07.14.06
Bandai HCM vs Toynami MPC
SHOWDOWN: Late 80s vs. Early 00s
Packaging & Extras: TIE
This has got to be a tie. While the Toynami does come in a more aesthetically pleasing box that could endure more of a beating and is suitable for display on its own, the Bandai comes with more extras. That’s not to say Toynami shafts you either, to see everything you get with these toys please see their individual reviews. In either case it gets down to a choice of what goodies you like more and the fact it gets that far is great for both products.
Charm & Collectibility: HCM
While the Toynami MPC may be a certifiable Limited Edition product the Bandai HCM was never a huge volume product and has long since been out of circulation. You can still find any variety of MPC pretty easily at a fair price in minty condition. Finding an HCM alone can be difficult and a minty one will cost you as much as triple the MSRP of an MPC.
Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: MPC
Here’s where the pictures really ought to help the most. First, the MPC has the unfair advanatage of being larger so additional detail is more easily had. You can notice this in the panel lines. Second, the MPC trumps the HCM easily in the pre-applied paint section. Neither one of the pictured samples have any supplementary decals applied and look how much more complete the MPC appears. Neither of these toys look great in fighter mode but the HCM has larger unsightly gaps where the wings should butt up against the back of the legs. The MPC has had pegs that the legs attach to added on the belly underneath the wings to support the heavier diecast which has also helped to close up that large gap. The tail fins have a better folding mechanism in the MPC that hides the plastic loops that protrude on the HCM. Of course, it’s not all bad for the HCM as the natural contours of the nose and the section immediately past the canopy are better sculpted- The MPC looks a little slender and hunch-backed in comparison. Part of the better looking nose on the HCM includes a better looking cockpit section which does appear to end abruptly on the MPC when the two are viewed next to each other. Although no picture is provided, the MPC does accel in the detail when viewed from behind in fighter mode as well as a bit more detail went into the feet themselves and the base of the backpack isn’t just a flat white panel like it is on the HCM. Judging the differences between the two in battloid mode is pretty difficult. Forgive me for not using the heatshield on the HCM, mine is still on the original sprue and I don’t have the heart to remove it (same story with the gun). There are a few obvious differences where battloid mode is concerned. The HCM has a steeper angled chest, larger shoulders (which are less accurate), odd head sculpt with giant head lasers, and greater width in the chest, hips, arms, and legs. The end result is that the HCM looks a little meatier and a bit rough-and-tumble in comparison to the sleeker MPC. Without question the better head sculpt can be found on the MPC but beyond that I think we’re completely in subjective territory. The backpack on the HCM appears to be positioned too high which may have been part of the reason Toynami went with a sleeker, taller look that would leave the backpack lower down on the back.
Design: MPC
The MPC better win being larger in scale and more current in production. The MPC is basically an exact replica of the HCM’s design but with a few more frills to make it superior in all respects… except one. The MPC does have new pluses like a light up visor (for that one guy somewhere who really digs it), opening cockpit, and better locking mechanisms for the back in battloid and the arms and legs in fighter mode, it does this at the expense of being able to store the missiles on the wings in battloid mode. If it could have retained that ability it would have been a huge plus. The HCM does, however, require some pretty bad gaps to accomplish its ability to hold the missiles in that mode so it’s probably best that Toynami has foregone that particular talent. In addition to the MPC’s pegs that keep the legs up in fighter mode, Toynami reinforced them with magnets drawn to metal tabs on the belly of the plane… unfortunately they are far too weak to actually prove useful. As mentioned previously, the MPC also has a redesigned backpack that hides the mechanisms of its use better and cleans the overall look up in fighter mode. One last thought, the HCM does have two hooks that pop out of the rear landing gears, theoretically this is meant to catch the line on an aircraft carrier. The hooks are kind of a neat addition although it’s not really practical for the real world (what if you only caught one hook??) and I don’t recall ever seeing it in the show or any art either.
Durability & Build: TIE
I really see no reason to believe either one of these toys is built better than the other. The HCM is smaller and while it feels sturdy it has almost no heft to it and I would definitely worry about anyone considering it more a toy and less a completed model. Toynami, on the other hand, billed their creation as a toy so it should live to higher standards and I’m not sure how well it actually accomplishes that. There is diecast metal in the legs and the important hinges are metal so it seems like it can handle itself pretty well. The only complaint I have personally witnessed comes from floppy joints in occasional specimens but I’m not so sure how well the joints on an HCM would hold up either. The cases I’ve seen with the MPC joints being loose seemed to be instances of less than optimal manufacture and definitely appear to be more an exception than a rule.
Articulation: MPC
The MPC’s inclusion of the swivel at the knee is HUGE and allows for better dynamic posing in comparison to the sure-footed but ultimately stiff HCM. The HCM has great feet that do allow for some good poses (and save GERWALK mode) but the MPC has those same feet. It has been pointed out to me that the HCM is capable of obtaining a wide stance (angling the legs out at the hip) and the MPC is incapable of this. That’s a pretty big deal for static poses but I don’t think it outweighs the advantage of the swiveling knee. That swiveling knee allows the MPC to also pull off some interesting poses in “guardian” mode whereas the HCM looks rather uncomfortable in GERWALK mode.
Overall Champion: MPC
It’s bigger and newer so it ought to be better… and it is. Honestly though, the fact it beats a nearly fifteen year-old toy isn’t exactly a huge accomplishment and there was no small Macross-fan backlash when they saw how small the progression actually had been from the Bandai. Still, the MPC is better than its predecessor, especially when one considers the huge price differences between the two.
