Review: Kotobukiya Zero Model (From Mega Man X) Model Kit

Kotobukiya knocked it out of the park with this Zero model kit.

Producer: Kotobukiya

Price: Approx. $48 USD

Release Date: Sept. 2020 (Multiple Reissues Since)

Item Height: Approx. 5.5″

Item Weight: N/A

Batteries: Milight 316 (sold separately; used for optional sword light up effect.)

WHERE TO BUY: Glacier Hobbies (Sold Out)

Kotobukiya is giving the Mega Man X franchise more love than any other company out there including Capcom itself with their absolutely fantastic line of model kits. Their Zero is just plain awesome being a really simple build that gives a ton of display and play fun. Check out the video review above as well as the written article and gallery below and please let me know what you think in the comments section.

Presentation: I don’t give too much thought into this area for a model kit since they’re all bags of sprues inside but the artwork and general graphic layout on all of these Kotobukiya Mega Man boxes are great. It’s a great mix of good artwork and a solid view of what you’re putting together in terms of pictures of the figure itself.

Build: It’s a completely plastic kit and even though there’s some subjectivity when it comes to the build quality due to some people taking more time to do things like sanding to make sure pieces fit together better for example, I feel that it’s an overall good, quality kit that even the most novice of builders won’t have any issues with just doing the basics to get it together. On both Zero and the Nightmare variant of this kit there seems to be a fairly universal issue with the left ankle not holding into the foot well and popping out when trying to tilt the foot. Personally I had success with leaving the piece from the foot in boiling water for 30 seconds to soften it up, and then pressing the balljoint into it as hard as possible and twisting it around to re shape the female end then running it all under cold water for about 5 seconds while still connected to make the shape hold.

Accessories: Accessories per the Hobbylink Japan product listing;

– Interchangeable expression x3
– Interchangeable booster
– Interchangeable hand parts x4
– Z-Saber effect x3

Honestly, outside of an alternate hair piece or two I can’t think of anything else I’d even want in terms of accessories for this character. I feel that they went above and beyond to make sure that this figure was as “definitive” as possible with these accessories and did a great job of it. One thing that should also be noted is that you can insert a Milight 316 battery/LED piece (sold separately) inside of the alternate sword handle for a light up effect that works on all of the blade pieces.

The one thing I’d have added to the accessories is an alternate hair piece. The one that it comes with is hollow, and pretty obtrusive with its size. They should have honestly just plain stolen the formula that Eastern Model used for their Mega Man Zero kit because those hair pieces not only look great but give a lot more option in terms of display.

Articulation: The articulation on Kotobukiya’s Zero is very good. I wish that there was more swivel in the waist itself vs. keeping it primarily in the upper torso but overall there isn’t much that I feel the figure can’t do.

Overall Score: 8.5/10 – Kotobukiya’s Zero model kit gives fans just about everything they could have asked for in a Zero figure without going into the “high end” level of materials and costs. It nails the look, articulation, and comes with a fantastic set of accessories. I’d say my only real gripe is the hair piece being so obtrusive and generally lackluster. Even though it’s been a long time since I’ve built Kotobukiya models it’s still very impressive to me just how far their quality has come along.