Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The color separation on the shoulders and head really stands out.

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru - The Kenoh no Ken (Sword of the Sword King) gets a ton of stickers and jewel stickers applied t

The Kenoh no Ken (Sword of the Sword King) gets a ton of stickers and jewel stickers applied to it.

You can swap between 3 different hand types.

You detach the tip of the Kenoh no Ken, then plug in the dedicated hand.

Included stand

Due to the design, the limb articulation is somewhat limited.

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru - There's a gimmick where you pull the shoulder out and then tilt it forward, which lets you pos

There's a gimmick where you pull the shoulder out and then tilt it forward,
which lets you pose the figure holding the sword with both hands.

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru - There's a waist rotation gimmick and the hip joints move individually forward and back, so the

There's a waist rotation gimmick and the hip joints move individually forward and back,
so the leg positioning actually has a surprisingly high degree of freedom.

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru - The tail has a thick wire inside so you can bend it, though the structure makes it hard to get

The tail has a thick wire inside so you can bend it,
though the structure makes it hard to get a sharp angle out of it.

One annoyance is that the ball joints tend to pop out during posing.

Pose 1

Pose 2

Kenoh no Ken pose

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru - Holding the Kenoh no Ken with both hands. (1/4)

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru - Holding the Kenoh no Ken with both hands. (2/4)

Holding the Kenoh no Ken with both hands.

Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru from Mashin Hero Wataru has been released as an HG kit. As you can see, it's a much larger and more elaborate design compared to the original Ryujinmaru. It was released as an online exclusive in Japan, but distributed as a standard release overseas.

First off, the shoulders and head feature a high level of parts separation, pulling off the design colors — including the black band sections — without any stickers. The overall feel of the plastic is smooth too, making this a kit that's genuinely satisfying and fun to put together. Articulation isn't amazing given the design, but the shoulder extension gimmick does let you hold the Kenoh no Ken with both hands. Joint strength is solid overall, though the ball joints on the forearms and ankles have a tendency to pop out during posing, so watch out for that.

The Kenoh no Ken — the kit's only weapon — gets no fewer than 6 jewel stickers plus a whole bunch of regular stickers applied to it. Thanks to those, it really captures the look from the source material with great color and a sense of depth, and the dedicated hand parts give it a nice firm grip. The tail, which has a thick wire running through it, measures a whopping 25cm and can be bent to some degree. The range of motion is limited by the structure, but it's worth praising that even the black band sections at each tail segment are handled through color separation rather than stickers.

All in all, this kit delivers a colorful and eye-catching straight build that exceeds expectations, and it's definitely worth recommending to anyone who loves flashy color separation. And if you have fond memories of Mashin Hero Wataru, this one is probably going to feel extra special. :-)

HG Cho Mashin Ryujinmaru | 2022.2 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.