To those wondering what “trilogy” I’m talking about, then let me again show you this image:
I say trilogy in quotes because they’re not really related story-wise, and their closest connection being both Zambot 3 and Daitarn 3 were directed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. That said, they do kind of look like the same banana so I often group them together. It’s also no surprise that Zambot 3 and Trider G7 already got Super Minipla releases. Now that the line has rebranded to SMP [Shokugan Modeling Project], it’s also the right time to complete these three. And it looks like the people over at Bandai Shokugan/Candy also think the same.
When combined, Daitarn 3 would stand at 183mm, which is in the ballpark of your combining Super Minipla set. They also mention how Daitarn 3 is 120m tall fully combined, so scale junkies can do the math and figure it out themselves.
Like its contemporaries, Daitarn 3 is also made up of smaller vehicles: the Dai-Fighter and Dai-Tank. Both are obvious robot parts but such transformations are part of the charms of these super robots. The design team will be picking up on keeping both the articulation and transformation features that made the Super Minipla Trider G7 a popular release, and then some more.
As with your typical Bandai Candy release, this set will include three boxes inside, with each containing parts to build a sub-assembly of Daitarn 3.
Part A will come with parts to build the arm units, the head and its replacement parts, and the main weapons. Three pairs of hands are included while a replacement face piece with an open mouth, and a perfect transformation head piece are also included. For the weapons, you’ll be able to build the Daitarn Fan in both closed and shield forms, and the Daitarn Javelin whole total length reaches 190mm, taller than Daitarn itself.
Part B will have parts for the main torso unit, the transforming backpack and other additional parts for the transformation, including the tank threads which would be highlighted later. They also mention how the triangular-shaped shoulder armors will be articulated to allow unhindered shoulder movement, more on those later as well.
Part 3 is solely the leg units. They then mention how the Dai-Cannons, which are deployed at the bottom of both feet in Dai-Tank mode, don’t require replacement parts. So that’s another interesting piece of engineering they put here.
When combined, you have an articulated and fully functional Daitarn 3, complete with its basic weapons. I mention basic here as they also have another set on sale which would include more weapons and parts. Going back to articulation, a specific point they noted earlier were those triangular-shaped shoulder armors and how they don’t hinder articulation.
As demonstrated in these prototype images, the shoulder armors are connected to the top of the torso piece via a swivel joint that you can swivel forward and backward. How about arm rotation? In the top right portion above, you can also see that the shoulder joint does allow for arm rotation though, obviously, the shoulder armors would get in the way. As a compromise, they’ve included a well-articulated shoulder joint assembly but it’s up to you how you’ll be creative in posing Daitarn 3 around those shoulder armor limitations. They also demonstrate how the tank threads in Dai-Tank mode can contract and expand during combination.
SMP [Shokugan Modeling Project] Daitarn 3 Set
April 2022 / ¥6,000
Order via HobbyLink Japan
Normally, I would just buy a couple of sets and end my day right there. But Bandai Candy decided to do things a little different as they’re also releasing a slightly more fleshed out version of this set.
Now, you can totally get away with the vanilla Daitarn 3 set, but if you want more, then Bandai Candy has you covered with this Dairarn Come Here! Set, and they even included the packaging above, in advance of any Box Art Extravaganza coverage during its release. As for contents, here’s what you’ll get:
You’ll get everything that comes with the vanilla set plus more weapons, a more proportional and non-transforming backpack piece, and the Mach Patrol.
I’m not really familiar with this vehicle but I assume it’s a support unit of sorts that can transform from a police car to a jet, because super robot. Anyway, it becomes the Mach Attacker upon transformation which involves folding the front portion to the back and deploying the wings. They also note how this won’t involve any parts replacement.
As if considering my unnecessary purchasing behavior, the better proportioned backpack would be perfect for my preference of building a non-transforming copy of this kit. Totally unnecessary but, yeah.
SMP [Shokugan Modeling Project] Daitarn Come Here! Set
April 2022 / ¥8,100
Order via HobbyLink Japan
It took them four years since first releasing Super Minipla Zambot 3 back in 2017 to finally complete these three. I do have both Zambot 3 and Trider G7 kits and they’re both in the backlog. But knowing these three are now complete, it would give me more preference to take them out of the backlog and actually build them. But I won’t hold my breath on it as there are tons of other kits in that backlog waiting to be built as well.
