Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body

Head section

Lower body and arm parts.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - The backpack wing section. The clear parts packed densely on the inside really catch your eye

The backpack wing section.
The clear parts packed densely on the inside really catch your eye.

The V-Converter mounted on the back

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - The cover opens up, and the clear parts inside along with the CD storage function are identic

The cover opens up, and the clear parts inside along with the CD storage function are identical to the existing Virtual-On series.
The only difference is that other kits let you choose between a Sega Saturn or Dreamcast console cover,
but this kit only comes with the Saturn-style cover..

Legs

The clear parts on the knees

The high-heel-like feet.

The beam launcher mounted on the right arm.

Compared to other Virtual-On kits,
this one puts more emphasis on the inner frame.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - As you can see, a good portion of the arms and legs can be separated into inner frame + outer

As you can see, a good portion of the arms and legs can be separated into inner frame + outer armor.
(Of course, being a stiff Kotobukiya kit, getting them apart is a bit of a struggle;)

With the armor removed from just one side.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - The shoulder and leg frames.. They look pretty convincing in their own way. (1/3)

The shoulder and leg frames..
They look pretty convincing in their own way.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - The hands are kept simple — just two sets: weapon-holding hands and open hands. True to Kotob

The hands are kept simple — just two sets: weapon-holding hands and open hands.
True to Kotobukiya form, the proportions on the open hands are excellent as always.

Articulation is... well,
the arms are decent enough, but the legs are just kind of meh.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - On the plus side, the waist joint is fairly flexible, so it bends quite a bit forward and bac

On the plus side, the waist joint is fairly flexible, so it bends quite a bit forward and backward.

The wings on the back can also be spread out horizontally.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Beam launcher action pose (1/5)

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Beam launcher action pose (2/5)

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Beam launcher action pose (3/5)

Beam launcher action pose

An adapter for connecting to the Kotobukiya dedicated stand is also included.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Stand on! (1/6)

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Stand on! (2/6)

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Stand on! (3/6)

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Stand on! (4/6)

Stand on!

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - Action pose with the beam parts attached to the beam launcher. You can get some pretty dynami

Action pose with the beam parts attached to the beam launcher.
You can get some pretty dynamic poses out of it.

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] - The complete set of 5 Kotobukiya Virtual-On kits. Every single one of them has absolutely daz

The complete set of 5 Kotobukiya Virtual-On kits.
Every single one of them has absolutely dazzling color separation.

Excluding the Variation, the fourth Kotobukiya Virtual-On unit is the Viper II [Ver. 1P]. It's out as the 1P version first — I'm guessing a 2P color version will follow eventually? ^^:

The Viper II [Ver. 1P] is a unit with a distinctly feminine style and color scheme, and most notably, it's a unit that literally wears full-on high heels. True to the Kotobukiya Virtual-On series, it delivers insane color separation. The clear parts in particular are used quite extensively, which does a great job of capturing that neon-esque feel of the original unit. That said, the clear parts throughout the Virtual-On line are all a bit tricky to assemble — without glue they don't stay put, but if you do use glue, the residue kills the transparency. It's a bit of a dilemma. You can work around it with some finesse, but it's a complaint that runs across the whole series.

Compared to the other Virtual-On kits, the Viper II [Ver. 1P] has noticeably better sculpting, and because the design itself is so intricate and complex, the parts breakdown is even more detailed. It does mean assembly takes quite a while, but snapping it all together like a puzzle makes it a very rewarding kit to finish.

Compared to older Kotobukiya kits, the snap-fit connection feels like it's improved quite a bit — but there are still plenty of parts that just won't stay put without glue. As long as you apply glue in the right spots, the overall sturdiness is excellent, and all the joints are appropriately stiff with no loose spots anywhere. So even though the articulation isn't amazing, it's easy to hold action poses, and the bold color scheme seems to add to the sense of dynamism as well.

Honestly, the Virtual-On series feels like something only die-hard Sega Virtua fans like me would really care about T_T — especially since Virtual-On itself was an arcade game that had its heyday quite a while back, and since the home console versions were expensive, you could only find it at bigger arcades, so there are probably plenty of people who never even got to play it.

Anyway, what matters is that this flashy design was the work of the genius Hajime Katoki, and the fact that a look so elaborate it seemed like it could never be properly kitted has now been realized — years later — with such incredible color separation, genuinely stirs something in old-school fans. (The problem being that there aren't many old-school Virtual-On fans to begin with.)

Either way, this lineup is where Kotobukiya's experimental spirit with color separation really shines, and the Viper II [Ver. 1P] might just be the most Kotobukiya-esque kit of the bunch. It's still pretty questionable value for the size and price, but it's a great kit with some serious niche appeal :-)

Virtual On Viper II [Ver. 1P] | 2009. 9 | ¥4,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.