Newbie looking for recommendations on SW kits

[Seriksen]

Hello everyone, this thread might be a bit weird but I guess given the fact that this is therpf, also relatable.

I haven't built models in a while, the last one I built was a Finemolds Tie Fighter that I never really got to finish. I'm absolutely fascinated model making and model kits and I've loved Star Wars for as long as I can remember. Anyway, I've found that model-building to be really therapeutic for me and I'm currently going through some rough times and need to get into the zen mindset model making gets me into. Since I haven't been in the game for a while I really have no idea of what kits are good or not.

I'm thinking I might spend around 150-170$ on some kits and start building. I live in Sweden and I am a bit confused regarding the make of certain kits, Bandai seems to be the main brand international on eBay but from what I've found, Revell is at least distributing the kits in the EU?

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Do you have any recommendations on good kits for an old amateur getting back into it? Any good international/ EU-based retailers? Mainly the OT era and I really need an X-wing kit.

 

[basementdweller]

Since Amazon.se is not yet in action we have to resort to using some of the EU ones and the one that has worked best for me is Amazon.de. Get an account if you don't have one, figure out your preferred language and shop for €39 to get free shipping to Sweden. Search for the Bandai kits repackaged by revell (just search "revell bandai") - they have x-wing and slave 1 at €29 and 4 others at €22 I think and the more expensive at-at in stock. Choose to buy from amazon directly and you'll have them in like 3-5 days. There is also the big perfect grade flacon for mucho dineros, but that exceeds your listed budget. Avoid most of the revell kits as you'll be dissapointed. I bought a few of them and the oens from the prequel movies are passable, but the newer ones are really just like big kinder egg toys. The Venator is a good model, but that ones is a bit on the expensive side. You might also be interested in the reboxed Zvezda Star Destroyer. There are plenty of builds in the forum here.

Get at least some cheap flush side cutters and a scalpel + needle files from biltema and you are set. Bandais are push-fit, but 'd still recommend to get a plastic glue for some parts and if you want to build other type of stuff down the line. I will always push for Tamiya extra thin cement. Check out youtube for how to use it (put the parts together first and allow the glue to flow in place by capillary forces). It's like magic.

As for colours... My personal goto is Vallejo acrylics, but I have many brands. I've even started mixing my own from bulk pigment dyes for printers. I go with acrylics because I have sensitive people around me and try to avoid the ones with the smelliest solvents. Key here if you are not going to airbrush is to dilute your paints. If you have a garage or something I would just get a spray primer (Hagmans plastprimer from Jula or wherever) and a grey spraypaint that is a good match for the base star wars ship colour. A bottle of Pledge golv polish (sten och linoleum tror jag det står) from ICA is super useful as both a sealer and a way to thin acrylics as it's basically acrylic binder, water and some surfectant additives.

Lycka till!

 

[Haui]

for get Revell that is poor quality mor for kids. Buy Bandai you will get great kits for your money and it is not so expensive. You can oder it by ebay or directly in japan i had god experience with tokio model detecive

 

[Analyzer]

Note, in Europe, Revell is the distributor of Bandai kits. I believe the boxes may have both the Revell logo as well as the Bandai one. They also redistributed the Zvedzda Star Destroyer. Revell does have their own line of kits as well but they are usually listed with a lower "skill level" and either have no scale listed or are an odd scale. Bandai kits are either 1/72 or 1/48 and are listed as skill Level 5

 

[Seriksen]

Since Amazon.se is not yet in action we have to resort to using some of the EU ones and the one that has worked best for me is Amazon.de. Get an account if you don't have one, figure out your preferred language and shop for €39 to get free shipping to Sweden. Search for the Bandai kits repackaged by revell (just search "revell bandai") - they have x-wing and slave 1 at €29 and 4 others at €22 I think and the more expensive at-at in stock. Choose to buy from amazon directly and you'll have them in like 3-5 days. There is also the big perfect grade flacon for mucho dineros, but that exceeds your listed budget. Avoid most of the revell kits as you'll be dissapointed. I bought a few of them and the oens from the prequel movies are passable, but the newer ones are really just like big kinder egg toys. The Venator is a good model, but that ones is a bit on the expensive side. You might also be interested in the reboxed Zvezda Star Destroyer. There are plenty of builds in the forum here.

Get at least some cheap flush side cutters and a scalpel + needle files from biltema and you are set. Bandais are push-fit, but 'd still recommend to get a plastic glue for some parts and if you want to build other type of stuff down the line. I will always push for Tamiya extra thin cement. Check out youtube for how to use it (put the parts together first and allow the glue to flow in place by capillary forces). It's like magic.

As for colours... My personal goto is Vallejo acrylics, but I have many brands. I've even started mixing my own from bulk pigment dyes for printers. I go with acrylics because I have sensitive people around me and try to avoid the ones with the smelliest solvents. Key here if you are not going to airbrush is to dilute your paints. If you have a garage or something I would just get a spray primer (Hagmans plastprimer from Jula or wherever) and a grey spraypaint that is a good match for the base star wars ship colour. A bottle of Pledge golv polish (sten och linoleum tror jag det står) from ICA is super useful as both a sealer and a way to thin acrylics as it's basically acrylic binder, water and some surfectant additives.

Lycka till!

I'll definitely write up a shopping list based on your recommendations and the fact that you specified some materials that are relatively easy for me to get a hold of locally is a godsend, thank you!

Not that I mean to neglect the responses from @Haui & @Analyzer

You also provided very valuable information! I can't wait to order some kits and share my building process with you fine people! I'll also take a look in my storage and see if I can find the box with the rest of the parts for my Finemolds Tie Fighter, perhaps that kit will finally be complete. Or I might customize it a bit with some kitbashing and custom colors, who knows haha!

Thanks again you all! You've already put me in a better mood and have gotten my fingers to itch for some kits to build!

 

[3Dsf]

Yes - definitely check carefully. Revell kits made by Revell tend to be toylike junk. Strange random scales, poor detailing, wacky proportions sometimes, etc. Bandai Star Wars kits, however, are remarkable pieces of engineering.

However, as noted some Star Wars kits by Bandai are being resold by Revell in Europe. So check the box carefully for the red Bandai logo!

 

[edge10]

Yes - definitely check carefully. Revell kits made by Revell tend to be toylike junk. Strange random scales, poor detailing, wacky proportions sometimes, etc. Bandai Star Wars kits, however, are remarkable pieces of engineering.

However, as noted some Star Wars kits by Bandai are being resold by Revell in Europe. So check the box carefully for the red Bandai logo!

Or the blue Bandai logo. The new ones are blue.

Seriksen: Bandai makes 1/144, 1/72 and 1/48 X-wings. The 1/48 includes electronics, which drive the price up to around $100 US.

 

[3Dsf]

Oh yeah - they rebranded Bandai Spirits products to the blue logo, didn't they?

 

[robn1]

Revell also reboxes some of the Fine Molds kits, at stupid high prices.

 

[basementdweller]

The search term I supplied "Revell Bandai" lists exactly those in order at the top at amazon.de. No problems. They have the Bandai Logo and the SKUS are 01200 through 01208.

01200 X-wing 1/72 @€29
01201 Tie-Fighter 1/72 @€22
01202 AT-ST 1/48 @€22
01203 Snowspeder 1/48 @€22
01204 Slave-1 1/144 @€29
01205 AT-AT 1/144 @€37
01206 Millennium Falcon Perfect Grade 1/72 @€390 (I am sure there are cheaper sources for this thing)
01207 Death Star II + Imp Star Destroyer Vehicle Models (very small but detailed) @€20 pre-order
01208 B-Wing 1/72 @€60 pre-order.

I suggested this source because the prices in Sweden are exorbitant on account of the high taxes locally and the import taxes on anything coming outside of EU. Funnily enough Amazon is a better source than Revell.de as they don't even list some of the coming kits. The AT-AT retails for €50 at the Revell store. I can't fault German Revell's customer service though.