Toybox REVIEW: Shokugan Modeling Project Won Tiger

Release Date: December 2023

RRP: 6500 yen

Bandai continue their dive into 1993 and Gosei Sentai Dairanger with the release of Shokugan Modeling Project Won Tiger! Perhaps better known in many parts of the world as the White Tigerzord from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, this feels like a particularly notable release for the line given the popularity of both Kiba Ranger and the White Ranger. Which perhaps makes it rather odd that it comes as a Premium Bandai exclusive release, but when have Bandai ever truly made sense? Created as the sixth Mythical Qi Beast using the powers of both the Great Cosmos and the Dairangers, it then became the personal Qi Beast of Kou as he joined the team as Kiba Ranger.

As per tradition for the SMP line Shokugan Modeling Project Won Tiger comes in packaging that homages the original DX toy from 1993 – the box cleverly matching the colours and layout whilst replacing images of the DX with that of the SMP kit. It does mean that these boxes don't really show off all the articulation these kits have, but when it comes to style and attention to detail they just can't be beaten. One side of the box showcases the Qi Beast Tiger mode, whilst the other the Qi Warrior mode. Breakdowns of the transformation and combination with the Heavenly Qi Palace are shown in great detail on the other sides, with images of Kiba Ranger and the Dairanger team spread throughout. Open it up and you'll find all the parts needed to build the model spread across a number of different coloured plastic runners (along with a few pre-painted parts), sticker sheet, instruction/combination leaflets and a piece of the usual soda-flavoured candy.

As per the building process for the model we begin in Mythical Qi Beast mode, a large white tiger with powerful front claws. The first thing you'll notice about the kit is that the white plastic used isn't bright white, but speckled with bits of black to give it something of a marbled effect. While perhaps not quite as pronounced in the show (especially for the warrior and combined forms), it is a nice little touch that gives the finished model a little depth. It's not the first time Bandai have done this either, as the same effect was also present on the 2018 Super Sentai Artisan re-release of the DX toy. With minimal amounts of gold and silver on the kit there isn't a whole lot to paint here if you aren't a fan of the flat colours Bandai use for the plastic, but there is a fair bit of stickering to do here. All of the black lining on the legs are stickers, as are the extremely thin red lines running around the back legs. All the grooves and shapes are moulded into the plastic if you'd rather paint them on, which might be preferable in some cases as some of the stickers are very thin and could easily rip. There are also a number of entirely optional stickers, denoted on the sheet by letters rather than numbers.

The kit looks absolutely fantastic in tiger mode, and as you'd expect significantly larger than the other Mythical Qi Beasts thanks to the nature of being its own entity rather than just a component. Articulation is surprisingly good too, with the front legs most notably able to move outwards for more natural posing as well as just forwards and backwards. This allows for some really great animalistic poses when combined with the front legs' hinged knees and tilting claws. In comparison the back legs are far more limited and can only move up/down at the top of the leg and the claws (much like the DX toy), but it certainly doesn't spoil anything. Finally of course you have that opening tiger head jaw, revealing a transparent red plastic fireball-like lens inside.

While not a form or combination as such, SMP RyuseiOh is able to ride on top of Won Tiger much like it did in the show. This is documented in the instructions but there isn't any specific guidance on it (nor does RyuseiOh attach to Won Tiger in any specific way) so it is really just a matter of sitting the figure on top of him and posing it in a way you think looks best.

The transformation into Mythical Qi Warrior mode naturally takes a lot of cues from the original DX toy, but one area where some changes have had to be made are the legs. Bandai have cleverly tried to recreate the swing-down mechanic of the original with some rotating peg pieces, but the end result leaves a lot to be desired. The pieces are extremely thin, the fittings are tight and the whole process is very fiddly – a easy recipe for breakage. You can avoid all this entirely by simply unpegging the whole leg piece and then repegging it lower down – a little less intuitive but definitely safer. Once the transformation is complete, an optional white panel has also been included to slip under the neck and fill the gap left where the head was stored. Speaking of gaps – there's no getting around just how bad the lower legs look on this mode. On the DX toy it's far easier to overlook because the legs are so close together, but here you can really see how they've just left the inside mechanics completely exposed – a far cry from how Won Tiger looks on the show. But the worst thing about this is that Bandai knew this didn't look good and made filler parts to accommodate for it – and then included them with SMP Daimugen instead. Including things meant for one figure with a entirely separate one isn't a new practice for Bandai, but it is one that the SMP line doesn't really engage with so to see such an obvious money grabbing technique here is really disappointing. Especially as it wasn't an afterthought either – they were advertising this fact on their blog before preorders for Won Tiger had even closed. That complaint aside though, the rest of the model does look really good in this mode. The design really comes together with that pre-painted head and the Kiba Ranger symbols on the wrists visible. 90s Super Sentai mecha design really was when it was at its best, and Won Tiger is particularly one with a lot of nostalgia behind it worldwide.

If there's one thing you can rely on an SMP kit to be though it's well articulated, and Won Tiger certainly isn't any exception. In warrior mode it features;

- Ball jointed head and wrists 

- Waist, thigh, forearm and foot swivels 

- Swivel hinge shoulders (with additional butterfly movement) and hips 

- Hinged elbows, wrists, thighs, knees and ab crunch 

On paper it sounds like there are a lot of weird things going on with the release, but they definitely make a lot more sense when you see them in motion. The addition of a proper ab crunch isn't something you usually see in the SMP line, and that extra bit of downwards movement makes a lot of difference when it comes to action poses. Similarly the implementation of hinged panels into the wrists is very clever, allowing the hands to pull out further away from any restrictions the folded up claws might give them. What is pretty strange on the kit however is the hinge section they've added just above the thigh swivel, which adds additional forward leg movement below the (hinged) hip skirt but above the knee. Although the lower leg assembly is perhaps the weakest element of the design, the swivelling toe/foot section does at least allow for flat-footed posing.

Won Tiger's sole accessory is its Golden Sword, which is of course formed from its tiger mode tail. The shape of the blade combined with that translucent red gem on the hilt make it a great looking weapon, and together with a spray of gold paint can really stand out on this release. It's a little disappointing that Bandai didn't include a pair of alternate open hands though, as they've mostly become standard with SMP releases these days and really help make posing that little bit more dynamic. It its place though they did build a gimmick into the figure – open the tiger mouth all the way and it will rotate through the 7 Legendary Qi Treasure Pearl abilities – the symbols for which correlate to both the days of the week and the Chinese elements. These symbols appear behind the red lens inside the tiger's mouth. Although the only attack Won Tiger ever used on the show was the Flame Pearl, being able to cycle through them is still a neat little gimmick and almost makes up for the lack of alternate parts.

Rounding off this set is Won Tiger's combination with the four lesser Mythical Qi Beasts to form Shinsei Fusion Kiba DaiOh! As you'd expect the basics of this combination remain very similar to the original DX toy, with a few modifications thrown in either to improve articulation or to accommodate it being a smaller model kit. Once again the leg sections can prove rather fiddly because of those rotating peg sections, so if you find yourself having trouble it's much easier to just unpeg the parts entirely and then repeg them in place to avoid any breakages. Little articulation improvements made to the SMP kit include pegging the silver thigh guards directly onto Won Tiger (as was the case with DairenOh) and the addition of a proper peg so that Won Tiger can hold onto Star-Houou properly. The end result is this rather mighty combination, whose abilities include the Great Qi Power Punch and the Flying Sword – Smash to Atoms finishing attack.

Despite the bulky combination the model still remains surprisingly articulate in Kiba DaiOh mode, Star-Tenma and Star-Kirin offering much more stability in the legs as well as far superior ankle tilts. The waist joint gets a little more limited due to the way Star-Jishi's head hangs down over the backside of the robot, but other than that the top half articulation is still very good – particularly if you extend the shoulders all the way outward so that the arms have better clearance from the torso. The upper leg area is perhaps what suffers the most in this combination, as the larger skirt area does mess with the hip articulation despite all the panels being hinged to allow for better movement. That said, overall the combination isn't too bad at all. Perhaps far more significant than it being well articulated is that it's stable, and there shouldn't be any risk of parts falling off whilst posing.

Shokugan Modeling Project Won Tiger is another great entry into the line, but sadly falls slightly short of perfection simply due to the extremely high bar Bandai have set themselves with previous entries. Whilst the overall presentation of the kit can't be faulted, issues like the fragility of the leg transformation and missing cover pieces need to be brought into question. Especially when Won Tiger was also a Premium Bandai release in the first place, meaning there isn't really excuse for additional parts to have to come with later more expensive Premium Bandai releases. Won Tiger is a fantastic kit but does feel a little incomplete, and it isn't fair that anyone should have to also go and buy Daimugen to feel like they're getting the full package.