* 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 made 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 really impressive — seals are kept to a minimum, yet the kits still look incredibly flashy. The detail is a little soft in places, but the sculpting and sense of volume are excellent, and small gates are used throughout, making assembly a breeze. The proportions have also shifted compared to older SD kits — the head is smaller and the overall silhouette is more slender, which seems to be the direction SD-scale kits are heading these days. The classic SD hollow-inside look is still there, mainly on the inner sides of the arms and legs, but it's positioned where it's relatively hard to notice, so it doesn't really stand out.
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 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 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 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 when the character names are written in English, they use Chinese pronunciation rather than Japanese — which is a nice touch in its own way. Overall, I'd call it "better quality than expected" — if the style is your thing, it's an addictive lineup that's a lot of fun to build.
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The 31st kit in the SD Sangoku Soketsuden lineup is Da Qiao Gundam Artemie & Xiao Qiao GN Archer. True to the name, you can build two different characters by swapping parts. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao are sisters — Da Qiao is the wife of Sun Ce, and Xiao Qiao is the wife of Zhou Yu. (Whether they were official wives or concubines depends on which version of the Three Kingdoms story you're going by.)
The head ornaments and chest armor are separate parts for Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao respectively, while the front and rear skirts are swapped around to create the different looks. The Sanshokyoen — a musical instrument-style weapon — can be configured in either axe mode or Gatling gun mode. Inside the Sanshokyoen, string memories can be stored, and two are included: a yellow one for Da Qiao and a red one for Xiao Qiao.
The base frame uses common frame runner No. 2, which was used for female-type kits, and 2 parts are left over as leftover parts. Either way, female-type kits aren't all that common in this lineup, so it might be fun to grab two of these and build both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao at the same time. :-)
AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.
