Overview
In 2009, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) created a gynoid designated HRP-4C, nicknamed Miim. Miim was capable of basic human-like movement, speech recognition and singing (through use of Vocaloid voicebanks), which were shown at CEATEC Japan in 2009, with dancing and other movements added and upgraded throughout 2010 and 2011.
In commemoration of the feat, Wave (known for its Five Star Stories, VOTOMS and Maschinen Krieger kits) created a model kit of Miim, releasing it in 2013.
As an aside, occasionally, Miim will be listed as Miyu or Mimu due to different translations. These are all the same kit.
Construction and Engineering
Given that it was a girlpla released in the dark ages of the early 2010s, there is not much that can be said in favour of Miim. The plastic quality of any remaining specimens is iffy and the engineering has some baffling decisions (the elbow and hip joints being among them). Certainly, this is no hidden gem in this sense, and certainly is no indication of Wave’s skill with model kits either.
She does, at least, have fairly impressive articulation for a pre-2015 girlpla kit that was entirely intended as a commemorative collector’s item. However, the lack of gripping hands also makes it difficult to really pose Miim outside of the few poses Wave recommends for her. However, this does make her fairly close to the functionality of the real Miim, who primarily was shown dancing and walking around.
Aesthetics:
Miim was an advanced-looking robot for 2009. This kit came out in 2013, and it shows; Miim’s face suffers from uncanny valley syndrome trying to adapt Miim’s realistic human face to a 1:12 scale. Furthermore, the silver plastic looks terrible, with the (also awful) stickers not really compensating for it. The value of this kit is definitely in being commemorative, rather than a figure in and of itself.
Ease of Acquisition:
This kit is nearly 20 years old and, unlike, say, the Guntank or RX-78-2, has not remained in constant reprint for that time. We got lucky even getting our hands on her somewhere in the dark pits of Mandarake. We wager we will never be so lucky again. If you do somehow find a kit of her, she will usually hover close to her original retail price of ¥3080 (roughly £15/ $25).
Personal Verdict?
Miim does not make for an incredible girlpla kit, even taking into account this being a kit from 2013. However, that isn’t the value of this kit; Miim is not a kit you don’t get for her own sake, but as a snapshot into Japanese science history. While Miim’s moves and singing may seem unimpressive now, in 2009, something as realistic as Miim looked absolutely insane and was worth celebrating as a milestone of robotics. If you are so fortunate to get yourself a Miim model kit, please treat her well.
Official Site: https://www.hobby-wave.com/en/
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