Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - Detail shots (1/4)

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - The caterpillar tracks on the heel do serve as a stand, but it can still stand upright on its own ev

The caterpillar tracks on the heel do serve as a stand, but
it can still stand upright on its own even when folded.

10 soft-material hands included

You can swap between 3 different face parts, each with a different eye direction.

Leftover parts

Left arm and left leg parts for recreating the box art illustration are included.

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - Swapped out with the illustration-style left arm/left leg. (1/3)

Swapped out with the illustration-style left arm/left leg.

Limb articulation is quite good.

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - Bazooka action (1/3)

Bazooka action

Bazooka action 2

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - The kneeling pose can be pulled off pretty stably too. (1/3)

The kneeling pose can be pulled off pretty stably too.

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - Knife action (1/3)

Knife action

Frame Arms Girl Gourai - Together with Frame Arms Gourai. (1/3)

Together with Frame Arms Gourai.

In May 2015, a spin-off lineup called Frame Arms Girl was added to Kotobukiya's Frame Arms series. It's a similar concept to Gundam's MS Girl — cute girl figure model kits dressed in the armor of specific mecha. The format is similar to Kotobukiya's Phantasy Star Online character model kits.

The first entry in the Frame Arms Girl series was Gourai, and it sold out immediately upon release in Japan, with only a tiny amount making it to domestic shelves. It seems Kotobukiya themselves didn't expect it to be this popular — they couldn't restock quickly, and it took quite a while before a reprint came out. As a result, I had to wait over a year before I could finally get around to reviewing it.

As you can see, the concept of blending cute girl aesthetics with mecha makes this a pretty attractive item for fans. Never mind all the structural details — the visuals alone are just great. ^^ That's exactly why it took off beyond all expectations and quickly shot up to become Kotobukiya's biggest hit series.

The overall setup is similar to Kotobukiya's previous girlplas — three swappable face parts with different eye directions — and the hands appear to be the same set of 10 soft-material hand parts carried over from the Phantasy Star Online kits. The joint structure and overall layout are also similar to those PSO kits, giving you slender limbs, a flexible waist, and solid joint strength that makes for stable posing. That said, despite how flexible the articulation looks, getting a really convincing pose out of it is surprisingly tricky — you'll need to spend quite a bit of time fiddling around to get a feel for how the joints work.

As accessories, you get additional human-style left arm and left leg parts for recreating the box art illustration. They don't have any articulation to speak of, but they do make for some nice-looking poses. For weapons, the separately-sold MSG Weapon Unit 18 — Freestyle Bazooka — is included in the box, letting you strike a variety of action poses using both hands.

Overall, the build quality is solid and the snap-fit works well, making this a pretty fun girlpla to put together. But true to Kotobukiya form, the price is on the steep side for what you get (¥4,800). Setting the price aside, this is such a popular item that you'll feel the pressure to grab one while you can — and it really does feel like Kotobukiya, who's always been strong with poseable figures, has finally hit their stride with this lineup. Either way, if you're interested, I'd strongly recommend picking one up while it's still in stock. I personally waited over a year for the reprint. :-)

Frame Arms Girl Gourai | 2015.5 | ¥4,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.