It is always a good day when you get to hang out with Pikachu, so imagine the joy you can get from building the mascot? Thanks to Bluefin and Bandai, a set of special model kits will be released for Pokemon later this year. It wasn’t long ago the announcement was made, but Bluefin was able to send myself a lil’ sample to build. And I am here to tell you these model kits may be dangerous to your wallet as they’ll make you want to build more and more.
Videos by ComicBook.com
For those unfamiliar with model kits, the toy genre kicked off thanks to a franchise called Gundam. The mech series has become a merch juggernaut thanks to its addictive Gunpla kits. Now, that same treatment has come for Pokemon, but the beginners kits are fun for fans of any skill level.
Upon first opening the box, I was struck by how little there was inside. These kits do not require glue or painting so that was a relief already. The only extra decoration needed for this kit are stickers, and the tiny pieces are easy enough to place if you have tweezers.
And yes, you will need those tweezers. If you are over the age of seven, your hands are too large to delicately handle the small stickies, and you will want pinpoint precision to make your Pikachu as cute as possible.
When I began constructing Pikachu, I found myself saddled with an instruction booklet as well as two pop-out boards of plastic pieces. The boards are medium sized, and they are labeled very well. The instructions are a bit convoluted as I did skip some steps only to have to backtrack later, but no part of the building process was stressful.
While it was only slightly disconcerting to see the inside of Pikachu’s molded head, the build was overall relaxing. It was done in no more than ten minutes, and I could see it being an easy access point for kids who love Pokemon. If you happen to do model kits already, this kit has all the right nostalgia thanks to its branding, but its quality is a bit lacking. After all, these kits are selling for under $20 USD, but their weight is well worth the price point you’ll buy them at.
If you are on the fence about getting one of these Pokemon kits, I give a clear thumbs up to this new line. I will definitely be searching for Eevee upon its February 2020 release.
Do you have any questions about these model kits? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!