DISCLAIMER: We have only built one kit from this line and are basing this partially on the reviews of others. We will update this write-up once we get our hands on a second kit to have a point of comparison. Treat this entry as a work in progress.
Overview
Humikane Shimada (also romanised as Fumikane) is a name anyone adjacent to girlpla, action figures or even occasionally anime should know. His designs were behind the mecha musume boom, with Busou Shinki benefitting from his designs alongside the likes of BLADE, Takayuki Yanase and others. His career includes Sky Girls, Strike Witches, KanColle, Frame Arms Girl, 30 Minutes Sisters and even brief stints with Gundam and Sakura Wars. Basically, if you throw a dart at any given Japanese girlpla’s design team or anything at all that remotely involves mecha musume, you’re probably going to hit Shimada.
Understandably, as such a major artist, he’d naturally release a series of art books; the first of Shimada Humikane Art Works was released in 2008 while the second would be released in 2020. Given Shimada’s long and storied career in the world of girlpla, it seems natural that even his OCs would become model kits one day. Arsia along with her “sister” of sorts Artynia, coming from the second volume, would be turned into model kits in early 2025, alongside a PVC figure. A third kit is reportedly under production.
Construction and Engineering
The architecture is a derivative of Kotobukiya’s in-house architecture, used for Frame Arms Girl, Arcanadea, Megalomaria and Sousai Shojo Teien, with Koto’s high plastic quality. Arsia is no different from most of Kotobukiya’s output post-2016; a solid, well-articulated, well-made kit. Even the side armor is properly articulated to avoid blocking movement, and because it shares engineering, it can even be kitbashed with Frame Arms Girl. Not being particularly difficult, there’s no reason to fear building her, either. Artynia, as a variant of Arsia, is much the same way, effectively being Arsia with an additional set of weapons and armor pieces.
Aesthetics:
They’re both scantily-clad cyborg catgirls with big guns. If you’re this far down the hole, you’re either really into that or wondering why you’re not. If you’re somehow not at least okay with Humikane’s designs (given he’s designed a good portion of modern girlpla), you won’t really like her. For my money, they both need pants.
Ease of Acquisition:
Retailing for a stiff ¥5720 (£27/$36), Arsia is slightly overpriced for a fairly simple and no-frills model kit; her sister retailing at ¥2000 higher isn’t much better. Both of them aren’t very hard to find; so long as the shop has Kotobukiya goods, there’s a chance to see Arsia and her sister there, too.
Personal Verdict?
As a little bit of a tribute towards one of the primary character designers who inspired today’s girlpla, these kits are solid, but not so spectacular you need them unless you’re into the military catgirl aesthetic or love Shimada’s artstyle.
Personal Recommendations:
I mean, they’re the same character effectively. Just get whichever one’s loadout you like better.
Official Site: https://www.kotobukiya.co.jp/en/title/shimada-humikane-art-works/ (for kit information)
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