Friday, May 22, 2015

Model Kit Review: Bandai 1/12 C-3PO

BACKGROUND

We seem to be made to suffer! It's our lot in life.
See-Threepio, the fussy protocol droid, that along with his counterpart R2-D2, served as the audience's introduction the the Star Wars galaxy in 1977. Fluent in over six million forms of communication, Threepio comes to find himself in the service of the Lars family on the planet Tatooine before following Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Artoo aboard the Millennium Falcon to rescue Princess Leia and the Galaxy from the evil Empire. Ever serving as the foil to Artoo's jokes, Anthony Daniels' Threepio became one of the best known robots in cinema history!


THE KIT

The most recent addition to Bandai's wonderful line of 1/12 scale figure kits, C-3PO joins R2-D2, Darth Vader, and the Imperial Stormtrooper to round out a nice offering of iconic Star Wars characters.

The kit offers the level of detail that is expected from Bandai, right down to the multiple options provided to build Threepio has he is seen in the various Original Trilogy movies. Included is the communicator he used to talk to Luke during the Death Star rescue in A New Hope, two faceplates (one with a dent and one without), one eye that has been pulled from its socket (as seen on Jabba's sailbarge in Return of the Jedi), restraining bolts, and two arm/hand options. True to the costume worn by Daniels, this model does not have the range of movement most people are used to with a Bandai figure kit. To help remedy this, Bandai included two static arms that can be used to give the model its well known bent arm pose and a multiple piece set of arms that offer flexibility in the elbow joint. The downside to the flexible arms is that some of pieces used to build it do not have the bright gold plating featured on the rest of the kit. Painting the pieces is easy enough, but matching the plating would be difficult and the best metallic paints on the market might be out of the skill level for the younger or novice modeller. For the torso and back of the knees, both stickers and waterslide decals are provided to replicate the wiring seen on the costume. However, painting this areas is an option as well. The plating on the model is fantastic and appears to be very close to how it appears on screen. Another plus, almost all of the parts are undergated to preserve the plating when they are being clipped from the sprue. Most parts that aren't undergated will be hidden except for the back of the calves. Though it is a slight disappointment, it can be hidden with a quick splash of paint or ignored since it won't be see if the model is in a static display.

CONCLUSION

Thank the maker!
Overall, the kit is a wonderful experience and goes together quite well. The only issues I found were that the shoulder and wrist connections are a little loose but they have no problem staying in place when left undisturbed. Painting this kit was very easy because there wasn't much painting involved. The torso section was painted with Tamiya Rubber Black (XF-85) and given a light drybrush with 502 Abteilung Faded UN Grey. I then used various Vallejo greys to pick out the wires. The back of the knee joint was painted in a similar fashion, The torso hydraulics were painted with Vallejo Liquid Metal Old Gold and VMA Steel. I also used VMA Steel to paint the hydraulics on the arms. After it was completed, I gave the entire model a gunk wash with 502 Abteilung Starship Filth oil paint. It's an easy process: apply undiluted oil paint directly on the model where you want it and then use a rag to wipe off the excess. It leaves the build up in the nooks and crannies and gives the entire surface a nice patina. The oil drips on his chest were painted with thinned down 502 Abteilung Engine Grease oil paint.

10 comments:

  1. Hi there. What was your technique for painting the torso wires? I'm experimenting with the finest brush I could find in the artist section at Hobby Lobby as well as a toothpick but struggling to achieve the results I like. I'm a novice so perhaps I just need practice. Thanks!

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  2. Additionally did you paint all the wires or just the thicker ones? I can get those okay but struggling with the small ones.

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    1. I painted all of the cables with a brush. The trick is to use the side of the brush and drag it along the raised wires.

      As far as brushes go, try to get yourself a high quality Kolinksy sable brush. Look for a Windsor & Newton Series 7, Raphael Series 8404, or Scharff Series 3000. You can find them at a fine art store or buy them online. They're not cheap, but worth every penny.

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    2. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions Thomas, I appreciate it. I've been using Master's Touch brushes from the Hobby Lobby art aisle but I'm 100% willing to buy some better brushes.

      You mentioned you used the side of the brush. I've been trying the smallest, finest, thinnest round brushes I can find. That said, sounds like maybe you're using a flat brush? If you can tell me a little more about the brush you used I'd really appreciate it. Thanks again!

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    3. I use a Scharff Series 3000 size 1 round tip as my main brush. I use a technique called "edge highlighting" where you put a little bit of pain on the brush and then hold it almost perpendicular to what you are trying to paint, lightly brushing the raised surface.

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  3. Thanks for the responses Thomas. I started my gunk wash process yesterday. I am using Starship Filth as well. I broke C3P0 down into pieces and brushed paint all over a single piece then quickly wiped it down. I've noticed that the paint really removes / strips away the deep golden color and alters the appearance of the plastic - leaving it much lighter in color but still shiny. In hindsight I suppose I could just coat the areas I want to bring out the detail on rather than the entire surface of the part. Did you experience anything along these lines?

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    1. Yes, the oil paint will alter the color of the plastic. It was acceptable to me because I felt the final result made him appear more like he did in the movies.

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    2. I took a second look at the pieces I'd completed the wash on and the variation when compared to the untouched pieces was much less pronounced than I remembered. I also am happy with the results.

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  4. My c3po has been on the shelf for awhile now and still not happy with my paint job. I'd like to redo his torso with the waterslides. Any chance you'd sell me yours? I can't find them for sale online. Simple snail mail with a stamp would work and happy to pay pal you some money.

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    1. I have them somewhere and you're than welcome to have them, but I'll have to look for them. Shoot me an email with your address and I'll send them your way. My email is in the commissions tab on my blog.

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