1/400 Kotobukiya Evangelion unit 01

Hey guys, Justin here. for my first contribution to this blog, I'd like to share my review of the 1/400 Kotobukiya Eva unit 01

This is my second Kotobukiya model build to date, the first being an older Zoids kit. based on the gap in how long these were made from one another, kotobukiya engineering has come a long way (or maybe the difference in the subject had a lot to do with it) all in all it was a really fun and interesting build though. lots of the joints are very flexible, but quite stiff and sturdy when posing. you get tons of options for hands, and a nice number of accessories and optional parts, paired with a great sculpt, a couple of pre-painted parts, and compatability with every kotobukiya stand, this is a must have for mecha fans, or fans of the evangelion series. Hit the bump for my full photo breakdown and some more thoughts.





first up a quick 360 of the unit itself, without accessories:

just standing this model looks quite impressive, i haven't done very much in the way of seam removal on this yet, as I plan to paint this at some point. but on the subject of paint, lots of details are all pre-molded in color, and a small handful of them are pre-painted for you, so if you don't want to (or feel that you have the time/patience/skill/etc) do so yourself, it looks fantastic straight out of the box, no stickers required. which is one thing I definitely love about kotobukiya. the build was pretty straightforward, and as long as you take your time and don't try to skip around too much, this is a really easy build, koto's plastic is a little different than what you'd expect of a model kit if you're used to working with bandai kits. but it's not a bad thing. it's really easy to cleanup, and the colored plastic doesn't seem to stress quite as easily. seams aren't really hidden on this kit, but the way it's assembled, and with the nice fit of everything, most ofthem are hidden well.

the sculpt is really lanky and cool looking. another thing to note is that this is a 1/400 scaled kit. which might make you think it's tiny. but this towers over just about any bandai HG gundam kit. and even a couple of their master grades. for accessories, you get a TON of hands to play around with, an assault rifle, and the knife, as well as an alternate...erm...butt plate? which has a peg for the koto action base, and an alternate shoulder for posing with the knife deployed. as well as the charging plug for when the suit is docked or entering the battlefield (nevermind that it normally gets ripped out and winds up running on battery power)

for posability. this guy is very limber. it is balanced well and it can pull of a very nice multitude of poses. you can maneuver the head around to get a full 360 out of it, but the bottom of the neck isn't as articulate, the shoulders move independently, using a very peculiar triple joint system (which can come undone if not careful) the arms will outstretch at a 90 degree angle, (out at the sides) they move forward, backward, but with no rotation under the shoulders, the elbows are on a dual pegged joint, that allows a full 180 bend, and the wrists on balljoints. the legs can move a full 360 at the hip, they move outward about 45 degrees, allowing wide stances, but not full splits, the knees move a 180 as well, and the thigh above the knee contracts with the knee. and the kneepad also has a joint in it, allowing it to fold. the ankles are on a similar joint to the elbows, which have a great range of movement, but they also have a peg for the ankle guards. the foot bends in the middle, as well as at the toe, allowing great ground stability. the kit is ridiculously posable, and allows for great photo opportunities.

have some gifs google made for me...


anyway all in all it's a great, very articulate kit. it's reasonably priced, and is a fun build. I highly recommend it the only points of concern are with the articulation it's a bit easy to get carried away, and the shoulders/arms/ankle guards pop off at certain points. but you have a great kit here. can't wait for the unit 02