Both Kotobukiya and Good Smile Company offer elaborate model kits of female characters to build. The former sells its Frame Arms Girls, Megami Devices, Sousai Shojo Teien, and new Arca Nadea line. Good Smile Company has its chitocerium and Plamax ones. While Bandai’s offered some, it is getting more into the sort of Frame Arms Girl style with the 30 Minute Sisters (30MS) model kit line. As 30MS SIS-G00 Rishetta proves, this Bandai Spirits collection of characters is affordable and very easy to build, but not as elaborate as its contemporaries.
To start, the Rishetta 30MS model kit doesn’t cost very much, and you aren’t getting a lot of extra parts for your money. (I found mine for $27.) Once completed, you have the basic character and a few decorative accents. Her main “accessories” are optional armored “hands” that mount on top of her actual ones, a few armor accents, cat ears, and a small cat tail with no articulation. Three painted face plates come with the kit. One is a neutral expression, the other is of Rishetta shouting, and the third is smiling with her eyes closed. You also only get two pairs of hands. One is with her fists closed, and the other is capable of holding small items.
This means it feels like, well, you need to buy additional accessories. Instead of doing like Good Smile Company or Kotobukiya and including extra cosmetic torso parts, an array of extra body parts, extra hairstyles, more weapons, and face plates. When I checked, Rishetta also worked with 30mm optional parts. (However, I didn’t spend the additional $15+ to buy any official 30MS extra bits.) My figure wasn’t compatible with my Megami Devices or Sousai Shojo Teien model kits’ hands either. (Though she could hold their accessories just fine.)
It all means that, going in, someone needs to be okay with this being a rudimentary figure. You aren’t getting bells and whistles. The articulation is there at the arms, elbows, hips, and knees, so you could get some action shots. However, you aren’t going to have the same range of motion as you would from a Kotobukiya or Good Smile Company kit. You also aren’t going to have as many accessory items out of the box, unless you’re willing to spend more. I’ll also admit I was spoiled by the other two manufacturers and hoped Rishetta’s “claws” would have articulated fingers. Alas, they are static and locked in a pose.
The plus side is, a figure from the 30MS model kit line like Rishetta could help you figure out, “Hey! Would I like building a model like this?” It is an incredibly easy build. There aren’t too many pieces. Everything is very well labeled. You don’t need a nipper to cut pieces from the sprues. Everything snaps together well, with no glue required. Due to the (lack) of degree of articulation present, getting the neck, shoulders, chest, and torso assembled doesn’t require as many intricate pieces or complicated elements. I started building the kit at about 6:45pm CT and finished by 7:45pm. Typically, a Kotobukiya model kit takes me at least three hours. There are no waterslide decals or painting needed. Also, I didn’t see any need to file any parts down to smooth things out along the way.
The way I see it, the 30MS model kit lines can fill a niche. They aren’t going to make the most elaborate articulated figures. You aren’t going to get basically a whole character and set of armor for them. As the Rishetta 30ms kit shows, you’re getting basic parts and a chance to see if you like building such a thing at a budget price. Though I’d personally prefer to pay an extra $10 and get more accessories in the box. It’s fine. But people who are experienced should know going in that it feels like it should have come with at least one of the $15 extra parts packs.
The 30 Minute Sisters Rishetta Bandai Spirits model kit is now available.
