"Think tanks are robotic weapons platforms that make use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their abilities. In the Japanese version, they are officially referred to as "multi-legged tanks" (多脚戦車 Takyakusensha), but they are more commonly referred to as "think tanks" (思考戦車 Shinku, the kanji are read as "Think" rather than Shikōsensha). The most prominent think tanks are those used by Section 9 in its various incarnations, including the Fuchikoma (フチコマ^?, original manga), Tachikoma (タチコマ, Stand Alone Complex), Uchikoma (ウチコマ^?, Solid State Society), and Logicoma (ロジコマ Rojikoma, Arise). Section 9's think tanks are spider-like in appearance, having four walking legs, a pair of front-mounted manipulators, and a segmented body.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise (Japanese: 攻殻機動隊ARISE -GHOST IN THE SHELL- Hepburn: Kōkaku Kidōtai ARISE -GHOST IN THE SHELL-^?) is a four-part OVA series that serves as a re-imagining of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell. The four-part series features new character designs and is directed by Kazuchika Kise, screenplay by Tow Ubukata, and music by Cornelius."

Arise is what you'd consider to be a prequel to the GITS franchise and so we see the origins of how the cast of characters comes to be part of Section 9. It also introduces a new think tank to the series, the Logicoma. This vehicle does not have the personnel pod at the back of it and is considerably more angular than the vehicles in the earlier series. Though I am relatively new to the series, I have found it to be immensely entertaining, not only having a lot of action, but also one that is able to include social subjects that are very much part of modern times, something most science-fiction happens to be very good at portraying. If you would like to know more about the GITS series, a google will provide your links to places where you can watch it free of charge.   

Once I saw that the first two episodes of Arise were available in blu-ray, I picked up the set and there was introduced to the Logicoma. I then started hunting on line for a kit. One thing about kits produced in conjunction with anime series is that they can often become either unobtainable or very expensive in a short time. Such was what I discovered when looking for the two kits produced on the release of Sky Crawlers.

I found a single kit of the Logicoma released by Kotobukiya, a company that is new to me. Opening the box, I discovered that the kit is as well molded as any other modern Japanese kit. It is composed of several sprues of red, medium grey and black plastic with a small white sprue for the visual sensor. Three figures in tan are also included, these being the Motoko Kusanagi, the main character, Diasuke Aramake, the head of Section 9 and one of the intriguing androids known as 'Land Mines". A couple of sets of vinyl joints of various shapes are also includes so that the arms and legs will be mobile. Lastly there are some polycaps for the wheels and a section of vinyl tubing.

The molding is excellent and it very much appears that, like most Gundam type robot kits, this one will go together quite easily. It appears to be nearly a snap fit, but as I discovered when doing the Tachicoma a while back, it will benefit from seam filling and a lot of thought as to just how to assemble and paint the kit.

While the kit's assembly instructions are excellent, I found that one has to deviate somewhat from the sequence shown in order to be able to paint bits prior to assembly. All of the color information is via Gunze paints. I should also mention that just about anything written is in Japanese as this sort of thing is very much built for the home market. The painting guide is nice and large, indicating that most of the parts are to remain in the color of the plastic with only some detail painting. Those with the DVD/Blu-Ray will want to pay attention to the parts where the Logicoma is included to see if there is any deviation in colors from the movie.  

I guess of one wishes, this could be filed under the broad category of 'Japanese Robot Kits' as it is a robot of sorts. Like those kits, it will not be difficult to build and if one goes the extra steps of filling joins and painting everything, it will produce an excellent reproduction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell:_Arise

February 2015