Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.

Upper body close-up

Back

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Unique head design. Since this kit comes with partial pre-painting on the face, it looks pretty decen

Unique head design.
Since this kit comes with partial pre-painting on the face, it looks pretty decent.
The yellow tendons on the neck are reproduced with soft parts.

The arms. Interestingly, a sword with its sheath is attached to the back of each arm.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Legs and tail(?) (1/3)

Legs and tail(?)

The tail can be raised up like this.

Articulation.. Wow! Impressive~

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Both arms and legs have double joints that allow full bend. That kind of articulation is very un-Koto

Both arms and legs have double joints that allow full bend.
That kind of articulation is very un-Kotobukiya...
And on top of that, this kit is 1/144 scale..

Linebarrel Linebarrel - There's a special gimmick in the hip joint — the back of the hip drops down slightly to assist leg ar

There's a special gimmick in the hip joint —
The back of the hip drops down slightly to assist leg articulation.
It's pretty handy for kneeling poses, and it's a bit different from how Bandai does their hip joints ^^

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Almost like they're copying Bandai — the front skirt is split into individually articulated sections,

Almost like they're copying Bandai — the front skirt is split into individually articulated sections, giving you a simple mod point right out of the box.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Interestingly, the shoulders swing back quite a lot. Normally Bandai kits swing forward... but this o

Interestingly, the shoulders swing back quite a lot.
Normally Bandai kits swing forward... but this one is the opposite.
It actually helps a lot with getting that wide, powerful-looking stance. Those broad, spread-out shoulders...

The head tilts up quite a good bit.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - The heel section is folded in during flight, and needs to open backward when standing on the ground.

The heel section is folded in during flight, and needs to open backward when standing on the ground.
I expected it to be articulated... but it turns out you actually remove the heel and reattach it.
It's not a part that would be difficult to make articulated at all, so it was a bit surprising —
I think they probably went this route because making it articulated would've caused stability issues. That reasoning kind of makes sense..

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Two sets of hands are included — an open hand and a sword-gripping hand. They've got quite an aggress

Two sets of hands are included — an open hand and a sword-gripping hand.
They've got quite an aggressive look to them.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Surprisingly, there are very few leftover parts for a Kotobukiya kit. Just those two little yellow pa

Surprisingly, there are very few leftover parts for a Kotobukiya kit.
Just those two little yellow parts.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - The sword mounted on the back of the arm swings downward, so you can naturally grab it with the hand

The sword mounted on the back of the arm swings downward, so you can naturally grab it with the hand like this.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Kneeling pose. I can't believe a Kotobukiya kit can pull off that pose so naturally — impressive! The

Kneeling pose.
I can't believe a Kotobukiya kit can pull off that pose so naturally — impressive!
The combination of double-jointed knees, the hip gimmick, and a flexible waist all come together to allow some really natural posing.

Remove the cover on the inside of the tail, and you can attach it to the included dedicated stand.

Stand on!
Nice touch folding the heels in for the airborne display..

Stand action

The main action pose recommended in the manual.
You can pull off some really dynamic poses.

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Hmm.. is this really a Koto kit? @_@ (1/4)

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Hmm.. is this really a Koto kit? @_@ (2/4)

Hmm.. is this really a Koto kit? @_@

Dual sword mode!

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Dual sword action (1/4)

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Dual sword action (2/4)

Dual sword action

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Anyway, it poses really well. Since the only weapon is a sword, it's all sword action all the time...

Anyway, it poses really well.
Since the only weapon is a sword, it's all sword action all the time...

Linebarrel Linebarrel - Together with the original Koto kit, the Super Robot Wars 1/144 Hückebein. There's roughly a 5-year g

Together with the original Koto kit, the Super Robot Wars 1/144 Hückebein.
There's roughly a 5-year gap between these two kits, and it really shows just how much the technology has advanced in those 5 years.

A quick snap with the HGUC/MG First to give you a sense of the size.

The plastic model of Linebarrel, the mech from the anime "Kurogane no Linebarrel," has been handed to Kotobukiya. And naturally, the first release is the main unit, Linebarrel itself. This kit looks set to be quite a landmark release for Kotobukiya.

Right from the runners before assembly, two things stood out — the molded colors and the sharpness of the detail molding have both taken a big step forward with this kit. Given that Kotobukiya kits are manufactured at factories in China, the overall molding has tended to be a bit soft and the molded colors not particularly vivid. Sharp points were sharp enough, but the crisp edges on angular surfaces always felt a little lacking.

But this Kotobukiya Linebarrel — well, both of those areas are now nearly on par with, or practically equal to, Bandai kits. The white is deep and vivid with no swirl marks, and the yellow and red look like they've been mixed with extra pigment — the molded colors are genuinely striking. It's a clear and obvious difference from previous Kotobukiya kits. The detail molding is also crisp and well-defined, giving a real sense of precision.

And once you start building, unlike older Kotobukiya kits where polycap stability and joint strength left something to be desired, the joint strength overall is quite good here, so poses hold well. The hip joints are a little iffy, but either way it's easy to get action poses going..

And crucially, the articulation is just excellent. This is not your old Kotobukiya kit that just sits there looking pretty!
As you can see in the photos, the double joints in the arms and legs allow for nearly full bend (keep in mind this thing is HGUC-sized --), and there's a Kotobukiya-style hip articulation assist gimmick that you'd normally expect on a 1/100 or MG-class kit, along with a flexible waist and shoulder joints. They've even included a simple mod gimmick for split front skirt articulation — something Bandai does all the time.

The end result is a kit with MG-class articulation packed into an HGUC-sized body, capable of action poses on a completely different level from anything Kotobukiya has done before. And what's important is that posing is easy. There are kits with great articulation that are still a pain to pose, but Linebarrel has both great articulation and great poseability — it's an A-grade performer. This is the first Kotobukiya kit where a kneeling pose comes together this naturally. And with the included dedicated stand, you can pull off even more dynamic poses..

Of course, compared to Bandai's top-tier kits, there are still areas that need improvement — and not just a few. But I want to give Kotobukiya a round of applause for the steady progress they've made over the 5 years since they threw their hat into the mecha plastic model ring with the 1/144 Hückebein. Clap clap clap.

A few things I'd point out as disappointing: the connection between the stand and the tail is a bit weak so the stand keeps popping off, and the hip joint strength leaves a little to be desired. And one more thing.. Kotobukiya claims snap-fit assembly, but in practice it's honestly a bit hard to build without glue. This kit is no exception — there are quite a few spots where glue is needed for a solid fit. Sure, once glued it's a sturdy kit, but snap-fit technology is a technique that depends on precision tooling, so catching up to Bandai easily isn't going to happen anytime soon.

In conclusion, this is the highest quality kit Kotobukiya has put out so far, and I'm expecting them to keep getting even better. The usual issue with Kotobukiya kits is always the price, but either way, this is a highly recommended kit for anyone who enjoyed the Linebarrel anime. Of course, even setting the anime aside, there's plenty to like here too — a great color scheme straight out of the box from a straight build alone, plus a pretty sharp design overall. Anyway, keep it up, Kotobukiya! Please keep the great kits coming! ^^

Linebarrel | 2008. 10 | ¥3,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.