Rai K. The Kit behind the Rai.

My second Zoid review will be of the RZ-007 Shield Liger, motorized version distributed by Hasbro. This was the second Zoid that I ever built.

So, that’s the one I have. Now here’s the one I want:

Anyway, here’s the review:

Difficulty: 2
Durability: 4
Accuracy: 3
Pose-ability: 1

The Shield Liger’s basic build is almost exactly the same as Liger Zero. The legs are made of the same pieces, and the head has the same structure. Unlike Liger Zero, the Shield Liger’s paws are only one piece. This means they aren’t pose-able, but it does save a bit of work. It is also important to remember to attach the tail before fitting the two halves of the body together, or you’ll have to open everything back up again. The Shield Liger uses a lot of small pieces to keep the body closed, and these can sometimes be a pain to put in place. There is one in particular that sits behind the back-mounted gun that has a habit of falling off. Unless you’re planning on taking the SL apart, I’d suggest gluing this piece on, otherwise just push it back on each time it falls off. You need it on there to keep the gun from falling off as well.

RZ-007 is one of the more durable Zoids, especially of the Hasbro models. There are a few small pieces that like to fall off, but these can easily be kept in place with a small drop of glue. If you’re using the Shield Liger for play you’ll have to be careful of the pegs on its sides that keep the missile pods attached. While these don’t break as easily as Liger Zero’s (SL doesn’t have multiple armors), they can still be broken by an excess of pressure. You may also have that problem with the small peg on the tail for the silver gun. I would suggest not moving the gun around too forcefully. I’ve never actually had a problem with the tail itself, but be careful with it. It’s the same width as the Blade Liger’s and that one broke on me.

The Shield Liger is definitely not as close to the anime as it could be. The legs are of the same generic build as all other original Ligers and the paws are missing their claws. The Shield Liger is also missing the ability to expand it’s cheeks, in order to activate the shield. One small issue is the addition of the tail gun, but this can be fixed by simply removing said weapon. There’s also a whole bunch of tiny details that are missing. These can be seen by comparing the first picture with the second. The second image is one of Kotobukiya’s HMM Shield Liger.

Once again, this Zoid has almost no pose-ability. It has the same leg issue as Liger Zero, but with the lack of being able to move the claws. As for movable pieces, the tail can move up and down and the missile pods on the sides can be folded down. The flaps on the top and bottom of the head can be opened. The flap on the back can be raised to reveal the gun that can be brought up and swiveled 360 degrees. And yeah, that’s pretty much the extent of the Shield Liger’s pose-ability.

As for other Shield Liger options, here are some to consider:

-Takara Tomy RZ-007 Shield Liger: In my experience, Tomys are generally more durable than Hasbros. The box below is a 10th anniversary Shield Liger that came with gold paws instead of the original silver.

-Takara Tomy Shield Liger OCS-J: Modeled in black instead of blue and includes a large back-mounted weapon. The addition of the weapon will add a bit of difficulty to this kit.

-Kotobukiya HMM-005 RPZ-07 Shield Liger MK-II: An extremely detailed highend master model. Molded in white and dark blue with the same back-mounted unit as the OCS-J, except gold. Please remember: HMMs have a much higher difficulty level than their motorized counterparts. It is recommended to try other models first.

-Kotobukiya HMM-001 RPZ-03 Shield Liger: Extremely detailed, and wonderfully pose-able. This is just the regular Shield Liger. Please remember my caution about Kotos if you haven’t built models before.

-Hasbro Gold Shield Liger Action Figure and Gauntlet: Just a Shield Liger action figure with some weird glove thing.