Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support (1/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support (2/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support (3/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support (4/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support (5/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support (6/6)

Upper body front and back

The head design is slightly changed in the Mid-Range Support version.

Each arm is equipped with 3 large blades, for a total of 6.

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - The thing is.. the blades are held on a bit loosely, and some of them tend to keep sli

The thing is.. the blades are held on a bit loosely, and some of them tend to keep sliding down.

Two submachine guns have also been added.

Two large hand rail guns have been added to the stabilizers.

Mounted on the included stand

The hand rail guns can move at quite a variety of angles with decent flexibility.

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - With a few extra hands added in the Mid-Range Support version, there are now a total o

With a few extra hands added in the Mid-Range Support version,
there are now a total of 5 pairs of hands.

The hands for holding the submachine guns are assembled as completely separate pieces.

All the parts from the standard Vardant end up as leftover parts.

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - Hand rail gun action (1/4)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - Hand rail gun action (2/4)

Hand rail gun action

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - Submachine gun action (1/3)

Submachine gun action

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - Submachine gun action 2 (3/5)

Submachine gun action 2

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - That cool pose really suits it.. (1/3)

That cool pose really suits it..

Comparison with the standard Vardant

The back, tail section, and forearm areas have been changed.

Look closely and you'll notice the head design is different too.

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - This kit also includes — somewhat out of nowhere — the long-range cannon parts for the

This kit also includes — somewhat out of nowhere —
the long-range cannon parts for the Hind-Kind.

Long-range cannon parts for the Hind-Kind.

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - Long-range cannon details (1/3)

Long-range cannon details

Mounted on the Hind-Kind

You remove two parts from the backpack area and attach it in their place.

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - It's so big that it definitely cranks up the cool factor. (1/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - It's so big that it definitely cranks up the cool factor. (2/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - It's so big that it definitely cranks up the cool factor. (3/6)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support - It's so big that it definitely cranks up the cool factor. (4/6)

It's so big that it definitely cranks up the cool factor.

The Vardant Mid-Range Support and Hind-Kind.

The Vardant Mid-Range Support — essentially an expanded armament version of the Vardant — has been released. Here's what's different from the standard version:

1. Head design partially changed
2.
Forearm covers changed, and 3 blades added to each forearm
3. Two hand rail guns and dedicated hands added alongside the stabilizers
4. Two submachine guns and dedicated hands added.
5.
Long-range cannon for the Hind-Kind added

There are quite a few additions as listed above, so the box has gotten considerably thicker. In terms of runner count, the 2 binder runners from the standard version are gone, replaced by 3 mid-range support runners — and on top of that, 6 runners for the Hind-Kind long-range cannon were added, bringing the total to nearly 7 extra runners — yet the price only went up by a mere ¥400. (Though to be fair, the added runners are mostly on the smaller side.)

Given Kotobukiya's usual pricing policy, it's a bit puzzling.. but thinking about it simply, it seems like the price increase only reflects the runners added for the Vardant Mid-Range Support itself. In other words, the long-range cannon for the Hind-Kind feels like it's essentially a "freebie" — a strange pricing decision that's hard to figure out. ^_^)r

Anyway, the added Mid-Range Support parts give a sleeker impression compared to the standard version (since those massive binders on the back are gone), while the richer armament makes it feel even more powerful overall. The base body quality was solid to begin with, so this comes across as a successful expanded armament release all around. I was a little skeptical about the stability of the hand rail gun mounts — which use somewhat iffy plastic ball joints — but once I actually handled the finished build, they felt stable enough that it's nothing to worry about.

The most unexpected highlight of this kit — the long-range cannon for the Hind-Kind — is, well, kind of out of nowhere. Throwing in an expanded weapon set for a completely different kit, and practically at no extra cost at that.. and yet the quality is actually really good..! Pop off those two backpack cover parts and attach the long-range cannon, and the already imposing Hind-Kind gets an even bigger boost in the cool factor.

In terms of value for money, this is a surprisingly generous kit — almost un-Kotobukiya-like (?). Koto kits have always felt a bit pricier compared to Bandai kits, but this one might just be the exception. The Vardant Mid-Range Support is excellent on its own, but if you already own the Hind-Kind, this kit is an absolute must-have. :-)

Linebarrel Vardant Mid-Range Support | 2009. 7 | ¥4,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.