Andy Moore Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 AT-ST Walker Bandai 1/48 I've just received this in the post, fresh from Japan and although I've got other things on the go I wanted to get stuck in as soon as I'd opened the box and seen the contents. I have to admit when I first heard that the SW licence had switched to Bandai from Finemolds I was expecting a load of pre-painted toy-like models in the Revell mould (no pun intended) but having seen some of the builds others have done of the earlier releases, I think these are probably the best SW models yet produced. They also seem to be great value. This was around £10 + postage from HLJ. As I mentioned above, I've got other builds in progress so work on this one may be a little drawn out but to begin with I thought I'd upload some sprue shots to show what Bandai have managed with this release It all comes in a smallish box (12" x 7") and it's pretty packed with sprue's, 6 in total including one with what seems to be Bandai's trademark with these SW kits, multi-colour moulding The main cockpit is a nice one-piece slide moulding And there's some very fine detail for the interior walls and control panel The seats are moulded integrally with the cockpit floor and have a location block for the drivers which will need removing if you don't use the figures Back wall of the main 'head' Waist pivot section The base is a little basic but with some texture added should look OK The transparent red 'laser blasts' for the main guns You get three figures in the box, two identical pilots and this rather nice Chewie Though I've no idea what happened with the two pilots! The weird thing is, the moulding on them is actually very good, particularly the undercut on the helmet, so why they shaped them in such a bizarre way, only Bandai know. Maybe I'm just reading things into it that aren't there but it almost looks as if they were going for some kind of anime look to the figures. In any case I don't think I'll be using them. The decal sheets, waterslide and stickers And the instruction book which, in keeping with the fine traditions of Finemolds, is all in Japanese So, there you have it. I'll try to get some work started on it in the next day or two and I'll get some shots up when work commences Andy 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HL-10 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 That looks impressive! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMD70 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 This looks right up my street! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmonk Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Know what you mean about the pilots Andy, the ones in the TIE Fighter are in a similar vien. Look forward to watching it go together, too much on my plate at the moment to build mine. Cheers, Warren 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Know what you mean about the pilots Andy, the ones in the TIE Fighter are in a similar vien. Look forward to watching it go together, too much on my plate at the moment to build mine. Cheers, Warren Thanks Warren, it just seems odd as the rest of the kit is so well designed So, I've made a little progress tonight, the mid section is pretty much built up and I've got to say the engineering of this kit is outstanding. It's designed to be glued but the fit is so precise you could easily treat it as a snap fit. Actually it's more like LEGO with very positive pins and corresponding holes. The detail is very crisp and like some of the Finemolds SW models a lot of the seams are covered by other details meaning there's very little clean up Top and bottom halves of the mid section which trap two plugs which the legs plug into. The top and bottom are just push fitted here and are solid enough to leave as is but I ran some Tamiya extra thin around the seam to make sure You can see the LEGO like plugs here And pressed together So, half an hour's work and this is were I'm at I'm really enjoying this one so far Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) That looks like a really lovely kit. If I liked the subject more I'd buy one, but I'm quite content to watch you build yours. I agree, the pilot is a little bit weird in regards to the hands but it depends on how much you'll see once they're in. You could always chop the hands off a 1/48 fighter jock from a normal kit and graft them on if you really need hands I'm very impressed by the quality of the molding - very crisp and defined. Still not sure about these clear "laser blasts" Bandai are including in these new SW sets. Too toy like for me - unless you can stick an SMD in the barrel and light them from the end.Anyway, I'm enjoying watching you bring it together. Looking forward to the next installment (Edit: bad spelling) Edited March 15, 2015 by Madhatter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Still not sure about these clear "laser blasts" Bandai are including in these new SW sets. Too toy like for me - unless you can stick an SMD in the barrel and light them from the end. No, I'm not sold on them but they can be left off so it's not a problem. I've done a little bit more this morning. I drilled out the vents on the side of the mid section to give a bit more depth The top of the mid section, that I will henceforth call the waist... or maybe pelvis.. actually I think I might just stick with mid section, anyway, on top of that bit there's an inset panel with some moulded detail which is then covered by another panel which seem odd. Why mould the detail then cover it? I'm wondering if it represents a difference between different studio models. I think I'm going to leave the top panel off and add a bit of extra detail which, of course, will probably end up being invisible on the final build but hey ho Andy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I'm glad someone is attempting this before I get round to mine Bandai have some seriously good engineers in their design studio, don't they? They concentrate on everything from detail to ease of construction, and minimal clean-up. They definitely try to cater for the casual builder as well as the modeller, but I wish they cared more about the market outside Japan, as they could make a lot more money if they boxed the kits up with English instructions and exported more vigorously. Keep up the good work Andy... I'm assuming there's going to be paint involved along the way? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I wonder if the Shuttle and Speeder bike are in the range???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcode Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Very nice looking kit, some nice detail, tempted at this myself, as got the old mpc one 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 I'm assuming there's going to be paint involved along the way? Paint will be forthcoming Mike I wonder if the Shuttle and Speeder bike are in the range???? Bandai have confirmed a 1/12 Speeder Bike, a shuttle may appear in time I've added a little detail to the mid section-waist-pelvis top area I showed above - a bit of cable, styrene, some albion alloys tube and a button from an old camera I've got this all ready for paint now. The smaller bits will be painted separately to avoid awkward nooks and crannies that'd be hard to spray And for any rivet counters out there, you'll like this. The Chewie in the kit is 47.5mm high which in 1/48 scales out at exactly 2.28m and Chewie's height is... 2.28m Now, off to the paint booth Andy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Bandai have confirmed a 1/12 Speeder Bike, a shuttle may appear in time Great But i know where a shuttle is just gotta agree a price .................................. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Looking good Andy, tempted to get one myself! The chewie figure is really cool, and I like the detail you added 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 I managed to get some paint on last night. I'm using the mid section as a test for how I'm going to finish the rest of it. I decided to go with a black base and build the grey tone up from there. Primed and undercoated in one with Tamiya NATO Black The grey was built up with thin coats of Tamiya XF-83 Medium Sea Grey leaving some of the black as a pre shade. I added a bit of Gunze H21 Off White to the grey and sprayed a few highlights and streaks The parts were then given a dry brush with a pale grey mixed from Vallejo after which the final assembly was done I've still got the various cables and hoses to add. I'm not sure about adding a pin wash yet. There's a lot of fine detail and a wash might over accentuate it. I might just do some tonal shading with oils. I'll let this sit for a bit while I carry on with the rest of the kit. I've also got to decide on the setting for the base which will affect the route I go with the weathering. Although this is technically based on the ROTJ walker I've been toying with doing a snow base. Either way I won't be using the kit base as I want something a little bigger. Andy 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMD70 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 That is looking really nice there Andy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStig Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Awesome, i want to tackle a sw model. will be watching. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Lovely 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Vale Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Really nice work, the paint job brings out the insane level of detail. W 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Excellent airbrush work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Man, that is a beautiful paint job so far. Really looking forward to seeing the end result. I wouldn't use a black pin wash on this, maybe a brown one or something like that. But I am positive that what ever you do it'll look amazing 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastvader Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 That's some really nice airbrush work and the last little drybrush really makes it pop. Annoyingly for me that's a technique I've never quite mastered despite years of figure painting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thanks for the interest everyone Really nice work, the paint job brings out the insane level of detail.W Thanks Will. There really is an amazing amount of detail in these Bandai SW kits and the mouldings are so crisp Man, that is a beautiful paint job so far. Really looking forward to seeing the end result. I wouldn't use a black pin wash on this, maybe a brown one or something like that. But I am positive that what ever you do it'll look amazing Agreed, black would be too strong. I think a brown would accent the detail just enough and add a bit of tonal variety too. At least with an oil wash I can remove it if it looks wrong That's some really nice airbrush work and the last little drybrush really makes it pop.Annoyingly for me that's a technique I've never quite mastered despite years of figure painting. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes not although I've never managed to get it to work with figures. It always ends up too dusty and textured. I think you've either got to do it really heavily in a Verlinden style or very, very lightly which is how I usually do it, anything in between normally looks a mess Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Awesome paint! Looking forward to more! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knikki Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I would look at maybe blue/grey for a pin wash I think brown like black maybe to much, just a thought but your kit looks great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanM Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 The kit looks great especially with the job you're foing on it. I might just be tempted 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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