Bandai Hello Kitty / Zaku II SD Gundam Cross Silhouette Gunpla [Unboxing & Pre-Assembly Review]

 Only one word comes to mind when you lay your eyes on a Hello Kitty. It's kawaii and you just can't help yourself. Having not watched any anime involving this famous Japanese feline, I can't say I'm a fan of the Hello Kitty franchise. Neither is the missus. But it was she who suggested I do a project using a Bandai Hello Kitty kit. I was game because as supportive as she already is, it's not everyday the missus takes an active interest in my hobby projects. That she will get a cute display figurine at the end of it means it's also a win-win situation. So here then is an unboxing and pre-assembly review of the Bandai Hello Kitty/Zaku II Super-Deformed-Gundam-Cross-Silhouette (SDCS) Gunpla. For the uninitiated, Gunpla (or ガンプラ Ganpura) is a portmanteau of Gundam plastic model kit.

Bandai Hello Kitty / Zaku II Super-Deformed-Cross-Silhouette (SDCS) Gunpla

 This particular scale model kit is actually one of three that Bandai has in its Hello Kitty Gundam lineup with the others being the MS-06S Char's Zaku II and the RX-78-2 Gundam versions. In addition to the different SDCS figurines that these kits come with, the Hello Kitties come in different color schemes. More on these variations later, for now let's look at the side box art (see below).

Side box art showing the unique Hello Kitty Gundam configuration

Side box art showing the Hello Kitty and the Zaku II SDCS figurine options

More side box art, this time a closeup of Hello Kitty Zaku II 

 Being a kit that's meant to appeal and be accessible to less experienced hobbyists, I fully expect the build to be a straightforward one. And from what I gathered so far, the instructions do indeed lay out an easy to understand assembly process that should present no problem even to the absolute novice. The pamphlet itself comes in a mix of colored and black-and-white pages, with the former used for its front and back pages as well as a small section of the assembly instructions inside. And while it does provide a color guide for hobbyists who want to paint their model kits, the glossy finish to the plastic parts are so good that it becomes pointless to do so unless you want to customize the kit's colors.

Front and back pages of the scale model kit's instruction pamphlet

With instructions being clear and easy to follow, this build falls under the beginners category

 There are three distinct parts to the collection of sprues that come with this scale model kit. First are the parts that make up the Gunpla, specifically the SDCS Zaku II (see below). In this particular Bandai product line, the mecha kits are deformed into chibi anime characters. In fact the SDCS Zaku II is sold separately on its own. So if you aren't a Hello Kitty fan but like the chibi style Gundams, you can forego this kit completely. As for me, I don't like the chibi-style Gundams hence I've never done any projects involving them up until now, for reasons explained in the opening paragraph of this post.

Sprue A: Inner framework for the SDCS Zaku II figurine

Sprue B1 & B2: Dark and light green as well as clear parts for the SDCS Zaku II figurine

Sprue C: Black parts mainly for weapons; with some for the Zaku's chest, knees, and feet

 A unique feature of the kit is its not one but two Hello Kitty themed sprues that we find in the box (see below). One is shaped in the form of the iconic Hello Kitty head while the other resembles her ribbon bow. Both sprues contain all the parts necessary to build a Hello Kitty figurine holding an apple as well as a reasonably sized base that is shaped like an apple. Quality of plastic parts were generally superb especially the matte of Hello Kitty's head. In terms of finish, the base looked terrible with some plastic warping seen on its surface. Nothing a solid coating of the Mr. Super Smooth Clear flat/matte top coat can't fix, to be fair. Yet I wished they could've done better with the base.

Sprue A (alternate): Multi-colored sprue with parts for the Hello Kitty figurine

Sprue B : Red parts for the Hello Kitty base, her apple and ribbon bow

 Last of the sprues are parts for the conversion of both the Hello Kitty or the SDCS Zaku II into a Hello Kitty clad in Zaku II green armor. In the conversion process, parts from the Hello Kitty figurine (the head and ribbon bow) and the Zaku II figurine (essentially the body, arms, and legs) will be used with the parts in Sprues D and E below to form a whole new entity or a Hello Kitty Gundam if you will.

Sprue D: Green parts (note cute helmet with cat ears) for conversion to the Hello Kitty Gundam figurine

Sprue E: Clear tinted part used as the visor on the Hello Kitty Gundam figurine's helmet

 Apart from plastic parts, the kit also comes with a normal sticker sheet and a foil sticker sheet. The former is for use on the resulting Hello Kitty Gundam figurine as well as for turning the apple into a Zaku head. Meanwhile the latter is for use solely on the SDCS Zaku II and its weapons.

Sticker set for the Hello Kitty Gundam and for turning the apple into a Zaku head

Foil stickers for the SDCS Zaku II figurine and its weapons

 Of course, the completist and OCD in me means that I'll likely work on the rest of the Hello Kitty Gundam series in Bandai's lineup too. It's always great to finish projects that the missus can relate to, not unlike my previously completed Toy Story projects. And while a fair amount of time has passed since my last post, I have a good non-malaise reason for skipping the hobby. These past two weeks I had been writing a short story for submission to a scifi periodical. It's not everyday I find a US-based publication that welcomes diverse voices from other countries. Come what may, I'm just grateful to be given an opportunity where my story can even be considered. Anyway, I'm digressing. Hopefully my hobby projects will get back on track soon. And as always, I wish you well and happiness!