This kit is a bit difficult for me to review, because I am still just a beginner. I have a weakness for samurai figures, and this one is quite a nice sculpture. But the kit has a few problems that are more pronounced for a beginner. With these points in mind, here we go.

As I said, I think the figure is well sculpted-- that's what drew me to it. The pose exudes an insolent confidence. Here is a poorer samurai out to make a reputation for himself. His partial armor has been collected from the battlefield, and his stance suggests that he has just been challenged. The figure is nicely proportioned with good detailing, and with enough "canvas" to satisfy any painter.





Now for the reality of the kit. The price of the kit varies considerably, from about $65 to over $80 depending on the dealer. The kit comes packed in soft foam in a sturdy box, and includes 61 white metal parts, with many of the smaller parts on casting sprues, plus 6 copper wire arrow shafts. The box art consists of a single small b&w photo of the assembled, primed figure. There is a basic textual painting guide in English and Italian, and no assembly instructions beyond a few inadequate drawings that do clarify the construction of the rather complicated quiver and arrows, and the mounting of the sword and bowstring reel, but do not address the kabuto at all. I spent quite a bit of time comparing the kit pieces with photos of a finished figure I got from a dealer's website before I felt that I understood how the figure was to be assembled. Not included with the kit are foil for straps, and bowstring material.

The quality of the castings varies, with the smaller parts being nicely cast with clear detail, and some of the larger parts being of not as high a quality. All parts need some cleanup, and the arrow parts will need to be drilled to fit the shafts. The torso casting is rather rough, with some of the detail blurred. Oddly, the few included drawings show how this detail should appear, so it can be painted in. The leg pieces have obvious mold lines that will take a lot of work to remove as they are the result of slightly misaligned mold halves. The fit of the pieces leaves something to be desired. The legs, torso, and left arm are keyed, but keys are not as precise as they could be, and the fit between the torso and legs is poor. The head and right arm are not keyed, and the cross-sectional shapes of the "stumps" do not match up very well. This is not so much of a problem with the head, but a lot of care will need to be exercised when pinning the right arm in order to get it properly aligned.



The assembly of much of the detail is not covered in the provided documentation, but with study can be puzzled out. Each arrow(6) is composed of 4 white metal parts plus the copper wire shaft. I will be replacing the copper with music wire to get a straighter arrow. The bow is comprised of two pieces assembled to the left hand. I don't consider this method of assembly to be especially sturdy, eventually resulting in a loose bowstring, so I will devise a different construction. The bow is round in cross section, which my research tells me is incorrect, and my kit only included half the bow (but two tachi) so I have to figure something else out anyway. The kabuto is made up of 9 pieces, and the box photo was inadequate for me to puzzle out it's construction. I had to study other photos on the internet to finally understand it.

While I believe the kit has some shortcomings, especially for a beginner, a look at these photos will show you that in experienced hands, this challenging kit has the potential to produce a beautiful figure. If, like me, you are inexperienced, but find a good price on this kit(and are into samurai figures), it's definitely a worthwhile kit to deposit in the "figure bank" until your skills are equal to it. Owning a few advanced figure kits gives the neophyte something to strive for!




Mike

Great kit review Mike.......this figure is on my "Want List" and the review helps in deciding to go ahead and purchase.

Nice job Mike. This most honest reviews we do are the ones the we "have a weakness for". Looking forward to seeing this painted by you. I'm certianly no expert on samuri's but there happens to be several in here that almost are.

Thanks,
Jim Patrick

Excellent review!

It is great to see more and more pictorial reviews! Thanks for taking the time!

Thanks for the review! - I have been considering this kit for some time - it may well be my next. I have never built a "White" kit before - they do look nice.
I haven't met a metal kit yet that fits perfectly - casting in this metal appears to be more art than science.
I think Poste militaire did it best.
Carpo