Feb 2020 Product Review by SUTD Gunpla Club - R2-Q5
Today’s review would not be possible without our friends at Toymana, our heartfelt appreciation for their sponsorship!
Do visit Toymana.com for exclusive prices on model kits and collectables all year round!
Hello! I am Kazykiddo, and I will be your reviewer for this month’s kit. Today’s model is again a departure from our usual Gunpla kits, as we explore the Bandai plastic model kits from the Star Wars universe. The R2-Q5 Astromech Droid looks pretty familiar, as it is the evil Empire twin of the lovable and recognisable R2-D2 Astromech Droid. Made by Industrial Automaton, he served the Galactic Empire aboard the Death Star II, conducting maintenance and repair works in and around the partially complete battle station.
With a grand total of 5 runners and 1 sheet of stickers, the R2-Q5 model is a relatively simple affair. It comes with a stand to pose the model on, and also includes new parts that can be added on to an R2-D2 model to recreate scenes from the movies, should you choose to do so.
APPEARANCE
To be honest, the model doesn’t have parts separation, apart from the odd cabling parts by the left and right feet. The model only really starts shining once the stickers go on. The stickers, while a pain to add on, really makes a huge difference. The stickers going into the recesses really make the model pop, and the silver stickers outlining the panels in and around the droid really look good. I’d only make one small complaint about the stickers, and that is with regards to the front panel, where a series of stickers highlight small panel lines in the model. Should there be a tiny bit of misalignment, it is immediately noticeable, triggering my OCD to reposition it while Mr Mark Setter was still wet.
The only place where a part of a different colour exists.
Fair warning ahead of time, if you have trouble with small stickers, or have unsteady hands, this might not be a kit for you. It was helpful to have a good pair of tweezers, nice weather for the lighting, and a healthy dose of Mr Mark Setter. Those stickers are really tiny!
