Earlier this year I discovered that there is a locally owned hobby shop in a nearby town, and this month I finally had the time to make a trip and check it out.
The verdict? It’s a pretty great place! I actually met other Gunpla fans and chatted with them for a good thirty minutes. The store also had a ton of supplies and tools, though their actual selection of models was a bit thin. I’m 99.9% certain that this is due to COVID-related changes to supply and demand. Once things settle down again, and inventory goes back to normal, I can see them having a nice variety of stuff.
In any case, I left with just one small kit, though it’s a pretty nifty one:
While I would love to get the Hello Kitty Gundam, I wasn’t going to turn down the Haropla version.
So yeah, it’s a Haropla, not too different than the Haro Zakrello I built last year. You get the same set of arms and legs, the same puzzle-shaped stand, etc. The main difference is that this one comes with decals to make it look like, well, Hello Kitty.
And what a difference those decals make. I am perhaps unreasonably impressed by how much they change the look of the model. This doesn’t look like a Haro dressing up to look like Hello Kitty, but rather Hello Kitty pretending to be a Haro (and yes, I do think that’s a distinction with a difference). For example, I think it is amazing how a handful of marking stickers are able to transform the bottom half of the shell to make it look like clothing.
As for its gimmick, the Hello Kitty Haro flips open to reveal a computer layout inside:
I much prefer this to the Haro Zakrello’s ability to rip open its face.
Careful with the Decals
This probably goes without saying, but you need to be careful when applying the decals. You want to make sure you don’t lose any, and you also want to try and get them in the right place. They don’t have to be perfectly aligned, but it helps to get as close to perfect as you can.
Update: It’s been a little over a month since I built this kit, and I can confirm that some of the decals began to peel a bit. I clamped them down again with a bit of super glue, and then gave the entire thing a few layers of top coat. Hopefully this keeps them all in place for the long haul.
Storage
Here’s a fun fact, courtesy of the instructions - there’s space below the stand where you can store all the spare parts:
I wish the Zakrello’s manual said something about this. But then again, that was a kit that really didn’t want to be treated like a regular Haropla …
Conclusion
It’s a Haro. It’s Hello Kitty. What more do I need to say? You’ll either love it or hate it.
Other Thoughts
- The instructions are printed on the inside of the box, something I’ve only seen on Bandai’s smallest, cheapest Star Wars vehicle kits. It’s not the end of the world, but I do find it odd for a brand crossover as big as Hello Kitty and Gundam.