Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier - This is Faye Valentine's Red Tail ~ Mono Carrier. There's no official scale listed, but I'd

This is Faye Valentine's Red Tail ~ Mono Carrier.
There's no official scale listed, but I'd guess it's roughly 1/48.

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier - The biggest highlight of the Mono Carrier is definitely that round, clear cockpit. The cockp

The biggest highlight of the Mono Carrier is definitely that round, clear cockpit.
The cockpit alone looks great.. ;
Though it's supposed to close up tight, it doesn't quite shut properly;

The cockpit can rotate horizontally.

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier - The vertical fin(?) moves a little. That pink vertical fin is applied with a sticker though.

The vertical fin(?) moves a little.
That pink vertical fin is applied with a sticker though.. which feels a bit cheap -_-

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier - Hmm.. the weapon detail is a bit disappointing. Pretty plain overall. Especially how simple

Hmm.. the weapon detail is a bit disappointing. Pretty plain overall. Especially how simple that ammo belt section is..;

It does seem like they made some effort at color separation though.

The cockpit detaches separately and

opens up wide like this.
Probably the coolest feature in this kit?

Faye riding in motorcycle-style pose.

This kit includes 4 figures that look to be roughly 1/20 scale.

Spike and Vicious figures

Ed figure in a crouching pose

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier - Hahaha;; I can't believe they even included a figure of the dog Ein.. (though honestly, is t

Hahaha;; I can't believe they even included a figure of the dog Ein..
(though honestly, is that a dog or a pig..)

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier - Oh but.. the faces on the figures are pretty rough across the board. T_T What on earth is go

Oh but.. the faces on the figures are pretty rough across the board. T_T
What on earth is going on with Spike's face~
At least Ed and Ein look somewhat better.

The EX series has always had a somewhat quirky and eclectic lineup, and this time around we get a mech from Cowboy Bebop, out of nowhere. It's the Red Tail Mono Carrier piloted by Faye Valentine, who's basically the heroine of the show. Personally, I did enjoy this anime with Yoko Kanno's upbeat music.. (the animation quality and stylish atmosphere were way above what you'd expect from a TV anime..) Along with this, Spike's Swordfish was also released at one point, went out of production, and became a rare item — though the Swordfish wasn't an EX kit, it came out under its own standalone brand.

This kit has no scale marking and is Non-Scale, but judging by Faye's size, it looks to be roughly 1/48 scale. (Or not — who knows.) It also includes 4 figures that appear to be around 1/20 scale.

As for the Mono Carrier itself.. the detail is a bit lacking compared to what I expected. OTL.
The plain-looking machine gun, the somewhat off molded colors, the cheap-feeling stickers — honestly, Cowboy Bebop fans probably won't be too thrilled. The clear cockpit section is designed pretty nicely, but the rest of it overall feels a bit lacking in detail, even by EX series standards...

The included figures are Spike, Vicious, Ed, and Ein — four in total — but most of the faces feel quite far off from the actual characters; Ed and Ein are probably the closest. Spike in particular, with that wild Jackson Five afro translated into 3D form, ends up looking a bit rough; Honestly, the little pigdog Ein comes out the cutest of the bunch.

The overall quality is a step below the usual EX kit, but just like with the Swordfish — for fans who've been wanting this, the fact that it exists at all is probably enough to be grateful for.

But still.. above all else.. why on earth is Jet missing from the figures.. Bandai..!!

EX Model Red Tail Mono Carrier | 2002.7 | ¥3,500 | Non-scale

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.