She's just an angel in the skies.

Ever since the late 80's with the explosion of the OVA and doujinshi market, Mecha Musume (mechanical girl) type characters have been littered throughout various fandoms. The most famous of these were Mika Akitaka's MS Girls. The same designer of the Double Zeta Gundam created a series of illustrations of cute girls clad in Mobile Suit armor. I feel that Konami's Busou Shinki line in an interesting take on the Mecha Musume concept. These figures represent 1/1 scale miniature androids that do battle over an online game called Busou Shinki: Battle Rondo. If you're interested in the game, there's some videos floating around youtube.

With regards to the figures themselves, Busou Shinkis are highly articulated and highly customizable figures. Each one comes with its own themed arsenal of weapons and armor parts which can be added to the standardized body. Each figure has its own unique head design and name to give it some kind of persona. Recently Konami has been releasing a few "Light Armor" figures that come with fewer parts than either a full Busou Shinki set or even the optional parts sets. I actually like this idea as while the big set are nice, they tend to have too many parts to keep track of or even use all at once. A Light Armor figure can serve as simple fun or as a gateway into the line.

Angel Commando Werkstra on her own is a typical Busou Shinki gal. I like her very basic style. These figures have several plastic washers in their wrists, thighs, and biceps which can be replaced with washers that include attachment points for armor and equipment. One thing I don't like about these figures is the tiny wrist washers. I'm always afraid I'm going to lose one and they don't come with extras. If I had to compare her face and hairstyle to a recent anime character, I'd have to say she looks like Eureka from Eureka 7. I'm not sure if the name Werkstra means anything special. It certainly doesn't sound "angelic."

Werkstra comes with an extra head with closed eyes so that she may pray like a good little angel. Right now I think she's thinking about delicious cake.

Enough with the basic figure. HENSHIN!

Fully equipped, Werkstra starts looking like the love-child of Eureka and KOS-MOS from Xenosaga (perhaps KOS-MOS is built to the same spec as Aaron Stack and contains many "useful devices"). As my other two Shinkis are Fighter Type Asuka and Dog Type Howling, this figure gets major points from me for having useful feet. I think a few too many of the fully armored characters depend on their included stand pieces. Werkstra is stable even with her armor. I like to display these figures with their silly headgear, and I think Werkstra's sensor hairband looks nice. She has some basic protection in the form of a chest plate that replaces her chest part.

Werkstra's main weapon is some sort of futuristic P90 style weapon. It comes with an optional bayonet that also serves as an assault knife. Her shield is mounted via one of the extra wrist washers. She comes with two fists, two open palm hands, and two weapon holding hands.

Like the big sets, Werkstra comes with a display stand that plugs into one of the many Microman-esque ports on her body. This stand is much simpler than awkward looking ones from the big sets like Asuka or Howling. It consists of an oval shaped base with a long pole with a joint on the end. The pole itself is comprised of several different pieces so that you may adjust its overall height. The joint is secured with a tiny screw which can be loosened to adjust the angle of the attachment point.

From the rear we can see that Werkstra's default configuration is concentrated into one single back unit with two boosters. Each booster has a detachable missile and fin. Since I'm a terribly uncreative person, I don't really know what else to do with her. I like her default look. I'm not really sure how boosters, missiles, and a wicked gun makes you an angel but then again I'm not a Japanese designer.

Wekstra's equipment is nice and compact so it doesn't affect her flexibility. Here you can see the knife detached from the gun.

As a collector, I'm not deep into Busou Shinki but I do like the ones I have and Werkstra is no different. I hope Konami continues with these Light Armor style figures but in the end its all about which figure you find appealing. I like the way Werkstra looks, and I also think she's a good introductory figure.

The companion piece to the Stag Beetle Espadia, the Beetle Lancamento.

MMS Type Beetle Lancamento is the companion piece to the MMS Type Stag Beetle Espadia.

This figure, like all Busou Shinki releases, consists of a poseable female figure with removable armor. In each series, the armor has a specific theme, and for series 9, that theme is Beetle.

Lancamento is available from Angolz.com

The designs for this series were done by Tanimeso, famed for his illustration work for "Rumbling Angel," "Zoids," and original robots in the "Super Robot Wars" games.

The base figure is essentially the same as any other MMS figure. Tall, lanky, and child-like. The head can separate so you can switch around facial expressions with the second included head. Each limb can be removed and replaced with bits of armor from the set.

You can choose how you want to display your figure by using some or all of the armor. Here, I only used certain parts to create a light armor look.

With all of the armor on the figure she is incredibly bulky. It works though, even though it looks fantastically unpractical.

Lacramento can actually stand without the included stand, a rarity with Busou Shinki figures.

She is fully armed with a 1 short rifle, 1 long rifle, 2 pistols (stored on the side) and a shield.

She is much too chipper in my opinion. I can't imagine that she is happy in all that armor.

The stand enables more dynamic poses, but of course you are limited by the design of the armor. The great thing about this (and other MMS releases) is that the figure is incredibly sturdy. Nothing feels as if it is going to fall off if you touch it.

With most MMS figures, the armor is just armor. But with the 009 series, each armor also has a second form, in this case a beetle. In my opinion this one looks more beetle-like then the Espadia.

The beetle armor can be displayed on its own or on the stand.

The real draw here is that the two suits of armor can be combined to form the Hercules robot!

Combining the two is quite an exercise, and you definately need the manual to do it. As you assemble it you realize why certain armor parts were designed as they were.

The combined Hercules robot stands at about 7.5 inches tall. It's reasonably well articulated, and it stands fine on its own.

The three swords from Espadia combine here into one large sword. The claw like hands grasp the sword by a peg at the end of the handle.

In the end, I actually ended up storing the MMS figures and keeping Hercules on display. He just looks really cool. He has a look reminiscent of the Machine Robo Mugenbine toys, a look I like a lot. I think its worth getting the set of two. You get hours of play value with the combining gimmick, and endless display variations for your shelf.

You can get your Busou Shinki Lancamento at Angolz.com

MMS Type Stag Beetle Espadia is one of two Busou Shinki figures whose armor combines into a fighting robot!

The Japanese have always been obsessed with fighting beetles, and it comes as no surprise that this obsession spills over into the realm of toys. Fighting beetles are popular toys on the shelf, and catching the live ones seems like a right of passage for Japanese youth. The beetle motif is all over Japanese robot toys as well, from Diaclone and Machinerobo toys to modern toys like Beetleborgs.

Beetle Espadia arrives courtesy of Angolz.com

The Busou Shinki MMS Type Stag Beetle Espadia continues this legacy by incorporating the Japanese fighting beetle look into the figures battle armor.

The box is the typically nice Busou Shinki box, with a velcro-sealed window flap that opens to reveal the figure and its parts.

Inside the figure is packed in two translucent trays.

Busou Shinki figures are poseable female action figures that feature various kinds of attachable armor. Each armor set has a specific theme. In this case, this Espadia and the corresponding Beetle Lancamento are both Japanese fighting beetles.

The armor design was done by Tanimeso, famed for his illustration work for "Rumbling Angel," "Zoids," and original robots in the "Super Robot Wars" games.

The core figure is super poseable, with a unique hip joint that enables a variety of poses. This figure appears to have tighter joints than previous releases, and also the feet on this release has a more rubbery feel, giving some traction when trying to stand it freely.

All of that of course goes out the window with the armor on.

The feet of the armor are too narrow to support the bulky frame, making use of the included stand a necessity.

It takes a long time to get all the armor on, but once done the finished form looks pretty cool. Two large swords attach to the hips that can be held in either hand, or by the extendable arms on the armor.

Also included is a sword.

But wait, there's more...

Like all Busou Shinki figures, the armor is meant to be customizable. Konami actually includes a few extra parts for even more creations. But this time Konami has designed the armor so that it can be transformed into a stag beetle!

The beetle can stand alone or be displayed on the stand.

But wait, there's still more!

If you get the companion piece Lancamento you can combine both armors to create a robot called Hercules (which you will see in the Lancamento Review)

Get your MMS Type Stag Beetle Espadia at Angolz.com

MMS Type Builder Grapprap was obviously influenced by the power loader from the movie "Aliens".

EX Weapon Sets are armor sets that you can use with your existing Busou Shinki figures. They are not as large or as complicated as a regular set, and do not include a body.

You can get all your Busou Shinki releases at Angolz.com

For this review I have used the body of the MMS type naked black with this armor.

The MMS Type Builder Grapprap was obviously influenced by the power loader from the movie "Aliens". Its yellow color and hydraulic construction are clearly made for work as opposed to war. Large yellow claws provide extra power for picking up debris and construction material of all sizes.

Grapprap comes in a smaller box, and the parts come packed in two clear trays. There are tons of accessories included. You get a head with a small torso that acts as a stand, leg attachments, and then the whole back attachment with two sets of arms. You will need to use the torso and arms from a completed Busou Shinki figure to assemble this figure.

The detail on the parts is fantastic. Each bolt and rivet is painted silver, and there is paint detail throughout all the parts. The quality of the plastic and the build is fantastic, as is the norm for Konami releases.

The leg parts are articulated at the ankles, but thats it. It's in the arm units that all the fun is.

The large arm units attach to the large black "engine" on the back, and they hinge there as well. At the end there is a ball joint with a peg on it, to which the lower arms attach. The lower arm claws are fully articulated.

The smaller arms come over the shoulder and those too are fully articulated, and have articulated claws.

Although a stand is included, this figure does not really need one, as it stands fine on its own. The stand attaches to the back of the figure's harness.

As always, this armor comes with a code that enables you to play on-line with your figure. If you can read Japanese that is.

Digging the Busou Shinki line yet? You can get yours at Angolz.com

By Busou Shhink at Angolz.com

MMS Type Fighter Asuka is another great entry in Konami's line of re-configurable action figures.

MMS Type Fighter Asuka comes from Wave 8 of Konami's popular Busou Shinki action figure line. MMS stands for Multi Movable System, and is a body style created by Masaki Apsy that is used with other toys in addition to Busou Shinki.

Buy Busou Shinki Asuka at Angolz.com

The main idea behind Busou Shinki is that these toys are 1:1 scale representations of armored fighters that combat in the free Japanese MMO Game called Battle Rondo. In it, you can unlock characters with special codes that come with the figures, and make them do battle on-line. It is a cool concept, but it's all in Japanese - a big barrier for most of us. Still, the figures themselves are very cool.

Different Busou Shinki figures are designed by different renowned Japanese artists, and the Asuka figure was designed by Fumikane Shimada, who also created the Mecha Musume series. What is it about armored girls that get the fans all worked up? I dunno, but I like it.

Asuka is a Fighter type Buso Shinki figure, so all of the parts included with her look like they came from a broken up German fighter plane. When Asuka is fully armored, she sports wings, bombs, a propeller and even landing gear on the legs.

The box is a book-style box with a velcro flap. Inside there are clear plastic trays with TONS of accessories.

The basic body is slim and frail looking, but the figure is sturdy and poseable - moreso than either the Figma series or the Fraulein series, its two main competitors. Limbs can be removed, added on to, and reconfigured in any number of combinations. They have even included various faces and hairstyles. Really, there are almost too many accessories to talk about.

The fighter parts are highly detailed and feature multiple connection points. You can make the design shown on the box or you can mix up the parts to make up your own original creations. Konami includes new connector parts to enable you to push the boundaries of the possibilities.

A stand is included, and it attaches to the back with a dual peg system. The only flaw I can find with this figure is that when placing the figure on the stand with the armor on, the skirt armor has a tendency to pop off.

If you want the definition of play value - look no further. The Busou Shinki line features figures with endless combinations, and even a whole interactive on-line element. Check out some of these original creations. I had waay too much fun with these.

Buy Busou Shinki Asuka at Angolz.com

After getting the Waffebunny, I now decided that I needed to get another Busou Shinki figure so I could display both the Devil type and Rabbit type together. I didn't want to buy a whole new figure and luckily Konami has the answer.

After getting the Waffebunny, I now decided that I needed to get another Busou Shinki figure so I could display both the Devil type and Rabbit type together. I didn't want to buy a whole new figure and luckily Konami has the answer.

Available only as a Konami Style exclusive, the MMS type Naked (black) is perfect for the Waffebunny. These bodies are just that - bodies. No armor or weapons are included. They are great for customizing, or for completing figures that came without bodies.

Here's the big problem - they are an exclusive to Japan at the Konamistyle shop. I ended up using Tokyo Hunter to get the item for me and ship it to the US. Thanks Joseph!

The MMS Type Naked body comes with a variety of hands and connection points, as well as two different styles of chest plate. A less-bulky stand is also included. This figure is a must have if you bought the Waffebunny and now need a body!

How can something so cute cause so much frustration? It probably stems from the fact that the Waffebunny is actually only an accessory set. There is no actual figure included; only parts that can be used to modify an existing figure.

The Waffebunny. How can something so cute cause so much frustration? It probably stems from the fact that the Waffebunny is actually only an accessory set. There is no actual figure included; only parts that can be used to modify an existing figure. A lot of people ordered this thinking they were getting a complete figure.

In this review, we used the body of the MMS type Devil Strarf

Waffebunny is another in the animal type series of Busou Shinki, along with dog, cat, dolphin, etc.. Waffe means weapon in German, so Waffe bunny means… Weapon Bunny.

And what a Weapon Bunny she is. The figure has a cute face with cute packs with giant freakin’ guns. The most obvious weapon is her giant Gatling Gun.

The figure comes with a cute head that features pigtails, 2 position visors and a breathing apparatus. The body additions include various packs and armor. A backpack is included that can store several different accessories and has Rabbit-like “ears” that you can position freely.

Waffebunny is no slouch when it comes to armament – Included with the figure are 2 pistols, 2 machetes and a large Gatling gun. The gun features a removable armor clip and a stand.

No stand is included with the figure, but any Busou Shinki stand will work.

If you don’t have an existing figure to use these parts on, you can hunt down one of the MMS Naked type bodies to add the armor parts to.

MMS Cat Type Maochao is a radical departure from the harsh military lines of the Devil Strarf.. She’s a cute young girl with a suit of battle armor that has the properties of a cat.

Busou Shinki is the brainchild of designer Asai Maki, who also created the Mecha Musume series of trading figures. his collaboration with Konami has resulted in the first poseable action figures of his designs. While the first two were designed by Asai Maki, this one is designed by someone called BLADE.

Busou Shinki (武装神姫) is an action figure line from Konami that has an on-line element. Each figure comes with a code, that when entered on the official website, will enable that toy in the virtual world. From there you can customize your figure and battle other figures. The on-line game started September 7, 2006.

MMS Cat Type Maochao is a radical departure from the harsh military lines of the Devil Strarf.. She’s a cute young girl with a suit of battle armor that has the properties of a cat. There is also dog-type armor in the line.

The packaging is a beautiful box with a cover sealed with Velcro. Inside the cover is a nice clear window that displays the figure in its tray, as well as some great shots of the completed product.

It seems like there must be 100 parts included with this toy. There are two trays full of little accessories, and not all of them are obvious as too their uses.

The figure itself has an almost identical body to the other figures. The head is of course different, with a removable front section. The limbs and chest are removable as well. What sets this figure apart is the armor; it has an interesting and initially frustrating attachment method. For the chest armor, you actually remove both arms and enclose the upper body in an armored case. From there you add on new arms that attach to the armor, not the body, via a confusing ball joint. The arms have an interesting range of motion, with dual ball joints and a fixed elbow. It limits articulation somewhat, but you can make do. The default hands are cat’s paws, which can rotate and have articulated fingers. You can attach add on armor to the arms. Included in the set are:

• "Laboratory fingernail" Claws - translated as Totsme (研爪) but named Yanchao (ヤンチャオ). These claws go over the smaller paws to create a more ferocious look. Each claw is made out of 3 sections. Two side parts and the front claw assembly. Unfortunately, one of my claws came with two of the same parts, rather than the opposite ones, so I can only use one claw at a time.
  

• Sheild – translated as Wall (防壁) but named Fambe (ファンビー). This is a  3 part unit that attaches to the smaller paw and acts as a defensive unit.
  

• Drill – Translated as Kiba (旋牙) but named Shan'ya (シャンヤ). This drill spins freely and replaces either small paw.
  

The legs separate mid calf and the Maochao armor slides on easily. Each armor piece goes on a specific leg. The feet are small, and it’s hard to make the figure stand up. Each foot has a small support on the back that can help it stand.

The head has a replaceable front hair section that can be swapped with an armored unit. The fit here is not perfect, as I always seemed to have a gap. Also, this hair unit cannot be swapped with the dog unit for some reason. Behind the head on the armor is a peg for attaching one of the 5 cat heads, called Petie Masinz (?) (プチマスィーンズ).

I assume these cat heads grant the armor different abilities. The cat heads also have their own mini-vehicles that they can merge with when not attached to the armor.

Finally, like any good armored catgirl, Maochao has a tail!

The display stand here is the same as the other stands in the line, but this time you have two different connectors on the end. One connector is for the figure without the armor, and one is for the armor. The stand has to be assembled, and there are a few small Phillips screws.

Also included in the set, but not initially used are some connection rings. These rings go between the limb connections and enable you to add on armor at various places on the figure.  You also get four green male to male connectors, which you can use to join parts that have female-type connections. With these connectors, you can make a variety of insane creations with the other figures in the line.

Overall, this is a fun line. Initially I was taken back by the change in the armor, but now I accept it as just another facet of the line. The legs are much tighter this time, but the head is still a bit loose (if you hold it by the head the body will fill off). I’m a little disappointed in the fact that I got the wrong accessories packed with mine, but the parts look so much alike, I can understand the mix-up. I don’t think I will return it, but it’s worth keeping an eye on this as the line progresses.

It's as if a top secret research lab in Tokyo dedicated years to study the otaku mind and came up with this toy. It combines three of the major otaku fetishes in one toy - mecha, video games, and cute anime girls.

Busou Shinki is the brainchild of designer Asai Maki, who also created the Mecha Musume series of trading figures. his collaboration with Konami has resulted in the first poseable action figures of his designs. The juxtaposition of the cute anime girl and the WWII era mechanics make this toy perfect for the toy otaku.

Busou Shinki (武装神姫) is an action figure line from Konami that has an on-line element. Each figure comes with a code, that when entered on the official website, will enable that toy in the virtual world. From there you can customize your figure and battle other figures. The on-line game started September 7, 2006.

The packaging is a beautiful box with a cover sealed with velcro. Inside the cover is a nice clear window that displays the figure in its tray, as well as some great shots of the completed product.

These poseable action figures can be displayed alone, or you can add the optional battle armor. There is no "right" way to assemble the mechanics. A variety of parts and connection points make this figure really fun to play with. You can also mix and match parts from the other MMS sets to create even more variations.

The MMS Type Devil Strarf is made out of ABS and PVC plastic and is insanely poseable. Despite its frail looks, the figure is actually quite sturdy and solid. Joints have a full range of motion, and even the knees are double jointed. In order to attach the armor, you need to remove the limbs and add small ring like attachments that the armor plugs into. The lower legs actually get replaced by mechanical panzer-looking legs.

There are several sets of hands included, including some that have fixed wrists and some that have a wrist joint. I think the point of the fixed wrist is to provide more support for the heavier weapons. The Devil Strarf comes with a large silver rifle, a small handgun, and the blades on the back of the armor can also be used as hand weapons.

The armor itself is very cool. The main armor attaches to the back of the figure and then has two hinges that allow the halves of the armor to move freely. The arms of the armor are fully articulated, and even come with two sets of hands. Sharp blades are stored on the back.

While the whole unit can stand on its own, display is greatly improved by using the included stand. It comes in pieces, and is actually screwed together. The resulting stand lets you pose the figure in a variety of cool flying poses.

I absolutely adore this toy. The design and the execution are almost flawless. There are a few minor nitpicks though:

• The hand connections are so tight, that sometimes when you pull out the hands with wrist joints, the joint separates. It’s easy to re-attach, but still a pain.
• No alternate head. With all the other interchangeable parts, a different head with a different facial expression or hairstyle is a big omission.

I highly recomend this figure. It's a lot of fun and a great value.