Today was "Force Friday"; another marketing gimmick from Disney and it's marketing glubs. But, beyond the political commentary, it was the official release date of merchandise from the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". As a red-blooded model kit building American I naturally jumped at the opportunity to own at least something from the new film and so availed myself of the Revell skill level 1 Millennium Falcon.
Now, one might think "really? Skill level 1?". I know, but, it was the only version of the ship available in the form of a model kit, it was decently priced and included lights and sound and it is actually a decent representation of the ship! This is the first wave of model kits from Revell for "The force awakens", wave two ships next month and features skill level 2 models, increasing the accuracy (In most cases), the scale (and size) and detail. They will also be devoid of the lights and sound gimmick. Given the size, details and playability options of this first wave, it is clear that these kits are intended for kids.
One thing that Revell kits of this particular subject, the Millennium Falcon, often get wrong is the height of the so called "side walls" running the perimeter of the ship; indeed, this very inaccuracy is what has kept me from purchasing any iteration of the Revell Falcons until now. This new version, while not perfect, is actually acceptable to this particular accuracy freak. Not too tall, nicely detailed, works well. One area of dissapointment for many is that the skill level 2 arriving next month is a simple re-release of the original freakishly innacurate Revell Falcon with a new dish. A must-pass for me.
This kit is so good, in fact, that I am considering purchasing another as a means of creating the quasi-canon "Stellar Envoy" which was featured in one of the comics and whose appearance was later copied for the film "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith". Seen in the picture above.
Now when I got back into scale modeling back in the 90's, skill level 1 or, snap-tite, (snapfast if you're the other guys), was a simple no-frills affair. No lights, no sound, just a small representation of the vehicle. Here then in 2015, Revell has taken snap-tite to a whole new level! Providing not just a nice looking model but also a higher degree of playability options for the kids amongst us (Of which I consider myself a member), with their "electronics block", which is actually a self-contained unit housing all of the electronics, nicely hidden away inside the kit. They even included molded detail on the block itself! Despite the fact that, once assembled, such details would be invisible. After perusing Revell of Germany's site I've decided to hold off on buying the skill level 1 X-wing out now in favor of the more dimensionally accurate skill level 2 out next month.
All across the Internet people are decrying these kits as simple toys, not worthy of their money or time and that Revell is remiss in their duty by alienating older modelers. I find this notion that segments of people should be pandered to amusing. Better kits of these subject will be available soon, this alone should reduce the amount of grousing by at least 500%, but sadly it does not.
As a very experienced modeler it is my opinion that these kits are not just for children, they can be enjoyed by all! So, go enjoy!
-Spaced out blogger
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