Whether you like them or not, we’ll likely see more blind box kits in store shelves as the demand is clearly present. Of all the companies doing these, I’m leaning towards Motor Nuclear and their I’m Great Hero line of blind box kits, mainly because they’re not “chibi-fied” like the others. In fact, I got the first wave earlier this year and they’ve recently announced the second wave of kits.
The larger box is designed for displaying the blind boxes inside thanks to the perforations on the top flap. Wave two is designated as MNH-B with the packaging having a blue motif compared to the red of wave one.
While each large box contains six kits, you can get eight variations spread across five unique molds. We’ll check these out later but unlike the first wave, we get two chase variants for this set. First is a gold Lu Bu dubbed in Golden Shining colors and the second being Huan Ci in blue alternate colors.
Something I recently discovered, though others are probably aware, is how these kits are actually scaled-down versions of previous stand-alone releases. The smaller size makes them more accessible and easier to collect for folks like me. With that out of the way, let’s check out the kits included in this wave.
First is Bai Qi, which was previously released as the larger MNP-XH01 Bai Qi as part of the Legend of Star General line. Two versions are available as part of this blind box set, one in the original yellow colors and another in blue “hero colors.” I personally prefer the cooler color scheme though I might switch some of the clear parts.
The next mold pairing is for Cao Ren, with the original being released as MNP-XH02 Cao Ren, also from The Legend of Star General. As for these two, I am leaning towards the original white colored version, although the one in red also looks really good.
Next we have Huan Ci and this is also a downscale of a previous kit. Though this one comes from the Blazing Stars line as MNP-CR01 Huan Ci. Two versions are also available as part of this blind box set, one in mostly white, same as the original, and an alternate blue variant as a chase. Unlike wave one which has one chase figure, wave two has… well, two. I’m totally fine not getting the chase variant since I do prefer the original colors of Huan Ci.
The next two molds were included in wave one, and we’re getting new variants in this set.
We have another Wei Yuan for this set, and this is the Trainee Form, which also got a larger release in the Legend of Star General line as MNP-XH06 Wei Yuan Trainee Form. It’s the basic form of the machine, especially when compared to its wave one variant seen below.
Doing a quick search online for this Wei Yuan variant doesn’t return a previously released kit, so I’m inclined to think the one included in wave one was designed for the blind box set. Side note, I’m not a fan of the orange used in this kit, so I might switch them to red instead, similar to the MNP-XH07 Blade Fight and MNP-XH13A Heavy Firepower variants.
One thing these manufacturers love to do, is have Lu Bu in some form or fashion. Wave one already has a Lu Bu variant as the chase item, and wave two has another Lu Bu variant for its second chase item. This version is dubbed as the “Golden Shining” version for obvious reasons.
I’ve been steadily getting Chinese-made model kits recently, which is a testament to their increasing quality and, at least for specific companies, their desire to move away from the bootleg space. These mainly include Motor Nuclear, Sheik Mainland, and SNAA. With the announcement of this second wave of blind box kits, and more 1/144 scale Motor Nuclear kits, my backlog will just keep on growing, a happy problem I want to say.
MNA-B “I’m Great Hero” (Part 2)
CN¥59 (ea.)
