SD Sangoku Soketsuden Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese

Release 2019.8

Price ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Straight build shot before applying seals

SD Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese - After applying seals (1/2)

SD Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese - After applying seals (2/2)

After applying stickers

A shared frame runner is used, and in this kit it's molded in black.

Hollow-back legs

"Dopaho-Sho" stores the Wind Memory inside.

"Hanshouheki" shield stores the mask inside.

SD Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese - Articulation covers the head, waist, shoulders, and hip joints, with the shoulders able to swing s

Articulation covers the head, waist, shoulders, and hip joints, with the shoulders able to swing slightly forward and back.

Action pose

Together with SD Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III

Together with SD Zhen Xiahou Yuan Dara.

SD Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese - You can swap out the left shoulder shield and attach the Dopaho-Ho from Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III i

You can swap out the left shoulder shield and attach the Dopaho-Ho from Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III in its place.

Dual Dopaho action

You can spread out the two Dopahos as shown and attach them to SD Cao Cao Wing Gundam.

SD Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese - At this point, you plug the memories from Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III and Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese toget

At this point, you plug the memories from Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III and Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese together into the backpack.

It's a combo that looks just like rollerblading.

* This series follows a standardized lineup format where most features are shared across kits, so I'll cover the common points first and then get into what's unique about this one. ^^

--- SD Sangoku Soketsuden common notes -----------------
In 2019, the SD Sangoku Soketsuden project kicked off to celebrate Gundam's 40th anniversary. The plastic models in this series are produced at Bandai's Chinese factory rather than the Shizuoka plant, so the molded colors are a touch duller and the plastic feels a bit harder compared to Shizuoka-made kits. That said, the color separation is excellent, keeping seal usage to a minimum while still delivering a really striking look. The detail is a little soft, but the sculpting and sense of volume are impressive, and small gates are used throughout, making assembly nice and easy. The proportions have also shifted from traditional SD — the head is smaller and the overall silhouette is more slender, which seems to be the direction SD-grade kits are heading these days. The hollow gaps that are a hallmark of SD kits are mostly found on the inner sides of the arms and legs, but they're positioned fairly out of sight so they don't stand out too much.

In terms of construction, a shared frame runner is included, though it only covers the torso and thighs. It feels like they were going for something like the SD Cross Frame but deliberately kept it simpler. Even so, this frame is a step up from older SD kits in terms of articulation. Knee joints have been added where there were none before, the shoulders can swing slightly forward and back, and the waist can rotate on all of them as standard. The frame structure also allows the upper body to lean forward a bit, which gives poses a nicer feel than previous SD kits.

Accessories are kept to a minimum — most characters come with just one unique weapon. So while the contents are simple, the visual impact is impressive, and perhaps because it's made in China, the value for money feels pretty good relative to what you get. It's also worth noting that the character names are written in Chinese pronunciation rather than Japanese when spelled out in English, which is a neat touch. Overall, I'd call the quality "better than expected" — it's an addictive lineup that's a lot of fun if the style is your thing.
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The 17th kit in the SD Sangoku Soketsuden lineup is Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese. It shares a good number of parts with the previously released Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III, and aside from the head, shoulders, and shield, the designs are pretty similar.

Looking at the weapons, the existing Dopaho-Ho has been renamed the Dopaho-Sho, and the left shoulder shield has been changed to the round-shaped Hanshouheki. You can also attach the Dopaho-Ho to the left shoulder as a combo option, and it's possible to spread out the two Dopahos like rollerblades and attach them to SD Cao Cao Wing Gundam. The memory stored in the Dopaho-Sho is the Wind Memory.

It's another warrior Tallgeese kit that's similar yet different — the joints are still a bit stiff, but the base quality is solid and it's a fun kit to put together. :-)

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.