Overview
Annulus is practically a baby on the toymaking scene, having only been founded in 2022, significantly younger than many of the companies and even most of the lines on this guide. They only have a few model kits to their name; three different variants of Guilty Gear’s favorite yo-yo slinging lady Brisket-I mean Bridget (whom will have her own article), a garage kit of the Strike Dog from VOTOMS, a fixed model kit of the city of Hikone’s mascot Hikonyan and an original design, Eto no Musha Tatsu (tl. Zodiac Dragon Warrior) designed by prolific sculptor Takaki Akinori (known for his work in toy circles on Ultraman, Spy x Family, Chainsaw Man and King of Prism statues). I suspect, however, you’re here for their three model kits of Gridman.
SSSS Gridman is the first entry in Trigger (Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, and the Delicious in Dungeon adaptation) and Tsubaraya’s (Ultraman, Jumborg Ace, Mirrorman) collaborative Gridman Universe, released in 2018, following the story of Yuta Hibiki as he tries to uncover the truth behind his lost memories while contending with his ability to merge with the mysterious Hyper Agent Gridman to fight giant monsters. Though, really, most of the people who watched came for the female characters; Rikka and Akane made the Internet rounds in 2018, in casual watcher circles for being Waifus of the Season and in certain ball-knowing circles for being Megatron and Optimus Prime (if you know, you know).
The story (spoilers for anyone who hasn’t watched it!) is a sequel to Tsubaraya’s live-action tokusatsu Denkou Choujin Gridman from 1993 (possibly familiar to American audiences as the basis for Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad from 1994), and was followed by a sequel, SSSS Dynazenon in 2021 and a finale movie also called Gridman Universe in 2023 to wrap up lingering plot threads from both series.
Annulus would be tasked with releasing model kits of the girls from Gridman, releasing Rikka in 2023, followed by Akane. Akane’s Universe counterpart would be released in 2024, with Rikka’s Universe counterpart releasing alongside a reprint of Universe Akane in 2025.
Construction and Engineering
Annulus is not spectacular as a model kit manufacturer, but also not terrible. The plastic is of reasonable quality and the engineering is serviceable, if nothing to write home about, odd hip joints and questionable hair construction aside. A reasonably experienced modeler will have no problems building the kits, but the newbie modeler would be advised to start elsewhere first. The actual difficulty, however, isn’t too much higher than the likes of 30 Minutes Sisters or even Sousai Shojo Teien; you will need to paint and decal the kit to get the most out of it.
As an aside, if you buy both Rikka and Akane’s Gridman (we are unsure if this applies to their Universe kits) kits, you actually get enough parts to build a third girl, as Reddit user minute_bot discovered here. We aren’t sure if this was intentional, but it is something worth noting. What IS intentional is that Annulus has rather kindly made their Universe Rikka and Akane kits compatible with their older Gridman Rikka and Akane kits.
The main complaint we had in this regard aside from the above was the lack of gripping hands. No funny business with giving Rikka a gun.
Aesthetics:
What we can give Annulus is a sense of style; these kits, unlike many licensed kits from smaller manufacturers, are very good-looking, even if you aren’t one of the many people who were caught simping for Rikka or Akane in 2018. While fans of Gridman will absolutely adore these kits, these kits would also fit right in on a shelf with Sousai Shojo Teien or the more human-proportioned Tohoku Zunko kits.
Ease of Acquisition:
At a mid-ranged original retail price of ¥5940 (£28/$37), the Gridman kits are not the cheapest kits out there – especially if you’re aiming for the unintentional 2-for-1 deal – but second-hand or bargain prices can get it down to ¥5100 (£24/$32) or even ¥4300 (£20/$37). Be advised that HLJ has the Universe kits at time of writing for ¥5400 (£25/$34).
Personal Verdict?
Ideal for lovers of Gridman, the Annulus Gridman kits are a solid addition to the shelf, though perhaps lacking in features and quality a lot of their brethren may have.
Personal Recommendations:
We will not weigh in on an ancient seasonal waifu war that has nothing to do with us. Such nonsense is the preserve of the weak.
Official Site: https://www.annulus.one/
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