STAR WARS Merchandise Episode - 2

[renegadeleader1]

In the 70s and into the 80s, it was another company- I can't remember which- that was making UK toys. But by the early 90s, Hasbro had bought up most of the international licenses to go along with its recent Kenner acquisition.

The company was Palitoy. They also made Action Man the british version of G.I. Joe of which one of the vehicles was a retooled TIE fighter.

[wm cheng]

You've got until September 20th to get Star Wars kits from Hobby Link Japan.

Thanks I got everything I needed from HLJ for now (even went back to get some more just in case Too bad the new X-Wing will be released too late for this Sep 20 deadline - argh.

[SchizophrenicMC]

The company was Palitoy. They also made Action Man the british version of G.I. Joe of which one of the vehicles was a retooled TIE fighter.

Yes that's the one.

[electric indigo]

Take a look at Revell's level 2 kits - if you dare:

http://www.revell.de/en/products/star-wars/star-wars-episode-vii.html

To be fair, the kit of Kylo's shuttle actually looks decent.

Also, there's now a statement from Revell over the issue on their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/Revell/posts/1016212158424219

Basically, they point the finger at Disney and strictly deny any involvement in Disney's pressure on japanese online retailers. While it's true that Revell can't do a thing about this, they still look pretty bad now that the whole debate puts the finger on their under-enthusiastic approach to kit design.

Edited September 11, 2015 by electric indigo

[wm cheng]

Really?! That level 2 X-Wing kit is just sad... it looks like melted blooby details. And to think that it is TWICE the size of the Bandai one (why is Revell making 1/50 scale X-Wing - uh?!) will only make the crappy simplified details look even bigger.

Edited September 11, 2015 by wm cheng

[calubin_175]

Wow they really are gone in HLJ. Too bad I ordered my 1/48s before the discount.

It appears that HLJ will stock them at a minimum in the future for their Japanese market since most of their customers are overseas.

Hence with the ban, they should off load as many they could since their customer base for the kits will be gone.

[Kelsain]

I almost put r2&r5 in private warehouse when this all started. But oh well. I might have to pay a little more on the bay for these, but they'll still be around. Unless bandai decides it not worth keeping the license w/o worldwide sales.

Of course, they would've made that decision going into this.

[Chronocidal]

So... what happened to the Fine Molds stuff getting sold by Revell? The stuff they have listed is not even remotely similar.

Or is that because that's the Revell Germany site?

I don't think I've ever seen such a huge pile of livestock defecation masquerading as a product line before.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Chronocidal

[mechaninac]

Ultimately, regardless of how much it stinks, Disney, being the property owner, has every right to dictate terms to licensees, as they see fit. Ultimately too, it is everyone's right to vote with their money by deciding if the Revell alternatives are good enough and/or provide an adequate value for the price. I know I will not purchase anything Star Wars made by Revell (FM molds excluded, depending on MSRP) for which there is a Bandai version -- which we all know will be infinitely superior -- even if I have to pay inflated eBay prices or search other means, if it's truly something I must have; otherwise, I can live without... and save in the process.

The irksome thing, though, is that this whole kerfuffle could be avoided if Revell were willing, and allowed by Disney, to work out a distribution arrangement with Bandai, if they'd be open to such a deal, to sell Bandai produced kits, re-branded in the same Revell category as the FM molds offerings (a small blurb on the box and instructions would be all that would be necessary, besides what already appears on the sprues, to credit Bandai) for the non-Japanese markets. Such a contract would be a win, win, win, win solution: Disney wins by not coming across as complete tools, Revell wins by offering a wide array of options to suit every price point and expectation, Bandai wins by keeping their Japanese distribution rights and expanding production to meet worldwide demand, and, most important of all, the hobbyist and fans win by being allowed to purchase what they want, regardless of what they want, without having to jump through artificially imposed hoops.

Edited September 12, 2015 by mechaninac

[VF-19]

This whole thing could also have been avoided by Bandai not agreeing to the licensing restrictions. But then we wouldn't have gotten the kits in the first place, and we wouldn't be having this problem.

I really hope Disney is paying attention to all of this.

[calubin_175]

I almost put r2&r5 in private warehouse when this all started. But oh well. I might have to pay a little more on the bay for these, but they'll still be around. Unless bandai decides it not worth keeping the license w/o worldwide sales.

Of course, they would've made that decision going into this.

This is odd. I mean obviously the fan base in Asia would be booming due to the movie reboot, but then the majority of the fans are from the western world and Bandai is really missing out on the primary Star Wars target market.

I know that there is a least a little section for Star Wars merchandise in every toy store and department store when I was in Japan. There were a fair few Black Series being sold while the Star Wars figuarts/SIC have long been sold out. Revoltechs weren't selling too well.

[Jefuemon]

Interesting. I can buy Hasbro Black Series items on Amazon Japan. They're branding it under Takara/Tomy.

Strange that the "embargo" only goes one direction.

[GobotFool]

The irksome thing, though, is that this whole kerfuffle could be avoided if Revell were willing, and allowed by Disney, to work out a distribution arrangement with Bandai, if they'd be open to such a deal, to sell Bandai produced kits, re-branded in the same Revell category as the FM molds offerings (a small blurb on the box and instructions would be all that would be necessary, besides what already appears on the sprues, to credit Bandai) for the non-Japanese markets. Such a contract would be a win, win, win, win solution: Disney wins by not coming across as complete tools, Revell wins by offering a wide array of options to suit every price point and expectation, Bandai wins by keeping their Japanese distribution rights and expanding production to meet worldwide demand, and, most important of all, the hobbyist and fans win by being allowed to purchase what they want, regardless of what they want, without having to jump through artificially imposed hoops.

It still seems strange to me that across the board its primarily Bandai's Plastic Model Kits being targeted by this legal technicality. Here is the best case scenario that I am hoping is true. Bandai/Disney/Revell are, or already have worked out some kind of deal as described above, and the current pressure on asian importers to stop selling the original asian releases is to make sure there is actually enough demand for the kits when they are officially brought onto the international market. That's just my best case scenario speculation.

I actually find it encouraging that Revell actually bothered to make any kind of statement regarding peoples justified or unjustified anger at revell for the currently emposed ban. It does show that they have at least noticed fan's dissatifaction with the products they are currently offering and might encourage Revell (if they already haven't) to hash something out with Disney and Bandai to officially import Bandai's kits under Revells name for the international market, or at least make a better line of model kits.

Edited September 12, 2015 by GobotFool

[SchizophrenicMC]

Interesting. I can buy Hasbro Black Series items on Amazon Japan. They're branding it under Takara/Tomy.

Strange that the "embargo" only goes one direction.

Well, to be fair, Takara and Hasbro have a long-standing relationship where they sell each other's goods under their respective brands in their respective markets. It's why all the Zoids merch got Hasbro branding in the US and parts of Europe. It's not unusual that Hasbro items are being sold through Takara-Tomy, and while I haven't really paid much attention, I wouldn't be surprised if Hasbro sold some Takara-Tomy products.

Of course, it's also my understanding that the Hasbro-Takara relationship is somewhat exclusive and wouldn't allow for any Bandai products to enter into the mix. (Which I also think sucks because I prefer Bandai's level of quality and detail to TT's.)

Interesting how Revell brushed that one off. Somehow I find it hard to believe that they had nothing to do with it. All the same, they did work out a deal with Fine Molds, so maybe a deal could be, or was attempted with Bandai? (The latter scenario indicating failure on Bandai's part to want to make a deal?) What a debacle.

[electric indigo]

Interesting how Revell brushed that one off. Somehow I find it hard to believe that they had nothing to do with it. All the same, they did work out a deal with Fine Molds, so maybe a deal could be, or was attempted with Bandai? (The latter scenario indicating failure on Bandai's part to want to make a deal?) What a debacle.

I can imagine Bandai wanting complete control over their products and having no desire to have their kits re-branded by anybody, especially if that would mean that Revell would earn the esteem for their own brand instead of Bandai.

From every company's perspective, the situation makes perfect sense.

[GobotFool]

I was able to slip in and get the Boba Fett pre-ordered at HLJ before it sold out, but I missed out on slave 1. Ended up having to pre-order it BBTS along with the episode 7 x-wing.

I E-mailed BBTS because I was wondering how this impacted the current kits they have up for pre-order and this is the response I got

Good afternoon Joshua,

Thank you for the follow up and at this time we have not been provided with any shipping restrictions yet. In the event something should change though we will certainly inform everyone with pending preorders about potential complications. Hopefully things stay as is for a while but in the meantime if you have further questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

--
Sincerely,
Mike

Customer Relations Manager

www.bigbadtoystore.com

321 SMC Dr. | Somerset, WI 54025

Either BBTS is totally oblivious to the situation, Knows something we don't or their supplier is someone who is not able to be bullied by Disney or Bandai. Hope it's the latter 2.

Edited September 12, 2015 by GobotFool

[Dobber]

I was able to slip in and get the Boba Fett pre-ordered at HLJ before it sold out, but I missed out on slave 1. Ended up having to pre-order it BBTS along with the episode 7 x-wing.

I E-mailed BBTS because I was wondering how this impacted the current kits they have up for pre-order and this is the response I got

Either BBTS is totally oblivious to the situation, Knows something we don't or their supplier is someone who is not able to be bullied by Disney or Bandai. Hope it's the latter 2.

I seriously doubt BBTS is going to get the new Ep7 kits.

So... what happened to the Fine Molds stuff getting sold by Revell? The stuff they have listed is not even remotely similar.

Or is that because that's the Revell Germany site?

I don't think I've ever seen such a huge pile of livestock defecation masquerading as a product line before.

They are coming in Nov. branded as the Master-series.

Chris

Edited September 12, 2015 by Dobber

[Chronocidal]

That's what I get for not watching the videos.

I want to scream at them for all the pre-painted snap-tite crap, but to be fair, that larger scale X-wing might actually be worth a purchase. I've been begging for 1/32 kits for a long time, and I think that one is fairly close from what I read.

The video looked a lot better than the kit photos, in any case. Proportions look a little off in a few spots, and the detail isn't very crisp. Might need a few scratch-built parts to actually look accurate. My biggest issue is that the lower half of the nose looks too deep.

I might be being generous really, but for comparison, I'd already planned to re-work and rebuild the old AMT Pro-Shop kit into something that didn't make me gag. The detail on this new one is already a quantum leap above that kit, and would probably make a much better starting point.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Chronocidal

[Dobber]

If you are like me and wanting a new Ep. 7 X-wing, the level 2 versions that are about 1/49-1/50 don't look too bad. Not close to bandai, but they look fairly accurate enough to work with. I think a good repaint and applying some modeling skills like glueing and fixing seems will really help. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

I just finished 2 of the 1/72 bandai OT X-wings....they are amazing kits. I made Red 3 and Red 5. What I loved about those kits is that they actually give the correct parts to make the different variants. Red 3 has a shorter slightly different shaped nose cone and 1 short engine nozzle. Both of which are included. Other differences would be the "toilet seat" on the but plate faces down on Luke's Red 5, up on most of the others, and is just plain missing on Red 3. The kit lets you make it facing or down and a quick trim can remove it for Red 3. Unfortunately, most models....including FM's use the short Red 3 nose. I think that may be because ILM built a large 4ft X-wing for ROTJ but it was never used on screen. It has the short nose too.

I fortunately bought a couple more kits a month ago as I wanted to make Reds 1-6, so now I plan on just making Red 2 and 6. Red 6 is REALLY cool looking. I never realized how different the paint schemes were in ANH.

Chris

Edited September 12, 2015 by Dobber

[Chronocidal]

Oh, absolutely, I mean, the X-Wings in-universe were all pretty much chop-jobs, patched up and repaired on the fly with whatever was handy. No two were painted alike.

I think the Red 3 version of the nose cone got popularized because I seem to recall seeing mostly photos of that model as references, and it was the model shown on the old MPC 1/41-ish kit with the ROTJ label.

The details of X-wing models are really a topic unto themselves though. I've done a lot of research into where the individual parts came from so I could go straight to the source. That rear toilet seat thing was just a plug used to cover the mounting point for the filming armature. The entire back panel is also the top from a WWII Sherman tank, I believe.

I love tracking down where those parts came from. It's basically what Fine Molds did for their 1/72 Falcon kit. That isn't a kit of the Falcon, exactly.. it's a Falcon shell, with several hundred reduced scale replicas of parts from other model kits. The Y-Wing is really the same thing, but I don't know if they went to those same lengths with that kit.

[calubin_175]

The 2010 60cm Hasbro AT-AT is 1/32 scale.

Too bad there aren't any 1/48(45cm/18 inch) ones.

At the moment, my Episode 1-3 period toys are all Sideshow 1/6 scale.

Then my Episode 4-6 period ones are just Bandai 1/48 scale model kits.

Lastly, my episode 7 toys begin with the 1/12 scale TIE fighter. Hopefully they will release elite trooper + speeder, and trooper commander on walker in Black Series 1/12 scale (6 inch).

It was odd that they released a 12 inch FIrst Order trooper on the walker and not a 6 inch.

[myk]

Yay. My Poe Dameron X wing is here. Anyone else pick that up?

[Black Valkyrie]

SW- Space Opera by Takara

[Chronocidal]

So, I managed to get one of the 1/48th Bandai X-Wings through amazon, and I have to say, I'm a little surprised that they left a few obvious features out..

Unlike the 1/72 kit, despite the nose cone and tail cap plug being separate pieces, they didn't include the alternate options for the separate ships and R2 units. Between that, and the specifically colored panels, they pretty much intend for you to make only Luke's ship.

The molding looks very nice, as expected, but what's funny is that I think some of the details looked better on the 1/72 one. The nozzle details don't look as finely molded as the ones on the fronts of the gun mounts (which is amusing since they're supposed to be identical). The color molded parts are the most irritating feature by far though, I wish Bandai would stop trying to shoehorn its gunplay techniques into other kits. Not only do they try to force you into a single paint scheme, but they throw a ton of random seams all over the kit, and then force you to primer the whole thing before painting it if you don't want colors bleeding through.

Eh. I can appreciate some of the finer details though, I think this is the only kit to fully mold the torpedo launcher alleys, and the glass-less cockpit cover is a nice touch (though in the wrong color, of course).

The kit overall looks awesome, and should make a nice display, but I think the Fine Molds version is just a more sensible kit in most ways. The electronics are nice, but I would have liked to have been able to pick and choose which set of markings I use. There are so many alternate schemes from the EU that could have been done, but it'll take a lot of extra work to make them happen.

Edit: oh, and one small pet peeve.. I know the landing pads aren't anything anyone expects to be realistic.. but they could at least make them small enough so they're not obviously thicker than the area they go inside of. The landing pads are just comically oversized. I've made a flight sim X-wing model with entirely functional landing gear, so I know it's possible to fit the pads in where they're supposed to go.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Chronocidal

[electric indigo]

Well, the landing pads have to double-function as the lower compressors, so they need to be big...

[Negotiator]

Quick mafex darth Vader review. I can't take pics because he's already packed up. ( moving this weekend).

There's at least 2 YouTube reviews so you can see the articulation and unmasked head.

they missed some features. The mask is actually 2 tone mimicking the ANH 2 tone. I haven't done much digging as to why it's 2 tone. I'm assuming it was for the sake of defining the shapes of his mask for film so not sure if you can see it on a video review unless they really zoom in on it..

The chest guard is a little long but it's to cover the mid torso joint. He can look down by giving him a little ab crunch.

The top helmet can move a around a bit because it's a round peg that connects it with his head.

The chain is molded into the chest guard however I think it works well and doesn't detract from the overall look. The cape has wires on both sides for poseability.

He stands pretty good in height next to a 6" black series fig.

Lights saber is really nice and can clip onto his belt. It feels sturdy. Not like the the gummy ass rubber plastic light sabers that hasbro uses.

I opted for this one over the SHF because I wanted the height and a burned head option and it has exceeded my expectation. Imo the mask sculpt just seems the most accurate of the other variations. I'd recommend this version for anyone that wants to display it against the black series. It kills the hasbro 6" vader.

[Black Valkyrie]

Now this is what a call an upgrade version of R2-D2 .

[Dobber]

Now this is what a call an upgrade version of R2-D2 .

HA! That is pretty clever! Just need to make that R2 go up against 2199's Analyzer.

So, I managed to get one of the 1/48th Bandai X-Wings through amazon, and I have to say, I'm a little surprised that they left a few obvious features out..Unlike the 1/72 kit, despite the nose cone and tail cap plug being separate pieces, they didn't include the alternate options for the separate ships and R2 units. Between that, and the specifically colored panels, they pretty much intend for you to make only Luke's ship.The molding looks very nice, as expected, but what's funny is that I think some of the details looked better on the 1/72 one. The nozzle details don't look as finely molded as the ones on the fronts of the gun mounts (which is amusing since they're supposed to be identical). The color molded parts are the most irritating feature by far though, I wish Bandai would stop trying to shoehorn its gunplay techniques into other kits. Not only do they try to force you into a single paint scheme, but they throw a ton of random seams all over the kit, and then force you to primer the whole thing before painting it if you don't want colors bleeding through.Eh. I can appreciate some of the finer details though, I think this is the only kit to fully mold the torpedo launcher alleys, and the glass-less cockpit cover is a nice touch (though in the wrong color, of course).The kit overall looks awesome, and should make a nice display, but I think the Fine Molds version is just a more sensible kit in most ways. The electronics are nice, but I would have liked to have been able to pick and choose which set of markings I use. There are so many alternate schemes from the EU that could have been done, but it'll take a lot of extra work to make them happen.Edit: oh, and one small pet peeve.. I know the landing pads aren't anything anyone expects to be realistic.. but they could at least make them small enough so they're not obviously thicker than the area they go inside of. The landing pads are just comically oversized. I've made a flight sim X-wing model with entirely functional landing gear, so I know it's possible to fit the pads in where they're supposed to go.

Just got mine as well. I don't really mind the missing options as the 1/48 FM kit is made with the short nose like ALL other X-wing kits besides the Bandai's. I'll just make the Bandai as Red 5 and the FM as Red 3 or the unused 5 footer.

Chris

Edited October 7, 2015 by Dobber

[Chronocidal]

Was that 5 foot model never actually used? I thought it was used in some of the closeups from ROTJ.

I've actually always liked the details on that one, even if they don't quite match the originals. Considering how many on-the-fly patch jobs those ships would have received, I've always wondered what a "stock" X-Wing would look like, similar to how the Y-wing was shown in Clone Wars with all of the exterior panels attached.

One thing I always did find funny though was that ROTJ used a significant number of the original MPC kits for the wide angle shots, and I'm pretty sure they were re-used for the footage put together for Star Tours. I took a close look at one of the X-Wings during the ride once, and I was able to pick out the pin-holes in the lower wings for locking the wings together. Wobbly wings aside, those kits were really quite good, especially for the late 70s.

[Black Valkyrie]

Chewie, we're home.

[Dobber]

When is this wave due to be released? I'd really like to get the Snowtrooper and Captain Phasma.

Chris

[Chronocidal]

So I did a quick buildup of the Bandai 1/48th X-Wing, took a couple hours with very little parts clean-up. Very nice kit overall, with a few exasperating features. They definitely have the edge over Fine Molds in terms of detail though, the molding and fit are crisp all around (with a notable exception I'll get to). Shape of the ship is a bit different in scale and proportion, with a bit wider fuselage, and slightly smaller cannons. Cockpit is much more detailed as well, with a much better shape, and I love the option to leave the glass out of the canopy frame. The frame itself also looks more robust than the Fine Molds, though that may be due to being molded separately from the canopy glass.

One annoying bit.. the fuselage construction is just way too complicated. They molded a ton of sections separately, dividing them (mostly) by panel lines, and put them in different colors to replicate the movie model. The colors are quite a bit too stark in contrast though, and will need a significant amount of weathering and fading before they look right (honestly, the colors are dark enough, they might work as pre-shading). Bandai also didn't really do a great job dividing up the panels, so you might be left with an ugly zig-zagging seam running down the right side under the cockpit. The panels are just divided awkwardly, and they don't fit well in that particular spot.

I do hope to see a version made that leaves out all the electronics, because as fancy as they are, they're a pain during construction. The design of the wing mechanism is probably the most annoying, since the way the kit is constructed, you have to build the wings directly onto the wing mounts in layers. If you could just build them and plug them in, it would be much simpler, both for construction, and painting. The motor is also geared so that the wings do not move at all unless under power, so in order to open or close the wings, you have to mount the ship on the stand.

A word of caution about the wings as well, they're not identical. There are small guide nubs in most cases to make sure you mount the right parts on the right wing, but that doesn't mean they won't let you press two parts half-way together before you realize that you have the wrong parts (I sheared off one mounting pin when I tried to press together two wing layers that didn't go together, and they didn't want to come apart). Safest way to go is to follow the part numbers, and only build one wing at a time. Bandai did its best to replicate the specific details for Luke's ship, and that includes all the little greeblies that made each wing different from the others.

All in all a fun build, it's clear Bandai put a lot of work into making this kit match a specific movie miniature, while Fine Molds' kit seems to be more generic in many respects, based on any number of references from the different studio models. I do think I prefer the construction of the Fine Molds one, since the mess of little panels that slot together to make the Bandai's fuselage are probably one of its main issues (though not a huge deal by any means).

Now the real fun begins.. disassembling the whole thing, and building and painting it up properly.

[Hikuro]

I just got my R2-D2/R5-D4 and Storm Trooper kits yesterday after work. Surprised I could even order them so yeah awesome.
Started obviously with my Storm Trooper cause it's something I always wanted to cosplay and maybe someday I can in 85lbs.
But the construction is insanely simplistic and quick, this much progress in 45 minutes even with a little extra paint and water slides....which those have been just a tad finiky, nothign I can't handle though!

I kind of want to repaint the dome for R2, the silver parts are that lame ass texture as the mustard yellow they use on Gundam kits. I'd really like that dome of his to shine along with the rest of his metal parts.

Also as I'm looking at these I think, while I"d probably do a slight bit of weathering to this storm trooper, I really don't wanna do any kind of panel line marking on the droids. It's kind of odd, but it just feels more right to not have those on there.

[Black Valkyrie]

http://www.starwars7news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/LEGO-6.jpg

[Chronocidal]

All I'm going to say is....

What.