rico soul: This is a pretty classic Supernova move. They're releasing this soul blue version recolor of the Hunt and Kill kit as a color change reprint. There will be three new runners added that will be duplicate runners in different colors to achieve the correct new color scheme. That also means there's going to be a bit of color customization built into the kit. From the looks of it, I'd say it seems like the main armor dark teal runners of the original will come in both white and purple for the reprint so you can have a more purple color scheme if you choose to build it that way.

I'll post some side by sides of the new color and the original release promo photos. Personally, I like this alternate color a lot more. I passed on the original release but will probably pick up this reprint. Really like the blue effect parts over the original purple.

Just remember the plastic is ABS on this so you'd have to be careful when panel lining with Tamiya or flow type markers

rico soul: We finally have the long awaited official information update on this beast in the form of a 26 minute video:
video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:5007129258688539

repost from someone on youtube: youtu.be/1O6OKvYTPoY

The video is in Chinese of course but really goes into detail on the design and assembly of the model.
I'll just put some of the main specs here.

msrp: 399 RMB
preorder bonus: metal parts
box weight: 4.7kg
box size: 41cm x 24cm x 63cm
total parts count: 1108

total model height: 34cm
model weight (without bonus metal parts): 717g
model wing span: 50cm
instruction manual: 150 pages

materials: POM, ABS/PS
includes photo etch detail parts

Note, the bonus metal parts are very minimal and are likely more for detail and specifical durability parts than for a metal frame. The video spends a fair amount of time marketing how they tried to balance POM and ABS/PS usage in the design of this kit

Overall, this is definitely marketed as an Advanced model build, but YJL is also taking steps to make the build process more accessible to everyone. The manual appears to be laid out well and they are going to be releasing tutorial videos as well.

The msrp is comparable to IN ERA+ Aurora or Ruling which is pretty appropriate considering the design and style of the Sky Defender and the lack of a metal inner frame. Now the question comes for international prices. That box is PG size so the shipping upcharge is going to be substantial. Personally, I'm looking for a fair price of around $120 on this but I wouldn't be surprised if it'll get pushed much higher since there is a lot of anticipation behind this one.

I'll put some screenshots from the video here but there's way too much to see so you have to watch the video

rico soul: I don't know why gundamit put up this weird desaturated photo. I'll post a picture of the kit I grabbed from weibo.

This is just a 1:1 bootleg of the Bandai MGEX strike freedom. The molding quality of this bootleg appears to be much much better than anything from Daban and is pretty close to Bandai's detail sharpness. However, the build is still very much a bootleg feel with inconsistent fits and parts being either too tight or too loose.

by the way, just to be clear, this is NOT made by Daban, unlike what some random rumors claim.

Interestingly enough, reliable Chinese influencers have stated that another bootleg company (again not daban) is also working on a copy of the MGEX strike freedom. So some people are saying to wait and see how that one turns out.

Personally, with direct copies of model kits, I would generally just buy the Bandai original if it's available since the build experience will be vastly superior. In this case though, the Bandai kit is almost 2x the price of this bootleg and aesthetically, this copy is as good as the original, so I guess that's still a decent chunk of money to consider for people.

rico soul: New updated pictures from Starfield Toys as of 03/23. It's a 3D printed prototype for display purposes. The final product will of course not have the surface print imperfections and this is mostly for demonstration.

- Height: 22cm
- Complete inner frame
- Frame is reinforced with alloy parts where needed (with POM parts where needed)
- Gold parts will be pre-painted runners
- Fully color separated by part separation

Additional information including weapons and accessories details to be released later.


I have to say, I still really like this. It's like a fancier Hazel or MK-II. Loving what I'm seeing so far. Even though it's not from a known manufacturer, this design is looking very promising. It feels like just the right amount of surface detail without going overboard.

It's nice to see a third party kit from China that feels more traditional UC rather than SEED. Those front skirts even look like they may have some sub arms. Getting more excited now that we see this actually get some progress and updates.

rico soul: Man I don't know what's going on with the image compression on Gundamit here but that low res on an already dark image just makes it harder to make out whats going on here.

I'll attach a higher res image.

This was only announced a couple days ago so not much more info yet.

This is apparently the grey model prototype, not a CG render. I believe Jiang Wei is the girl, and the horse is named Ying Zhao, and they can be combined into the centaur form. Seems pretty similar in both concept and execution as the Nuke Matrix Yefuna Malkina, but you get an actual horse instead of a transforming motorcycle. These two companies are really both stepping up the mech girl model kit game.

rico soul: I'm pretty excited about this one. maybe I'm getting burnt out on the gundam clones but this mecha design just feels badass and fresh.

This was of course just announced a day ago so information is still relatively liminted. Looks like Gundamit posted all the photos available for now.

This comes with a preassembled alloy frame that has supposedly been under development and refinement for two years to address common issues with model kits.

the plastic used here is some kind of new environmentally friendly material. They haven't specified what that actually means specifically, but did boast that it is able to achieve almost matte top coated painted finish without being pre-painted.

One of the images is to show some small armor and hatch opening gimmicks, which I'll reattach here. It's pretty subtle but they did circle the parts that open up to make it easier to find lol.

They mention that two additional accessories will be announced at a later date.

rico soul: So people have gotten the daban perfectibility now and this is a pretty ridiculous package lol.

As mentioned previously, this should include the divine expansion pack, even if it's not obvious from the listing photos. It comes with both a normal set of clear blue psycho frame runners and an extra blue electroplated version of the psycho frame and with all the expansion parts, it has a whopping total 123x runners!!!

All of the outer armor is matte top coated for better or worse. It makes nub cleanup somewhat trickier but it does make the finished product look fairly nice. The plated runners also help with that. However, because the arm parts are just recolored banshee parts rather than the modified parts from the P-Bandai version, the nubs are not undergated and is visible, made more so by the runners being top coated.

Typical loose joint issues are present but it's not awful. While the PG unicorn has decent articulation, it's really meant as more of a display piece anyways. The joints may not be as precise as the Bandai version but it's still enough to put into some nice poses.

So overall, this is a pretty solid package for less that half the price of the Bandai print.

rico soul: Hmm, it's kind of interesting that Gundamit has this up for preorder already.

So a bit more information. The pictures are of a custom build by Infinite Dimensions of the InEra+ Thunderbolt. It is not of an actual model kit since it doesn't exist yet. ID built this for a show/competition and it is a fully painted custom. That's also why you don't see this in any action poses like you would normally see with promo photos of a product.

Now, obviously, Infinite Dimensions and InEra+ do have plans to make this into a product eventually, but they are doing it through an exclusive collaboration with the Xiaomang shopping app. InEra+ will begin work on designing a model kit based on this custom if it reaches a specific voting/crowdfunding goal on the app. Only afterwards will the design for a mass production model kit actually begin and the final product may look very different than this initial custom build. MoShow did something similar with their limited edition White Takeda Shinden recently, which was based off of a fan made custom.

On the model kit side, I think the best example might be Naoki Gunpla kits like the Qubeley Embillier, which was originally conceived through a custom build by Naoki. That then later got converted into a model kit by Bandai. I'll attach a photo comparison of the Qubeley to show just how different a painted custom and the converted model kit may look from each other. The final model kit may not look as vibrant as the original painted custom, and it may not have as much details.

Anyways, it will be a long time before this becomes an actual product. The crowdfunding goal will most likely be met, but we will still need to wait to see what the model kit design and pricing will look like. InEra+ has no information on anything so far, with only a best guess release date being sometime in 2025...maybe lol.

rico soul: The final update for the Lizard was just made by IN Era+.

Retail price has been announced at 288RMB ~40USD. This is quite a bit higher than the other RMD series kit, the Thunderbolt, but still priced cheaper than the metal frame kits like Ruling and Aurora. However, they also announced that due to the large amount of content in this kit, the box will also be a bit bigger, being 65cm x 32cm. This would translate to higher potential shipping and logistics costs so I'd expect $85USD shipped to be a fair price for it. Given the hype around the kit though, I wouldn't be surprised to see Gundamit price it closer to $100.

The other big news is a 5000x limited edition of the kit that will have prepainted runners. Total 14 runners painted, with three different red shades. This doesn't seem like something that we would be able to get here through gundamit since it's only going to go on sale for a short period on September 2nd and September 3rd. It is priced at 80RMB or ~$11USD higher than the normal version at 368RMB

The regular version is set to start shipping in October.

Nothing surprising on the contents at this point. It'll come with all the expected items from In Era+ kits including a stand and waterslide decals.

Here is a video should a 360 degrees view of the painted version of the model: weibo.com/tv/show/1034:5073593768280183

rico soul: Now after the Lone Shadow is released, Hemoxian and NoneZeroStudios have announced the next kit in their over zero series, the boxer Baki. This may be my favorite design from them so far.

Not too much detail have been revealed about the kit yet, but the previous trend with the Lone Shadow and the Tastier was that the kit will have a main body, an accessory pack, and a base that can each be purchased separately or together for 188RMB. Assuming the same holds true for Baki, it will be interesting to see what all the parts ends up being and what the first batch bonus cape/scarf/coat/whatever will be.

I just like the bulkiness of this design and of course the soft plastic predator like hair tubes.


Anyways, for those interested, here's the official lore (google translated):

[BAKI once entered the military camp with passion, led his team to fight for the army, and vowed to create their own legend. However, reality ruthlessly crushed his faith. The team was betrayed by the army and became abandoned by power. The team members all died tragically. Unwilling to surrender, he awakened in despair and resolutely fled the army and became a "deserter".  

In order to avoid endless pursuit, he sneaked into the underground black market and erased all traces of his armor-his former glory and number, and was reborn in the underground arena as "BAKI". Even though he made a living by competing in the dark underground, he still had distracting thoughts about the army that he could not give up. He believed that the final answer was in his fists, and once again hoped to use his fists to create his own legend in the underground arena. Every punch, every victory, is a pursuit of self-belief.

Fighting is not for victory, but for surpassing oneself and pursuing the ultimate strength. He has only one goal - to become the strongest prosthesis on the surface. He is affectionately called "The Boy" underground. His story is the collision of faith and soul, a legend rising in the darkness, a man who lives only for himself!]