DISCLAIMER: We have not built any kits from this line, and we have no intention of so doing. We have drawn our information from other reviews and so cannot provide a personal verdict. This article is purely informative.
Overview
NAOKI is a mechanical designer and modeler known for a body of work including Gundam and being prolific among mecha modelers. In this era of artist-driven model kit lines, it makes sense that someone like NAOKI would eventually get his own.
And get his own he did, because in 2023, Kotobukiya and NAOKI collaborated to launch TITANOMACHIA, based on extensive lore he wrote.
In brief, TITANOMACHIA focuses on a conflict between the Feyetoll Empire and the Waise Federation in a post-apocalyptic Earth over resrouces, a conflict that is quickly interrupted by cryptids trying to eat everyone. As such, humans developed REAPERs and EXOSKELETONs to fight. The first kit, GALE HOUND dropped in 2023 while his female counterpart STRATO HOUND appeared in early 2024.
As an aside, the mecha from this line were adapted by Good Smile in their MODEROID toyline. We will only be discussing the Kotobukiya kits here.
Construction and Engineering
Buyers reported that the plastic quality is high and build difficulty are reasonably straightforward, as expected of Kotobukiya kits post-2015. However, the designs are not as good as the rest of Kotobukiya’s output, possibly a victim of having to translate NAOKI’s more realistic artstyle into a snap-fit model kit. The elbows and neck collars are a particular point of contention as they restrict movement and articulation of the fully built kit. The proportions are also off, comparable to A.T.K. Girl’s lengthy proportions in a negative sense.
Aesthetics:
While the armored and mechanical parts of the HOUNDS are phenomenal, the human aspect is…lacking. We’re not opposed to a more realistic, less animesque aesthetic and we love ourselves a more modest model kit, but TITANOMACHIA managed to make that look uninteresting – a shame, given NAOKI’s art is really, really cool. We will at least give him that they made a male model kit; it’s really a shame that it doesn’t look nearly as cool as, say, Raiders of Shadow Shen Hou or Megalomaria’s Zirconia and Mephisto.
Ease of Acquisition:
Lurking around AmiAmi and other stores that have Kotobukiya’s blessing, these kits retail at around ¥7920 (£ 37/$50) for STRATO HOUND and ¥8800 (£ 41/$55) for GALE; both kits are most likely cheaper secondhand.
Official Site: https://www.titanomachia.com/en
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