Hot off the heels of the recent bits of Kotobukiya news, the newest kit in Kotobukiya's Mega Man X line has dropped at last! Today, we'll be looking at the Second Armor Charge Shot Ver..
That's right; the Second Armor is back and better than ever! But what makes this release different than the previous Second Armor? Is it worth double-dipping if you have that one? Join me after the break, and we'll go over everything this kit has to offer!
Review sample provided by HobbyLink Japan. Go check 'em out!
This review is going to be structured a bit different than usual. Since the Mega Man X Second Armor Double Charge Shot Ver. kit is so similar to the Mega Man X Second Armor kit released in late 2021, I'm going to start with what makes this kit different before giving the overview.
(Left: Second Armor X, Right: Double Charge Shot Ver.)
The Mega Man X Second Armor Double Charge Shot Ver. kit is beautiful. Right out of the box, you'll notice that the blue, red, and yellow parts have a distinct shine to them, emulating the look of X charging his X-Buster. The white parts are more of a shiny, semi-pearl color, rather than pure white. The colors chosen for the plastics really look outstanding in person, especially the shades of blue and red that Kotobukiya used for this kit.
The green gem inside the X-Buster is now a clear piece, a marked improvement over the previous release, which used a solid plastic bit for the gem instead. I remember that gem piece being a common complaint with the previous release, so it is good to see that Kotobukiya is listening to feedback to improve newer releases like this.
This release may not come with the Z-Buster (as seen in Rockman X2) like the previous version, it does come with the accessory this release was named after: the Double Charge Shot. These pieces are very impressive! The plastic used is the clear, glittery variety, making the light bounce off it in really appealing ways. The "arms" holding the small blue shots on the pink shot can be adjusted, so you can make them look as dynamic as you please, or use that for a sort of stop-motion animation if you're so inclined. As a final new effect piece, Kotobukiya included the fan-favorite..
"Shoryuken!"
The two-tone plastic used for the Shoryuken piece is fantastic. This piece just looks powerful and lives up to the super-move that inspired it. The Shoryuken piece has a hand for X connected to the inside that slots onto X's arm like any other hand, ensuring the piece will not fall off of X while it is posed.
The accessories included are the aforementioned Double Charge Shot pieces, the Shoryuken, the X-Buster, the usual assortment of hands (now in shiny red!) and a set of faces. The face with one eye closed is looking left this time around, the stern face is also looking left, while the shouting face is looking to the right, so even the faces add some extra variety. As usual, all the pieces are interchangeable with previous kits, so use your sense and skill to create the best kit you can!
The Mega Man X Second Armor Double Charge Shot Ver. model kit comes in a double-sized box like the Force Armor Rising Fire Ver. did, so expect a huge package when this gets to you.
The Mega Man 11 ver. Mega Man kit is due out at the end of November, so be sure to pre-order it to get it as soon as it's available!
HobbyLink Japan is also doing a special event! All shipping methods are discounted up to 25% off the normal price between now and October 20th at 6:30pm JST. So hop on it if you'd like to save a few bucks on shipping!
The only thing I wish they did different on this kit was include a little more color molding on the backs of the shoulder parts. It's easy enough to paint, but they could have done a green insert.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't planning to buy this, since I don't use the buster affects anyway, but that green gem insert is something to consider.
Maybe I will, down the road.
At least they included a new buster effect in this one, because I'm hard-pressed to drop another 70-80 bucks on a kit I already have, but with just a slight sheen to the armor.
DeleteI'm still using the buster effects for almost all of my kits because I love how they look, but man do they cause them to take up a lot more space.
I'm on the fence about getting this one in the future, I just recently got the original version of the X2 kit to have the X2 Zero buster and the kit is amazing. I kind of think instead of constant recolors we should just be getting some accessory packs with the effect parts to buy separately like Koto does for some of their other model kit lines. Don't get me wrong more kits isn't a bad thing but some of us don't want to rebuy the same kit to get the effect parts.
ReplyDeleteI wish one of the 3rd party molders like effect wings got into these effect parts. They would sell so much more than these alt version kits.
ReplyDeletebro long time no new post d , everything ok?
ReplyDeleteI was considering getting this for the effect parts and maybe selling the metallic X2 armor at a reduced price to recoup some of the cost. I’m not sure yet since I’m fine with my regular X2 kit it’s just those effect pieces would be nice for display.
ReplyDeleteJust use these models as a basis for a new game in 3D
ReplyDeleteI think Capcom forgot about the X series, but honestly I could see a 3d X game work with the Devil May Cry V game engine, the controls would work well for a X game I feel. Unpopular opinion but that is what I think.
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