chitocerium

Overview:

A collaborative effort between Masaki “Apsy” Asai, illustrator huke (Black Rock Shooter, Steins;Gate illustrator and designer of hololive’s Takanashi Kiara) and Good Smile Company, chitocerium (sic) is a model kit line designed around the concept of “fragments”, magical dolls tied to chemical elements such as uranium, platinum and carbon that protect their owner with their magical abilities. The first kit, platinum, was released in 2019 (and rerun in 2022 as an improved 1.5 version), with every other kit releasing sporadically over the early 2020s. 

The line stands out from other lines due to eschewing the animesque aesthetics most other lines go for, instead going for a gothic doll-like aesthetic akin to Rozen Maiden. chitocerium also comes with special boxes to hold the kits; lore-wise, the dolls are contained within these boxes and whoever owns the boxes controls the dolls and thus their magic abilities.

Construction

Firstly, the kits are relatively easy to assemble with great plastic quality and engineering, as well as excellent color separation making them look great out of the box without modification, with minimal decal application required, though highly recommended. Though Good Smile has been plagued with plastic quality issues, most infamously with their spotty MODEROID licensed mecha kits, these are almost entirely absent with chitocerium, possibly due to being limited runs.

Furthermore, the articulation and engineering of the kits are spectacular, courtesy of Masaki Apsy exercising his wizardry, making them among the most articulate model kits available on the market. These kits are one of the only kits to officially use Machineca, due to getting official licensing to do so, and it shows with how smooth these build. With very minimal complex parts, these kits are fairly low-difficulty and can be built by anyone who has built one or two kits before. These kits are absolutely perfect for anyone from the rookie modeler to the experienced builder with shelves full of girlpla.

Aesthetics

chitocerium’s unique aesthetics stand out. In a niche heavily focused on fanservicey and lewd designs, chitocerium’s gothic, doll-like girls are a breath of fresh air and, with huke’s character designs on top form, ensure that the chitocerium dolls will stand out on any shelf in any collection. 

The designs also trend towards being significantly more modest, which is always welcome when most girlpla lean on sex appeal as part of the design. The included doll boxes and furniture add to the aesthetic of the kits, while also being perfectly usable for other kits at the same scale for various displays.

Ease of Acquisition: 

Make no mistake. chitocerium kits are some of the hardest kits to acquire on the market that are still in active production. With much of the earlier kits in the line being out of print or rarely reprinted, getting your hands on a chitocerium kit is often going to be the hardest part of building the things. 

As an artist-driven product with small production runs, chitocerium kits are fairly expensive for the cheapest kits (XCIX-albere & C-efer); that is if the shops nearby even stock one. Prices are extremely variable, and will differ from shop to shop. As a rule of thumb, you will not get these kits much cheaper than ¥ 3000 (£ 15/$ 17) and will probably pay much higher than these numbers.

Stock is insanely difficult to come by because the print runs are limited in number, especially for the carbonia kits (adamas, graphites, lonsdaleite). Reprints are also fairly rare, leaving the secondhand market to be the primary source of kits. It is nearly impossible to run into physical stock outside of Japan; as such, your best bet is to order online or import. 

Personal Verdict?

A very artsy line, chitocerium is well worth the look-in for anyone who can successfully find, and afford even a single kit from this line, with beautiful and haunting aesthetics, excellent character design and smooth articulation and engineering making these kits an excellent addition to any collection. However, the rarity and expense of a single kit can make it difficult to recommend to casual fans of the hobby.

Personal Recommendations:

We’d recommend any of the carbonia variants, XCIX-albere & C-efer, or XCII-urania; though really, any of the line is worth a look assuming one can get a hold of the kits for a price that won’t break the bank. 

Official Site: https://www.chitocerium.com/ (in Japanese)