Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Off-road mode from various angles. (1/8)

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Off-road mode from various angles. (2/8)

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Off-road mode from various angles. (3/8)

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Off-road mode from various angles. (4/8)

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Off-road mode from various angles. (5/8)

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Off-road mode from various angles. (6/8)

Off-road mode from various angles.

Underside

Four cargo pieces in three different sizes are included.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Two types of mounts are provided depending on cargo size. (1/4)

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Two types of mounts are provided depending on cargo size. (2/4)

Two types of mounts are provided depending on cargo size.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - The medium and small cargo pieces can have their handle parts swapped out, while the lar

The medium and small cargo pieces can have their handle parts swapped out,
while the largest cargo has a handle that detaches, rotates 90 degrees, and plugs back in.

Ludens Black version combined with the cargo pieces.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - The footpegs at the bottom can be extended and positioned in two stages, making it easy

The footpegs at the bottom can be extended and positioned in two stages,
making it easy to set the foot placement when seating a humanoid kit.

The two front wheels each have a variety of individual articulation gimmicks.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Since the front wheels have a wide range of motion and are quite flexible, you can choos

Since the front wheels have a wide range of motion and are quite flexible, you can choose
between the movable joint parts on the left or the fixed joint parts on the right to connect the wheel axles.

The rear wheel moves quite a bit up and down.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - The handlebar sections each move over a wide range individually, so you can position the

The handlebar sections each move over a wide range individually,
so you can position them to make it easy for a humanoid kit to grip.

The lights and rear wheel have movable cylinders built in.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Below the front lights, there's a cylinder articulation gimmick along with red wiring de

Below the front lights, there's a cylinder articulation gimmick along with red wiring detail as well.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - You can disassemble and reassemble the front wheel section to convert it into on-road mo

You can disassemble and reassemble the front wheel section to convert it into on-road mode.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Since on-road mode sits lower than off-road mode, you'll need to use the smaller stand a

Since on-road mode sits lower than off-road mode, you'll need to use the smaller stand as well.

On-road mode.
It does sit quite a bit lower than off-road mode.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - The combined single front wheel in on-road mode. (1/3)

The combined single front wheel in on-road mode.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Ludens seated on the off-road mode. (1/3)

Ludens seated on the off-road mode.

Ludens combined with the cargo pieces as well.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Ludens Black combined with on-road mode. (1/3)

Ludens Black combined with on-road mode.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Since Kotobukiya's girlplas are all around the same size, Frame Arms Girl fits righ

Since Kotobukiya's girlplas are all around the same size,
Frame Arms Girl fits right in without looking out of place.

Death Stranding 1/12 Reverse Trike - Together with the Gigantic Arms Rapid Raider and Hexa Gear Bandit Wheel. Having all thre

Together with the Gigantic Arms Rapid Raider and Hexa Gear Bandit Wheel.
Having all three of Kotobukiya's futuristic bikes together makes for quite a striking display.

This is the Reverse Trike, a futuristic bike kit released by Kotobukiya. It's the bike ridden by Sam Porter Bridges, the protagonist of Kojima Productions' game "Death Stranding," and at 1/12 scale it's sized to be compatible with girl-type kits like Frame Arms Girl, Megami Device, and Ludens.

First off, the sheer number of parts and solid color separation give it a great straight build look, and if you want to nail the design sheet accuracy, you can apply the included waterslide decals. The orange pipes at the front are done in soft parts, and there's even red piping detail below the front lights. Movable cylinders are also depicted inside the front lights and rear wheel axle, though they're not very visible once assembled.

The biggest feature of this kit is that you can choose between off-road mode with two front wheels or on-road mode with one — but since you essentially have to completely disassemble and reassemble the front section to switch between them, it's not a simple conversion at all. You're probably better off just deciding which mode you want when you build it. The front section also has a lot of moving parts, which can make it tricky to get a clean pose, and that's why they've included fixed joint parts as an alternative to the movable ones. There's plenty of articulation in the front wheels, but the structure doesn't really allow for the wide steering angle you'd expect from a bike, so you might just be better off locking things in place with the fixed joint parts anyway.

As for accessories, four cargo pieces in three sizes are included, and you can swap or remove the handles so the girl-type kits can hold them in their hands. The cargo can also be mounted on either side of the Reverse Trike's rear section, with two types of mounts provided in pairs for each size. Being 1/12 scale, it's compatible with most girl-type kits, so you can mix and match with Ludens, Frame Arms Girl, or whatever suits your taste. In that case, the handlebar and footpeg articulation is quite flexible, so being able to freely adjust the positioning to suit each character is a big plus.

Anyway, it's an interesting kit in a lot of ways as a futuristic bike model — but the ¥7,200 price tag does feel like a stretch for what you get. That said, the quality is solid enough, so if you're into bike models or a fan of the game Death Stranding, it's definitely worth recommending. :-)

Reverse Trike | 2021.4 | ¥7,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.