Round2 Acquires Star Wars License
- Thread starter edge10
- Start date
Guns Akimbo
Sr Member
TIE Bomber.
Shuttle Tyderium.
Bigger DS II.
NOW.
Shuttle Tyderium.
Bigger DS II.
NOW.
JeffBond
Well-Known Member
R2 was also sold to a new company so I'm hoping that is good rather than bad news. It sounds like they are taking it seriously and actually providing more capital--seems like the pandemic has actually been a boon for model companies but we'll have to see how this shakes out. R2 seems like they're doing well.
More than that. There is nothing accurate whatsoever about the MPC R2. It's up there with novelty R2-D2 shampoo bottles for screen accuracy.
Zuiun
Sr Member
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. They definitely seem willing to take risks on kits that likely don't have much of a market beyond a niche fan base (Shuttle Galileo, for example).
However, getting an infusion of funding from an outside investor is going to mean that they will need to show some solid profits that are not "model company" satisfactory, but "venture capitalist" satisfactory.
My hope is that within whatever first wave of stuff they release, we see some kits that haven't really been represented before. My expectation is that we'll get an initial wave of familiar stuff with some announcements of cool stuff in a second or third wave.
However, getting an infusion of funding from an outside investor is going to mean that they will need to show some solid profits that are not "model company" satisfactory, but "venture capitalist" satisfactory.
My hope is that within whatever first wave of stuff they release, we see some kits that haven't really been represented before. My expectation is that we'll get an initial wave of familiar stuff with some announcements of cool stuff in a second or third wave.
TazMan2000
Master Member
I wouldn't mind the original MPC X-Wing. Weren't they in RoTJ? If so, that would make them studio scale and accuate.
TazMan2000
TazMan2000
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but Round2, even if some of their kits are really nice, they haven't really produced lots of new kits quickly, have they? So maybe at a pace of 2 kits/year per theme at max? I still think we are really spoiled from Bandai's initial releases which came out in just a few years, and doubt we will get that from any other manufacturer soon. Re-releases of old AMT/MPC kits don't count for me.
Jaitea
Master Member
Well, we have Revell, still producing new kits, Razor Crest on the horizon from them, Bandai re-releasing their previous catalogue plus Revell/Bluefin selling them in the Western world, we don't know if there will be new kits produced by them, but we haven't heard otherwise, & now we have Round 2 who are re releasing the old MPC kits, with improvements in collectors packaging/original artwork & the mention of new models 'covering all the iterations of Star Wars'
It's a win/win
J
I'd be up for a TIE Fighter game TIE Defender, but not the TIE Defender Lite we got in Rebels. It's nowhere near as cool as the original or the modernized Fractalsponge version: TIE Defender – Fractalsponge.net SW Rebels version: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwarsrebels/images/9/92/TIE_Defender.jpg
Well having Revell wasn't exactly a win in the past. They make toys, not models. Bandai and Fine Molds, to a degree, made what I call model kits. Giving Revell the exclusive license here in Germany is a waste, IMO. I hope the Razor Crest will not be such a disappointment as the other Revell-produced kits were in the past.
I have nothing against that Round 2 move, I only fear Bandai being outmaneouvered.
Furagu
New Member
I'm with you on this one, on my list to do as a screen acurate MPC X-wing. I've seen a couple of great build that are spot on likenesses of the ROTJ ones
Hunk a Junk
Sr Member
I wish I could be excited by this, but I fall somewhere between apathy and dread. Look, Bandai has spoiled me for Star Wars kit accuracy and detail -- and I just don't see R2 coming anywhere close to delivering the same level of quality. Even R2's best kits, like the K'Tinga, don't match Bandai. Sorry, they just don't. I also don't see them filling some of the gaps in subject matter, like a TIE bomber. So that means more X-Wings, more sub-par versions of the Falcon, and re-pops of tired old kits that Bandai has already lapped. R2 has delivered on some Holy Grail kits -- the 1/350 TOS-E and 1/48 Eagle -- but I'm fearful that this will only serve to throttle Bandai's output and availability. That being said, I wish them luck and hope they surprise me. Now I can 3D print virtually any subject, they are going to have to really impress me to get my money.
Yeah, that's the thing. The US firms (R2 and Moebius) don't have any manufacturing facilities - they're all outsourcing in China. And I'm sure there are Chinese factories out there with high-end injection moulding capabilities that rival Bandai's, but they're sure not the factories making R2/Moebius products. The stuff I've seen simply is not on par.
The nostalgia value of repops has zero value for me. Sure, whatever R2 makes will be much bigger than the typical Bandai offering, which will appeal to a lot of Americans. But as you say I also don't see them making the more obscure kits that people are clamouring for. I think there'd be a market for an Imperial shuttle. Maybe even a sandcrawler or landspeeder. But the TIE bomber is a pretty obscure vehicle. They need to sell product, and a ship known only to the fans won’t necessarily do that.
So anyway. The more the merrier, I guess. And it's a shame Bandai has clearly either lost interest or is disappointed with Star Wars kit sales. But I'm not super hopeful that R2 will have the finances to produce a lineup anywhere near as diverse and extensive as what Bandai did. Nor do I think the market would support that anyway. I think we've passed peak Star Wars kits.
Either way, I say we enjoy what we've got!
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TazMan2000
Master Member
As much as Bandai offers superior kits, what would happen if they dropped the license? All we would have is Revell.
I'm sure the license was expensive, and I'm sure they have a plan. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt before saying they will not produce anything of value. Give them a chance.
TazMan2000
I'm sure the license was expensive, and I'm sure they have a plan. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt before saying they will not produce anything of value. Give them a chance.
TazMan2000
Guns Akimbo
Sr Member
The Revell Germany kits for ROTS Were actually really good, though I think they used box scale. I'd consider the Venator Star Destroyer one of the best SW kits ever made. If they wanted to reissue a kit, the Venator is at the top of my list. I had one and sold it for a big profit figuring it will get re-released.
Ah. Everything to do with a Star Wars licence then!
