The WAVE ソルバルウ プラスチックモデルキット (Solvalou Plastic Model Kit) is WAVE’s plastic kit of the player fighter from Namco’s arcade shooter Xevious (ゼビウス). It’s scheduled for June 2026 at ¥4,950 (appx. $33) including tax. This is the kit’s third production run. Good news travels slowly.
The kit is a snap-fit plastic model of the Solvalou fighter, made by WAVE. Release is listed for June 2026. The price is ¥4,950 (appx. $33), tax included, and the built height is about 11 cm (appx. 4.3 in) with the base.
A Ship Born in 1983
Xevious hit arcades in January 1983 with a tagline promising the mystery deepened every time you played. It sold second only to Space Invaders, then landed on the Famicom in November 1984. The Solvalou was your only way in. That matters here.
From Sixteen Pixels to Real Volume
The original sprite was a tiny top-down silhouette, so any kit has to invent depth the arcade screen never showed. WAVE builds out the nose and swept wings into a wedge that still reads correctly from above, which is how every player remembers it. I like that they didn’t over-detail it. The shape stays honest to the cabinet.
Snap-Fit, Molded Color, Opening Canopy
No adhesive is needed, and the parts come molded in separate colors, so a straight build already looks finished. That’s not paint, of course. Gradient work and panel shading are left to you, which suits a ship that only ever had flat arcade colors. The clear cockpit part opens to show the interior, a small touch that rewards anyone who wondered who was flying. Bandai Spirits’ Gundam kits still set the benchmark for color separation at this size, and WAVE plays in that same league here, just with fewer parts.
The Base Tells the Story
The stand carries the image of Andor Genesis, the floating fortress every Xevious player dreaded. Putting the Solvalou above it recreates the game’s boss fight on a shelf. The name helps too: SOL for sun, VALOU for bird, a phoenix that carries air and ground weapons it can fire at once. One look explains it.
The Collector’s Survival Guide: How to Justify This
The Collector Math: Solvalou means sun bird, which makes it a phoenix, and a phoenix always comes back. In 1983, one 100-yen credit got me three Solvalous; this one costs ¥4,950 and never runs out of lives. Divided by infinity, it’s free.
How to tell your wife: Xevious was sold on one promise: the mystery deepens every time you play. The game even hid secret towers under empty ground that only appeared when you bombed the exact right spot. The receipt’s somewhere in this house, darling; keep playing.
How to tell your parents: You always told me to finish what I start. I’ve been fighting Andor Genesis since 1983, and for ¥4,950 the Solvalou now sits on top of him for good. Forty-three years late, but it’s finished.
How to tell your kids: The Solvalou carries a Blaster for ground targets, and its bomb sight flashes whenever something is sitting below it. From the top shelf, it can see this entire floor. Anything left on the floor is a ground target.
A Collector’s Take
A third run tells you WAVE knows exactly who’s still waiting, and the Andor Genesis base is the detail that makes this more than a nostalgic paperweight. I’m keeping an eye on regional availability, and we’ll update this when retailer listings firm up.
🟢 Product Specifications 🟢
✅ Product: WAVE ソルバルウ プラスチックモデルキット (Solvalou Plastic Model Kit)
✅ Manufacturer: WAVE
✅ IP: Xevious (ゼビウス), Namco, 1983
✅ Price: ¥4,950 tax included (appx. $33)
✅ Release: June 2026
✅ Height: approx. 11 cm with base (appx. 4.3 in)
✅ Features: snap-fit, no adhesive, molded color separation
✅ Clear opening cockpit canopy
✅ Andor Genesis graphic base
✅ Third production run
— Gallery —
