Model maker Syuto continues to push the detail envelope in its food kits.

Usually, you’d expect there to be some sort of direct correlation between the size of a plastic model kit and the number of pieces it has. Similarly, there’s a tendency to assume that the more technology-themed the subject material is, the more parts the model will have, since it’ll have all sorts of technical details to reproduce.

So a model of a goma dango, or sesame dumpling, seems like it should have hardly any parts at all. Delicious as they are, goma dango are very simple desserts, just a spherical dumpling with anko (sweet red bean paste) on the inside and sesame seeds on the outside.

But if you’re planning to pick up Japanese model maker Syuto’s new goma dango model kit and slap it together in a half hour or so, think again, because it has over 900 parts!

That’s because every single sesame seed its own separate piece, which has to be glued in place.

If this particular brand of insanity sounds familiar, you might be remembering Syuto’s previous forays into deceptively simple-looking food-themed model kits. First came their nigiri sushi models, with individual grains of rice adding to a 366-piece count for the set, and that was followed by a 429-piece ikura gunkan sushi set.

As with its sushi models, Syuto’s goma dango model is a life-sized, 1:1-scale model, which in this case translates to a diameter of 4 centimeters (1.6 inches).

Syuto doesn’t list a total number of sesame seed pieces, but between the above photo and the “over 900 pieces” promise, it looks like you get, at the very least, 897 seeds. And just so no one will accuse them of inflating that count, they say they developed the kit by actually disassembling real goma dango and counting how many sesame seeds were needed to coat them.

Another impressive example of the designers’ attention to detail is that in addition to the sesame seeds, there are separate pieces to represent the dumpling dough and the bean paste center. The dough parts make sense, since there are still little gaps between the seeds that you can see through. The bean paste, though, is completely enclosed and won’t be visible at all after assembly, but because anko is part of the actual food, it gets pieces in the model kit.

Syuto’s goma dango plastic model kit is being produced in cooperation with figure maker Good Smile Company, who recently dazzled us with their new Street Fighter and Macross figures at this year’s summer Wonder Festival. Preorders for the goma dango kit, which is priced at 1,540 yen (US$10.25), are open now on both the Good Smile online shop and Amazon Japan (here and here) with shipping scheduled for March.

Source: Good Smile Company via Denfamico Gamer via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
Images: Good Smile Company
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