Bandai Hobby - Star Wars - Boba Fett, Bandai Spirits Star Wars Character 1/12 Model Kit

The quality of this kit is just insane. I've been making scale models for over 40 years, and I have to say, without even breaking the seal on the bags, this is the best quality model kit I've ever seen, let alone the best quality Star Wars kit. First the good stuff A careful examination of the parts shows there is absolutely no mould flash at all, nor any visible ejector marks. So much care has gone into the design of this kit. everything looks straight and well formed, no warping on the sprues, and the round parts are designed with lots of internal support to prevent the usual spread. I'm not sure if it's pre-painted, or just really high quality plastic, but the finish on the visible surfaces is flawless, the body has a perfect shine, and all the plain coloured parts are a perfect shade for R2. Also, there is no hint at all of the usual wavy discolouration found on most injection moulded kits. Something I love about Bandai is their innovative modular display stands, clever marketing really, but if you decide to collect all the kits in the series, you can display them on one big interlocked display. The quantity of accessories and quality of parts for the price this is sold at, really shows that certain other kit makers have been ripping us off for years. I can't believe I got not only this kit for this price, but I've been able to get all of the rest of the series at a similar price. I haven't built it yet, but I have heard good things about the fit on these kits, and I'm looking forward to putting my little droid collection together in the near future. Scale is spot on and there is a ton of detail that has usually been missed off of R2 model kits (yes I'm talking about the MPC kit), and while the instructions are in Japanese primarily, there is enough English to work it out. After all most model kit instructions are just pictures anyway. You can also find translated version on the net if you look hard enough. Now, the not so good Decal options are just a quite fiddly sticker sheet that I suspect would seriously challenge a novice modeller. Now this isn't that much of a problem, because the experienced modeller that would opt for water slide decals would be reaching for their paint brush to detail an R2 kit anyway. Also, the metallic coloured parts are really not that pretty visually. They will make for a nice looking kit for the novice, but the experienced modeller is going to want to paint those. Again, this is one place where you have to accept there is no good solution. R2-D2 has never had a polished dome anyway, so the chromed domes on some kits in the past are just as inaccurate as silver coloured plastic. a good shade of stainless steel coloured paint and an airbrush will get these parts looking much closer to the real thing. Reviews of other in the series have often highlighted that the buyer just has never made a model kit before and completely ignored the instructions about cutting and cleaning the parts from the sprue. All in All, this is an incredible value kit, and is the beginning of a shelf of every R2 unit ever seen in the franchise. 5*, I'd give it 6 if there was an option to do so.

I built my first Star Destroyer kit a few decades ago. The old ERTL kit was for a very long time the only model of this iconic SW ship, and a few resin models aside, was the best way to represent the Empire in your SW collection. I still have two and they look pretty good. However, the detail is basic and not very accurate, especially for the size of the model. But then, it is over thirty years old, and models have moved on a long way in that time. There have been a few manufacturers who have produced SW kits, but the Republic SD aside, none have ventured near this design until now. This model is dwarfed by the older ERTL kit but even though it is only 11cm long, it is more detailed and more accurate. The molding is sharp and flash free, the parts fit well and in a very short space of time you end up with a great little model that you can display anywhere. Bandai produce kits that anyone can build, but they also make kits that any skill level can make their own. The total novice can make a nice model. The expert can get to work and make a miniature masterpiece. Many of the Revell kits limit your build by being pre-painted and reduced in quality so that anyone can build their models. Bandai give you the opposite, allowing their kits to be a great starting point no matter what your experience is. My only gripe about this kit is it's size. I would love Bandai to produce a SD which is a similar size to the ERTL kit but with the detailing they have given with all their recent SW kits. It would sell incredibly well. I recommend this kit without any hesitation.

Faultless! The attention to detail on this kit is phenomenal with clearly marked sprue’s and easy to follow instruction sheet. Also the option to build an R2 unit (parts supplied) if desired (all be it in imperial apparel) is a win, win in my estimation. Furthermore you also get a drinks tray with glasses to pop on the droid if you so wish. For the advanced modeller there’s plenty of room inside the main body to insert micro LED’s, wiring and breaker’s should you choose to illuminate the droid. If I were to add a caveat to this gushing review it would be that I would not recommend this for a child of 12 and under but as this is clearly marked on the box do not feel this is fair. The included stickers some of which are very small and fiddly requires patience so a good modellers tool set is essential, even a basic one. This model is well suited for a diorama but equally looks great on a shelf or in a display case. Overall this was a fun, enjoyable and easy kit to build with pleasing results. I almost forgot to mention the box art which is superb. I would highly and comprehensively recommend.

This kit is a superb representation of the ubiquitous AT ST, well known to all Star Wars aficionados. The attention to detail and accuracy of each part in comparison to the "real thing" is spot-on and the cockpit interior is a joy to behold. A word of warning, however. Once you've put the armoured shell together the highly detailed interior can only be glimpsed through the open hatches. A shame to hide such a well detailed part of the kit! This kit snaps together extremely well with parts fitting like a hand in a glove. Dabs of glue were needed in a few areas though for extra strength. This model looks good in straight out of the box form but any reasonable modeller will have no qualms about painting it up. I decided to go for the weathered look and added fake grass to the diorama base to create a natural look. 5 stormtroopers from a role playing game, of an appropriate scale, in various poses around the base completed the scene. (I was keen on adding a couple of pics to this review but I can't find the link). All in all, this model is a highly enjoyable build with a blank canvas in terms of painting and creating a mini battle scene of your own!

Very easy to build. Nice model.

The Kit is very good - great attention to detail - one thing I would say is I watched a video on youtube about building it and a top tip about removing the tabs off the feet a its a very close fit apart from that I thinks its really good- would defiantly recommend

I saw this while I was away in Japan and loved the look of it, but was originally put off by the idea of having to make a model. When I was home I watched a few YouTube videos and realised that it looked a lot easier than I had originally thought. The model goes together very easily and doesn't require any glue, although I did buy myself a beginners set of model tools to cut the parts out of the frame. The model doesn't require any painting, but to make it look like it does in the photos you will need to add some paint. It also has the option of using stickers or decals that you soak in water to decorate the model. I was cautious at first, but after doing one decal it was very straight forward. The cost to get this sent over is the same as it was in Japan, so I was pleased I waited and didn't have the hassle of fitting it in my suitcase. It did take a while to arrive (2 weeks) but it did say so on the listing, so no complaints there. I liked this model so much I have already ordered 2 more! I can't wait to get my hands on Darth Vader & a Stormtrooper.

I bought this for my 7 year old son, who loves it. I am very impressed with the quality of the mouldings that Bandai have done here. The quality is such that much of the kit could actually be clipped together without glue if you wanted to (not recommending that, just an example of how well made the parts are) Some of the parts are VERY small and when fitted made me wonder why they just were not moulded in like some of the larger details. You will need a good set of tweezers for them - or you could just omit them as they REALLY are that small. All in all, this kit was really fun and took about 5 hours to complete. There are choices for building with either the hatches open or closed. I was carful not to glue any joints, so ours is "pose-able", All leg joints stiffly move, "head" turns and tilts, Guns can elevate and it can balance without the base. We didn't paint ours - not with a 7 year old waiting with baited breath.