Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's a very small and compact kit.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - This kit includes two identical Sanka Mark B units. It's probably because they appear as a pair in th

This kit includes two identical Sanka Mark B units.
It's probably because they appear as a pair in the show, but I can't help thinking it would've been nicer if they'd just released them separately one at a time..

Detail on the nose section. The color separation is actually pretty well done.

The molding on the wings is fairly standard.

The cockpit area.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - Interestingly, the propellers on both sides spin in opposite directions. That's actually one of the s

Interestingly, the propellers on both sides spin in opposite directions.
That's actually one of the signature traits of the Sky Crawlers series.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - Looking at the internal propeller mechanism, it's surprisingly well engineered. When one propeller sp

Looking at the internal propeller mechanism, it's surprisingly well engineered.
When one propeller spins, the other is linked to automatically rotate in the opposite direction.

Underside view.

Landing gear detail

The landing gear is of course removable.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - A connector piece is included for mounting on a stand, and interestingly, they've included two differ

A connector piece is included for mounting on a stand,
and interestingly, it's compatible with both the 1/100-scale Action Base 1 and the 1/144-scale Action Base 2,
so they've included both types of mounting pins.

Mounted on Action Base 2.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - The EX Sky Crawlers series has a fun feature — it includes a clear disc part that simulates the look

The EX Sky Crawlers series has a fun feature —
it includes a clear disc part that simulates the look of spinning propellers.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - This lets you recreate something like the spinning blur of both propellers in motion. They actually r

This lets you recreate something like the spinning blur of both propellers in motion.
They actually recommend painting it appropriately to give it an even more convincing rotating look.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - Flight action using the stand. (1/3)

Flight action using the stand.

As you can see, it's compatible with both Action Base 1 and Action Base 2.

Both units in flight.

With the pilot figure. Interestingly, a dog figure is also included.

EX Model Sanka Mark B - This kit is designed so that just doing a straight build and applying the included waterslide decals

This kit is designed so that just doing a straight build and applying the included waterslide decals is enough to achieve the official color scheme.

After what felt like a gap in the EX lineup following the Yamato fighter series, a new kit has finally shown up about a year later. This kit is the Sanka Mark B, a fighter aircraft from Mamoru Oshii's 2008 anime "The Sky Crawlers." It's set in a world where war has ended, and two proxy war companies deliberately stage aerial dogfights using propeller-driven aircraft to remind people of the horrors of war — broadcasting it all live. A pretty unique premise for an anime. Feels very Mamoru Oshii, if you ask me.

As you can tell from the aircraft's design, it has that old-school WWII-era aesthetic. But look closer and it's actually a fictional fighter with some very unusual propellers. The anime's setting itself is this ambiguous fictional reality — not quite present, past, or future — and it's essentially closer to sci-fi, which is what gives rise to this distinctive design. The anime itself wasn't a huge success, but the combination of old-school fighter aesthetics and sci-fi sensibilities does make for a pretty interesting design. The Sanka Mark B in particular has a unique look with its rear-mounted propellers, giving it that feeling of classic and modern blending together in just the right way.

The kit itself seems faithful to the EX concept, but compared to other EX fighter kits, quite a bit more attention has been paid to the molded colors and color separation. It's designed so that just applying the included waterslide decals gets you pretty close to the official color scheme. And unlike aero kits with their fiddly-looking parts, the pieces here have a clean, straightforward feel — more like Gunpla.

The assembly experience itself is also closer to Gunpla than an aero kit, with almost all parts going together easily via snap-fit. It's a clear step up from the Yamato EX series, which required a lot of glue. The propeller section, which showcases the Sky Crawlers' unique counter-rotation gimmick, is better realized than I expected — it genuinely feels like one of those clever internal Gunpla mechanisms. Three gears mesh together in just the right way so that spinning one propeller automatically drives the other in the opposite direction. It's properly done.

One thing though — since two Sanka Mark B units appear in the show, they've gone ahead and packed two completely identical kits in the box. Personally, I'm not entirely sure that was necessary. If you wanted two, you could just buy two... doing it this way means you're forced to buy both at once, which does add up financially. Two for ¥3200 means if they'd sold them individually at ¥1600 each, that would've been a real win..

All that said, overall this is a fun kit that — for an EX release — actually delivers color separation and snap-fit construction, making it a genuinely easy and satisfying build compared to other EX kits. Even if the anime didn't set the world on fire, this is a pretty appealing pick for fans of Mamoru Oshii or anyone with a soft spot for old-school propeller fighters. The EX-tier price is a bit of a sting, but then again, a kit like this probably wouldn't exist at all without the EX line, so... :-)

EX Model Sanka Mark B | 2008.9 | ¥3,200 | 1/72

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.