I came across a type of model kit that fits nicely into my limited personal time and even more limited willingness to put big purchases on credit card. You pay a monthly fee for part of the kit and build them over the course of months/years. The bonus is the kits are typically higher quality and more akin to props or studio models so what would have been $XXXX on the CC becomes ~24 payments of $XX. The brits call them partworks but in the States we’d probably call them “like a Lootbox but with models?” This will be my second such kit and while it takes patience I’m enjoying it thus far (no problems with either company at this point.)
This is a cute little 1/2 scale R2D2. Sure, there are plenty of replicas of Artoo but I was attracted to the fact this one has a fair amount of electronics in it and what appears to be a one-piece aluminum dome. My thinking is this prop will be something I’m not as embarrassed to show off to friends (everyone loves Artoo) and it will be fun to scare the hell out of cats with.
I started with his dome skeleton since the construction method was strange and alien to me. Almost like he was from another world.
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You basically start with a solid metal disc that has a spot in the center for a ball-bearing. You then attach the first row of black plastic “ribs” using tricky-to-handle nuts and screws. Once you figure out a method this task goes quickly.
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You’ll notice some panels have unique cut-outs for future parts.
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I was a bit worried when I first saw that the ribs were plastic, but once the reinforcement plates are sandwiched in between it’s a very solid frame.
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The kit comes with a cheapo plastic base for the solid steel tube to fit into. I’ll admit when I was putting the stand together I was thinking “well isn’t this an unnecessary waste of parts?”
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As it turns out once the dome is attached to it and spun the real value of the temporary stand becomes obvious (to spin it around and make R2D2 beeps.) It probably helps the dome from getting busted during assembly too.
wow, what an interesting way to build the head. So how long until you get all the parts? I actually bought a full-size astromech dome to one day build my own replica.
It’s one of those monthly magazine things and there’s 100 issues required to complete, so it’ll be just shy of 2 years and $2k (@ $20 per issue) to complete.
Apparently you can also opt to buy the whole kit and kaboodle in one hit.
Definitely an investment [:D] It’s definitely reminisent of an erector set! I thought it’d feel a bit flimsy before assembling all the dome rings. It’s actually very sturdy once everything is tightened down.
Yeah one nice feature of Deagostini kits is they seem to release full kits after the inital run is complete. I thought about doing that for the Falcon but after thinking about it I decided Artoo would be something I’d like to have. I believe this kit is not yet offered as a full kit but they do have a 12/24 month subscription option.
I got some Tamiya weathering chalks to help add some character to R2D2’s leg. I think they’ve definitely helped make the parts a bit more realistic looking.
Before:
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After
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Rusted up the silver parts a bit. The blue parts look great with a little silver applied to the edges to make them look worn. The silver powder also leaves behind a slight metallic sheen when polished (wiped off) the part so some areas got a little shine without changing color. A dab of soot in the nooks and crannies to help some of the detail pop.
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After seeing the results I’m feeling very optimistic that the finish kit will look amazing!
Managed to make some progress on my build - summer was a hectic time for me but I’ve got some free-time again.
Dome frame is complete and the electronic componets should begin to be installed in the coming issues.
Left leg is complete. Has a drive motor and sensors in it and most of the exterior parts installed. I will be weathering the foot area to match the upper leg.
No problems so far except a lack of time, but it was nice to collect a bunch of issues and then spend a night assembling it all at once.
Haha, can you imagine getting the parts delivered for that! They did just release a studio scale X-Wing kit that looks awesome and has a bunch of bells and whistles.
Howdy! It’s a pretty fun kit, though it definitely has its pros and cons. I also subscribed to it, and I’ve written up a pretty detailed review if it’s of interest. Lists what’s good and bad about it, and I’m working on documenting ways of improving its accuracy.
I also subscribed to it, and I’ve written up a pretty detailed review if it’s of interest. Lists what’s good and bad about it, and I’m working on documenting ways of improving its accuracy.