DISCLAIMER: We do not have this kit ourselves and are relying on information from other sources. As such, we will not be providing our own personal verdict here. Please regard this as a work in progress until such time as we acquire one to build.
Overview
Cang Toys (also stylised as CANG-TOYS) is a Chinese company with a history of mecha figures, selling the Trans Age Longyan Combiner and CT-CHIYOU toylines among their various mecha offerings. They’re not typically a name that delves into the model kit world.
Twelve’s War is their fantasy toyline focusing on zodiac-themed warriors. Naturally, it’s the Eastern Zodiac for a Chinese company, though Mora, the Zodiac Goat (Sheep for those of you coming from Fruits Basket and thus more familiar with the Japanese Eastern Zodiac) mixes both the West and East by being themed after Capricorn. While the aforementioned Mora and her fellow Loong (the Dragon) are figures, the Snake Samael is a model kit. Themed around “anger”, Samael slithered into the world in early 2025, boasting a snake companion with which she can combine.
Construction and Engineering
The engineering for the snake is genuinely impressive, with how large the snake can reach, it can dwarf even larger Gunpla on the shelf in Samael’s snake-girl form. Sadly, that’s the most we can say for this in this department.
Firstly, the quality isn’t fantastic. Cang Toys’ earlier efforts in the Twelve’s War series had complaints of figures breaking and being generally fragile, with consistent reports of Mora’s limbs breaking off. Samael has followed her sisters on that front, with reports of brittle wrist joints and poor plastic quality, being fairly soft.
The articulation isn’t also great; while serviceable, the tolerances and brittle joints make the kit surprisingly less durable and less flexible than one would want, which given the snake’s height, isn’t a great omen. Tolerances are also reported to be shoddy and inconsistent; while Cang Toys appears to have been quite ambitious with this one, the workmanship hasn’t quite lived up to their dreams.
Even aside that, the kit is just bloody difficult with how many repeated joints are required for the snake. This kit is not for the faint hearted.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is where the Twelve’s War girls and Samael in particular shine. While the faceplates and details leave something to be desired, Samael in general is a striking, unique-looking kit with an aesthetic that really reflects the Eastern Zodiac theme it’s going for. The same is true of all of Samael’s figure counterparts. If you can brave the difficulty of building Samael, you’ll be rewarded with an excellent display piece.
Ease of Acquisition
At a price mark of ¥6000 (roughly £27/ $44) and available on most online retailers that sell girlpla, Japanese or Chinese, you’re not gonna struggle finding one for yourself if you want to test your luck.
Official Site: https://weibo.com/u/7269915751 (Weibo, in Chinese)
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