SCALE MODEL NEWS

THIS UNUSUAL KIT depicts a Toshiba EC 160, a moulding machine that can inject more than one colour into a single plastic runner. Bandai uses machines like this to produce kits such as Gundam action figures and Star Wars models. Mat Irvine:  Bandai’s Toshiba EC160 kit dates from 2007. It was intended for the internal Japanese market, but is now more widely available. The kit was almost certainly made primarily for publicising the machine's ability to inject more than one colour on the same runner. In fact, kits made in several colours are not unusual, Revell doing this as far back as the 1950s. But the colours were each on a separate runner, unlike those produced by the Toshiba EC 160. It uses specialist technology to goes through several injection cycles, with gates opening and closing relevant sections for each colour plastic. Here the EC160 kit is moulded in four colours, white, dark grey, yellow and blue.  It is a very simple kit, intended to snap together, with decals that...

BANDAI HAVE DONE WELL with Star Wars kits, showing solid achievements in accuracy, tight moulding standards, and excellent presentation. The 1:5000 scale Bandai Star Destroyer is a good example of this track record. SMN report: The range of scales in Star Wars models reflects the massive range of sizes, from single-seat spaceships to the asteroid-sized Death Stars. So the 1:5000 scale of the Bandai Star Destroyer is far from being abnormal. To put its scale into perspective, a full-grown human crew member of the Star Destroyer works out to only about one-third of a millimetre tall. That said, the Bandai Star Destroyer lends itself well to the art of scale modelling, with plenty of opportunities for accurizing and super-detailing. A certain amount of dirtying up is also beneficial, though 'weathering' is technically a no-no, as these ships don't normally enter atmosphere. Mind you, here's an opportunity to recreate a planetary crush scene, with all the weathering you li...

IF THERE IS ONE spacecraft that sums up the Star Wars saga, then the Millennium Falcon belongs at the top table. Depending on your personal preference of course, the X-Wing or TIE fighter just might compete for gold! But there's no arguing that the Bandai Perfect Grade kit represents the peak where plastic kits are concerned. SMN report: Detail throughout is superb, and of course the kit is made to model aircraft-standard 1:72 scale. And that means the Bandai  Millennium Falcon  can be displayed next to more or less any aircraft to that scale, from a P-40 to an F-15. The flight deck ( below ) includes neatly moulded figures of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker. They bring it to life, as well as adding that important sense of scale. Note the detailing of the ship's side mouldings, where there is plenty of mysterious machinery to add a convincing look.   The instruction book ( below ) is a work of publishing art, certainly good enough to make a perman...

BANDAI HAS WHAT IS probably the best selection of Star Wars kits today, even if there are plenty of competitors out there . So here's a good look at building the tiny-scale Bandai Death Star II. And when we say tiny, we mean it, for the Death Star II is made to 1:2,700,000 scale! It's a fascinating vid ( below ) so thanks to Sam at ModelChili Scale Models.

WE FEATURED THE BANDAI AT-ST WALKER in July 2018. Here it is again, with a video to show you the way this delightful kit goes together. SMN report: Bandai does a good job with the AT-ST ( header, below ) and other Star Wars kits. Moulding is top-class, and the component fit is second to none. We draw the line at Bandai's attempt at a laser blast ( below ). It's moulded in transparent red, but lacks realism, and is better left off. On the other hand, it's your choice! Here's the excellent build video ( below ) that shows every detail of an out-of-the-box assembly. Click here for info on the AT-ST at SMN. Click here for more Star Wars in general.

WE HAVE JUST STARTED BUILDING this 1:48 scale Bandai Star Wars walker, and what a delightful kit it's proving to be. SMN report: There'll be a full build update soon, but we thought these shots of the various components would be interesting, as well as Bandai's own pictures of the assembled machine. And then there are the figures, and the multi-coloured mouldings. All very high-end indeed, especially the nice sculpting of everyone's favourite Wookee. We'll probably finish our AT-ST in colourful post-Imperium markings. Perhaps an AT-ST suitable for the off-world tourist market. Keep looking and you should find out in times to come. And here are pictures direct from Bandai that show this 1:48 kit fully assembled. Nice stuff, though we'd leave off the weird dull red 'laser' beams.

ROBOT LOVERS REJOICE because Pacific Rim Uprising , the second movie in the monsters from the deep franchise is due for release soon. SMN report: Bandai from Japan is a major producer of science fiction and fantasy models, both as ready-builts and as kits. Bandai Star Wars kits are excellent, and we'll be featuring the AT-ST Walker when it arrives, so watch out for that. Meantime Pacific Rim Uprising looks good from a machinery point of view, though we doubt the script will rise to Shakespearian levels. No matter, it's the special effects that count, as the screen shots here reveal. A robotic Jaeger (German for hunter) under observation at the manufacturing plant ( below ).     Multiple airdrop for this Jaeger ( below ) as the hovering cargo planes release it. Nicely conceived base ( below ) gives diorama makers a chance to make a really convincing backdrop for a Bandai Jaeger or two. Creating a convincing water surface is an old scale modelling technique that would make rep...

HERE'S AN EXCELLENT VIDEO UPDATE from Shizuoka, presented by Hobby Link Japan (HLJ). There is plenty to see on this half-hour video - from aircraft to tanks, they're all on view. We're huge fans of Tamiya precision scale models, and the company's new 1:32 scale F4U Corsair looks terrific. This is the bubble-canopy version, and complements the Tamiya model of the earlier 'birdcage' aircraft. Airliner enthusiasts will see that a 1:200 scale Mitsubishi MRJ regional jet features from Fine Molds. A release date has not yet been set, though it's likely to be soon. The real thing is scheduled for a first flight in 2015, with airline service aimed for 2017. If the performance meets the proposed spec, the MRJ should be a success - at the time of writing, Mitsubishi had booked 407 orders and options. One new kit that has us hooked - though it's slated for limited distribution - is the Skunk Model Works 1:48 scale  F-16XL. This cranked-wing design was conceived to ...