I consider Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince or simply Majestic Prince to be one of the more interesting mecha shows that came out in the 2010s. It’s unique spin on a war story complemented by humor and shenanigans, with the addition of equally unique mecha designs make for an interesting watching experience. Hiroshi Tani was responsible for the designs of the main machines called ASHMBs, or Advanced High Standard Multipurpose Battle Devices, and they are quite busy. As such, I was hesitant when Kotobukiya announced kits back then, even more so with MegaHouse’s Variable Action offering thanks to prevalent QC issues.
But as they say, third time’s the charm, at least from how I count things, as Good Smile Company is taking a crack at one of the ASHMBs as they’ve previously announced a MODEROID kit for AHSMB-005 Red Five. Following that announcement months back, solicitations have now opened, along with more images and details.
Each of these ASHMBs are designed with a specific combat profile in mind, and Red Five is intended to be the commander unit with its more humanoid appearance, just like Blue One. Red Five prominently features a pair of large thruster binders mounted at the back and a pair of similarly prominent binders mounted at the hip assembly. All of them flair out when Red Five is in “Full Burst” mode, and the kit can replicate this through the use of replacement parts, as seen below.
The solicitation mentions this is done via replacement parts, particularly with those on the lower section. The opening panels on the thruster binders should be able to open on their own.
For weapons, Red Five comes with several, including a pair of Arm Sword Counters, a Beam Cannon, and the HEP Cannon which can take a variety of forms.
I won’t expect the most dynamic of poses from this kit, especially with all the hanging bits here and there. But those hanging bits should provide additional display options as you can make the kit more dynamic depending on how these parts are oriented. It will also help that the kit will come with a display stand.
The main reason I’m interested in this kit over the previous ones from Kotobukiya and MegaHouse is its size. Red Five stands at 150mm which is non-scale, but still scales closer to the other kits in my collection. And while the solicitation mentions the use of color parts for accuracy, it will also come with stickers and I am expecting to paint those details over the use of stickers.
Whether the other ASHMB units from Majestic Prince will be released as MODEROID kits will probably depend on how this one sells. If you want the other crazier units as kits, then this is your chance to help make it happen.
MODEROID Red Five
January 2025 / ¥7,800
Order via HobbyLink Japan
