structure arts Xenogears kits’n toys

[Big s]

I didn’t see it as a dedicated thread, kinda just add ins to either general video games, gundam kits and play arts. I figure since they are doing more items in the bring arts  line and structure arts line I’d give the toys and models their own area.

Some pics from taghobby showing kits from volume 2 of their structure arts models. The extra big Siebzehn is a separate kit. I guess he was too big to be included with the other three and in the bring arts action figure side of things they’ve shown Maria Balthazar and chuchu 

[kajnrig]

These are all up for preorder now, btw. HLJ links:

Xenogears Structure Arts Vol. 1 re-release (Weltall, Vierge, Heimdal, Brigandier): https://www.hlj.com/1-144-scale-xenogears-structure-arts-plastic-model-kit-series-vol-1-reissue-enx34840-2

Xenogears Structure Arts Vol. 2 (Xenogears, Crescens, Renmazuo): https://www.hlj.com/1-144-scale-xenogears-structure-arts-plastic-model-kit-series-vol-2-enx37197

Xenogears Structure Arts Plus (Seibzehn): https://www.hlj.com/1-144-scale-xenogears-structure-arts-plus-plastic-model-kit-series-zeputsen-enx37144

Xenogears Bring Arts Maria Balthasar and Chu-Chu: https://www.hlj.com/xenogears-bring-arts-maria-balthasar-chu-chu-enx36632

 

Kind of appalled by the prices, though. Everything is 2-3x more than they used to be, with the Seibzehn for 15000 JPY/$110 being particularly insane. That's damn near the price of the bigger, prepainted Weltall-Id figure from the same company a year or two ago. No amount of inflation can mask such naked greed.

[Duke Togo]

I was about to ask where Weltall-Id is, but I see that's available as well.

[Rhubarbarian]

4 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Kind of appalled by the prices, though. Everything is 2-3x more than they used to be, with the Seibzehn for 15000 JPY/$110 being particularly insane. That's damn near the price of the bigger, prepainted Weltall-Id figure from the same company a year or two ago. No amount of inflation can mask such naked greed.

Yeah I'd noticed that. With all the product photos being in color and with that price point, I actually thought it was a prepainted figure at first.

But hey, with that Chu-Chu figure, we can all re-enact the best scene from the game: 

[Lolicon]

Xenogears is my favorite 3/4 of a game!

But man those prices are out of whack. The price of Vol. 1 is alright since it's 4 kits, but the price of Vol. 2 is kinda steep. And these aren't gunpla kits that can be assembled by beginners and still look good. You need real modeling skills to actually make them look right (skills which I lack).

Seibzehn should be a freaking completed toy at that price, not a model kit that will need to be glued and painted.

Maria is also pretty steep, and I'm surprised they went with her, knowing she has a fairly small part in the story. Why not Bart? Or Citan? Or Id?

[JB0]

6 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Xenogears is my favorite 3/4 of a game!

It's funny because it's true!

[Big s]

8 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Xenogears is my favorite 3/4 of a game!

But man those prices are out of whack. The price of Vol. 1 is alright since it's 4 kits, but the price of Vol. 2 is kinda steep. And these aren't gunpla kits that can be assembled by beginners and still look good. You need real modeling skills to actually make them look right (skills which I lack).

Seibzehn should be a freaking completed toy at that price, not a model kit that will need to be glued and painted.

Maria is also pretty steep, and I'm surprised they went with her, knowing she has a fairly small part in the story. Why not Bart? Or Citan? Or Id?

I guess that the three pack isn’t as cheap as volume one, but at least one of the entries is almost twice the size, then again one of them doesn’t have arms. I do think these are a bit pricey, but there really aren’t that many options for some of the designs from the game 

as far as modeling skills, I haven’t built volume one yet but have been doing a lot of the structure arts kits for Front Mission. They seem simpler in design compared to those and fewer tiny parts as well. They mostly slap together and don’t require much as far as glue. And Bandai could learn a thing about how to do weapons with no seam lines. The xenogears kits do look like there’s a bit of seam issues on legs and arms, but on the plus side at least the parts are small and don’t look super difficult. The ones in most of the promo pics didn’t even deal with the seams. to be honest, most hg and mg gundam kits have seam line issues.

An airbrush some paint and a bit of masking putty should make pretty quick work of the painting process. But if you don’t have an airbrush and have any miniature skills then they are small enough that brush painting will probably be just as good. My experience with the structure arts kits has shown me that they’re a little more difficult than Bandai, but less difficult than Hasegawa. A beginner might have some issues, but they aren’t that complex, just complex to modern gunpla builders that have only built a Bandai kit from the last couple years.

 

[David Hingtgen]

I am a **huge** Xenogears fan, but pretty much gave the first batch of kits one look and thought "nope".  Basically zero parts/color separation, they'd be a nightmare to paint.  And now, ESPECIALLY Xenogears itself.   

I might buy Vierge if ever offered alone, as it's one of my faves and has simpler colors than most.   But Brigandier and Heimdal? Hard no.  And Renmazuo even harder no.  

XG runs the gambit of having some of my all-time most fave, and least-fave, mecha designs.   So big multi-packs are a massive dis-incentive to purchase. 

[Lolicon]

Wait till you see the price tag on the omnigear box sets. 

[Big s]

8 hours ago, David Hingtgen said:

I am a **huge** Xenogears fan, but pretty much gave the first batch of kits one look and thought "nope".  Basically zero parts/color separation, they'd be a nightmare to paint.  And now, ESPECIALLY Xenogears itself.   

The colors on set one don’t really look that complex. They may not have separated parts like a Bandai kit, but everything is outlined by panel pretty well. I wouldn’t let that hold you back.

[kajnrig]

I remember being somewhat disappointed with the Vol. 1 kits. I think the parts fit was the main problem for me. It's very... "Chinese knockoff Gundam kit," if you know what I mean. Every part is sliiightly too big or sliiightly too small, such that even when you cut pegs and drill out sockets, parts still might not fit together completely. It's nothing you can't ultimately overcome, but it IS more problem than it's worth, IMO. It's certainly more problem than the price and size would warrant.

Edited February 14, 2023 by kajnrig

[kajnrig]

Xenogears FORM-ISM ACT Weltall

Square might - MIGHT - finally be done ripping you off! 36,000 JPY / $250 USD retail price seems to put it right in the range of similar toy lines (DX Chogokin, Metal Build, etc.). Still too rich for my blood, but it certainly seems more reasonable than 15000 JPY for a single undersized model kit.

Watch them totally make me eat my words by being all plastic, terrible QA, etc.

https://www.hlj.com/xenogears-form-ism-act-weltall-enx38346

https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-175422

[Big s]

1 hour ago, kajnrig said:

15000 JPY for a single undersized model kit.

 

I think that’s one 0 too many. Unless you’re talking about that larger kit that I skipped. But the little weltall was in a pack of 4 for $60 and was a fun little build.

personally, I don’t have the cash for the new toy. It’s definitely way out of my budget 

[kajnrig]

28 minutes ago, Big s said:

I think that’s one 0 too many. Unless you’re talking about that larger kit that I skipped. But the little weltall was in a pack of 4 for $60 and was a fun little build.

personally, I don’t have the cash for the new toy. It’s definitely way out of my budget 

I was referring to the Seibzehn kit, which is decently big but still fairly small scale-wise while costing the price of two, three MG kits.

Edited September 20 by kajnrig

[Big s]

7 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

I was referring to the Seibzehn kit, which is decently big but still fairly small scale-wise while costing the price of two, three MG kits.

That’s the one I skipped. I don’t think comparing prices with mg kits is the best way to judge things, but $150 for a model kit should be a bit of a step up from the basics. It didn’t seem like a fit for me budget wise and wasn’t really a design I cared for.

[kajnrig]

2 hours ago, Big s said:

I don’t think comparing prices with mg kits is the best way to judge things,

Neither do I, I'm just using it as a convenient reference point.

Two Kotobukiya ZoE kits, then.

1.1-1.2 Metal Gear kits.

Two or three Frame Arms.

Heck, two or three Plum Assault Suits Valken kits.

The point is that Square stuff is laughably bad value compared to... damn near everything else on the market, and by a long shot. They think their fart smells way nicer than it does.

[Lolicon]

On 9/20/2024 at 11:56 AM, kajnrig said:

Xenogears FORM-ISM ACT Weltall

Square might - MIGHT - finally be done ripping you off! 36,000 JPY / $250 USD retail price seems to put it right in the range of similar toy lines (DX Chogokin, Metal Build, etc.). Still too rich for my blood, but it certainly seems more reasonable than 15000 JPY for a single undersized model kit.

Watch them totally make me eat my words by being all plastic, terrible QA, etc.

https://www.hlj.com/xenogears-form-ism-act-weltall-enx38346

https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-175422

Been on the fence on this one for awhile now. As much as I love Xenogears and the mecha designs from it, the price is pretty steep for what is essentially an 8 inch non-transforming action figure with no accessories whatsoever. Is the build quality top notch, with diecast used where needed for strength and stability? If we go by the previous Play Arts/Bring Arts/Whatever Arts version of Weltall, then no. That thing looked nice, but felt really cheap and flimsy once I had it in hand. This impression was only cemented when one of the "backpack" parts snapped clean off while I was adjusting it. That was some crappy, weak, & brittle plastic they were using. It did have diecast feet for stability IIRC, so that was one point in its favor.

I'll wait till after release and see what other people think of it. If it's actually good and still available after release, then I might get one. Otherwise, I'd rather not get burned by SE's questionable level of quality again.