Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

A total of 6 mechs are included, and they can combine in groups of 3.

First, let's take a closer look at Mechander 1 through 3.

MECHANDER 1

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander 1 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander 1 (4/6)

Mechander 1

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Accessories include Bull Thunder and 2 Sky Donkeys.

MECHANDER 2

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander 2 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander 2 (4/6)

Mechander 2

Underside

MECHANDER 3

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander 3 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander 3 (4/6)

Mechander 3

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You can choose from 2 color options for the rear nozzle parts.

MECHANDER MAX

To combine, retract Mechander 1's landing gear,
and open the rear hatch.

Next, retract Mechander 2's landing gear as well, then push the nose section inward..

Then join Mechander 1 and Mechander 2 together in order as shown.

You can close Mechander 1's rear hatch to lock it into Mechander 2's mounting point.

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Finally, push Mechander 3's nose section back, then attach it to the underside of Mecha

Finally, push Mechander 3's nose section back, then attach it to the underside of Mechander 1+2 to complete the combination.

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander Max, formed by combining Mechander 1–3 (1/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander Max, formed by combining Mechander 1–3 (2/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander Max, formed by combining Mechander 1–3 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Mechander Max, formed by combining Mechander 1–3 (4/6)

Mechander Max, formed by combining Mechander 1–3

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Now let's take a look at Trycar 1 through 3.

TRY F1

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 1 (1/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 1 (2/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 1 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 1 (4/6)

Trycar 1

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TRY GT2

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 2 (1/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 2 (2/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 2 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 2 (4/6)

Trycar 2

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TRY B3

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 3 (1/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 3 (2/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 3 (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Trycar 3 (4/6)

Trycar 3

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TRY MAX

To form Try Max, first spread Trycar 1's front wheels out to both sides and open the rear hatch.

Next, raise Trycar 3's nose section and attach it to the rear vertical tail fin.

Then join Trycar 1 and Trycar 3 together in the direction shown above.

Now fold down Try Car 2's small wings and plug it into the back of Try Car 1+3.

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Finally, lock Try Car 1's rear hatch to the underside of Try Car 2 and the combination

Finally, lock Try Car 1's rear hatch to the underside of Try Car 2 and the combination is complete.

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Try Max (1/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Try Max (2/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Try Max (3/6)

Academy Mechander Max & Try Max - Try Max (4/6)

Try Max

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Mechander Max and Try Max

This kit is the Mechander Max & Try Max released as part of Academy's stationery store series. These are the mechs from Gasshin Sentai Mechander Robo, better known in Korea as Mechander V. It's a set that includes all six Mechander Machines combined into one package — Mechander Robo itself is not included.

The contents include six mechs: Mechander 1, 2, 3 and Try Car 1, 2, 3. Mechander 1–3 combine to form Mechander Max, and Try Car 1–3 combine to form Try Max. These Mechander Machines serve as support units for Mechander Robo in the show, and they're capable of docking with it — so it'd be great if Mechander Robo gets released down the line so we can recreate that docking sequence too.

Overall, the kit feels like a step up in quality compared to previous entries in the stationery store series. The molded colors and color separation are solid, assembly feels smooth, and most notably the snap-fit has improved significantly. In short, the parts hold together much more firmly, and there are almost no parts that fall apart after assembly. Honestly, with Galient there were quite a few parts you practically needed to glue, but this kit has a very satisfying level of parts connection strength.

Thanks to that, it's come out as a mech plastic model with outstanding value for money — very much in the Korean kit tradition — and the combination between each unit is pretty solid too. There's even a hatch-locking gimmick that keeps the combined form stable. Sure, there are a few spots that feel a bit iffy and some gaps in the combined joints, but it's more than good enough to pass. On top of that, the landing gear on Mechander 1–3 are all articulated, and as a bonus, Mechander 1 comes with Bull Thunder and two Sky Donkeys.

All in all, this mech plastic model turned out better than expected, and the improved snap-fit is what I appreciate most — probably because these are fixed-pose mechs without a lot of moving parts. Either way, it's a colorful, eye-catching kit that'll tug at the heartstrings of old-school fans, and it definitely makes me look forward to what's coming next in the stationery store series. :-)

Mechander Max & Try Max | 2024.10 | ₩40,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.