Kit review: Bandai – HG Mashin Hero Wataru – Chou Mashin Ryujinmaru
Mashin Hero Wataru is a series beloved by many generations – thanks to its energetic, uplifting and fun adventures mixed with a great heroic journey. It is also one of Sunrise’s most classic series and have been receiving NX-Edge releases since forever. However, with Dragonar and L-Gaim and Code Geass receiving their own respective HG kits, Wataru is never far behind. And sure enough, Bandai added our SD heroes to the line – and even give it special treatment. The HG Chou Mashin Ryujinmaru is an impressive SD kit with the price tag to match!
– Info:
HG Chou Mashin Ryujinmaru
Series: Chou Mashin Hero Wataru
Price: 4,950
Release date: Feb 2022
HG Chou Mashin Ryujinmaru
Series: Chou Mashin Hero Wataru
Price: 4,950
Release date: Feb 2022
– Design: Wataru is a series famous for its SD design with really extravagant gimmicks just like some of SD Gundam’s crazier units. And the Chou Mashin Ryujinmaru probably takes the cake on being the most grandiose and spiky of them all. The core proportion of this Ryujinmaru is pretty much the same as other Mashins, with large heads, large feet and small arms. The head is as big as the body itself. What set this unit apart is the long tail and extremely large shoulders. And the shoulders has these giant claws attached to them. It’s not exaggerating to say the shoulder takes up 50% of the plastic itself.
The head crest is also more detailed and robust than other Mashins. This guy doesn’t just look like a king, but rather a GOD (which is fitting). The shoulder has 2 dragon symbols which looks very cool, especially since they arenn’t stickers. The unit has the same color scheme as the Ryujinmaru but with less blue and way, way more goldddddd. The majestic looks of this kit can even outshine some other normal proportion mecha kits.
The head crest is also more detailed and robust than other Mashins. This guy doesn’t just look like a king, but rather a GOD (which is fitting). The shoulder has 2 dragon symbols which looks very cool, especially since they arenn’t stickers. The unit has the same color scheme as the Ryujinmaru but with less blue and way, way more goldddddd. The majestic looks of this kit can even outshine some other normal proportion mecha kits.
– Build quality: This kit is a stairs to heaven only to drop you to earth at the end. The whole build was satisfying with solid, durable plastic and great snap-fit – and minimal stickers. But when you get to the end – where the tail part is – the kit really test you. The tail is a thick plastic wire where you put the tail sections on one by one, and they don’t “slide in” easily. Plus the fact that they are extremely sharp is something you should be wary of when building this kit (to be honest, there are a lot of sharp edges on this kit). The tail is the only problematic part, so if you want to build it first to get it out of the way, it’s totally a reasonable thing to do. The only part where the sticker is prominent is the Sword – which you can totally skip because it’s already decent out of the box.
– Articulation: The Mashin Wataru series used to always be in NX Edge with simpler design and high articulation. This HG is one of the more complicated forms and due to being a model kit, it doesn’t have the same quality as a polished figure. This Ryujinmaru is very limited in terms of articulation, particularly the lower half and the tail. The arms and shoulders are surprisingly well-articulated with a joint-extending gimmick, able to replicate spell-casting poses and sword-slashing poses with little issue. But the tail is pretty much a rigid part so you’ll 100% have to put him on a stand. This also free up the legs for better poses. This kit is very suitable for majestic looking poses rather than dynamic ones.
– Gimmicks: The kit doesn’t have any special gimmicks, aside from some “joint-extending” on the elbow to allow it to hold the sword with both hands.
– Accessories:
1 x Sword King’s Sword
3 x Pairs of hands
1 x display stand
– Accessories:
1 x Sword King’s Sword
3 x Pairs of hands
1 x display stand
–> Overall: If you’re a fan of this design, definitely get this kit since it seems to be available in international market without much price hiking despite being P-Bandai. But keep in mind its playability won’t be too high and you’ll most likely get 3-4 poses out of him to fit on the shelve. He looks absolutely majestic and will take up a lot of shelf space, but if you like this Dragon God, it’s a great addition to your collection if you want a big model.
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