Bandai release schedule
- Thread starter TazMan2000
- Start date
INVAR
Sr Member
It was reported that it indeed was an upscaled Randy Cooper kit, and only a showpiece with devious but empty hints that Bandai was "planning" on producing a kit. It likely wasn't until they began designing the PG Falcon that the possibility of doing a Star Destroyer was planned. I do think a larger scale was planned and a prototype done at 1/2500 (as seen briefly in a Bandai promo video) - but ultimately scaled down to the 1/5000 after Zvezda's kit went retail and Revell repackaged it.
One would hope... albeit in vain. After they did the little Vehicle Model with the incredible detail there was always hope they would do a bigger one and well... here we are. I think this is all we will see. A PG 1/2500 scale version would be nice but I have doubts such a scale would be made for retail.
Since this 1/5000 has been released - one has to consider Bandai's main market, and large kits are not a frequent offering nor are they popular in the limited space of Japanese homes. As it is, the interesting new addition from prior Bandai offerings is that the kit instructions and the color guide contain ENGLISH in addition to Japanese - so obviously they expected this kit to sell big in the American/Western market, perhaps moreso than in Japan itself as the Bandai kits have developed a well-deserved reputation in the starship model community.
Agreed. This is it. And rather than lament it's scale - the details more than make up for the disappointment. A skilled modeler who spends the time to do their own lighting with this kit will likely make it shine far greater than we have already seen in kit builds from Japan.
I am happy with the decision they made for 1:5000 scale. It is big enough for extensive detail but small enough to be accessible by more people. Larger kits can get very expensive and I do have a limited budget these days.
Instead of a another ISD even larger I would much prefer to see Bandai put their resources to work producing a 1:48 Y-Wing and a larger Blockade Runner. Those two subjects have been done very well but are very small scales thus far. They have already done the research and have proven popular, a larger offering would be the next logical step IMO
Instead of a another ISD even larger I would much prefer to see Bandai put their resources to work producing a 1:48 Y-Wing and a larger Blockade Runner. Those two subjects have been done very well but are very small scales thus far. They have already done the research and have proven popular, a larger offering would be the next logical step IMO
I’m pretty sure the main reason for this is that Bandai now have official distributors in Europe and the US, so they’re no longer purely focusing their efforts on the Japanese market.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we do see a larger SD. Regardless, I’ll be happy either way. Like someone above said, a 1/48 Y-Wing or bigger Blockade Runner would be glorious.
Lol. My thoughts exactly.
That's on my Grail list- never could afford one of those nice resin kits either...
So the Zvezda is twice the size of the Bandai, but has 1/2 the detail. The B is 1/2 the size of the Z and has twice the detail.
So here's the $80 question: Do I sell the Z and get the B?
SB
So here's the $80 question: Do I sell the Z and get the B?
SB
What is more important to you: size or quality? The Zvezda can look great with after market parts and a lot of work. Bandai looks good OOB.
Hunk a Junk
Sr Member
Timmythekid
Sr Member
Come on, let's be fair. Detail wise, the Big Z loses to the Bandai, but it's not like it's a pile of steaming cow puckies. We were all very excited when the pics of the Zvezda started coming out. Overall it's got decent geometry (apart from the bridge tower being too big and canted at the wrong angle, and the trenches being too narrow), and it builds, even out of the box, into a nice looking, impressive Star Destroyer.
INVAR
Sr Member
Exactly and well stated. The Zvezda is at a great scale for those of us that cannot display something larger, while being big enough to add details that some of us accuracy buffs wanted to build into the kit. Yes, the geometry is good and adding some height to the trenches and fixing the angle of the bridge tower is something experienced builders have been able to tackle with excellent results. The aftermarket parts truly help this kit sing and there are a whole cornucopia of choices to choose from - including turning this kit into the Devastator with 3D printed parts and photo etch offerings. While the Bandai has superior molding excellence and detail, the Zvezda truly enabled a sophomore builder like myself to try his hand at the closest thing to a scratch build I will ever attempt. It will be the pinnacle of anything I have ever built when completed and I will be proud of the time and tedium spent working on it.
That said, due to all that tedium and time - being able to rock another Bandai out of the box and get it built in a day while focusing mostly on skills to paint and weather is truly going to be a nice treat with all the excellent detail molded right into the kit. For out-of-the-box builds, truly Bandai scores the highest in quality and detail for Star Wars ships and vehicles.
That said, due to all that tedium and time - being able to rock another Bandai out of the box and get it built in a day while focusing mostly on skills to paint and weather is truly going to be a nice treat with all the excellent detail molded right into the kit. For out-of-the-box builds, truly Bandai scores the highest in quality and detail for Star Wars ships and vehicles.
Omnius
Active Member
I don't like to "compare" the Bandai with the Zvezda 
The Bandai is incredible great detailed and there is not much too do to make it "better" it's a great build OOB.
The Zvezda gives so much room to individualize the build and the bigger scale let you do different painting techniques also as panel lines and else (still not there with mine ;-)).
I love both of them
The Bandai is incredible great detailed and there is not much too do to make it "better" it's a great build OOB. The Zvezda gives so much room to individualize the build and the bigger scale let you do different painting techniques also as panel lines and else (still not there with mine ;-)).
I love both of them
The only correction I would make would be the Bandai looks GREAT of the box, where the Zvezda looks good out of the box, with lots of room for improvement. YMMV.
Dedalus5550
Sr Member
Is there a simple run down of the differences between the lighted and non-lighted SD? Besides the actual lights, obviously.
Timmythekid
Sr Member
Tada. That's really it. 2 extra runners of clear parts, and a 'modelling guide' booklet that has some nice pictures of the studio model (which I think might also be in Chronicles or Modelling a Galaxy? Don't have either so I can't check, but I think I've seen posts with scans), and vague instructions about running fiber instead of using the included kit (nope, not doing that - do not have the experience to try and do hundreds of fibers in this tiny space). I thought I had read the Falcon and T4 were exclusive to the lighted kit, but I think that's wrong too.
Furagu
New Member
Yup, the falcon and Tantive are in the standard version, it was the first thing I searched for when I opened the box.
