Soul of Chogokin Gx-67 Captain Harlock’s Arcadia
A little background on the Arcadia, the Japanese refer to the two main versions of the Arcadia “Sharpnose” and “Skullnose” depending on the shape of the bow. Most non-Japanese folks commonly refer to these as “Blue” and “Green” versions of the Arcadia.
The official name of the Green version is “Arcadia of my Youth”
Stats:
-Propulsion Engine – Dual Wave Motion Engine (sound familiar? It’s from the Space Battleship Yamato, which was also created by Leiji Matsumoto)
-Crew comprised of 41 (including Harlock)
Weapons
-Main Battery – 3 Pulsar Cannons (again, sound familiar? This one’s from Danguard Ace, another Leiji Matsumoto creation)
-Quickfiring guns – aka Space Busters. – 5 Guns Total
-Ram
-Missile launchers
-Anchor Tubes for boarding enemy vessels
-AA(Anti-Aircraft) Beam Turrets
-Depth Charges
Taken from here:
Display base
Optional setup to put the Arcadia in “climbing” pose.
Be mindful of this antenna when placing the Arcadia on the base.
Pulsar Cannons
Light and Sound Effects.
When switched on, the Arcadia’s bridge, stern, and engine nozzles light up.
Well-hidden on switch.
Click for Demo
For folks who don’t have the English-translated insert that came with the international release version.
1- M-54 from Arcadia’s Attack theme
2- M-52 from Tochiro and Emeraldas’ Theme
3-M-59B Harlock and Tochiro’s parting theme
1+3 – Stop Function
Combination
A+1 Ignition/Engines Firing
A+2 Navigation (adjusting course)
A+3 (Bridge) Computer sound effects
A+4 Big Guns (Pulsar cannons)
A+5 Small Guns / Auxiliary Anti-Aircraft Guns (Space Buster guns)
1+4 – Increase the volume
1+5 – Decrease the volume
Sleep mode – after 2 minutes of non-use.
Remote runs on 2x AAA batteries, as does the ship.
After removing the screw on the battery cover on the ship, you also have to pop open these lock clips to totally remove the cover.
Bridge lights up.
Light up engine nozzles and captain’s quarters.
Varying degrees of “propulsion”
Sound emanates from here:
The Galaxy Express 999
The Good
-Length is roughly 18 Inches
-Weighs 920 Grams
-Diecast parts
–Ships’ Bow
–Top sides of the Pulsar Cannons
–A central plate running along the “core” of the ship, “sandwiched” by the plastic top and bottom halves.
-Really good detailing.
-It’s got the Galaxy Express 999!
-Galaxy Express 999 is roughly 12 inches long.
The Bad
-Lacking any of the support ships from any of the various Harlock series.
-No diecast on the Galaxy Express 999 sadly..
The UglyThe Price? This one by far is the most expensive among the SOC Ships (SOC Arcadia-28,000 Yen, GX-57 Yamato 22,000 Yen, GX-58 Andromeda 25,000 Yen, Gx-64 Yamato 2199-26,000 Yen ). It features the least of accessories to boot, too.
If you love the series the ships are based on, then the SOC Arcadia is a good addition to your collection. The sculpting details are very good (love that Skull).
Personally though, as much as I love the SOC line, I don’t really like buying (pricey) ships much. It’s like the same reason why I don’t collect statues. You can’t really do much with them. I really, really hope this is the last one and Bandai cuts the crap and stops producing ships under this line (There’s the Soul of Popynica line for that, right?). It just seems wrong and out of place IMHO.
Funfact: Captain Harlock is such a BADA$$ that he once killed a guy using milk!
Funfact 2 : Harlock always carries his two signature weapons, the Gravity Saber and the Cosmo Dragoon.
Other Resources:
http://www.cornponeflicks.org/harlock/pirateships
http://soundtrackanime.blogspot.com/2009/05/arcadia-of-my-youth-ost-1
Gold
