Musai ~ Musai-Class Light Cruiser

Box art, front. Pretty cool looking.

Box art, back

The box is the same size as the PG Zeta / Strike Rouge.
Even the handle structure is completely identical.

Here it is alongside the 1/400 White Base, which could be considered a similar predecessor.
The box styles are completely different, but the White Base is actually much bulkier in terms of sheer volume.
That makes sense, since the White Base kit relies on the sheer size of its parts...

Open the side and you can slide out the inner box bottom.
Just looking at this photo, the box doesn't seem all that big, does it?

My foot made a brief cameo for a quick size comparison.
It's a pretty big box, I'm telling you.

Inside the box. For some reason the parts look kind of scattered and haphazardly thrown in... -_-;;;
Though I guess it couldn't be helped since the parts are large and have all sorts of bumps and contours.

One important thing to note. The 1/400 Musai is a Japan-made product. (Probably from the Shizuoka factory.)
The 1/400 White Base was made in China, and from what I understand the molds were also developed there.
So the White Base was big but the detail was just so-so, the panel gaps were bad, and the plastic quality was questionable —
it was definitely a kit where you could feel that Chinese-factory quality loud and clear.
But the Musai is different. It's a proper Bandai Japan in-house development and production... check out the photos below!

The detail and molding are absolutely insane. It feels like looking at a Fine Molds Star Wars kit — seriously, the vibe is very similar.
On top of that, the molding is meticulously engraved not just on the outer armor but on the inside of the armor panels as well.

The overall panel lines are complex and busy, very much in the 08th MS Team: War in the Pocket / Igloo style.

Box Open

Whoa... those densely packed molds are something else...

The detail on the interior deck is top-notch too. It's worlds apart from the 1/400 White Base. -.-;;

Even the engines stored inside are reproduced — the detail there is naturally great too!

The runner volume is smaller than you'd expect. Compared to the White Base, it feels like less than 2/3 the bulk.

Runner

Runner

Runner

Since there aren't many parts and you don't need to sort left from right,
I just clipped everything off, cleaned up the gates, and went straight into assembly.
Total build time was a mere... one hour;; (and that's taking it slow while stopping to take photos)

Char's Musai command tower section.

Standard Musai command tower section

You choose one of the two command tower sections and plug it in.
Take note of the densely packed molding.

Parts for the central body section

The interior of the central body is packed full of all kinds of storage gimmicks.

It opens upward like that, and things slide out from the back one after another...

And after assembly, that's how it all looks.

The main gun parts breakdown is very simple.

Attaching the main gun. Again, the molding is super dense...

Parts for the front body section. It's all about size over quantity here.

The parts are split along the curved seam lines, so the seam lines are hidden. :-)

Parts for the side body ducts.

Parts for both engines. Surprisingly simple parts breakdown given the level of detail.

Even the areas that get hidden once the engine block is assembled have molding engraved on them.

The propulsion section is so precise it almost feels like looking at a Tamiya aero model...

Parts for the Komusai that attaches to the front underside

When the Komusai is in the process of detaching, you can attach landing gear like this...

When it's docked to the Musai, you swap in a cover piece instead.

Komusai attached to the front of the Musai...
From this point on it gets too big to shoot comfortably in the mini studio...;;

Parts for the stand.

Straight build complete — total length is nearly 60cm. It fills up the mini studio completely.
View larger image

View larger image

The delicate molding on the central body section...

Engine section

Molding on the front of the body.