Background

Being that other builders have provided explanations about Gunpla and Gundam in their reviews, I will forego that. This particular figure, the Rosan Swordman, is part of the ’30 Minutes Fantasy’ series. The Bandai website offers seven pages of various kits and upgrades for this series.

The Figure

Per the enclosed guide, the Class I soldiers specialize in swordsmanship and fight in the Colosseum. They wield various types of blades including one-handed, and two-handed swords, and they have an excellent balance of offensive and defensive skills. They have precise techniques and calmly make decisions, demonstrating their proficient skills when fighting alone or with allies.

The Kit

Included in the box are a total of 11 trees molded in silver, dark blue, and black. With Bandai kits, it is very important to study the build process prior to embarking because, depending on certain options you would choose, the build process differs.

For experienced builders of Gundam figures, there is a “Speed Assembling” section. This is intended to show only the assembly of major components with the assumption that the builder already knows how to build and include all of the joints.

Otherwise, building this figure begins with Step 1 – building the head, torso, and waist. Step 2 focuses on arms and hands. Step 3 is for the legs and feet, and Step 4 is putting the sub-assemblies together to make the full figure.

When building any Bandai kit, it is very important to pay close attention to call-outs. These are indicated by two red arrows and almost always show the proper orientation for a particular part. Overlooking these important notifications can often spell certain doom.

When the main figure is completed, the “Job Change” instructions guide you through the process of cladding your figure in armor. When it comes to the weapons, there are many combinations, which are only limited by your imagination.

Finishing

This kit does not come with stickers. It can be built as is. When cutting parts of the trees, nibs or divots need to be sanded down, but naturally, this mars the colored plastic. Fine sanding and some polishing usually restores the look. However, they can also be primed and painted. This is the direction I decided to take.

I primed the main figure (called the Silhouette) using Tamiya Extra Fine primer and then I airbrushed with Vallejo ‘Mecha Color’ metallic blue. For the armor, I primed it with a gloss black liqueur and then sprayed it with silver chrome.

Overall, this was a very fun build! If you have never tried a Bandai kit, I highly encourage you to give it a try! Thank you to IPMS for the review opportunity and thank you to Hobby Tyme for the support!