Kobu-Kai (Sakura Shinguji Type)

Oh boy. The theme song played over and over again as I built this kit. such a nostalgic machine.

This is 1/20 scale Kobu-Kai, Sakura Shinguji Type from Bandai. This particular model is from the game Sakura Wars 2. I am not sure why they used the Kobu-kai from Sakura Wars 2 since the original Sakura Wars is more well know due to the anime but I will take it. 

What's surprising is that for HG kit, it shows a pilot figure.

Nostalgia is one thing, but this gimmick is the main reason why I picked this one up. 

This kit was released just as the new Sakura Wars video game was released which I picked up as well. Its a quick way for them to earn some money. 

Well, let's start building.

Starting from the box art. It shows its main Kobu-Kai in an action. it's well-drawn like any other Bandai kits. 

Here is the instruction manual. It's written in both Japanese and English and like any other Bandai kits, the pictures and instruction are well laid out. it also includes a color chart for those who want to paint this kit to original color.

The pilot figure is in a flesh color sprue. The hairs are in separate parts for easy painting. for a small figurine, it is well detailed. 

The parts are color separated and well details. but this weird gold color really ruins it for me.

This kit comes with a wire, a braided wire, two sets of the sticker, one of them is hemisphere shaped for the eye, and a water slide decals for the eyes. That water slide decal was a godsend as I hate painting small eyes on a figurine.

The build was very simple. Each part was cut out and cleaned using file and sandpaper before assembling them following the instruction. Within a few hours I was able to finish this kit.

Here is how this kit looks built straight out of the box without its stickers applied.

Here is how the hatch opened to reveal the pilot figure.

The kit looks good, but that pale pink color really is not cutting it. Also there is a large seam line on the arm and the leg. I do wish Bandai did better job at placing this seam line because the way its built, if I have to fill this seam line, I have to do some major surgery on the arm for painting. I didn't want to go that far.

This kit also has articulation issues. Especially on its leg. All those skirt pieces don't move much and it really limits its movement. Posing this kit was a pain.

anyway here is the fully painted kit.

Just getting rid of that pale plastic pink to a more realistic paint job completely changed the look of this kit. 

The whole kit was painted using Vallejo or Tamiya acrylic paint. The weathering was done using oil paint and Tamiya Weathering Master. 

The pilot figure was a joy to paint. it was well detailed and with included water slide decals, it looked great with minimum effort.

One thing I regret with this kit is that I used the included stickers for the monitor. It gives a more toy-like look and does not fit well with my realistic style approach. 

I was a little disappointed with this kit due to a large gap and lack of articulation. That being said, I did see the pictures of mecha from the new Sakura Wars series and looks like they put more effort into those kits. I might pick them up as well and compare them.

If you like Sakura Wars I recommend this kit. If you did pick one up, you have to paint this. Otherwise, you are not missing much other than that this kit might not continue.