What is LBX?



LBX, or Little Battlers Experience, is a poseable snap-fit model kit line created by Bandai. These kits are based of the LBX from the games Danball Senki created by Level 5, with an anime made to further popularise the franchise.




LBX are very similar to Gunpla, in that they are snap fit, so no glue is required for this. They also have parts on colored runners so they will have color OOB. Despite this however, they use numerous stickers for some of their colors, and despite this, would probably need paint for complete anime accuracy. These kits are mostly made of PS plastic with PE for some of the polycaps and joints. these kits also feature joint systems and poseability OOB, albeit to a lesser extent to Gunpla. But these kits can also be both painted, kitbashed, and customised like typical model kits allow you to do.




Like Gunpla, they also don't require most kit building tools to assemble, however these kits take them even further to not even require nippers. The parts are designed in a way where they can be pulled off the runners, nubmarks will be visible, and for better results, proper nub removal is still needed. However it doesn't look as bad as if you were tearing the parts off a standard runner, and can make the builds a lot faster and easier.




The ease for nub removal is because LBX are aimed at children and kids, so the builds are very easy to do with no real tools required to build them unless you want a better looking finished product. LBX even come with separable runners with parts for each "body" parts, and there are little plates indicating which section of the kit the parts are for. Not only that, there is a board game printed on the box of LBX kits, and the way you build the dice is by using the limb indication plates and putting stickers over them. It's a very neat addition, and is a creative idea to get these kits to appeal more to audiences both young and old.




There is also a subline of LBX called Hyper Function, only a few LBX got kits of these, but they featured full inner frames, and had more color separation as well as detail. Expansion kits were also made for numerous effects parts, vehicles, weapons, and even extra sticker packs that could all be bought separately. Some LBX kits, as well as some candy toy LBX eventually got rebranded and sold under the Sprukits line to other countries. These Sprukits LBX had almost identical construction to their original counterparts, but featured less playability in the removal of the game, and decreased variety.




LBX certainly is a great model kit line for collectors of any type. Are they the best? Maybe not, but these little guys certainly have a lot of things going for them, especially if the buyer is a kid. These are both simple and fun to assemble, with no tools really required and snap fit OOB, these guys have some of the easiest builds for model kits out there. They are both poseable and sturdy OOB, and for other modellers, painting and customising is an option too. Not only that, the game can be fun if you know how to play them, and the kits also have a wide variety of different types of designs, proportions, and accessories, not to mention the addon packs they feature. This is definitely a strong model kit line that deserves more recognition. If you're interested in one, definitely try one out, they're great easy level snap fit model kits and can capture a wide audience, you'll most likely find some form of enjoyment from an LBX model kit.

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