The last day for Hobby Next Phase 2022 Spring is focused on Kyoukai Senki or AMAIM Warrior on the Battlefield, especially with its latter half making a return this April. And with the way the first half ended, everyone pretty much predicted a mid-season upgrade to the main protagonist machine, Kenbu will eventually appear.
Minor spoilers to those who haven’t watched the series, but at the climax of the first half, our good guys are locked in a battle with the mysterious Ghost Mk-II. And at the end of that climactic battle, Amou and his Kenbu restrained the enemy machine that eventually self-destructed, leaving audiences to question the fate of our main protagonist and this machine. But we all know that this is the mid-season upgrade arc, and we now have it with HG Kenbu Zan.
When you look at Kenbu Zan over here, it doesn’t look that much different from the original Kenbyu, save for new color applications, and raised details here and there. But the overall look is more or less the same. In fact, here’s a comparison between the two models for a better look.
There are more red armor parts, especially on the shoulder and upper thigh sections. The knee armor is also moved from the thigh unit to the leg unit and there’s a more considerable armor placed on the ankle section as well. You can also see the 40mm cannon mounted on the left forearm and what appears to be a new melee weapon, which we’ll delve into next.
Its new primary weapon is the super-heated long combat sword which is as tall as the machine itself. In some shots, it has a light blue glow while in storage, it’s just gray. Not sure if this is a choose-one option when building the sword or there’s an effect part slipped onto it. The 40mm arm-mounted cannon is also removable and modular, which means it can be shared with the other MAILeS units. Then we have the updated head unit, which is a visual progression from its predecessor. It also looks more demonic with how the yellow bits on the top look like horns and the ones at the bottom look like fangs.
The changes may be subtle, but the addition of more red parts and those larger armor pieces give the Kenbu Zan a much tougher appearance. And with Kyoukai Senki returning in a month, I think it will be a good opportunity to dual build both Kenbu kits just because.
HG 1/72 Kenbu Zan
April 2022 / ¥2,500
Order via HobbyLink Japan
