vlog 25-11: Kaiyodo 1/35 Maschinen Krieger Kröte

This is the second kit I’ve built from Kaiyodo, the first being the Sturm Käfer. And I must say that even with just these two examples, Kaiyodo has quickly become my favorite Maschinen Krieger model maker.

Both kits hit all the right “checkboxes”: Good fit, easy assembly, thorough instructions, nice decals, and cool subjects.

And while I do really enjoy Wave and Hasegawa, Kaiyodo has gone to the top of my Ma. K list for one primary reason.

Plastic.

The Sweet Brown Effect

I have built hundreds of models, ranging from simple, old school classic plastic Airfix kits to modern short-run monstrosities with horrible plastic, ill-fitting resin, infuriating photoetch, and soft-as-butter “white metal”. And not just a few of those types. When I was doing commission builds many years ago, that type of model seemed to be a favorite for customers. I guess some kits are so bad the only way to get them completed and on your shelf is to pay someone else to do it. And with me they found a sucker someone willing to do so!

But at some point I said “enough is enough”. I’m older. My eyesight is getting worse. My hands shake. My patience is worn thin most days. And when I’d first discovered Bandai’s Gunpla, I realized it was possible to model without all the drama.

I let the “Sweet Brown Effect” take over… ain’t nobody got time for that.

When I built my first Kaiyodo kit, it really impressed me that it was all plastic. Every stitch of it. And I appreciated it.

But It’s Not Just Me

When I’d first got into Maschinen Krieger builds, several personal friends decided to give it a shot too after seeing how much I enjoyed it. I told them what little I knew of the kits at the time, but each was an experienced modeler in either armor or aircraft (or both!) and were eager to take them on.

Yet every one… every single one… hit the springs and plastic sleeves and wires of a Nitto kit, or the infuriating polycap hoses and joints with Wave, and just gave it up. It wasn’t that they couldn’t figure out what to do, that wasn’t it at all. What each one said was basically centered around “it’s just not worth the hassle”. They went back to the things they knew and were comfortable with. And had fun with.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Kaiyodo To The Rescue

I was really happy with this Kröte build. No drama at all. No fiddliness, and only a small seam to fill on the turret where the upper and lower half join. The model delivers so much fun in the painting and weathering process. And the options for finishes are wide open. Just pick something you think is cool and go with it. And the cool part is that you can give this kit to an 8-year-old and they can have fun with it too.

My hope is that Kaiyodo will sell several tons of these kits in order to finance even more from them. I’m already looking forward to getting started on the Kangaroo, another very cool looking model from the same company.