Bandai 1:72 Tie Fighter

Bandai 1:72 Tie Striker

Bandai 1:144 Y-Wing 005

When these kits were announced I wasn't surprised that Bandai had planned to make these. They've done it with the Yamato and Macross series. But I was surprised that for the most part these are 1:144th scale. But I decided that I wasn't going to invest in any. That went beyond my control when a friend sent me the X-wing. And upon its completion a few months ago, these kits have now become my favourites to build.

It's a unique challenge to put these together and get them painted. And I rather enjoyed that with the X-wing. In fact I enjoyed the challenge so much that I've bought several others since.

Growing up as a kid with Star Wars dominant in my life even up to the present. My favourite ship in the universe was the Snowspeeder. But lately that's been changing. More and more I'm drawn to the Y-wing as my new favourite. I'm not sure why either. It's a great shape with all these tubes running in and out. And I'll admit I go such a thrill seeing them again in "Rogue One".

However finding this kit is a challenge, as the price for it can go through the roof. Some places have it listed at twice or 4x the price (ouch) So when I found it for basically the same price in Japan         (¥ 600) I pounced and bought 2. Only to get a fantastic gift of 2 more from a friend who knew I desperately wanted this kit. So yeah I've got 4 now, and soon I'll build 3 of them.

No decals are included with these kits. You are either going to have to make your own, or look for some on the aftermarket. Kit comes with a small sticker sheet.

Building instructions are listed inside the box top. 

Sprue A1 and A2, feature the engines and nacelles. The surface detail on these is amazing for the scale.

 Sprue A3 has the main head assembly. There is no cockpit detail which might bother some modelers. However there are kits for it on the aftermarket, should the modeler wish to add more detail. Personally I think the blacked out windows are just fine.

Last of the sprues is A4, featuring the main hull. The only downside I can find to the X and Y-wing kits is that they only come with an R2 style unit. So if you have a specific ship in mind with a different unit, you are going to have to scratch build one. Hopefully the aftermarket world will make various Astromech heads and in various scales

Typical display stand is included. 

Sticker sheet.

Another home run kit from Bandai. Some of the pipe work is a bit thick and squared, but then again this is a really tiny scale. And I only really noticed it because I was studying it with a magnifying glass. I might replace some of the pipes, but I'll wait until I start building. 

I hope that someday we'll get a 1:48th scale Y-wing. But for now these will do just fine. Bandai continues to amaze with their detail, excellent engineering and simplicity. 

This is a fantastic beginner kit, that will more than satisfy any modeling degree. Perfect if you want to start a fun project with a youngster, or a quick weekend project.