I don’t have a ton of history with Medabots/Medarot. I watched a bit of the show as a kid, and I had one of the GBAgames, but little more than that. I will say, though, that Medabotshad a lot of really clever ideas, like Mr. Referee or Space Metafighter X. I also occasionally just like perusing the more recent designs they’ve done, because they’re all really cool. Crossmessiah is one of those more recent designs from the mobile game, and a kit I grabbed because I think it’s neat.
The Good: From the few Kotobukiyakits I’ve handled, this keeps up the trend I’ve come to expect from them: a relatively simple kit with great attention to detail. This kit is designed to look good, and it is spot on to the design it emulates. Every gap has a detailed filler piece, every minor detail well crafted, parts swapping is easy and non-intrusive. It is very well designed.
And can I talk about how crazy this thing’s weapons are? I haven’t kept up with the series too much, but it technically houses 6 very versatile weapons, capable of both basic and heavy beam fire, missiles, blade and piercing attacks, and a crushing claw. A high firepower all-rounder fitting the first mix of the typical Kabuto and Kuwagata themes.
The Bad: Posability is entirely polycap balljoints, and ranges don’t really exceed 90°. You can still get it into plenty of poses, but be aware. And this is probably just Bandaispoiling me, but I do wish the left claw and head fins were jointed instead of being swappable parts. I can understand for the right arm since it has so many opening panels, but I can easily imagine how you could do so for the other pieces without sacrificing much if anything.
The Details: Not a lot to be done here. I did some panel lining where applicable, and added some black to a few interior areas, like the right shoulder, cannon barrels, and along the edges of the extended weapons.
I did want to paint the medal in the back gold, but it’s almost impossible to get out after putting it in >_>
Overall, a decent kit with a great deign. If you like Gunpla it might be a bit simple in comparison, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying a different construction philosophy every now and again.
