Star Wars C-3PO - Bandai 1/12 Scale Plastic Model Kit [Completed]

In terms of difficulty, the Bandai 1/12 scale C-3PO is a plastic model kit that is hard to put your finger on. It's an easy enough kit to assemble straight out of the box. But following that, a fair bit of thought and effort is required to get it to closely resemble Threepio as he was in the movies. And even then there are many variations you can aim for be it the Tatooine sand-weathered or bright and shiny final scene look in A New Hope; the slightly weathered/semi-gloss look in Empire Strikes Back; or even the damaged eye-out-of-socket look in Return of the Jedi (optional parts provided).

Bandai Star Wars 1/12 scale C-3PO plastic model kit [Completed]

A satin or semi-gloss finish to Threepio's arnour provided a mid-level shine

Proportion-wise, this version of Threepio looks spot on

Personally I've always detested the shiny finish of Threepio's armour as seen in the medal award ceremony scene of A New Hope. Nor did I care much for his dulled, dirty look in the deserts of Tatooine. I strove for the middle path as in not too shiny and not too dull as how the protocol droid looked in the rebel base on Hoth in Empire Strikes Back. Even then I deliberately dialed down the weathering so that Threepio retained an almost-new-but-not-quite shine to his gold plated armour.  

Bandai Star Wars 1/12 scale C-3PO plastic model kit [completed, back view]

Careful positioning of the lamps ensured better all round lighting for this photo shoot 

Threepio's silver leg tends to reflect its surroundings (a white background in this case)

Paired together with his faithful companion Artoo is how Threepio should be effectively displayed. Earlier when working on Artoo I already had in mind how I wanted Threepio to look like. As such, the level of weathering on both had to be in sync so as to portray a harmonious color scheme.

Bandai Star Wars 1/12 scale R2-D2 and C-3PO, complete with paint and weathering

Be be beep ..... No, I don't think he likes you at all.

Beeooo ..... No, I don't like you either.

I absolutely love how Bandai Star Wars model kits allows us mere mortals to create a little piece of Star Wars prop magic of our own, albeit through some huffing and puffing with paint and scale modelling tools. Many, many hours have been pumped into this beloved duo with each and every minute absolutely worth it. And I'm certainly very happy at how they've both turned out. 

Threepio and Artoo ... long may their journey continue in the Star Wars franchise

Where Artoo and Threepio's ultimate destination will be is still up in the air. The intrepid duo might land themselves on the missus's personal collection display or even be sold off to raise some funds for a paint restock. But wherever their final destination may lie I've truly enjoyed every minute of my journey with them. Thank you too for taking this journey with me by following my work-in-progress update posts on Threepio as well as Artoo. Have a blessed weekend and stay safe!