Post by GhostLiger on Nov 21, 2009 11:43:26 GMT -5
I posted this up on my collection site, but I thought I'd post it here too since nobody's posted here in a while.
RZ-045 Salamander
Manufacturer: Tomy
Origin of Release: Japan
Year of Release: 2001
Crew Number: 2
Motor or Posable?: 1 AA battery motor
Review
I originally bought the Salamander because I was curious about his size. I'd heard he was bigger than a Storm Sworder and it intrigued me.
When the motor is switched on Salamander walks forwards, opens and closes his large wings, swings his tail from side to side and opens and closes his mouth. He also makes a screeching noise, which is caused by one of his legs that's specially designed to rub. I'm not fond of that particular feature, namely because it's not in sync with his mouth opening and closing, and, as we all know, when things rub together like that, eventually they'll break.
That's another thing that concerns me about switching on Salamander's motor: When he walks forward, you can see just how stiff his chassis is. He walks very slowly and painfully, and I always worry that it's going to snap something at some point.
But moving on to the stuff I do like, he's got a very stable walking gait. Whereas most two legged motorised Zoids need to walk very fast in order to stay balanced, or require stabilisers, Salamander is capable of not just walking slow without stabilisers, but also to balance completely on one leg whilst stationary. I really enjoyed photographing him because of this.
In addition to the motor functions, Salamander also has a pair of spring loaded missile launchers on his back.
Also, unlike the previous NJRs Zoids, Salamander was released with gold pilots, like the original Japanese version released in the 1980s did, and a replica of the original sticker sheet, as well as a sheet of the new sticker designs. I used the new type stickers for mine, because, at the time, all I had were NJR/NAR/NER Zoids, and I wanted Salamander to match.
However, unlike the original, Salamander's motor was tweaked in order to allow him to run on a single AA battery instead of the 2 AAA batteries the original required, and, like most other re-releases, Salamander's battery cover is now screw shut instead of clip shut, which irks me no end!
I'd highly recommend Salamander for any collection, although, while he was a mass produced, regular kit, he has now officially been discontinued, so some patient searching may be required.
RZ-045 Salamander
Manufacturer: Tomy
Origin of Release: Japan
Year of Release: 2001
Crew Number: 2
Motor or Posable?: 1 AA battery motor
Review
I originally bought the Salamander because I was curious about his size. I'd heard he was bigger than a Storm Sworder and it intrigued me.
When the motor is switched on Salamander walks forwards, opens and closes his large wings, swings his tail from side to side and opens and closes his mouth. He also makes a screeching noise, which is caused by one of his legs that's specially designed to rub. I'm not fond of that particular feature, namely because it's not in sync with his mouth opening and closing, and, as we all know, when things rub together like that, eventually they'll break.
That's another thing that concerns me about switching on Salamander's motor: When he walks forward, you can see just how stiff his chassis is. He walks very slowly and painfully, and I always worry that it's going to snap something at some point.
But moving on to the stuff I do like, he's got a very stable walking gait. Whereas most two legged motorised Zoids need to walk very fast in order to stay balanced, or require stabilisers, Salamander is capable of not just walking slow without stabilisers, but also to balance completely on one leg whilst stationary. I really enjoyed photographing him because of this.
In addition to the motor functions, Salamander also has a pair of spring loaded missile launchers on his back.
Also, unlike the previous NJRs Zoids, Salamander was released with gold pilots, like the original Japanese version released in the 1980s did, and a replica of the original sticker sheet, as well as a sheet of the new sticker designs. I used the new type stickers for mine, because, at the time, all I had were NJR/NAR/NER Zoids, and I wanted Salamander to match.
However, unlike the original, Salamander's motor was tweaked in order to allow him to run on a single AA battery instead of the 2 AAA batteries the original required, and, like most other re-releases, Salamander's battery cover is now screw shut instead of clip shut, which irks me no end!
I'd highly recommend Salamander for any collection, although, while he was a mass produced, regular kit, he has now officially been discontinued, so some patient searching may be required.
