Kaiyodo Mega Sofubi African Elephant Walkaround-by elephasmaximus

This week I received the Mega Sofubi Advance (MSA-007) African Elephant by Kaiyodo.  The scale is approx 1:12 (shoulder height of 26 cm)

The model depicts a large bull elephant sculpted by Shinobu Matsumura who is also responsible for many of the small animals offered by Kaiyodo.
It was originally released in 1996 as a limited edition resin model kit (very rare), the 2016 version is made up of 12 parts factory assembled and painted.
Due to being cast in hollow vinyl (PVC) the figure is very light for its size, about 2.5 lbs only.  The model is huge, as is the box it comes in.

Shipping was expensive but the parcel arrived from Japan by EMS in only 3 days.
Forum member postsaurischian recommend Hobby Link Japan, this is where I also purchased mine.
They offer the lowest price I could find anywhere and they ship internationally.
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Kaiyodo's other elephant model, a tiny Indian cow.
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Next to the Schleich African bull for scale.
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I painted the Geene model African cow to match the Kaiyodo, they are in the same scale.
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Fantastic presentation, Andrew! That's all we need to know more a great batch of pictures!
These comparisons are very interesting, they show how big is this model and how differently it is sculpted when compared with a common piece like it is the Schleich elephant. You even found a cow for it. You should surely feel very ahppy these days.

I super love this! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for these great photos and info Andrew.
Uhh...I`m ``on the brink of`` buying one for me too...
This model is soooo beautiful ... but the price (and the shipping) it`s still stops me ...I don`t know for how long ..
And the Geene model African cow is amazing too ...especially with your great paint job on it :)
Together, they are perfect couple ...like we can see from the real photo :)

....I can`t stop watching your photos ...

Ok, Why why why the shipping has to be so expensive ? (more then 60 euros)
You wrote that this model is very light ..about 2.5 lbs only, which is around 1.13 kilo...
I don`t understand ...

Roger: Thanks, yes this is a premium model vastly superior to the Schleich elephant.  I'm very happy with it.

Anne: Thanks, glad you like it.

Kosta: Yes shipping is very expensive, I think it is not so much the weight but the size of the parcel.  The model's box is big but they need an even bigger box to ship it in.  
The model weighs about 2.5 lbs but the box is made of thick cardboard and plastic so it weighs a bit too, then the shipping box adds a little more weight.  

I've searched everywhere and many shops don't even ship outside of Japan, not even Amazon Japan (for this product at least).

Unfortunately I don't think you will find a cheaper option on shipping, even the slower/cheaper shipping up to 60 days option is about the same price for some weird reason....but much more chance of getting lost.  
The EMS method is the most affordable and has full tracking, they're very fast.  Hope this helps.

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Thank you very much for this information Andrew
Yes, I`m shure you are right about the price.
I also was surching ....and yes, in Hobby Link Japan it is the best price for now.
Thank you again :)

Kosta: I know you do amazing painting so you could get the unassembled kit a lot cheaper if you want.  It is in a simple plastic bag, so shipping should be much, much cheaper.  
I only know the Kaiyodo website which sells the kit version.  You can also try contacting forum member Brettnj, he has sources in Japan which might help you get the model kit version of this.

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elephas_maximus wrote:

Kosta: I know you do amazing painting so you could get the unassembled kit a lot cheaper if you want.  It is in a simple plastic bag, so shipping should be much, much cheaper.  
I only know the Kaiyodo website which sells the kit version.  You can also try contacting forum member Brettnj, he has sources in Japan which might help you get the model kit version of this.

Thank you for your kind words to me Andrew :)
And thank you for this info too. Yes, I was thinking about that , but..... I realy like how the painted elephant look`s...
and I realy want to have it :)
...Maybe tomorrow I`ll rob a bank ..and I`ll order one for me

I hope somehow you get one Kosta, I agree the factory painting is very good.

I'm sure this will be a collectors item and increase in value in the future when they are no longer produced. It seems to be quite popular, selling out at many shops despite the price.

Wonderful model! Thank you for the walk around Andrew

Thanks for your comment Anna.

I discovered that the Safari ltd Vanishing wild calf is of the same scale also.  
Three different brands that work well together for a cow, calf and bull.

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Amazing photo !
Great family :)

Adnrew, that's a perfect family with three distinct figures sculpted with distinction.

M-My God... I remember seeing that Schleich elephant and holding it when it was still being sold! It wasn´t a very small figure at all! That elephant is certainly HUGE! Compared to some human figures, it is pretty much a Mûmakil! Not to mention simply outstanding in terms of design and details!

And that´s a very beautiful pachyderm family indeed! The models do go surprisingly well together!

A wonderful but really huge elephant !! Congrats Andrew :)

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Oh guys,
I could not resist ... !!!
And now I`m also a very happy and proud - with ``empty pocket`` owner of this amazing masterpiece.
But at the end, the ``empty pocket`` it`s not so important..
I was dreaming of this model since I saw the first photo of it... so now I`m more happy to have it in my hands, then to have some ``papers`` (money)

Look :

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I love it !!!

And this is for shure my biggest catch for 2016 in all aspects :)

I ordered it from Hobby Link Japan just like Elephas_maximus and it`s arrived in my coutry with EMS also for only 3 days.

But as we know, sometimes the good things are happend not so easy.
And I had this weird feeling, that maybe I`ll have some problems with shipping ....
And yes ! Of course ! My beautiful country and our ``beautiful`` customs service desided to stop my beautiful elephant on the customs.  
And of course they don`t care, that I paid so much for the shipping,
they desided to ask me to pay a lot more to them..  

But this time I got lucky    ..becouse of my dancing job  
One of my dance students is a lady, who is working for the customs service  and she is important person there.
Ind also , she is very nice, and generous person.
So I called her and she just said : `` Don`t worry about this !``
And after few hours, she colled me and said : ``I got your big box and I`ll bring it to you later``  
So guys, that`s the little story of one very happy owner of this majestic model :)

Very beautiful elephant ! Congratulations Kosta! Great to see your dream came true

And a good story too, good to have friends who like to help

Andrew, I just saw the other photo you posted. What a fantastic family, 3 different brands but look really great together

Time for an elephant dance with a kind customs lady. I is completely unfair that you needed to pay customs for a piece that you only want to collect and contemplate. You're right, you needed to pay a high-priced figure more shipping, so why customs?
I think that story also helped you to be even more happy about acquiring such a monumental figure. As far as I know your taste, I am sure you're raptly watching it.

Congratulations on your beautiful new elephant and your friend in customs

Anna: Thanks, yes they work well together!

Kosta: Glad you got a copy of this model, expensive but worth it.