Good Smile Company and Max Factory are once again flexing their muscles with their annual (?) Wonderful Hobby Life for You!! 32 show, except that it’s all virtual this year because of you-know-what. As always, we got a slew of new upcoming MODEROID kit reveals though these ones are particularly interesting. If you’re that collector who always wanted to get those RIOBOT figures but find them a little too expensive, then you’re in luck.
Sen-Ti-Nel announced the RIOBOT Rayearth last year, and was initially slated for a January 2021 release but got bumped to April due to obvious reasons. It looks awesome, as expected from a RIOBOT figure, but it also has the not-so-awesome price tag of ¥23,500. I initially pre-ordered a copy but deemed it a bit too expensive. Fortunately, Good Smile Company comes to the rescue with the MODEROID Rayearth! You may have to build it yourself and not have the same finish as the RIOBOT one but it’s also a LOT less expensive.
Though both companies have collaborated in the past, particularly with the MODEROID Mazinkaiser, it seems that this version of Rayearth isn’t an exact copy of downscale of the RIOBOT figure. Still looks great though, and would stand better along with MODEROID Escaflowne. Now you can have two of the known isekai-mecha series of the 90s.
Another set of RIOBOT figures now getting the MODEROID treatment are Blodia and Riot from the game Cyberbots. There were four figures released from two molds, each having modular parts that you can interchange with each other. For the MODEROID versions, Good Smile Company has revealed both Blodia and Riot in their original color schemes. And with these being model kits, mixing and matching parts, as well as changing colors, would be much easier. I already got a RIOBOT Blodia so I won’t be getting these two, but those who may have missed the older figures, you now have a chance of getting these guys.
I hope Good Smile Company continues this trend as I did pass up some RIOBOT figures I really wanted to get, case in point the RIOBOT Iron Giant. In any case, no release dates or prices have been set for these guys.
