Star Wars Stormtrooper - Bandai 1/12 Scale Model Kit [Review: Part 2 of 3 - Assembly, decals and paints]

With a much welcomed short break for the lunar new year holidays and missus's birthday behind me, it was time to get back to assembling Bandai's 1/12 scale Star Wars Stormtrooper plastic model kit. Picking up from where I last left-off, work continued with the assembly of the stormtrooper's legs.  

Step 6: Assembling the right leg

Steps 7 & 8: Left leg assembled in similar fashion to step six and attachment of both legs to the groin area

Time and time again, I was impressed by how simple it was to put the various parts together. Apart from minor clean up of the parts after they are cut from the sprue, there isn't much to worry about as the parts all fit as they are suppose to ... and repeated ad nauseam .. with consummate ease. There are modellers who sneer at snap-fit kits as being 'too easy' and 'unworthy of a true modeller's efforts'. But I'm not one of them. As long as a model kit is fun, I say have at it and enjoy yourself. 

Step 9: Assembling the holster and side ammo pouches

Step 10: Putting on the ammo/utility belt (front) and canister (back)

Following attachment of the Stormtrooper's ammo/utility belt (see above) was the simple (there's that word again) process of assembling both his - or her as the Empire is an equal opportunity employer - arms and hands. Upon securing both arms into the shoulder sockets, I became aware of the great potential for many interesting poses made possible by the well thought out points of articulation. More of that in the final part of the review (Part 3 of 3). For now, it's on with the assembly.  

Step 11: Assembling the right arm and hands

Step 11, 12 & 13: Assembly of both arms/hands completed and then attached to the upper torso

Weapons in the Stormtrooper's arsenal, increasing in size, include a pistol, the E11 blaster and DLT-19 assault rifle. As is, they are too glossy. I plan to give some of the weapons a basecoat of matte black followed by metallics using wet paint and/or dry brush techniques. Options are available in the model kit which allow the weapons to be either carried or placed in holsters. At the end of the day, this adds to the many possible poses that the Stormtrooper can strike up.

Step 14a: Assembling the weapons - a pistol, the E11 blaster and DLT-19 assault rifle

Steps 14b & 15: Weapons can be placed either in the Stormtrooper's hands or the holster

At this stage, the Stormtrooper was more or less done. Quick decal work on the back canister and several spots of paint (primarily grey and blue) on the midriff provided a 'cheerier' look to the overall colour scheme. Not by much, admittedly, but anything is better than plain black and white. 

Grey markings on the back canister, laid on using pieces of water decal

Spots of grey and blue on the midriff section, painted on with acrylics

Finally, all that was left to do was to put the base together and place the Stormtrooper on it (see below). In this post, he is striking just a basic pose. I'll explore the degree of movement allowed by the model's various points of articulation in a future post i.e. the last part of the review.   

Step 16: Assembling the base

Star Wars Stormtrooper (Bandai 1/12 Scale Model Kit); basic pose after assembly

Part 3 of the review is going to be the fun part for me as I put the Bandai Stormtrooper through its paces. Hopefully, he will turn out to be as flexible as I expect him to be, within limits of course. I guess seeing how many dance moves he can pull off is out of the question ... or is it?