Kit Review

Coming soon

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body

Head

The large-caliber rifle mounted on its back.
The Apparition is a long-range sniper unit.

Linebarrel Apparition - The distinctive side skirt and leg sections. (1/3)

The distinctive side skirt and leg sections.

Linebarrel Apparition - This kit also comes with its own dedicated stand — since the legs are quite long and touch the ground

This kit also comes with its own dedicated stand —
since the legs are quite long and touch the ground, an extra elongated support piece is included.

Linebarrel Apparition - Stand mode on. Honestly, the foot grip isn't great, so you pretty much have to use the stand no matte

Stand mode on.
Honestly, the foot grip isn't great, so you pretty much have to use the stand no matter what..

When standing it on the ground like on the left, you need to attach the high-heel pieces separately.

There are 3 types of leftover parts — pretty few for a Kotobukiya kit.

Linebarrel Apparition - The articulation is a bit of a mixed bag. The knee and elbow joints are pretty decent, but the thighs

The articulation is a bit of a mixed bag.
The knee and elbow joints are pretty decent,
but the thighs are blocked by the front skirt and don't lift up well, so it's hard to get good poses out of it.

Linebarrel Apparition - The large-caliber rifle on the back is connected via a multi-jointed support arm, giving it a re~ally

The large-caliber rifle on the back is connected via a multi-jointed support arm,
giving it a re~ally wide range of motion.

Linebarrel Apparition - The support arm joints are solid too, so it holds whatever position you put it in without drooping. N

The support arm joints are solid too, so it holds whatever position you put it in without drooping. Nice!

Linebarrel Apparition - The Apparition's signature cool pose.. the shoulder-cannon stance (1/4)

Linebarrel Apparition - The Apparition's signature cool pose.. the shoulder-cannon stance (2/4)

The Apparition's signature cool pose.. the shoulder-cannon stance

The support joints are so flexible and sturdy that poses come together really nicely.

Linebarrel Apparition - Maybe for the sake of proportions.. a dedicated fixed hand sculpted to grip the rifle handle is inclu

Maybe for the sake of proportions..
a dedicated fixed hand sculpted to grip the rifle handle is included separately, as shown in the left photo.

The color separation is a bit lacking,
but the proportions and stability are quite good..

Linebarrel Apparition - Flying action pose (1/4)

Linebarrel Apparition - Flying action pose (2/4)

Flying action pose

The neck joint is surprisingly quite flexible.

Linebarrel Apparition - Just posing #1 (1/3)

Just posing #1

Linebarrel Apparition - Just posing #2 — with only this one weapon, there really aren't many poses to work with. (1/4)

Linebarrel Apparition - Just posing #2 — with only this one weapon, there really aren't many poses to work with. (2/4)

Just posing #2
With only this one weapon, there really aren't many poses to work with.

Together with Line Barrels.
The Apparition is slightly bigger in size.

Together with Vardant

Group shot with all the Line Barrels kits released so far.

The Apparition — the long-range sniper unit from the anime "Kurogane no Linebarrels" — has been released. Proportion-wise, the design looks like a curious blend of Line Barrels and Arma, but look closer and it's actually an entirely new design.

Overall this unit has a fairly complex color scheme, and while the color separation isn't perfect, they've done their best with it. At least for its size, it's very Kotobukiya — the fine-grained color separation means the straight build already brings out the colors quite well.

In terms of articulation and joint strength, this seems to be the best of all the Line Barrels kits released so far. Sure, there's the massive handicap of the front skirt limiting thigh raise to only about 30 degrees, but the knee and elbow articulation is excellent and the joints are solid, so when you actually start posing it, it's not as frustrating as you'd expect.

The defining feature of the Apparition is, fitting for a dedicated long-range sniper unit, the massive large-caliber rifle mounted on its back. And the support arm holding that rifle up is really something. Built from a combination of various articulated joints, this support arm holds the large rifle incredibly firmly while also offering a wide range of motion, so you can position it in just about any pose. That makes action posing surprisingly easy. The support arm alone is really, really well done.

The unit's design itself is distinctive enough, but the Line Barrels series' overall recognition and the unit's role in the story might be a sticking point. If you're a fan of the Line Barrels series' unique bio-mechanical design aesthetic, or a fan of the anime, this would make a great addition — but honestly, buying it purely on design alone, the price-to-size ratio is pretty rough. HGUC-sized kit at MG-level pricing — unless you're a pretty dedicated fan, it's hard to get excited about a minor unit like this.

But anyway, it's a good kit that keeps you interested in Kotobukiya's mecha kits, which are steadily improving little by little :-)

Linebarrel Apparition | 2009. 4 | ¥4,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.