HumAble Models for the HumAble Man

Are you Hume-able?  Well g...good for you?  I guess we all are, if that means you're able to be human.  Which, I assume, is why these things are called HumAble models!  Because they're able to be like humans.  Too much like humans.  I mean, the Gundam ate all my lunchmeat yesterday.  ALL OF IT.  Didn't even make a sandwich.  Sucked it all down like it was.

But seriously folks *loosens tie* What I'm showcasing here is a couple Gundam toys by Banpresto.  They often make REALLY cool toys for crane machines, like these toys.  As such, items like these are often hard to come by, and possibly expensive.  They shouldn't be, but because they're sorta rare, people think they should be.  So, by searching around on ebay, I ran into a great deal of 25 bucks for this set, and went for it.

I wasn't looking for a set, to tell ya the truth.  I was just looking for the GM, but he alone was almost 40 in all the listings.  So how can I resist two for 25?  I still get my GM, and hell, why not a hundredth friggin' RX-78 Gundam?

But lets focus on the GM for now.

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The articulation is so amazing that I don't know how to describe any of it.  I mean, it's all articulation points you're familiar with...they just work better than most you've experienced.  He's got ball jointed hips, but the articulated skirt armor allows for pretty much anything.  Twist it around right and he could kick himself in the face - whatever you want, man.

There's a ball joint in the waist and chest (the cockpit door is hinged so it can bend forward), hinged and swiveling neck (up 'n down and side to side), ball jointed hands, ball jointed and hinged ankles (with more ball joints in the feet), ball jointed shoulders that rock forward and back on hinges, and single jointed knees and elbows that are built so intelligently that they work like double joints.  You can keep his thigh straight and still bend his knee all the way to the small of his back.

They say Hum-Able, but this thing is like a human without bones.  It can do anything you can do, plus bend back at a standing position and touch his head to the ground.  And then wrap his arms around his legs.  Then walk out the door with swagger.  If you see a person do that, you fill a super soaker with holy water and call the Warrens.

As for accessories: It's just the shield, gun, and four hands (open and closed).  The hands have SUPER small holes, so it looks like they won't fit in the ball joints in his wrists, but they will.  Oh, they will.  You just gotta FORCE IT.  Which is annoying, when the ball joint keeps moving around.  Once it's on, though, it won't pop off.  The gun also has to be worked into the hand, but it stays in just as well once you get it there.

The saber handle on his back comes out and can be held, but he comes with no blade.

You can always find something to shove on there, but it's harder to find a blade with a female end than it is to find one with a male end.

That was all I had, and it didn't fit very well.

Here he is next to my old fave, the MSiA GM.  Still a fantastic figure, but you can't really compare it to this hyper articulated beast.  Neither will ever replace the other - they're both great to have around.

Now, the Gundam, as you may expect....feels a little superfluous.  To me.  I have a lot of versions of this classic RX-78-2.  I only picked a couple here, with the MSiA being on the left end, then the Robot Spirits version, and finally the HumAble.  The MSiA is more like a toy (that you'd give to your kid, though they'll still lose all the weapons and hands), the Robot Spirits version has a TON of stuff, but the hands are only so-so and he takes a bit of work to get into good poses.  The HumAble just moves so...smooth?  I think that's the word I'm looking for.  You play around a little and it's pretty near a natural pose.  You play with the Robot Spirits version and you keep having to adjust things.  It's a nice mid-way point between toy and collectable.

The only one that compares is Banpresto's own previous Gundam toys, the SCM EX line.  This is one of the repaints of the regular Gundam and has comparable articulation.

Both are hard to find and hyper stylized in different directions.  The SCM one is just crazy in proportions, while the HumAble harkens back to the original animation model from Mobile Suit Gundam.  It's still got some modern styling, but the thin legs and little feet are very much like the Gundam's design from the 70's.

The GM and Gundam share the same basic body, so he's just as poseable.

The two of them together make for a great little team.  I can't really say "go out and buy these!" 'cause I just got lucky with the deal I found.  If you happen across one (and there are others, like the God Gundam and Master Gundam) then I'd highly suggest trying one out, at a decent price.

I had a great time posing these guys, and I still have the GM near me so I can mess with him.  Real hand-candy, if you get me.  There's something new to do with them every time you pick it up, and it's wasted if it's sitting on a shelf.  This is really meant for sitting on your desk so it can be in a new position every day.  It can do anything a Mobile Suit can do....and anything a human can.