THE iDOLM@STER Typhoon

Ron Garcia
This kit is really about the paint job and decals, so I'll confine my comments to these two items.

If you use the Gunze paints and mixing suggestions, the colors will perfectly match the kit decals. I've built seven of these iDOLM@STER kits now, and I have to say, the paint color choice is the least inspired of all of them. I understand why it was chosen as the anime character is outfitted in grey, but it does make a rather dull, rather than eye popping, color scheme. The stripes, as well, are a metallic grey, so they kind of blend into the background.

I usually paint all the white sections rather than using the decals, but you could probably get away with using the decals this time. I like to paint them because you'll end up painting the leading edges white anyway. However, they are designed better than the other kits because they leave appropriate gaps where necessary. The sole exception is the large white stripe on the belly. There should be a cut out where the inboard elevon actuator is, but it is absent. It requires a bit of care masking, but it will be easier than trying to make that stripe conform over that section.

The decals are nice but a bit uninspired. The roses look good, but the red petals(?) look like red splots. They look nice after they are all applied, but they don't have the wow factor of the decals on the other kits. As usual, they are very stiff so use plenty of decal softener to get them to conform to the surface.

Overall, the kit looks very nice once completed. It is not quite as eye popping as the other kits in the series, but it does look good. I built the Bronze Tiger Eurofighter and I have to say, the Bronze Tiger looks better than this one. However, my wife does like this kit, so that's a bonus. If you have built the other kits in this series, you may bit a little disappointed by how it looks compared to the others, but it is still worth your time to have this kit in your collection.