Bandai release schedule
- Thread starter TazMan2000
- Start date
Bandai kits start off more accurate on proportion and detail, then are produced as snap together with precolored styrene (and some with stickers) so they can be built by a beginner, so it is the best of both worlds.
Revell kits are 'close enough' box scale kits which are mostly toys you assemble with play action lights and sound. They can be built up to a nice looking models with some work. Revell also sells reboxed Finemolds kits which are mostly for advanced modelers.
Revell kits are 'close enough' box scale kits which are mostly toys you assemble with play action lights and sound. They can be built up to a nice looking models with some work. Revell also sells reboxed Finemolds kits which are mostly for advanced modelers.
TazMan2000
Master Member
Is Revell reselling the Bandai spruces or are they getting new moulds? I still have the FineMolds MF in a box, but the Revell rebrand MF has fewer parts. So obviously there are new moulds for that one. Bandai uses a different plastic than Revell for their moulds so I wonder if Revell will have to update their injection moulding machines to accomodate the Bandai's state of the art moulds.
TazMan2000
TazMan2000
Hunk a Junk
Sr Member
As critical as I am of Revell, their Kylo Ren shuttle is definitely a good kit, at least detail-wise. If the wings could be positioned for in-flight mode (which I modified in my build) it would be a great kit. They are capable of greatness. Unfortunately, they choose not to be because they still clearly consider the sci-fi market to kids who want assembled toys. That's perhaps more damning than just being creatively inept.
Bandai used very advanced slide-casting technology- I do not think Revell is up to making that sort of investment when they can just buy some sprues and print boxes...
Analyzer
Master Member
I can't say it with 100% certainty, but I don't think there are new molds.
There are a handful of parts that do not get used. Maybe they are not counting those?
Or does maybe the Revell one exclude the standing figures?
Also, Revell has not exactly always been accurate in their product descriptions
Plus I think the parts count was listed as something like "over 900 parts" rather than an exact count
I could be wrong, but I don't think it would make sense for them to have to retool the molds. Wouldn't that kind of defeat the cost of buying the original molds, or just repacking the original manufacturers sprues in their own box.
I know the plastic color did change between Fine Molds and Revell, but I don;t know if the plastic itself is the same
Decals and instructions on the other hand might be from a different manufacturer or redone. I know they were for the BSG kits. The Revell repacks actually had better decals than the original Moebius releases
TazMan2000
Master Member
More than likely it is probably as you both suggested, that they would just get the sprues and Revell would only have to spend money on the packaging. The price didn't go down for the FineMolds rebox and I would think that the same would be true for the Revell/Bandai reboxed ones.
TazMan2000
TazMan2000
Analyzer
Master Member
I remember naivley thinking when news of Revell repopping Fine Molds stuff came out that it would be great to finally get those models at a decent price. Then the reality of Revell's markup become all to clear. It was more expensive then buying from Japan (when they were available) and paying for shipping. There was no discount.
I shudder to think how much a PG Falcon is going to go for
I also wonder if they will be doing the photoetch stuff, or just the standard one, but at least with decals instead of stickers?
robn1
Master Member
Improved decals would be awesome.
TazMan2000
Master Member
Not sure. I thought there was someone who reported that there was a while back. I could be mistaken.
TazMan2000
If that's the case they'd better throw in waterslide decals. To not have those, even in the standard PG edition, is a crime.
TazMan2000
Master Member
450 US dollars or 600 Canadian at least? Better grab up the remaining Bandai ones ASAP.
TazMan2000
TazMan2000
Analyzer
Master Member
According to that description they are doing the LED unit, photo-etch and decals so it looks like the original full PG edition, not the "standard" one.
The MSRP on the original release was something like $399 I believe although you could find most for around $300 a few weeks after release?
The MSRP on the original release was something like $399 I believe although you could find most for around $300 a few weeks after release?
SawbonesAdmiral
Active Member
Man, sometimes I remember how spoiled the Star Wars modelling community is, even by Bandai standards.
No standard release Perfect Grade EVER had waterslide decals included, ever since the line started with the PG Eva-01 from 1998.
Well all I can say is that if you're spending $200-300 on a kit, and it doesn't come with water slide decals... Then that is a crime. If they sold PG kits with stickers instead, that's really a disservice. I can understand having them in the little $10 vehicle kits. The thing is, they have the templates for the stickers. Is it really that much more of a difference in price to print them as waterslides?
