Keroro Gunsou kits- Thoughts from the peanut gallery

[HellCat]

Received my order of 3 of these today (Dororo, Giroro and Afro Gunsou). Since some people have voiced interest in more information about these, I thought I'd share some thoughts.

So far I've only built one of the kits, Dororo. That said these aren't quite the most challenging kits Bandai have put out with only 2 instruction pages to go through. The hardest area is the head and its setup for the eyes. You build 2 sets, one used and one hidden and onto each put a different kind of emotion via stickers. For example, Dororo has his normal eyes, closed meditation eyes and his 'trauma switch' eyes. Of course with only 2 sets that leaves you somewhat limited as to what emotions you can have on it. The stickers look like they might be removeable but I don't want to risk it. Personally it's an easy choice for me- regular and meditating. No trauma switch, thanks (not a big fan of anime Dororo, they changed him alot from his manga counterpart). Acessory wise you get Dororo's blade, a shuriken, what's either a bowl or a suction cup and a small base to make him stand right. In all, pretty nice kit of the character.

One thing that hit me with all 3 kits is a key sign of why we all know Bandai wanted this series. A flyer included suggests "Hey kids! Now go out and buy Gundam kits to sick Keroro kits heads on them!" Most of the suggested kits are SD, but some are a bit odd (Strike Freedom?!). I'm sure some fun could be hand with this but it's a pretty blunt way to use Keroro to pimp Gundam.

On a similar note, it seems both Keroro and SD Gundam are starting to make use of cutouts. Afro Gunsou comes with dancing cutouts of the other 5 platoon members to pose with him as well as some tiny to-scale concert tickets.

[Conan-san]

Cool, dare I ask where you got them?

Hehe, Trauma switch...that's an intresting Model Kit.

One thing that hit me with all 3 kits is a key sign of why we all know Bandai wanted this series. A flyer included suggests "Hey kids! Now go out and buy Gundam kits to sick Keroro kits heads on them!" Most of the suggested kits are SD, but some are a bit odd (Strike Freedom?!). I'm sure some fun could be hand with this but it's a pretty blunt way to use Keroro to pimp Gundam. of course, by mentioning that, you've challenged yourself to do it and show us pics.

[HellCat]

Cool, dare I ask where you got them?

Hehe, Trauma switch...that's an intresting Model Kit.
of course, by mentioning that, you've challenged yourself to do it and show us pics.

My usual 'dealer', HobbyLink Japan- http://www.hlj.com

I just put his meditating eyes on. Kind of a shame since if you leave one pair blank you can have him in mysterious "We must find the 5th member!" look as he appeared in the first 6 volumes. Except for the trauma switch you get 2 versions of each eye- a full size one that I assume is to make it easier for children to get them straight and for those that are more confident just the coloured part.

I did try one, putting Afro Gunsou on Kokuryu Gundam to create what I call 'Afro Bancho'. Would probably work better with generic SD Gundam kits rather than the SD Musha kits I have.

[Conekiller]

How poseable are they? How well do they stand? How tall?

A local bookstore has 2 sets of the Keroro Platoon figures from the Kaiyodo line. They're pretty poseable and have static posed arms and legs (Dororo looks to be the most dynamic of the set) for $10. I'm weighing my options here ^_-

[HellCat]

How poseable are they? How well do they stand? How tall?

A local bookstore has 2 sets of the Keroro Platoon figures from the Kaiyodo line. They're pretty poseable and have static posed arms and legs (Dororo looks to be the most dynamic of the set) for $10. I'm weighing my options here ^_-

I'll have to measure them later, but as rough comparison they're similar in size to the average SD Gundam kit. Poseability is somewhat limited. You get a standard rotating neck joint and a range of balljointed limbs. Most of these are pre-posed (like Afro's 4 John Travolta pose ones) though some have limited elbow movement. Standing wise, they come with a small base.

[HellCat]

I built Giroro last night. Something's off about his head. I think perhaps the eyes are slightly too small to accomodate the eye changing emotions gimmick. Speaking of, he has his regular eyes and what I'll term "Bathe...with...Natsumi?!?" eyes. He also has 3 optional mouth stickers- plain pink, pink with his upper teeth showing and an angry growl. I went with the second one, right mix of determined yet friendly. Weapons wise you get a beam saber and beam rifle (which in this case doesn't resemble the one from RX-78-2). The packaging shows him wielding Gundam-style bazookas but it seems you have to get these from one of the other kits. The belt is a pre-shaped removeable piece, though no sign of his good luck charm which is fine.

[HellCat]

A few additions-

Today, I decided to change Dororo's eyes. The stickers never looked quite right and kept peeling when they'd catch on the gimmick, so I replaced them with the smaller stickers which look much better.
A picture on the box shows him with his knife stored on his back. For the longest time I assumed this was a promo cheat, as his knife accessory has no such way to connect...turns out he has a seperate stored knife that I missed :sweat:

I recently decided to order Keroro Robo kits, which are basically each of the five platoon members in a generic mini mecha based on themselves. Apparently they combine though I've seen no pictures of this. A one page gag in volume seven shows some very similar combiner kits so maybe Bandai lifted it from that.

[HellCat]

http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~midori-b/newpic/nes-g0684.htm

Part of me is happy, part of me is not. I think both of these Keroro Platoon sets are a good idea if you want the full team. However, given I have the first 4 Robos on the way and the Dororo one pre-ordered I wish this had been announced sooner.

[HellCat]

Looking over the Robo instructions, seems they're linked by a story- Keroro's Gunpla obsession leads him to get Kururu to build him his own mecha. It's not long before the others hear about this and are demanding their own mecha (Dororo coming last seems intentional, as he's crying about being left out in the 4th comic). Whilst they try and make the 5 kit combiner look cool, there are some 2 kit combiners shown which the kits are much better proportioned for. That 5 kit one reminds me of the old Toa combiners from Bionicle.

[HellCat]

I built Keroro Robo today. If you've built a 1/144 Gundam in the last 10 years you'll know what to expect. Basic joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles. Weapons wise you have a Gundam-like beam rifle/machine gun and shield. You also get a mini-Keroro, along with hoverbike and stand. The stand can be used to pose just him or him riding the hoverbike, which in turn docks with the robo. Keroro's body is made pre-constructed with articulation but annoyingly has to be snipped in several places from a runner. Still, it's an amazing piece of manufacturing.
Similar to the earlier kits, a flyer suggests mixing and matching with Gunpla. The Robo is shown with the legs and arms of an SD Zaku II.

[HellCat]

http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~midori-b/newpic/nes-g0726.htm

Could be fun. Like how it's more Gundam inspired. However, I hope this doesn't mean another set of Mk IIs for everyone. Bandai- you want someone to make? Give us a mass market Gararu platoon.

[Duke]

One wonders if ADV will try to bring them over should Sgt. Frog take off.

[Neo-Era]

http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~midori-b/newpic/nes-g0726.htm

Could be fun. Like how it's more Gundam inspired. However, I hope this doesn't mean another set of Mk IIs for everyone.

Don't look (http://www.mpsnet.co.jp/HobbyNet/ProductDetail.aspx?photoid=31225) now (http://www.mpsnet.co.jp/HobbyNet/ProductDetail.aspx?photoid=31224).

[HellCat]

Don't look (http://www.mpsnet.co.jp/HobbyNet/ProductDetail.aspx?photoid=31225) now (http://www.mpsnet.co.jp/HobbyNet/ProductDetail.aspx?photoid=31224).

Awwwwwwwwwwww, kippers!

They don't look bad, glad they're actually working on decent stand alones instead of another gimmicky combiner. Still, is it really needed? They keep trotting out Keroro and co and it's just generating lazy ideas. The 1.5 was a cute in-joke and Afro Gunsou was nice but they're just running it into the ground.

[Conekiller]

PSssst, Bandai, two words: GARURU PLATOON!

[HellCat]

Mucking around earlier, I have created the best design ever...Freedororo Gundam!

[Andrew T. Hingson]

I got a standard Keroro model at Sakura Con for 10 bucks. It includes an Gundam shield and a few weapons. Farely easy to put together but those darn arms and legs keep falling off.

[HellCat]

http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~midori-b/puranew/2007-46hob/46hobb-024.htm
http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~midori-b/puranew/2007-46hob/46hobb-025.htm

Love the Dororo one, a huge improvement over the first attempt.

[HellCat]

Received the first of the Mk IIs today. The box is slightly deeper and the construction is longer, so this will probably be more challenging then the earlier kits. When I first saw this I assumed it was mainly going to be about lazy parts re-use. In fact, nothing is reused other then the Keroro body type for the pilot. Given that they make a big deal about that on the box, I think we're going to be seeing it as much as possible. The actual design looks pretty slick. Keroro had the best overall mecha design of the original 5, but this just improves on it. There's also a one page 3 step instruction for a 'secret mode' which makes a form that looks like a blocky torso...I guess the combiner gimmick IS coming back.

[HellCat]

Just built Keroro Mk II (built all the Mk Is, except for Tamama). Definetly an improvement. The original Robos were fun but pretty generic. Keroro got probably the best one but the others were pretty ugly, with spindly limbs and poor overall design. The Mk IIs are changing that, making each kit a decent robot in its own right with little bits of the pilot's personality (a Gundam V-fin for Keroro, candy-looking weapons for Tamama, etc).

The overall design reminds me of the upcoming Gundam Kyrios. I wonder if Katoki was involved at all, since it resembles his Virtual-On work. Weapons wise you get a very classic Gundam inspired beam rifle and shield (the shield is closer to the Mk II/GP01). Along with the robot mode you get a jet transformation and the 'secret' mode for the combiner bot. The jet is simple but effective, made up of basically rotating the arms and legs backwards till you get a compact horizontal form. The included stand can hold it so you can get a flight pose.

The more I see of the combiner, the more I'm interested. The Mk Is offered a very sloppy combiner which seemed like an after thought to get you to buy all 5. This time, the kits transform into clearly identifiable limbs. If it can actually stay togethor (something the previous one wasn't good), we'll be looking at a nice display piece.

[HellCat]

Many thanks to MDL (or whatever the heck he's calling himself now :p) for finding this:

http://sakurako4000.hp.infoseek.co.jp/Kero_R.jpg

[Keiichi]

The names Keiichi foo. :p But I'm defintly picking these up. The Stand alone figures look good enough on their own.

[HellCat]

Back again for a few thoughts on the latest kits.

With Dororo on the way, I've started forming the Mk II combiner. I only have Keroro, Tamama and Kululu built so far but it's a nice mode. Not the greatest ever but definetly much better then the lazy after thought the first wave gave us. I'm especially glad all the frogs have a cockpit, compared to the last one where only Keroro was involved. I can't wait to have this as display piece.

Breaking through the postal strikes, I received the Real Type Mk Is today. I found out about these rather late. They're essentially the first robo kits molded in greys, blacks and whites along with a number of decals. I've only looked at Kululu's so far. Lots of fun English phrases, mentioning causing sorrow, no surrendur, etc.

[HellCat]

Hadn't seen this online anywhere so I thought best to share- from the first one's box, line art for the Musha Robo series:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/HellCat86/keroromusharobots.jpg

[Conekiller]

One of these days I'm gonna make the effort to collect these Keroro combiner mechs before one or most sell out for-ev-ver.

[HellCat]

I actually just discovered an annoying defect with the first one- the feet are flaps which attach by a polycap peg. Moving on this joint (which you're supposed to do) wears the polycap and it snaps off...Tsk :shrug:

[HellCat]

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/HellCat86/mushakerocombine.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/HellCat86/mushanatsumi.jpg

[HellCat]

Proving yet again that HC is a moron, next month brings us a boxset of the 5 combining Musha Robos with an additional robe/cloak

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3419/3175814201_f3bcfd589a.jpg

I really should have learned after the God Keron set. If they do yet another set of these, I'll just wait it out.

However, the very interesting news is they're finally doing more characters and starting with Gararu. As I suspected a few months back, he'll be using the new body skeleton debuted with the Musha Kero line

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/3175814261_9af3fb8a46_m.jpg

[DemonLordShugo]

The Keroro kits are pretty much are way to Pimp Your Gundam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_My_Ride), though its good they're starting to do other characters

[Conekiller]

Garuru Platoon merch!? BOUGHT!!!

[DemonLordShugo]

Garuru Platoon merch!? BOUGHT!!!

I agree, it's about time they got to other characters besides the Keroro Platoon!!

[HellCat]

Rather than waste a new thread on trivial news...
From a magazine feature on the new movie:

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt30/HC86/natsumif91.jpg
Wow...blatant.

[GWOtaku]

Of all things, they're referencing Gundam F91? Well, I'm not complaining. What's the deal with this movie, anyway? Or should I not be overly concerned with the plot? :p

[HellCat]

Of all things, they're referencing Gundam F91? Well, I'm not complaining. What's the deal with this movie, anyway? Or should I not be overly concerned with the plot? :p

From what I can gather some new girl (there ALWAYS has to be a new girl, so Mine Yoshizaki can design one, heh) who gets Keroro to stare into some kind of magical artifact. This creates a Keroro Dragon, a dragon based on his appearance. Beyond that, I don't know much. A scratch card in the magazine suggests the movie might also feature dragon versions of the other 4 frogs too.

This seems to be setting a trend. The previous movie used Dark Keroro, the embodiment of all Keroro's conqueror nature that he supresses whilst goofing off...and who promptly conquers the world in 5 minutes.

[Kazuya Prower]

From what I can gather some new girl (there ALWAYS has to be a new girl, so Mine Yoshizaki can design one, heh) who gets Keroro to stare into some kind of magical artifact. This creates a Keroro Dragon, a dragon based on his appearance. Beyond that, I don't know much. A scratch card in the magazine suggests the movie might also feature dragon versions of the other 4 frogs too.

This seems to be setting a trend. The previous movie used Dark Keroro, the embodiment of all Keroro's conqueror nature that he supresses whilst goofing off...and who promptly conquers the world in 5 minutes.

Along with the movie will be a short called "Kero 0:It's Time to Mobilize! Assemble All Personnel!" which will take place before their arrival on Pekopon and apparently be about the origin of the Keroro Platoon. Since this year is the manga's 10th anniversary, this sounds fitting.

[HellCat]

Just a quick bump for this- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3297/3652369837_17f3ce764c_o.jpg

It seems that with the new spin off having a pirate theme, the 5 robos this time combine into a pirate ship. Probably takes up space but definetly more inventive than another combiner bot.

[NewcomerDC]

Just a quick bump for this- http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3297/3652369837_17f3ce764c_o.jpg

It seems that with the new spin off having a pirate theme, the 5 robos this time combine into a pirate ship. Probably takes up space but definetly more inventive than another combiner bot.
This thread is for Keroro Gunsou models, not SD Gundam Force. I haven't seen those little guys in years but it seems that Bandai must be running out of ideas for those little things.

[HellCat]

This thread is for Keroro Gunsou models, not SD Gundam Force. I haven't seen those little guys in years but it seems that Bandai must be running out of ideas for those little things.

Bottom right hand corner. But thanks for assuming!

[NewcomerDC]

Bottom right hand corner. But thanks for assuming!
Egad is that pic small! If what's being said on there is true, I hope that we can get a better picture of the Keroro Gunsou ship.

[HellCat]

http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-keroro-plamo-from-tokyo-toy-show.html

So it seems that for the pirate series they have vehicles which turn into crude mecha. It's a pretty interesting concept though probably the most kid friendly yet (a race car at sea?)
Storyline wise this is occuring on the same alien planet they set the Musha Keroro series on. So we can probably expect that to be the default setting for these spinoffs.