Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Megalomaria Principal - Various angles (1/6)

Megalomaria Principal - Various angles (2/6)

Megalomaria Principal - Various angles (3/6)

Megalomaria Principal - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

Megalomaria Principal - Detail shots (1/4)

Megalomaria Principal - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

The face can be swapped between 2 different styles.

The default face, fitted with flat eyes

The second face, fitted with convex-style eyes with pupils

Megalomaria Principal - For the eyes with pupils, you can rotate the direction of the eyes by using the dagger handle like a

For the eyes with pupils, you can rotate the direction of the eyes by using the dagger handle like a Phillips screwdriver.

The only weapons included are one dagger and a dagger stand.

There are 7 hand types included in total.

Megalomaria Principal - The wrist joint uses an assembly method that's occasionally seen in Bandai kits — where you attach th

The wrist joint uses an assembly method that's occasionally seen in Bandai kits.
You attach the parts while still on the runner, then cut the gates afterward.

Megalomaria Principal - Like on the left, you attach the parts while still on the runner, then separate the runner and clean

Like on the left, you attach the parts while still on the runner, then separate the runner and clean up the gates — it's actually a bit easier that way.

The wrist and thigh side structures can each be chosen from 2 different styles.

Megalomaria Principal - You can swap the split left/right butt armor for a single unified piece, but since the legs can no lo

You can swap the split left/right butt armor for a single unified piece.
But since the legs can no longer move independently, it does hurt articulation.

Swapping in the spine part with a hole lets you mount it on a stand or store the dagger on the back.

Top-tier limb articulation that folds up completely

Megalomaria Principal - One minor gripe — the hip joint lifts forward quite a lot, but the butt armor gets in the way so it c

One minor gripe — the hip joint lifts forward quite a lot,
but the butt armor gets in the way so it can't bend back very far.

Megalomaria Principal - The shoulder range of motion is also something else. This is the first kit I've seen where the arm no

The shoulder range of motion is also something else.
This is the first kit I've seen where the arm not only bends forward but can actually cross the body and lay out horizontally like that.

Megalomaria Principal - The waist moves flexibly in multiple stages. Though if you push it too far, the waist joint does pop

The waist moves flexibly in multiple stages.
Though if you push it too far, the waist joint does pop out every now and then.

The back of the head has a slight range of motion too.

Megalomaria Principal - You can even pose it fully curled up like this. (1/3)

You can even pose it fully curled up like this.

"Moushiwake arimasen" pose

Bowing pose looks totally natural~

Not just kneeling — even a full squat is super easy to pull off.

Legs stretched out straight pose

Megalomaria Principal - Various other flexible poses. (1/6)

Megalomaria Principal - Various other flexible poses. (2/6)

Megalomaria Principal - Various other flexible poses. (3/6)

Megalomaria Principal - Various other flexible poses. (4/6)

Various other flexible poses.

Megalomaria Principal - Action pose (1/3)

Action pose

Megalomaria Principal - Poses using the dagger (1/4)

Megalomaria Principal - Poses using the dagger (2/4)

Poses using the dagger

Pretty much any ballerina pose works too.

Even the "don't forget the toe shoes I left behind~" pose is doable.

Megalomaria Principal - Together with Frame Arms Girl Innocentia. The scale is pretty much the same as a standard Kotobukiya

Together with Frame Arms Girl Innocentia.
The scale is pretty much the same as a standard Kotobukiya girl pla.

Megalomaria Principal - A crossover look mixing Yuki Madoka from the Sōsai Teien Shōjo series — swapping her face + front hai

A crossover look mixing Yuki Madoka from the Sōsai Teien Shōjo series — swapping her face + front hair or back hair.
You can mix and match heads/faces with other girl pla kits like this.

This kit is Principal, the first release in Kotobukiya's new lineup — the Megalomaria series. Megalomaria is a line of female robot-style mecha girl pla that pushes for extreme articulation, and after actually building it, I can say it delivers even more poseability than I expected.

The overall look is more mecha/cyborg robot than human, but the proportions and size are on par with other girl pla — the only difference is that it's a robot rather than a person. First off, the articulation joint design across the whole body is really well done, and as you can see in the review photos above, it delivers insane range of motion. It can pull off more natural and flexible poses than any action figure model kit I've seen so far.

On top of the basic full leg splits, it can easily pull off advanced moves like fully curling the body or folding the arms horizontally across the torso. The multi-stage waist is flexible too, but if you get too confident in the articulation and push it too hard, the waist joint does pop out occasionally. As long as you watch out for that, the overall joint strength is smooth yet holds position well — so in terms of "action performance," this thing is genuinely top-tier quality.

That said, compared to other girl pla kits, the options and accessories are on the slim side — weapons-wise you only get one dagger and a stand. The wrist, thigh, and butt parts are offered as selectable options, and you can combine the face and eyes in various ways. The eyes with pupils can be rotated using the back end of the dagger, though honestly it's not that noticeable in photos. There's also the unique option of assembling the wrists while still on the runner, and the rear spine part can be swapped for a version with a hole for mounting on a stand or storing the dagger.

So it's a pretty minimal package overall, but the articulation alone is absolutely Top of Top. The price is 4,800 yen, which is relatively accessible for a Kotobukiya kit — though the part count is equally modest to match. (It has the feel of a Bandai HG in the ¥2,000 range.) Either way, this is a kit that can easily pull off pretty much every pose a yoga instructor could manage, and if articulation is something you care about, this is definitely one worth building. The poseability is genuinely outstanding. :-)

Megalomaria Principal | 2024.2 | ¥4,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.