Kotobukiya: ARTFX Statues, Frame Arms and Zoids Kits

What Kotobukiya makes

Kotobukiya makes statues and plastic model kits. In our data the Kotobukiya catalog covers statues and busts, anime figures and posable figures on one side, and car, aircraft, military, ship, Gundam-style and sci-fi kits on the other. On Amazon US, the listings that show up most are ARTFX and ARTFX+ statues and robot and mecha kits.

That makes Kotobukiya a crossover brand on this site. The statues belong with my figures. The kits belong with Marisol's model kits. The grid above shows all Kotobukiya listings together, with the brand's own products first.

The licensed lines named on the listings in our data include DC Comics, Marvel, Halo, Zoids, Armored Core, Zone of the Enders, Ghost in the Shell, Muv-Luv Alternative and The Rising of the Shield Hero. Here they're listing names only. Several kit lines, Frame Arms, Frame Arms Girl, Hexa Gear and M.S.G, carry Kotobukiya's own line names on the listing instead of a film or show.

Kotobukiya statues: ARTFX and ARTFX+

The statue side of Kotobukiya is mostly ARTFX+ in our data, with a couple of full ARTFX listings. Search shows "kotobukiya artfx" and "kotobukiya statues" as two of the most common ways people look for the brand, and these are the listings behind those searches.

ARTFX+: the 1/10 line

ARTFX+ is the line you'll see most. Our data has ARTFX+ statues of Superman (The New 52, 1/10 in the title), Batman (New 52, Justice League), Red Robin (New 52 Version), Iron Man, Deadpool and Magneto from Marvel Now, Cyborg from the Justice League movie, Thanos from Marvel Universe Avengers (KTMK251), and a Halo Spartan Athlon.

Only the Superman listing states the scale in our data, 1/10. The ARTFX+ titles share a style and a line name, so expect them to stand together on one shelf. Most sit in the middle price tier of the Kotobukiya statues we track.

Who it suits: someone who wants a row of comic statues that match. Who should skip: someone who wants to repose a figure. A statue holds one pose, the one the sculptor picked.

ARTFX: the larger statues

Full ARTFX listings in our data are the DC Comics The Flash ArtFX 1/6 and the Avengers Marvel Now Grey Hulk ArtFX SDCC Exclusive. A 1/6 statue is much bigger than a 1/10. For a person-sized character, a 1/6 is about two-thirds taller than the 1/10 version of the same character. That's 10 divided by 6, which is why the denominators are the part to compare. Put one 1/6 at the end of a row of 1/10s and it looks like the coach standing in the team photo. Give it its own shelf, or at least its own end.

The Grey Hulk listing is labeled as an SDCC Exclusive. That's a release label printed in the title. It doesn't change the scale or the box.

ANI Statue and other figures

The Raphtalia (Re-Run) from The Rising of the Shield Hero is listed as an ANI Statue. "Re-Run" in the title marks it as a re-release. There's also a Megami Device listing in our data, filed with the figures. Its title doesn't say statue, so read the photos to see what's in the box.

Kotobukiya kits by line

The kit side of Kotobukiya is wider than the statue side in our data. Here are the lines one by one.

Zoids HMM 1/72

HMM stands for Highend Master Model, as the listings spell it out. All Zoids HMM listings in our data are 1/72 scale. They include the Blade Liger AB Bang Ver (Limited Edition), the Command Wolf LC & AC Barad, the Gun Sniper Leena Special, the RZ-041 Liger Zero Panzer, the RZ-029 Storm Sworder, the Liger Zero Marking Plus Version and the EZ-004 Red Horn.

Two of them, the Command Wolf and the Liger Zero Panzer, say snap together with no glue, pre-colored, with decals. The Liger Zero Panzer lists 14+. The Marking Plus Version also says pre-colored with decals. The rest of the HMM listings don't state assembly or age, so read the photos and description.

Who it suits: a teen or adult who wants a big mechanical kit that can look finished without paint. Who should skip: a first-time builder younger than the age on the box.

Frame Arms and Frame Arms Girl

Frame Arms is a robot kit line sold under Kotobukiya's name. Our data has the Frame Arms 1/100 RF-9 Revenant Eye (8.5 inches listed) and the Frame Arms 1/100 Kagutsuchi (7.1 inches), plus a Frame Arms 100 Scale listing.

Frame Arms Girl is the related line of figure kits. Our data has the Hresvelgr (300 pieces listed), the Hresvelgr=Ater and the Ourai-Kai (White Version 2, decals included). A 300-piece listing is the only piece count Kotobukiya states in our data, and it's a useful benchmark: that's a real build, not a quick snap.

Hexa Gear and M.S.G

Hexa Gear is a 1:24 kit line. Our data has the Hexa Gear Alternative Sneak Sight 1:24, in the lowest price tier of any Kotobukiya kit we track. That makes it the entry-level way to try a Kotobukiya kit.

M.S.G listings are weapon and parts sets, not whole kits. Our data has the MW17 Freestyle Cancer AF27 and the MW11 Boomerang Size (Sickle). They add weapons to kits you already have. At the shop we have a parts bin too. Ours wasn't sold to us. It just happened over the years.

Armored Core and other robot kits

Kotobukiya's Armored Core kits in our data are 1/72: the Crest CR-C90U3 D, the NX-04 Lineark White-Glint, the CR-Hogire Noblesse Oblige, the GA GAN-01 Sunshine-L, the Rayleonard 04-Alicia Unsung, and the Armored Core for Answer White Glint & V.O.B. set. The UCR/10L Agni from Armored Core V is listed too. Other robot kits include two Jehuty listings from Zone of the Enders, the Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Multi-Legged Tanks and the Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse F-22A Raptor.

Most of these listings don't state assembly, age or piece count. Many are older listings. Read who's selling and what the photos show before you buy.

Labels in the titles: Limited, Exclusive, Re-Run, Version

Kotobukiya titles carry a lot of release labels, and they're easy to misread. Here's what our data shows and what each one tells you:

• Limited Edition: the Zoids HMM Blade Liger AB Bang Ver. A release label, not a size.
• SDCC Exclusive: the Grey Hulk ArtFX. Also a release label.
• Re-Run: the Raphtalia ANI Statue. A re-release of an earlier piece.
• Version names: New 52 Version, Marking Plus Version, White Version 2, Bang Ver. These change paint, parts or markings.

None of these labels tells you anything about value, and we don't treat them that way. What they do tell you is that two listings with the same character name may hold different boxes. Read the full title, then compare photos.

Entry-level picks and who should skip

If you want a low-risk first Kotobukiya piece, the Hexa Gear Alternative Sneak Sight 1:24 sits in the lowest price tier of the kits we track, and the Marvel Now Iron Man ArtFX+ sits in the lowest tier of the statues. The M.S.G weapon units are low too, but they're add-ons, so they only make sense if you already build.

The bigger Zoids HMM kits, the Armored Core sets and the Thanos ArtFX+ sit higher. Those are second purchases, after you know you like the line.

Skip the kit side of Kotobukiya if nobody in the house wants to sit at a table for a few evenings with nippers. Skip the statue side if you rotate what's on your shelf every month. And skip both if you want something a young kid can handle. Nothing in our Kotobukiya data is built for that.

Shelf space for kits

Kits are figures too, once they're built. A 1/72 Zoids HMM and a 1/100 Frame Arms are different scales, but the Frame Arms listings give a finished height of 7.1 to 8.5 inches, so you can plan the shelf before you open the box. The Zoids HMM listings don't give a height. Their photos are the best guide you'll get.

How to pick a Kotobukiya product

Here's how I'd go through the grid with a neighbor.

1. Statue or kit? Statue goes on the shelf. Kit goes on the table first.
2. Scale. ARTFX+ 1/10, ARTFX 1/6, Zoids HMM 1/72, Frame Arms 1/100, Hexa Gear 1:24.
3. Height, where listed. Frame Arms runs 7.1 to 8.5 inches in our data.
4. Assembly line on kits. Snap with no glue and pre-colored mean it can look finished without paint.
5. Age. Only the Liger Zero Panzer states one, 14+.
6. Seller and stock. Older kits often come from resellers.

Marisol looked over the kit half of this list and gave me her one line on it. "Pre-colored means the color is in the plastic. It doesn't mean the cut is done. Nippers flat to the runner, every time." I wrote it inside the lid of the nipper case, where I'd see it every time.

Mixing Kotobukiya with other makers

ARTFX+ statues at 1/10 share a scale with other makers' 1/10 statues, so they'll stand together on one shelf. Our statues page lists statues across makers by scale and height, and Iron Studios is the other big 1/10 statue maker in our data. For kits, our model kits section explains scales, cement and tools, and the Gundam kits page covers snap-fit robot kits from another maker side by side.

Good Smile Company is the other figure brand on this site that also sells kits, through its MODEROID line.

Safety for kits and small parts

Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. Statues have small separate pieces, and kits are nothing but small parts.

For kits: cut away from your body on a cutting mat, and keep blades away from kids.

Statue or kit. Decide that first. The shelf can wait one more day.