Bandai 1/144 AT-AT Imperial Walker build

[COlson]

I've completed my build of the Bandai 1/144 AT-AT Imperial Walker. I added a red 0402 SMD LED to the interior of the cockpit and glues some AK Interactive micro balloons around various areas to simulate settled snow.


My full gallery can be seen on my website. Star Wars Ep V Ship Models | Models by Chris

 

[Sym-Cha]

Excellent build and paintjob. Could you tell us a bit more of your painting process and what paints you used? I.e. did you first build the AT-AT entirely and then added paint or did you paint and weather some parts seperately before putting everything together? Basecoat black, grey or plain dull?

Chaïm

 

[edge10]

Great bump!

How did I miss this? Great build.

 

[COlson]

Excellent build and paintjob. Could you tell us a bit more of your painting process and what paints you used? I.e. did you first build the AT-AT entirely and then added paint or did you paint and weather some parts seperately before putting everything together? Basecoat black, grey or plain dull?

Chaïm

Believe it or not, the color of my AT-AT is just painted with Tamiya fine gray primer. That's it. I thought the color was perfect. I then coated it all with Tamiya clear coat and weathered with AK weathering pencils and some Tamiya pastels. Then flat coat when finished. The legs I painted separate and then attached. The rest was weathered completed.

 

[Sym-Cha]

So I just opened my Revell/Bandai AT-AT to check the color COlson mentioned and to my horror I discovered there are lots of smaller than a hair lines or cracks and tiny scratches on the head, body and several other parts, granted I observed them with a magnifying glass ... since this is my first Bandai kit from Revell ... is this normal for their plastic castings? Can anyone confirm they have the same issues on their model kits from Bandai?

Of course when sanded carefully and a real base coat added I expect these faults will become invisible ... yet that means I can't use the plastic color as my base.

Chaïm

 

[COlson]

So I just opened my Revell/Bandai AT-AT to check the color COlson mentioned and to my horror I discovered there are lots of smaller than a hair lines or cracks and tiny scratches on the head, body and several other parts, granted I observed them with a magnifying glass ... since this is my first Bandai kit from Revell ... is this normal for their plastic castings? Can anyone confirm they have the same issues on their model kits from Bandai?

Of course when sanded carefully and a real base coat added I expect these faults will become invisible ... yet that means I can't use the plastic color as my base.

Chaïm

I never saw any cracks in my kit. Very clean. I've even double checked. But I noticed you did say Bandai/Revell. Mine is Bandai. Is yours Bandai or the Revell?

 

[Sym-Cha]

It's a Bandai AT-AT distributed by Revell ... perhaps there's a quality issue between original made by Bandai and these licensed/distributed by Revell made by Bandai? The outer box is the same only with added Revell brand on the side :

Distributed by Revell # 01205.

Chaïm

 

[COlson]

It's a Bandai AT-AT distributed by Revell ... perhaps there's a quality issue between original made by Bandai and these licensed/distributed by Revell made by Bandai? The outer box is the same only with added Revell brand on the side :

View attachment 1537486

Distributed by Revell # 01205.

Chaïm

Hmmm. My box is long gone, so I can't check.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Perhaps Analyzer can shed some light on this with his Bandai and the quality of the plastic? I found this picture in JediMichael build thread to show what I mean by hair-line cracks :

(Picture courtesy JediMichael)

So it might be quite common place on these AT-AT model kits?

Chaïm

 

[COlson]

Perhaps Analyzer can shed some light on this with his Bandai and the quality of the plastic? I found this picture in JediMichael build thread to show what I mean by hair-line cracks :

View attachment 1537514
(Picture courtesy JediMichael)

So it might be quite common place on these AT-AT model kits?

Chaïm

Definitely a nice crack there. I just went through mine again and looked at my photos zoomed really tight and don't see anything. And again, never noticed anything while building. So either I got lucky, or maybe it's just a random thing that happens on those kits? Even based on that photo above, it seems like that would probably disappear with priming and maybe a little sanding.

 

[JediMichael]

I never knew that Bandai and Revell had kits together. If I am understanding that right.
That part, posted above, just didn't want to fit. Everything else fit perfectly fine. Weird.

 

[Analyzer]

Perhaps Analyzer can shed some light on this with his Bandai and the quality of the plastic? I found this picture in JediMichael build thread to show what I mean by hair-line cracks :

View attachment 1537514
(Picture courtesy JediMichael)

So it might be quite common place on these AT-AT model kits?

Chaïm

Weird. I don't think I have anything like that on the pair I have. I am currently traveling, but I can check later this week when I get home

on a side note, if looking for paint, Tamiya XF-19 is a great color straight from the bottle, or even mixed with just a little bit of white for some highlights/panel color differences

 

[Analyzer]

Excellent work on the AT-AT

 

[Sym-Cha]

Thanks guys for your fast replies and weird indeed ... I could go back to the shop that has another up for sale and check inside, but then I would have to buy it too since the package is sealed with two pieces of tape, ... so yeah, when you get home please do check both of your AT-AT's for those hair-line fractures Analyzer ... also does Tamyia XF-19 come in a spraycan variant?

Chaïm

 

[JediMichael]

Just got home. Never tooktheh time to weather this and only sprayed it with a super flat. Its not too bad actually.
From a few feet away, looks like its a brand new just off the assembly line at-at.

(Camera picked up too much yellow here.)

 

[Analyzer]

Thanks guys for your fast replies and weird indeed ... I could go back to the shop that has another up for sale and check inside, but then I would have to buy it too since the package is sealed with two pieces of tape, ... so yeah, when you get home please do check both of your AT-AT's for those hair-line fractures Analyzer ... also does Tamyia XF-19 come in a spraycan variant?

Chaïm

I looked at both under magnification and could not find any cracks like that

I am not sure if there is a direct XF-19 spray can equivalent. Probably should not be too hard though to find something close

 

[Sym-Cha]

Thanks Analyzer for checking your AT-AT's ... well these cracks are all over some of my kit parts ... 3 bottoms of the 4 feet have at them ... I guess my build will need some additional primer/basecoat before weathering. If you'd ask me, my guess is that since these are distributed under the Revell brand, the quality control of these castings is less or just plain acceptable nowadays by Bandai.

Chaïm