I wasn’t aware of this previously, but Good Smile Company apparently has a division in China, called Good Smile Arts Shanghai, and produces figures and merch of Chinese IP for Chinese and overseas markets. They recently announced this Hyper Body Lark Nio figure and model kit set from the game Artery Gear: Fusion. Now if you think the concept is quite familiar, it’s because IT IS.
Good Smile Company has the ACT-MODE line that combines a Figma-like action figure with additional parts, usually mechanical ones, that you build like their MODEROID kits. And this is exactly what the Hyper Body line is, except more expensive.
Looking at the figure component of the Hyper Body line, it does appear to be more detailed, streamlined, and doesn’t seem to have the round knee joints that are staples of Figma figures. The paint job on the figure itself also looks excellent, as expected from Good Smile-level quality. You will also get multiple face parts with different expressions, replacement hands, and a display stand which is definitely not a Figma stand.
I can’t say the same for the model kit components and I’m inclined to believe you’ll need to put more effort into this set as compared to most ACT-MODE kits. The parts you’ll build include the wing binders that you can display in closed and deployed modes via replacement parts, her Lightning Stream Cannon, and her Lark Blade. The kit also comes with an abundance of blue translucent effect parts for more display options.
I’m not the most familiar with the source material, and this is the first release in the Hyper Body line so I’ll reserve my judgment. Though it still baffles me why this isn’t an ACT-MODE release, as well as the higher price tag. Probably some license-related thing?
Hyper Body Lark Nio
November 2023 / ¥12,900
Order via HobbyLink Japan
