Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - Detail shots (1/4)

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Weapons loadout.

You can recreate the Breast Earth Burst by swapping out just the chest center parts.

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - You can detach the Boosters on both sides of the legs, recombine them, and add the auxiliary parts to f

You can detach the Boosters on both sides of the legs, recombine them, and add the auxiliary parts to form the Earth Cannon.

You can also recreate the Earth Vulcan by swapping out the hands.

A total of 5 sets of hands are included.

There's quite a noticeable size difference between the weapon-gripping hands and the regular fists.

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - Two types of weapon-gripping hands are included — one with a wrist joint that moves up/down, and anothe

Two types of weapon-gripping hands are included.
One has a wrist joint that moves up/down, and the other moves left/right.

Only 4 leftover parts.

Excellent limb articulation

Hip joint sliding gimmick

Flexible shoulder joints

The ankles can be extended to allow a wide side-to-side tilt.

Wing articulation

Breast Earth Burst pose

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - Dynamic Da-Garn Blade pose (1/3)

Dynamic Da-Garn Blade pose

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - Kneeling Earth Vulcan pose (1/3)

Kneeling Earth Vulcan pose

Da-Garn X Da-Garn X - Earth Cannon pose. Mixing and matching the two different wrist joint axes makes it much easier to nail

Earth Cannon pose.
Mixing and matching the two different wrist joint axes makes it much easier to nail the pose.

Alongside Great Exkaiser.
It's a bit smaller compared to the other Brave kits.

Da-Garn X, the main unit from Legendary Brave Da-Garn X — the third entry in the Brave series — has been released as a plastic model kit by Kotobukiya. The previous Brave kits, Great Exkaiser, J-Decker, and Goldran, all shared common joint parts, but this Da-Garn X comes in at a slightly smaller size and features 100% newly sculpted construction from the internal joints all the way to the exterior.

First off, just like the previous Brave kits, this is one of the highest quality kits Kotobukiya has put out. It's got impressive color separation, a matte-ish and stable molded color finish, excellent articulation, and solid joint strength — a real all-rounder of a kit. The newly sculpted joints in particular feel tighter than the previous releases, and I think the slightly smaller size of the kit has actually contributed to better joint stability overall. As a result, the whole body holds its shape well, and it's come out as an A-grade action figure-style kit that's easy to pose and stays put.

On the weapons and gimmick side, the Breast Earth Burst, Earth Cannon, and Earth Vulcan are all well-realized through parts swapping and addition, and a total of 5 hand options are included. The size difference between the regular fists and the weapon-gripping hands is a bit awkward, but on the flip side, it means you can use the better-proportioned hands when Da-Garn X isn't holding anything. One interesting detail is that two types of weapon-gripping hands are included, with wrist joints that move in different directions — up/down or left/right. By mixing and matching the different wrist axes, pulling off the Earth Cannon pose becomes a whole lot easier.

All in all, this kit has come out with top-tier quality that could give most Bandai Gunpla a run for its money. The plastic is soft and easy to clean up gates, the snap-fit connections click together satisfyingly, and Kotobukiya's color separation craftsmanship is a cut above Bandai's. If there's one complaint compared to Gunpla, it's still the price — it's steep for the size. (The parts count is around a ¥3,000-class Gunpla level, but the price tag is ¥7,800..)

Anyway, if you're a Da-Garn X fan, this is a kit you'll want to grab with both hands, and even if you just like the design, I'd say it's an easy recommendation as a Brave plastic model kit. :-)

Da-Garn X | 2022.4 | ¥7,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.