Gundam Review: Songokuden SD Shibai Sazabi

Hey everyone! Well, if anyone watched zversus' youtube video promoting me, you would know I am a gunpla fan and have yet to do a review of one. The reason being is not one kit I have built is finished with painting/detailing. However, one kit is almost does painting. My Songokuden SD Shibai Sazabi!!!

This kit was one of my first SD kits along with my SD Exia (which had an unfortunate accident...) My Shibai Sazabi isn't panel lined, but it is painted (ok.. but I'd like to redo it). The kit was a very fun and simple build, and it only cost me $5! I think that's one thing I like about SD kits: They are cheap and you can put a lot of work into them!

So that's my painted Shibai Sazabi with his 'peace sign' hand in his Gunshi (army advisor) Mode. Songokuden kits are based on the storyline of the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' which I know an extensive history of because the Dynasty Warrior games and researching the real lives of those characters. (Yes, RotTK is all real) Shibai Sazabi is based of off Sima Yi, the tactician of Cao Cao and the Wei kingdom. Sima Yi was an amazing tactician and rival of Zhuge Liang, the Tactician for Liu Bei and the Shu kingdom. Sima Yi was obsessed with becoming stronger, and searching through 'darker ways' to gain power (hence the Tenshihou Shibai Sazabi). Because of this, it confuses me why he has a peace sign hand when he was NEVER interested in peace, but destruction and power.

But to the kit itself, I love it! As I said earlier, it was a fun simple build with approximately 40 pieces and a polycap sprue. Very small, simple, and fun!

First I'll talk about color. The colors are simple when you get it fresh outta the box: WHITE, red and a slightly metallic dark gray. That's it. Almost all the red you see on my kit was hand-painted and as you can tell, sorta looks like crap, but you get the idea (I plan on repainting him using different techniques and afterwards I'll post new pictures). Another color that on the kit in one piece is a brighter metallic silver, for the headpiece when in General Mode. However, one color that is quite a necessity for this kit that is only included on stickers is gold. Oh, how necessary the gold is... This kit doesn't look quite the same without the gold. I used a gold Gundam Marker for the gold on my kit and it looks amazing. I only used two stickers on my kit, the two on the face (mono-eye and chrome facemask).

The articulation is pretty basic for an older SD kit, ball joint for the neck, shoulder, below the shoulder, wrist, leg-to-hip, and ankles. The waist is a peg-in-hole join and allows for 360 rotation. The articulation is pretty good, with no hindered parts except for around the legs. The skirt armor is quite large and bulky, but it doesn't hinder much movement. The accessories are nice enough; the only true accessories being the fan (Kouyokosen) and sword (Shirogane no Kiba), with the shoulders and extra headpiece being used for General Mode.

This is the Shibai Sazabi in his Bushou (general) Mode, with the added shoulders and headpiece. In either form, he can wield either the Shirogane no Kiba or the Kouyokosen, OR, combine them to form his ultimate weapon: the Gayoku no Taiken!

Shibai Sazabi doesn't have any gimmicks, but is an amazing kit nonetheless. If your a fan of Songokuden or SD kits, pick him up without hesitation! You certainly not regret it!

(Shibai Sazabi in Gunshi mode with his Kouyokosen)

(Shibai Sazabi in Gunshi Mode with the Shirogane no Kiba)

(Shibai Sazabi in his Bushou Mode with his ultimate Gayoko no Taiken)

Overall, I'd give this kit a 5/5. It's amazing and fun to build (plus cute to look at! XD). This kit got me into Songokuden kits and SD kits alike, they are personally, my favorite kits to build. So if your a fan, get it, and if not, get it anyways!