Hover Pilder

The Hover Pilder should need no introduction. It is the small hovercraft that Koji Kabuto pilots into the head of Mazinger Z. What a “Pilder” is, I have no idea.

Bandai released a Hover Pilder as the first entry into its “Soul of Popynica” line (PX-01), way back in 2000. Now, NINE YEARS LATER, we are up to PX-04. So yeah, not a whole lot going on in the SOP line.

To make matters worse, even though this is a different number release, it’s basically the same toy. But since I passed on the first one, I thought I would check this one out.

So why the new release? Well, this depicts the Hover Pilder as seen in the new Mazinger Anime series “Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z hen”.

The new box is pretty, and inside is a welcome throwback – a styrofoam tray. There are no accessories and nothing to assemble. You get the Pilder, a small Koji Kabuto, and a stand.

The Pilder is surprisingly small, and surprisingly heavy. The thing is nearly all metal. The tip of the central wing is so sharp that it ships with a protective cover that you need to remove.

If all the metal goodness wasn’t enough, there are actually a few gimmicks in there as well.

First, the clear cockpit opens up to allow you to seat the mini figure inside. Unfortunately, the cover only opens about 3/4 of the way. The cockpit is new for this release, and includes handles for the small Koji figure to hold on to.

The other gimmick is of course the small foldable wings. If you flip the Pilder over you will notice a small lever. Push the lever back and the wings fold up, and two small pins come down. These pins help secure the Pilder to the base. Push the lever forward and the wings flip down again. It’s a neat gimmick.

At the end of each wing are fan blades, and if you blow air into them, they will spin.

The base is nothing special, but it is configured to really sit the pilder in nice. The molded detail secures it well.

The included Koji Kabuto figure is not that great. There’s articulation for head, shoulders, elbows, knees and hips, but the glue holding the two parts of the torso together has failed, making it split in two on mine. I have not heard if this is widespread, but its worth keeping an eye out.

Aside from the color and the cockpit molding – nothing else has changed. But if you missed getting a Hover pilder in 2000, this is a great opportunity to pick this new one up.