TT Hongli HG 1/144 Masurao Preview

My TT Hongli MG Shin Musha build is going to be delayed, and another bootleg kit is to blame: the Masurao, also from TT Hongli.

I really like samurai-themed mobile suits.

I got this kit from RNC Hobbies & Collectibles in Market!Market! for 250 PHP; and that pretty much explains why I got it. They sell a lot of model cars and figures but do have a few gunpla kits laying around - mostly bootlegs. I did spot a few Bandai kits that, judging from their packaging, have been there for a while. Anyway, on to the contents of the kit.

Manual with English translations. I think it's adorable.

Here's something new. I have never seen a Bandai kit with manuals translated into English. Granted, the instructions are pretty much self explanatory, making it unnecessary, but for a Chinese knockoff to go the extra step and provide a (poorly) translated manual? That's just adorable.

A shot of the manual showing the runners. Note the included action stand (which this kit will probably need judging from how flimsy it looks).

Oh, China, you crack me up. 

Here are more shots of the manual. The kit is made up of 7 runners of varying sizes; two of which are for the polycaps. Included in the runners are parts to build the included action base which, while far from Bandai quality, is definitely a plus. It also comes with one tiny sticker sheet with two stickers, and a piece of wire for the Masurao's pony tail which I will not be using.

Do check out the included 'Notice while Assembling' section in the screenshots above and do not forget to 'Please use the safe aqueous coating while painting' when building your gunpla.

Masurao. Masirao. Potato. Pot-ah-to. Shots of the unit action.

Some background on the units weapons.

Screenshots of what the kit will look like once built. More translated text and back story for the kit, again, which is nice to have. If you also haven't noticed, the kit's name is misspelled in the manual while they got it right in the box-art and manual cover.

Unlike my MG Shin Musha preview, I decided to open the plastic separators for the runners in this one to display the actual runners/trees:

Top right: as I've mentioned above, this kit comes with two poly-cap runners. Top left: parts for the included actions base; it comes with two arm types - one for standing poses and the other for more action type poses.  

Left runner: the kit comes with clear orange plastic for the suit's beam katanas which are of very good quality. I can see myself using them for my other kits. Tiny sticker sheet and wire: I did say the sticker sheet was tiny; it only has two stickers on it. 

The complexity of the runners is pretty much standard for a Gundam 00 High Grade, but what stands out is the general color scheme of the suit. That's a lot of black. I've never been that good with eliminating nubs on non-white pieces, I'm not so sure how this will turn out.

While the MG Shin Musha is the first bootleg kit I've ever bought, this is the first one I will build. I just want to work on something I can finish over the afternoon for now. I will be posting the build and review for this kit soon.