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Star Wars Republic Attack Shuttle


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Star Wars Republic Attack Shuttle



1:120 Revell

Revell really need no introduction to modellers, and their range of Star Wars Easykits has won many fans, due to being good, accurate, yet simple models; being also pre-coloured and painted, and snap-together, they're great for younger modellers, or for those of us who want a quick fix to break the dreaded modeller's block. The prices are also very competitive, especially for a licensed property.

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The Nu-class Republic Attack Shuttle, seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the CGI cartoon series, is a new design for that show, but with echoes (or should that be foreshadowings) of the Lambda-class Imperial Shuttle first seen in Return of the Jedi. The Attack Shuttle is an armed transport, intended to disgorge its troops into the heart of battle quickly and safely.

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Kit no. 06672, packed in an end-opening box, with a colourful and attractive photo of a built model on the lid, comprises 49 parts moulded in grey pre-coloured plastic, with details pre-painted in wine red, dark grey, blue and brown. There is also a clear plastic canopy, a 2-part stand (painted gloss black), and two clone pilots, moulded in a rubbery material, and painted white. There are varying amounts of weathering to the pieces, done in a light brown dust/dirt colour. The parts are cleanly moulded, and although there is some slight flash on one or two parts, it will clean up easily, and does not interfere with any of the pre-painted areas.

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The model is to 1/120 scale, and has an overall length when complete of 203mm, which scales well to the 'real' length given on the box as 24.34 metres.

No glue is needed for the assembly; all parts snap together, although they could obviously be glued if you so wish. Having assembled a few kits from this range, I feel it's not necessary to glue, as the fit is quite tight in the main. Revell list this model on the box as skill level 2, and suitable for ages 8 and upwards. Revell skill levels range from 1 (easy) to 5 (the hardest), so this is towards the simple end of the range – well within the skill levels of most children, especially those with experience of either other snap kits, or construction toys.

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The model features moveable main wings, which pivot from upright (for landing) downwards to an angle of about 40 degrees for flight. There are optional parts for landing gear or closed gear doors, moveable ball-jointed front guns, and a nose boarding ramp, which hinges downwards and extends. The cockpit canopy also opens. Some might view these as gimmicks, but to children they will give added play value, and to adults it means you can pose the model as you wish, without resorting to plastic surgery.

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The instructions are the pictographic type, with a front page in German and English giving details of the 'real thing' Next is a parts map, then 20 stages of construction, in full colour. These are very clearly drawn, with all parts numbered, leaving little or no room for error. So if you have problems, don't blame Revell!

This model is well detailed from the box, and looks accurate, but leaves room for more experienced builders to add their own touches, even if it's something simple like detail painting, or further weathering.

It's also very easy to build. I made the model with no glue, and the simplest of tools (scalpel, sprue cutters, sanding stick), and it took me less than a couple of hours, even moving at my snail's pace, and that includes stopping to take the photos! There are one or two areas where the removal of the parts from the sprues has left tiny gaps in the pre-applied paint, but for now I have left these untouched. I will patch them up later, which will take all of five minutes to do.

My only slight disappointment (although that's probably too strong a word) is that this is not in the same scale as the AT-TE (1/98 scale) I reviewed previously, but despite this they still look great displayed together.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think Revell have scored another winner with this kit. It is simple to assemble, and builds into an impressively large model. Thoroughly recommended.

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Review sample courtesy of

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