I’ve been working on this for a month or two, I don’t recall exactly when I started, but I’ve finally finished this kit. It’s not quite 1/12 scale as advertised, but is still impressive in whatever scale he truly is.
Vallejo, Tamiya, and Mr Hobby paints were used.
I finished him with a light dry brushing of Vallejo Black-Grey to raise some of the details and topped him off with an overall Vallejo Satin finish so he’s not too dull but definitely not glossy.
I did my research on the grenades so they’re portrayed accurately. This is a really cool kit and worth putting a bit more time into and not just building straight out of the box. I really want to grab up the A.W.E. striker when it releases and paint it in NATO colors and camo. With the Molotow Chrome over the swords he really makes an impression! I can’t wait to have a vehicle for him that isn’t a motorcycle.
I’ve been tinkering with this kit, and the Starscream kit as well. I’ve ventured into using pearl paints and I’m loving the colors!
I may have to finish up an idea I’ve had for a long time concerning my Tamiya Skyline.
Edit:
Ive been using CreateX Wicked Red Pearl, and Extreme Blue Pearl, over Vallejo Metal Color White Aluminum for the metallic look. I’m happy with the results!
Your Snake Eyes turned out great! I really like the color scheme that you used. I’d say the quality looks as good as the Star Wars figure kits by Bandai. Is this the Snake Eyes kit that is currently being sold at Hobby Lobby?
Nope. Snake Eyes was an ex special forces operative in Viet Nam before his face and throat were serverely damaged in a Huey crash rendering him hideously scarred and silent. Hence the full face helmet. He was trained in the martial art of Ninjitsu after that and signed up with GI Joe as a commando team instructor.
That’s the short story. Lol
That movie they recently made completely reinvented him as an entirely different person.
I really like how his swords turned out as well. Just waiting three days for the Molotow chrome to fully cure was driving me mad lol.
This figure has an internal skeletal system that the main body parts fit over to make up the character. It’s highly articulated and I can put him in almost any pose one could think of. It’s fun to mess with!
No kidding! I’m really enjoying a few of the Bandai kits as well as these Furai Flame Toys kits. The Starscream kit is really coming together well, if slowly, because I’m using it to experiment with CreateX paints and polyurethane clears instead of my usual Vallejo clear acrylic resin paints and I’m learning how to use the new paints with my current skills. I’m quite happy with the results so far even though I’ve made many mistakes. I know how to do it better next time.
The quality of these Furai kits is up there with Bandai in my opinion. Fit and finish is top notch. However if Bandai decided to produce their own kits of these characters I’d choose Bandai hands-down. Bandai ha almost perfected their engineering to hide seams and streamline the assembly process. Furai has some learning to do in that department. Sometimes the instructions are clear as mud until you see the next step assembled and they need to engineer some of their parts a bit better like Bandai does, but not directly copy them. They do have an opportunity to be better at hiding seams and placing the pour stubs in better positions to ease sanding and trimming in awkward small places.
That said, it is a great kit, fun to build (with a bit of trouble spots due to the instruction diagrams), and even more fun to mess around with all of the cool accessories he comes with. Included are four sets of hands for the different weapons, an Uzi, a Tabor, two short swords, two M-9 Barettas, two knives, two stun/smoke grenades, three Frag grenades, and an AT-4. This kit is loaded with goodies to place him with.
And lastly, yes that is the kit you’ll find at Hobby Lobby and isn’t a bad deal if you get the 40% off at checkout. There is a separate kit for his Ninja motorcycle which can hold some of that gear including the Tabor, spare M-9, and the AT-4. In the pipeline to being released is his arch nemesis Storm Shadow and he’s loaded with extra stuff as well, has a motorcycle kit coming as well, but what I’m really looking forward to is the release of the A.W.E. Striker combat vehicle. It’s supposed to retail at $149, but I’m seriously hoping I can get that from Hobby Lobby and get a discount because that MSRP is steep!
