Review of Xingbao XB-11001 Cute Dragon

If you were an arcade kid growing up in the 1980's then you would know a game called, Bubble Bobble. It was quite popular and was made for two players playing as a team. So imagine my surprise seeing the same game ported over into the plastic bricks universe by Xingbao as Xingbao XB-11001 Cute Dragon. I got this one from the guys at Brixit, You can find them on Carousell as well.

Comes packed with the usual care that Xingbao takes of its pieces.

As always the manual gives a bit of a background about this MOC designers.

The first figure was built by my 6 year old son along with his friend from next door. That should give you a little idea about how easy or difficult the kit is. The final figure looks nice but the construction being very simple, the pieces tend to fall off if not handled carefully. So I am thinking, it should look good sitting on your display shelf but nothing more.

I started making the second figure to get more hands on experience of this kit. As expected, the pieces are simple and easy to fit together but not very strong in connection. I would blame the simple design rather than the quality of the pieces for this.

I was missing a few pieces but then I rummaged though my left over collection and found replacements in different colours. The construction of the head as can be seen is in two parts which are then held together. Not the most ideal kind of connection if you want to make it firm.

The green dragon seems to be the most secure of the two, maybe that is because it does not have a moving head.

All in all, very simple construction. Nothing much to write home about. I can see the charm of having them sitting on your display because the kit does look cute but handle with extreme care.

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Review of Xingbao Dream-Car XB-03021 Falco

After the last Xingbao kit, presenting another one, the Xingbao Dream-Car XB-03021 Falco. The difference here is that it is a bike. I am expecting it to be definitely different. Not sure if its derived from an bike or not. If you know which bike it is derived from, then please leave a comment at the bottom of this post. (Well, I have an update right from the horse's mouth. In this case, the creator of this MOC itself, Breado's Bricks. This MOC is based on the Lazareth LM847, which IMHO is a beast not a bike. Anyway thanks for the heads up, Sir). Like the previous Xingbao kit, I got this one from the guys at Brixit. You can find them on Carousell as well.

Like the earlier kit, this comes wrapped in a plastic film. Definitely props for the care to protect the box.

Opening the box, gives you the now expected manual in front.

The thing I immediately notice is that this kit is more "Technics" than the other previous Xingbao Gallon. There are a lot more pegs and beams included in the construction. Thumbs up already from me.

Wow, that is definitely a new. A transparent engine block to show the pistons moving. That looks cool though the view is not very clear but definitely credit for being innovative with the construction.

The problem with the piping is that sometimes under stress of the peg, the piping will split open. I can see that happening here as well because of the twists and turns in the piping. I think a solution would be to wrap a bit of cello tape around the edges after pushing in the peg to support the pipe. If you have any solution for that, please let me know in the comment.

The wheels are of good quality. However they wheels are not properly aligned on the axle piece so they can rub against the sides. Please be careful while sliding the axle piece through the wheel.

With every piece fitting into the kit, it looks even more impressive. There are some pieces that are a little loose but with proper handling, you can avoid fiddling with them so much. As can be seen, the wide wheels help in keeping the bike upright.

Now, this is something very interesting. A chain linking the "engine" with the axle to turn the wheel. Very impressive, though one of the pieces had a minor defect, however there were a couple of extra pieces included so no problems fitting in the chain.

Impressive and cool..two words that fit the bike. Everything fits in perfectly like a typical "technic" kit, except that the handle does not move the front wheel. (Now I am just being picky lol)

The chain fits on the other side too..so there are two chains taking up the load. I was a little worried if one chain would break because of the strain of turning the wheel but two chains should balance things out well. Even the, I would recommend "restricted playing"

To sign off, the bike looks great. It looks unique so thats always plus. The construction and the fit are what you would expect from a "technics" kit but surprise surprise, this is not a "technics" kit. I would recommend this kit to everyone who is into bikes, mechanical stuff or just a cheapo because this kit is great for the price you pay for it.

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Review of Dragon Momoko ZGMF-X12A MG Testament

I have very fond memories of Dragon Momoko as it was the first kit I picked up that started my journey down the hobby route. So presenting the Dragon Momoko ZGMF-X12A MG Testament. The Testament features in the popular series, Gundam SEED and continues Dragon Momoko's obsession with the suits from the SEED series. So far, I have avoided making the other kits from the series with the exception of the sword and launcher variant of the Strike but this suit stands out because of its unique coloring and design.

The box as usual is very simple with a nice view of the Testament on top.

The manual as usual from Dragon Momoko is very colourful and is printed on good quality paper. Daban trumps Dragon Momoko in one aspect though: before building any piece, Daban will list down all the runners that are needed for that piece so its easier to keep them handy before building rather than look around for the runners halfway through the build.

The chest piece snap fit is excellent. The detailing as expected is very good. The colours are particularly eye catching. (Sorry, I have had enough of white and blue colours in these kits, haha)

The head is interesting..the antenna point forward like an insect's.

The hands are typical Dragon Momoko hands with PG quality.

The arms and the shoulder pieces

The top half of the kit ready for action.

The waist unit. So far, the kit is great. The detailing as always has been excellent and the snap fit is very firm, except for the head piece but that can be a little difficult sometimes to get right anyway.

The dainty shoes..nice colour too.

Nice legs lol

Lower half of the kit ready and it is nicely balanced. Can stand on its own.

The kit in one piece...looks great.

The weapons and the shield ready

The front and the rear view of the kit.

The wings open in all their glory along with the extra guns. The pokemon cards around the kit were my son's idea of showing off improving the kit. Hmm..wonder what that implies about the kit. haha

Dragon Momoko has delivered and this kit is great. A great addition to any collection. Ticks all the boxes in my list for plastic kits.

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