If you are a fan of Star Wars model kits and you want to build something quick while waiting for your wife or have a few minutes to spare-then this new mini model kit is for you.
Introducing Bandai's Mini Model Plastic Kit of Star Wars' X-Wing Starfighter and Star Destroyer. I first saw these new model kits at Toy Kingdom, V-Mall and my first impression was it won't get too much detail for its size. The glossy boxes measures only 6" x 3.3" and there were no sample displays then. It was actually tempting to pick one up for only P399 but skipped it for the moment.
The second time I bumped on these mini model kits was at a booth at ToyCon 2016 and according to a seller, they are detailed and are easy to build but I never bought it yet since my budget was aiming at something else.
After a week, I finally picked up the Star Destroyer (002) at Toy Kingdom because I don't have any collection of it yet.
There are 4 white frames per model parts (injection moulding sprue) and one black frame for the base. The instructions are printed on the back of the box cover. Quite difficult to read because the illustrations are small that I needed to use a magnifying glass. This Star Destroyer model kit does not come with decals.
Take note that you'll be working on smaller parts so handling could be a little difficult and most of the time, some snapped parts keep falling off. I suggest putting some model kit glues to secure.
It only took me less than an hour to complete building this model kit. I painted it with my left-over gray but it turned out to be a little too dark. The Star Destroyer measures 4 inches long and the scale is quite small to match with my The Force Awakens Titanium Series vehicles.
Impression:
The actual model itself is impressive! You will see the small details on the ship as you look closer.
I like the base because of the ball joint peg that connects the ship to it. You can turn the ship to many angles and still maintains its balance.Looks like the real star destroyer shrank by Antman's pym particles disks.
This led me to buy the Bandai X-Wing mini model kit at Toy Kingdom again.
The instructions can also be found at the back and at the side (for decals) of the box cover. A model kit glue is a must on the X-Wing especially on the thrusters and laser cannons which easily falls off due to its small connectors.
Assembly time takes a little longer than the Star Destroyer because of some mistakes on attaching the parts on the wrong side like what I've been through getting the right X-formation of the wings.
Since it's made of plastic, it's light but frequent wing movement may cause the wing's mechanism to loosen up just like mine.
The X-Wing measures 3.4 inches long which is a little bit bigger than the The Force Awakens Titanium Series.
Impression:
The Bandai mini X-Wing has better details especially when you do some paint washing. I like the clean print on the decals but had a hard time sticking the blue stripes on the laser cannons because they are printed as a whole, not as a long single line.
I hope they designed an opening cockpit cover instead of using cockpit decals. The X-Wing looks great when you put it on its base using various ship angles that doesn't easily falls off.
Final Thoughts:
The Bandai Star Wars mini model kits are good gifts for those who are just starting out on model kits and even to existing builders who want details at a smaller scale.
Bandai has proven again its forte on model kits with the release of the mini Star Destroyer and X-Wing. Can't wait for the next vehicles for models #003 and #004. What do you think would be next? Did someone said Poe Dameron's X-Wing? How about Imperial Shuttle? Let's see.
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