki’d with super long, slender legs and a very short body. The overall design language reminds me of Full Metal Panic designs by Ebikawa-sensei. The curved musculature on the biceps and thighs, combined with straight, blocky edges on the body, makes it look like a stylized Arbalest with x2 legroom. The colour scheme is light blue/purple with white, quite simple and militaristic instead of Iron Saga’s more crazy black and gold or green or red, etc…
As the pilot is a female, the mecha has many feminine features—most especially the feet and heels. The Deer Stalker is basically on high heels with its long, lustrous legs. The head also employs a curved visor with a rounded, elegant helmet style.
Its most prominent feature is the giant EMP Cannon and the shoulder-mounted armour (I think it’s called the Robin module). The cannon is 31 cm long! Which is taller than the mecha itself. The shoulder module also looks quite imposing, albeit it is a giant obstacle to arm movement. But hey, it’s a ranged fighter with no included melee weapons (at least for this kit), so all it needs to do to look cool is point and shoot.
The Deer Stalker RxR is an upgrade of the Deer Stalker, with an emphasis on heavy-ranged weaponry. The unit is extremely Katoki’d with super long, slender legs and a very short body. The overall design language reminds me of Full Metal Panic designs by Ebikawa-sensei. The curved musculature on the biceps and thighs, combined with straight, blocky edges on the body, makes it look like a stylized Arbalest with x2 legroom. The colour scheme is light blue/purple with white, quite simple and militaristic instead of Iron Saga’s more crazy black and gold or green or red, etc…
As the pilot is a female, the mecha has many feminine features—most especially the feet and heels. The Deer Stalker is basically on high heels with its long, lustrous legs. The head also employs a curved visor with a rounded, elegant helmet style.
Its most prominent feature is the giant EMP Cannon and the shoulder-mounted armour (I think it’s called the Robin module). The cannon is 31 cm long! Which is taller than the mecha itself. The shoulder module also looks quite imposing, albeit it is a giant obstacle to arm movement. But hey, it’s a ranged fighter with no included melee weapons (at least for this kit), so all it needs to do to look cool is point and shoot.
– Build quality: I had a surprisingly pleasant experience building this kit. The parts snap together relatively well, no need to aggressively sand down any parts and no sticker required as well. The head visor is pre-painted, which is *chef’s kiss*. The only thing I have a problem with is the feet. Due to the height of the mecha and the top-heavy style with the shoulder drones, the feet are under a lot of pressure, and the connectors aren’t the most solid. In fact, it’s the loosest part of the kit. It’s a ball joint as well, so thickening it might be a double-edged sword as Moderoid’s ball joints are quite prone to breaking. Aside from that, the kit comes together quite well.
– Articulation: The kit has quite a decent range of movement. Without the Robin module and the backpack, the kit can be quite dynamic (on a stand). The arms can move up and down and all around, and the legs can kick up quite high. The kneeling pose is a bit difficult due to the restricted foot movement and because of the uneven proportion of the thigh and calf. With the shoulder “cloak” equipped, you’ll need to swivel the armour out of the way each time you want to pose the arms.
Since its hand-held accessory is only the EMP Cannon, it can pull off any shooting pose quite well (with a support stand for the weapon). Especially the Gundam Age-3 underarm pose and the Fire Dagwon’s Mugenhou style. Of course, it can pull off its own signature cannon pose as well.
Due to its grounded style and feminine aesthetic, the Deer Stalker RxR would look great in a girlish pose with slightly bent legs and a hand on the hip or something. However, those poses are poorly balanced and will require a stand to keep it standing. There are also no torso joints, so there is no ab-crunching and arching back, only a ball joint to connect the body to the hip.
Since its hand-held accessory is only the EMP Cannon, it can pull off any shooting pose quite well (with a support stand for the weapon). Especially the Gundam Age-3 underarm pose and the Fire Dagwon’s Mugenhou style. Of course, it can pull off its own signature cannon pose as well.
Due to its grounded style and feminine aesthetic, the Deer Stalker RxR would look great in a girlish pose with slightly bent legs and a hand on the hip or something. However, those poses are poorly balanced and will require a stand to keep it standing. There are also no torso joints, so there is no ab-crunching and arching back, only a ball joint to connect the body to the hip.
– Gimmicks: The kit’s gimmick is quite limited and mostly comprises of 2 major ones:
+ EMP Cannon: the cannon’s handle can slide in and out so the hand can grab it. You can also slot the cannon into the elbow at a specific angle to help stabilize the weapon more.
+ Drone: The “drones” on the shoulders can be detached. Although no display base is included for it, you can use the base of another model to display it.
+ EMP Cannon: the cannon’s handle can slide in and out so the hand can grab it. You can also slot the cannon into the elbow at a specific angle to help stabilize the weapon more.
+ Drone: The “drones” on the shoulders can be detached. Although no display base is included for it, you can use the base of another model to display it.
– Accessories: The kit has quite a few, but only a few of them are truly “usable”:
x 1 EMP Cannon: The most iconic weapon and definitely why many buy this kit. It is an astonishingly 31cm long weapon.
x 8 drones: 8 remote weapons—2 large and 6 small ones. You might need to use clamp type or Blutack to display them on stands.
x 3 pairs of hands: closed-fist, weapon-holding an open palm.
x 1 EMP Cannon: The most iconic weapon and definitely why many buy this kit. It is an astonishingly 31cm long weapon.
x 8 drones: 8 remote weapons—2 large and 6 small ones. You might need to use clamp type or Blutack to display them on stands.
x 3 pairs of hands: closed-fist, weapon-holding an open palm.
–> Overall: As the first model of the Iron Saga franchise, the Deer Stalker has done quite a good job. Good Smile also improved a lot for this kit with no fragile joints or overly-loose parts (although those feet can be improved for sure). The kit is quite expensive but the size of it is very impressive. It is definitely to scale with Master Grades and many 20-cm models out there. If you’re a fan of the game and would like to support Good Smile to make more of them (personally I would like one of the The Sin or the Round Table mechs) or you just like BFGs and you cannot lie, definitely get this kit.
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