Mike Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Star Wars - The Force AwakensResistance & Poe's X-WingRevell Well, if you've had your head jammed behind a wardrobe for the last six months it might be news to you that we're being treated to a new Star Wars film under the Disney auspices, with J.J.Abrams at the helm. A raft of new characters, the return of some of the old favourites, and a host of new hardware will be gracing our screens as of December 2015, and quite frankly I can't wait!The new X-Wing is a sleeked-down aerodynamically superior design, with a shorter nose, and new interlocking airfoils. The intakes for the engines are also new, with a reduced frontal profile and semi-circular shape that were initially criticised for having half a fan in each one, before folks realised they were more akin to a tea-strainer than actual fans… and this is Sci-Fi. Puny humans! They have a new style astro-droid in the shape of BB-8, which has a similar "head" to an R2 unit, but a spherical body with internal stabilisation (I'm rationalising Sci-Fi again, aren't I?). Poe's X-Wing is a darker colour than the standard, to differentiate him from the crowds during the frantic battle sequences.The KitThe first thing to get straight is that this is a kit, but it is firmly aimed at the younger audience, and has been simplified with them in mind, as well as being provided with a small sound-module that also has some lighting effects built in. inside the box the parts are held firmly by two vacuum formed clear end caps, with the smaller parts in a small polythene bag, with the parts being identical between both kits, with only the base plastic colour and painting differing between them. There are 18 parts for you to put together, and if I'm honest I'm quite impressed with the quality of the detail, although it's probably not up to a serious modeller's standards without some upgrades. That said though, it builds up in just a couple of minutes in the hands of an adult of limited intelligence such as this reviewer, and when it's done it looks really nice. Seriously! I've only shown the parts from the Resistance kit, as the lighter plastic shows the detail off better than the darker stuff of Poe's ride. It is moulded in ABS rather than normal styrene, as it gives a lot more strength to the finished model. It has some fun features like a retractable nose gear and removable main gear legs, plus an opening canopy in painted clear, and of course a little button in the shape of BB-8's head that activates one of three sounds. If you've watched the videos I posted up the other day, you'll be pleased to know that they're a lot better than the audio would suggest, and they are as follows: Firing cannons A general swooshing sound A muddled sound with a rather unconvincing electric swoosh The cannons are a lift from the previous films (I think), while the 2nd and 3rd samples are a bit poor compared to the cannon fire. There are no lights on this one, as the module is situated below BB-8 (who has a slightly oversized head, presumably to make it easier for little hands to press the button) but some cockpit lights might have been nice. Poe's X-Wing The famous X-wing airfoils split for "attack-position", revealing some nice moulded in detail between them, but when you want them closed, you'll need to apply some light thumb pressure to get them to sit flush, or the whistling as you fly through the atmosphere will be terrible!!!!ConclusionIf you buy it expecting a highly detailed model of a new Resistance, or Poe's X-Wing, you might be a tad disappointed, although I think that it has potential if you're willing to put the effort in to turn it into a "proper" model. I was a little concerned that this one was going to be way too short in the nose from the PR materials, but it doesn't look too bad in the flesh, which is a relief.If you're a kid with a liking for Star Wars however, it will seem absolutely awesome to you, and I can't wait for my five year-old to see them when he comes home from school. As a bit of an update, the older Resistance X-Wing kit has endured much play at the hands of my son and his friends, with all the parts fully intact, including the wingtip cannons, which is a testament to their strength, as he's a big lad for his age, and as clumsy as you'd expect.Highly recommended if you understand what you're getting in the box. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 Update: My son absolutely loves these lights (on some of them) and sound Star Wars kits, and hasn't stopped playing with them since he got them. My other half is also well impressed... that's a hearty vote of confidence for them 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick4350 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Looks as if there is absolutely no leg room for the pilot ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 I'd also love to know how he reaches the instrument panel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malpaso Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Obvious really, he uses the Force! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace From Outer Space Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 If the pilot is related to Jeb Porkins then he probably uses his gut... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks for the review Mike. Any guess-timate on what scale it might be closest too? Cheers, Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Pfff... it's a good inch or two shorter than the level 2 kit, and it is 218mm from stem to stern. The larger Level 2 is 1:50 and is 251mm long. Does that help at all? If not, try 1:78, which I got from Revell's site here! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 If the pilot is related to Jeb Porkins then he probably uses his gut... I think he got smeared all over the first Death Star, didn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Pfff... it's a good inch or two shorter than the level 2 kit, and it is 218mm from stem to stern. The larger Level 2 is 1:50 and is 251mm long. Does that help at all? If not, try 1:78, which I got from Revell's site here! Cheers Mike! I think he got smeared all over the first Death Star, didn't he? C'mon guys - at least Porkins stuck with his damaged ship to the very end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galland Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Pfff... it's a good inch or two shorter than the level 2 kit, and it is 218mm from stem to stern. The larger Level 2 is 1:50 and is 251mm long. Does that help at all? If not, try 1:78, which I got from Revell's site here! the constructor of that kit mentioned on the Facebook that Revell did a typo on their web pages and the scale is actually 1/58 the calculation from your measurement is close to 1/58 too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I think he got smeared all over the first Death Star, didn't he? I swear, that red thing in front of him looks like a coke cup that you'd get from a fast food joint. It even looks like it has a straw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMD70 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I swear, that red thing in front of him looks like a coke cup that you'd get from a fast food joint. It even looks like it has a straw! You mean that Coke cup and mystery food object that someone photoshopped into his hands in the still? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Oh....lol that explains it. Mind you, I thought the yellow thing was the reflection of an explosion. Not to clued up on these altered images as you can tell 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 Review updated following the arrival of Poe's X-Wing, as per the additional pics Not long now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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