Kamado Tanjiro | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) - Unboxing & Pre-Assembly Review

 While the plastic figure of Kamado Tanjiro is actually Bandai Namco's first model kit from the Demon Slayers: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) anime series, he is the second kit from this line that I'll be working on. Before I start though, here is my customary unboxing and pre-assembly review of the model kit figure of Nezuko's younger brother and main protagonist, namely Tanjiro.   

Bandai Namco plastic model kit figurine of Kamado Tanjiro from the Demon Slayer anime

Side Box Art shows Tanjiro in varios poses & indicates stickers will be needed for color accuracy

Other Side Box Art showcases the pre-painted parts namely Tanjiro's eyes and checkered cloak

Stated clearly in red letterings is the fact that this is a plastic model kit, not a completed figurine

 Box art (see above) for this Tanjiro figure follows the standard pattern seen in the previous Demon Slayer model kit that I had worked on (i.e. Nezuko). This time though, the box art highlights the unique feature of this kit which is the extreme detail of Tanjiro's eyes. It also points out that color accuracy is obtained via color-molded parts as well as sticker decals. Apart from that you can see some dynamic poses from a completed Tanjiro figure. Meanwhile, a quick glance at the instructions (see below) tell me that this build should be fairly straightforward and easy to complete for beginners. 

Inside the box are lots of plastic bags with parts/runners/sprues

First few pages of the pamphlet guide are in color, showing the parts/runners/sprues included as well as some basic assembly instructions for beginners ...

... continuing with more colored pages showing the assembly Tanjiro's head, shirt, and cloak ...

... followed by black and white pages with instructions for the assembly of ...

... arms, hands, legs, feet, trousers, sword/scabbard, and the rest of his cloak.

 It shows that this is Bandai Namco's first Demon Slayer model kit figure. You only have to look at the effort put in to mold Tanjiro's facial features, especially his eyes, which were molded using three colors: clear red, black, and white. The glossiness imbued into Tanjiro's eyes give it a lifelike quality that was absent from the later Demon Slayer model kit figures, and their flat pre-painted eyes .    

Runner/Sprue A: Tanjiro's face with pre-painted scar; Runner/Sprue B: Tanjiro's eyes molded in three colors

Runner/Sprue C: Multi-colored parts for Tanjiro's head, hands, clothes, belt, scabbard, etc.

Runner/Sprue D1: Multi-colored parts for Tanjiro's clothes, slippers, scabbard, sword hilt, and mouth

 Meanwhile, the rest of the runners/sprues were of good quality but largely unexceptional except for the parts making up Tanjiro's cloak. Now these were excellent both in their semi-gloss green finish to their pre-painted checkered pattern. Another part that was above average in quality was the black katana blade which sported a fine glossy finish, which came in its own runner/sprue.    

Runner/Sprue D2: Black part for Tanjiro's katana (i.e. sword)

Runner/Sprues E1, E2, E3: Pre-painted parts that make up Tanjiro's checkered cloak

Runner/Sprues E6, E7, E8, E9: More pre-painted parts that make up Tanjiro's checkered cloak

 Similar to Nezuko, sticker decals (see below) were also provided with the Tanjiro model kit figure in order to enable color accuracy for hobbyists who do not want to paint their kits. Unlike Nezuko, I can see myself using some of the stickers decals that have been provided, specifically the ones for Tanjiro's earrings, for the kanji on the back of his shirt, and for the hilt of the katana as well as scabbard. Other sticker decals like the shirt stripes/collar and buttons as well as slipper straps will likely get ignored. I would rather paint these white, silver, and red respectively.      

Sticker decals for the earrings, shirt collar, shirt buttons, kanji on the back of the shirt, sandal straps, sword handle, and sword scabbard ... to ensure color accuracy

 At first glance it seems there are a lot more things to paint for Tanjiro compared to Nezuko because there are a lot more sticker decals in the former model kit figure. But because I'll actually be using a fair amount of the sticker decals provided, coupled with good color accuracy of the molded plastic parts, there is an expectation less work will be involved leading to a quicker turnover of the project. Long story short, I look forward to completing my second Demon Slayer character faster. Until that goal is realized however, it's time to bid you goodbye for now. And as always, be well and happy!