* This series is a standardized lineup where most features are shared across kits, so I'll cover the common points first and then get into the individual highlights. ^^
--- SD Sangoku Soketsuden plastic model — 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 in places, 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-class kits are heading these days. The hollow backs that are a hallmark of SD kits show up mainly on the inner sides of the arms and legs, but they're positioned fairly discreetly 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 trying to follow the SD Cross Frame concept but deliberately simplified it. Even so, this frame is a step up from older SD kits in terms of articulation. Knee joints that didn't exist before have been added, 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 tilt slightly forward, which gives you more expressive poses than previous SD kits.
Accessories are kept to a minimum — most kits come with just one unique weapon. So while the contents are simple, the visuals are flashy, and being made in China probably helps, because the value for money feels pretty good relative to what you get. It's also worth noting that when the character names are written in English, they use Chinese pronunciation rather than Japanese — which is a neat little touch. Overall, I'd call the quality "better than expected," and if the style is your thing, this is a seriously addictive lineup.
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The 28th kit in the SD Sangoku Soketsuden lineup is the Bug & Buduibing Set. The Bug was previously distributed as an event exclusive (the kind where you'd get one free when buying two or more), but this time it's been officially released as a retail product, bundling two Bugs together and adding Buduibing head parts and weapons.
On the main body, only the shoulders, hip joints, and ankles are articulated — everything else is a solid single piece. Even with that level of articulation, though, you should still be able to put together some lively-looking poses when you line up a whole bunch of Bugs. Also, since it was originally designed as an event item, the hollow backs on the rear of the arms are pretty bad — though the black color does help hide it a bit.
In addition to the black Bug, four different Buduibing face options are included, and three colored flags are printed right in the manual. As you can see, painting is essentially required here, so if you're planning to build them out as green/blue/red Buduibing variants, you'll want to keep that in mind. On top of that, the cabin lance and sword — weapons that weren't included in the event version — are in the box, which makes this retail release well worth picking up.
Either way, this is a kit worth recommending whether you're collecting Buduibing figures to paint up, or you just want to build a massive swarm of Bugs. :-)
AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.
