Disney is releasing it's first Star Wars movie in December 2015. Maybe it is just me but I felt that Star Wars related merchandise are picking up momentum. From Crocs shoes to personal fashion accessories to the toys collectibles of course.
Collectors has been calling out for more variety in 1/12 scale toys collectibles and the request has been answered by Hasbro when the 1/12 scale (6 inch) Black series were first release in 2014. Recently, Bandai, the Japanese toys giant, is jumping into the fray kicking off the range with a 1/12 Stormtrooper and Darth Vader model kit. R2-D2 and R5-D4 (Yes, 2 droids in a box) were released soon after. Kaiyodo Revoltech also does a 1/12 version of Stormtrooper, Darth Vader and R2-D2. Seem like a golden period of Star Wars collectibles is here.
I first bought and build Bandai's 1/12 Stormtrooper couple months back and are massively impressed by the quality and the details. When this droid set hit the shelf, there is no hesitation.
First up of course is R2-D2. Arguably the star in all existing 6 Star Wars movies. I started out building R2-D2 first since it is more famous of the two. The build was straight forward even though the instruction sheet only has Japanese texts, the pictorial has enough information to allow a smooth, no hassle build.
The "3rd leg" or middle leg can be stored back inside the body by merely pushing it up. It catches a transient fit for it to stay inside. To release it, simply remove the dome and push out the leg from within.
I also marveled at the design of the parts on how it fits together. How they were designed to be fitted together so that it presents R2 basic color palette without the need for you to take out your painting brush and paint bottle. However some minor touch up are still requires by means of a colored marker.
2 types of decals were provided - as with the Stormtrooper set - a water slide decals and a conventional peel and paste. I uses only the peel and paste ones in these models.
Panel lines are also added with a 0.05 thick black marker I got from Popular bookstore.
Initial thoughts is that the dome seem to need a brighter silver material. However after referring to some actual R2 picts, this color kinda does it. If only the mold lines weren't so obvious.
Overall, spent 4 hours in total to build this little blue droid.
Closer look of R2 with all the accessories attached. Surprisingly, the most effort I put in was to really paint up the accessories. They are originally either in full white or in its silvery raw material color. When the original silver color were not painted over, I gave it a black wash to bring out a 3D-ish effect.
The many opened panels are separate piece from the closed panels as well.
Love the look of all the tools sticking out from R2. If only Bandai also includes the tray rack that R2 had on Jabba's sail barge. While at it, Luke's lightsaber hilt also.
Next up, R5-D4. As far as memory serves, R5 only appear for a couple of minutes in Episode IV, A New Hope. It would have been the star of the movie if it isn't for his circuit to blow up prompting Luke to chose R2 instead. As the popular saying goes, it is not meant to be yours, it is not meant to be.
From Wookiepedia :
R5-D4, also known as Red, was one of the last droids produced in the low cost Industrial Automaton R5 line, a line plagued with malfunctions. As a result, R5-D4 was owned by many beings and in a constant state of used sale. His programming became jealous of other droids that were capable of serving without failure and had loyal masters.
R5-D4 build exactly the same as R2. Only the head is different. The red ascent help to also differentiate it from R2 to give it kind of its own identity.
Third leg is activated the same way as R2.
The build took me less time, approximately 2.5 hours, as I had my learning from building R2.
I am impressed by these 1/12 scale model kit by Bandai and will watch it closely for other characters to be release. Biker Scout and Speeder bike is already out for pre-order and needless to say, I committed to a set without much hesitation.
Hope Bandai will make a IG-88 somewhere down the road. I will get it for sure.
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