Liger Zero Phoenix (NJR Blue)

(Pictures are not organized/thumbnailed yet, so go here for now.)

If I hear any "not fiery wah" whingeing in response to this review I am gonna stab people with copper and indium and SHARP POINTY OBJECTS :D.

On to the Zoid.

While Fire Phoenix hit the US first, Japan wasn't too far behind with their own battlestoried take on the critter, which in their case came packaged with its own Liger Zero. Perhaps it was that everyone was tired of Zero variants. Perhaps it was that it was far more expensive than buying a Hasbro Fire Phoenix during the days when they swarmed shelves for 15 dollars or less (and far, far less before the end). Perhaps it was the blue.

Perhaps it was that the story screws it over too-while the blue Ligers are able to effectively storm a base in a surprise attack thanks to their flight capabilities, they're soon slaughtered en masse by the new Seismosaurus, and from there on they're reduced to being part of the regular army, with their other main appearance being in the end story where-you guessed it-Ray Gregg's Phoenix dies horribly at the claws of Wolff's Energy Liger, his Zero surviving to fuse with the Falcon.

Whatever the cause, the blue Liger Zero Phoenix seems to have been glossed over by its cheaper (and flashier, in the Fuzors version's case) cousins, and that's a real pity. I waited far too long to get one myself, something I finally rectified when Amenbo finally started running out of them.

Like all Zoids of its era, LZP has a well-designed box, complete with color variations, one of which looks very like an Imperial Zero take on the colors and another which is blinding orange and blue. The instructions are the full-color also-a-fanbook-deal, and in true late-NJR style you get the obligatory very silly stand, this time in a mysteriously dark blue color not found anywhere on the Zoid. You also get red caps for both Phoenix and Zero, clear orange eye bits, Blox (five Republic air, two Republic core), two pilots (one of which will not fit in the Phoenix's head), black Liger head halves (with prepainted silver teeth), four black frames (one with prepainted lavenderblue markings), two dark grey frames, one shiny dark greysilver frame, one shiny warm silver one (that matches the painted silver), three medium blue frames (matching Rayse Tiger, two medium grey frames, and six pale lavenderblue frames (three with painted details-black face markings, silver booster intakes and shoulders). There's also stickers, the most interesting of which are the ones saying PROTO-TYPE PULL HANDLE TO JETTISON CANOPIES in big white letters.

And now we know why this is a big box.

While everyone and his or her dog has a Liger Zero or two, I was going to do a construction review. But it was night, the camera was out of batteries...long story short, you'll have to settle for a summary if you're still lacking in Zeros. Someday I'll rectify that.

The Zero is a brilliant design - while not overly innovative on the surface, it's still a properly new take on the kitty Zoid frame, unlike Blade Liger's reworking of Shield Liger (which was in turn based on Sabre Tiger). It's lighter, almost skeletal without armor, and sports a jaw mechanism working off only a few parts that still confounds those assembling it and causes its head to explode when you change armors. Then there's the CAS (Changing Armor System): a deceptively simple series of attachment points all over the Zero that let it strip down and be rebuilt as a number of different forms with completely different looks and feels. It's both clever engineering and clever marketing in one, and it still manages to be a decent build seven Zeros in.

Most people get sick of the feet and their individually articulated (and thus individually trimmed and put together) toes. Me, I like the feet and it's the legs I get annoyed with, as on many of my Zeros the black plastic has been that dodgy kind that likes to flake when trimmed, regardless of their Tomy or Hasbro origins. Blue here was of that type, sadly, but the rest of the pieces were fine.

The instructions take you through building both Zoids separately, so if you want to go straight to the combined forms, just leave the armor off the Zero and don't bother sticking the Phoenix fully together. But you should really give the separate forms a chance too-especially the Zero, which is a wonderful braineaty lavenderblue beast. Photos don't do it justice, and the color is impossible to describe-though "periwinkle" might be close. The Phoenix looks classy in blue and grey, and there's something to be said for subdued.

Fusion doesn't come as easily here as it does with Liger Zero Falcon, which is blissfully figure it out sans instructions or pictures simple. To get your Phoenix on your Liger will take ~~romantic mood music, some chocolate~~ adding a series of connector bits and a couple Blox. The leg ones are unobtrusive, but the one to get the Phoenix head on is funky-looking until bird-ified. Another quibble? Jet Falcon's birdontheback may look silly, but it has one edge over the otherwise clever wing attachment used here-three connection points is sturdier than two. Beware escapist back bits if you pick your Zero Phoenix up incorrectly.

The overall design is pretty cohesive, though, especially the armor. The lower leg bits slide into place as if they were born to be there, and the shoulders and mane are quite effective in giving a bulky, feather-furred look to the skinny Zero. The flat wings are reminiscent of gliders and planes even if they aren't as pretty as the flapping ones the Fuzors animators graced us with, and the back bits look decent considering their origins. If you can't stand the dodgy-looking missile, it and/or the guns can be easily removed without impacting anything other than your Liger's imaginary firepower. I'm sure those clever with Blox could cook up ways to put any number of interesting weapons in their place.

There's also the option of splitting the two partway as seen in the fanbook. There's two problems with this: no concrete instructions, and the pictures seem to disagree on the exact assembly. The Phoenix also looks a bit unhappy-if anything needed a stand, it was this construction, not the Liger itself.

My recommendation? If you're not sick of Zeros, this is a worthy kit that's far too often neglected. You get a wonderfully blue base Zero and a nicely subdued Phoenix that you can leave apart or stick together as you choose, neither of which were ever sold on their own. The Phoenix could also, in theory, be stuck on other late NJR Republic Zoids thanks to their shared shades of blue. If you don't want to build another Zero and just want the Phoenix fusion experience on the cheap, pick up a Hasbro Fire Phoenix instead.

Written August 18, 2006