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
Cyber Troopers Virtual-ON was a mecha fighting game developed by Sega around the turn of the millennium, with the first game coming out in 1995, fizzling out some time in 2003 with a hack-and-slash that was poorly received, before resurfacing in 2018 as A Certain Magical Cyber Trooper, crossing over with the A Certain Magical Index series. The games were notable for having character designs by Hajime Katoki, famous for his work on Mobile Suit Gundam as a mecha designer.
Hasegawa is one of the oldest model kit companies on the scene, dating back to 1941 and mostly specializing in military vehicles and other similar kits. Their closest competitor is Tamiya, known for their glue and other model-making products. All in all, Hasegawa is usually not a name you see in relation to girlpla, though they do have mecha kits for series like Macross and, as of this writing, are intending to toss their hat into the girlpla ring with Artificial Spirit Genesis some time in 2026. However, in 2004, Hasegawa began releasing Virtual-On model kits – and surprisingly, continues to do so to this day, releasing a set of new Virtual-On kits every so often.
As an aside, albeit one that can’t be surprising at this point, Kotobukiya threw its own hat into the ring making Virtual-On kits, releasing them throughout the 2008-2010 period. Volks and Wave also did their own takes on Fei-Yen. This section will only focus on the Hasegawa kits.
We’re going to be honest in that these are not strictly speaking girlpla, as these are technically mechs. However, these are also interesting, and Guarayakha and Fei-Yen are JUST close enough that we’ll allow it.
Construction and Engineering
Hasegawa is known for inducing tears from people who leap onto Hasegawa kits from the sweet loving arms of Bandai and Kotobukiya. Make no mistake, Hasegawa is a traditional model kit company, and expect you to build their kits like a traditional builder. If you come into this expecting to build a snap fit, run away now; these kits may look like snap fits, but will demand a toll from you in terms of tools, skill and glue, as you struggle to apply decals and paint details in.
The plastic is also fairly brittle and weak, and you will need to compensate heavily by applying putty and cement. Articulation is also not up to par, even with more recent kits. Overall, when building these, think of these as highly poseable display pieces and not toys like the vast majority of toylines we refer to here. Still, if you’re careful, the Virtual-On kits will reward you.
Aesthetics:
Should you struggle and persevere, the results are pretty damn good-looking. The consequence of Hasegawa being a traditional model kit company is that their model kits are very focused on detail to a point that even Koto and Bandai would struggle to achieve, and so a fully-detailed, decal-ed and painted Virtual-On kit is going to be the rival of anything newer on the shelf. Just don’t expect to achieve that result without immense amounts of struggle.
Ease of Acquisition:
Older print runs will run you anywhere from ¥3000 (£14/$19) to ¥5000 (£23/$31), give or take. The newer runs are likely to be closer to ¥4000 (£19/$24). The anniversary runs will often have more options, more modern articulation and more weapons to choose from. Good luck finding these outside of Japanese retailers, however.
Personal Verdict?
The Hasegawa offering of Virtual-On kits are on the border of girlpla, and definitely closer to traditional kits. While these are good-looking kits, if you’re used to snap-fit kits and straight builds, you will get a rude awakening; if you want to wade into building these, be prepared to do an incredible amount of work.
Personal Recommendations:
Fei-Yen – we’re just a sucker for twintails and pink everywhere. (Well, not so much the twintails, but definitely the pink.)
Official Site: http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/ (English site lacks information on the Virtual-On kits)
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