A Bandai Star Wars FAQ

• Are Bandai kits really that good?
  Yes, Bandai of Japan have, since 2014, produced some of the highest quality, most accurate, and most diverse Star Wars model kits that history has seen. They are indeed amazing.

The kits are mostly vehicles and some figures. They're well researched, fit together very well, are fun to assemble, use the most advanced injection moulding technology out there, are made to a reasonable set of scales rather than just box scales, and so on. When painted up they look excellent. In short, they're products that don't condescend to the customer.

• Where the kits made?
  Japan. Bandai don't appear to be offshoring production of their kits, except for a few minor components. (eg: the battery pack for the PG Falcon was made in China) Some cheaper stuff, like their Gashopon (vending machine) Star Wars mini-kits/trinkets are not made in Japan.

• Is Bandai still making new Star Wars products?
  Bandai do not appear to be prioritizing the design and release of new Star Wars kits at time of writing (2024). The most recent ones are a couple of Mandalorian-oriented kits from 2022.

There has been no announcement, however, that they have relinquished their licence with Disney to produce Star Wars kits. So it seems they are still selling the kits they have, occasionally doing another production run of new kits from existing moulds when stocks are low.

That said, it's also worth mentioning that Bandai's S.H.Figuarts group are still making new releases of prepainted and assembled action figures, such as figures from current Disney TV shows including the Mandalorian, the Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.

• Why not?
  Bandai have given no reason for this slowdown/virtual halt in new Star Wars kit designs, and it's unlikely they'll do so publicly. But it's a reasonable observation to make that the Star Wars model kit market is considerably less lucrative than the Gundam (military science fiction, featuring stylized mobile battle suits) and anime model kit market, especially in Asia. Bandai don't produce product just to make you or me happy - they exist to generate revenue.
  
  Sure, not that many people in North America or Europe are going to be rushing out to buy the latest Eclipse Gundam Reactor 2 or Demon Slayer Hashibira Inosuke kits, but that sort of product isn't aimed at the ageing Western model market.

But one very interesting thing about the Bandai releases is that the two major Western companies which currently hold Star Wars model kit licences, Revell and Round 2, have frankly had to up their game when it comes to quality. Until recent years, Western model companies have mostly sold simplistic and toylike kits to the Star Wars market, often reusing old moulds from the 1980s and 1990s! (Fine Molds of Japan produced some decent Star Wars kits in the 2000s, but only released a handful of designs during their licence tenure)

• But what about... ?
  If Bandai haven't already released a kit of your favourite classic Star Wars subject, (eg: sandcrawler, landspeeder, Imperial shuttle, probe droid, Gonk droid, Bespin ice cream maker, etc etc) I wouldn't hold your breath waiting. As for why, re-read the previous answer.

• I've read that Bandai kits aren't for sale outside Japan. Is that true?
  Not anymore. When Bandai first started making Star Wars kits there were licensing restrictions on where they could sell the products directly, related to their contract with Disney. (ie: it's not a matter of legality per se, just a matter of negotiation between the two companies) For that reason the kits weren't imported into the US and Europe, though of course many were bought by private buyers.
  That has not been the case for many years, however, and Bandai Star Wars kits are available in countries worldwide.

• Is this Revell Bandai thing for real?
  Yes, you sometimes see Revell-boxed kits with the Bandai logo. These are 100% genuine Bandai kits that Revell Germany have chosen to licence and resell in Europe, as of 2018. They're legit. And since Revell did the importing, they’re often much cheaper than Bandai kits imported individually into Europe. About 13 Bandai kits are imported/cobranded this way. Be careful, though, since Revell sell a bunch of different Star Wars kits of wildly varying quality – the Bandai cobrands are specifically marked with the Bandai logo on the front. The Revell-only kits range from garbage (their toylike 1:72 and 1:241 Falcons) to pretty good (their 1:72 Razor Crest). 

• Isn’t snap-together for toys?
  No. The fact that the kits can snap together does not make them inferior. Don't get hung up on memories of 1970s “Snap-Tite” junk - Bandai's kits are superbly engineered. But if you want to use glue/cement as well, feel free!
  But a key thing to remember is that Bandai's snap-together parts are supremely well engineered. There's an incredible precision about them, and joins are pretty well gapless. So if you paint the parts first, especially with layers of paint, you might find later assembly difficult.

• Why are the kits so small?
  Bandai's key market is indeed Asia, which generally places a great deal of value on smaller kits, typically owing to smaller houses. They also sell to young many people, unlike the West, where model kits are now mostly bought by middle-aged and older people. And young folk generally have less disposable income. Therefore the vast majority of Bandai's Star Wars kits are both smaller in size and fairly affordable.

That's the economic reality of Bandai's corporate business strategy. Sometimes folks on Western model-making discussion forums erroneously think that there's a significant global market for really big model kits, just because they want them. If that were truly the case I'm sure Bandai would be selling such kits!

• What’s this about paint compatibility?
  Yes, Bandai use an unusual formulation of styrene plastic that is NOT compatible with certain strong solvents, such as those used with enamels and some lacquer based paints. Do not use such paint, or a solvent-based panel liner, on your Bandai kit because it may crumble and disintegrate at the joints and make you very sad. Enamel washes, which are basically a bit of paint with tons of solvent such as turpentine/mineral spirits/white spirits, are a particularly sure-fire way to ruin your Bandai kit. If you want to live dangerously and and use a non-acrylic paint over a bunch of primer, test first. But honestly, just stick with good acrylic paint (eg: Tamiya, Vallejo) on your Bandai kit and you'll be fine!

• What’s up with the flat figures?
  Yes, the many of the earliest Bandai Star Wars kits sold in Japan contained little pilot figurines. Later versions do not, and re-releases of the earlier kits contain flat cutout figures instead. No reason has been publicly given for this change, and so people have invented their own conspiracy theories as to why it happened. But it seems reasonable to assume that it stems from a licensing disagreement with another licensor who carry the rights to sell figurines.

• Are these stickers in the box?
  Yes, many Bandai Star Wars kits contain only adhesive stickers for details, rather than both stickers and traditional waterslide decals. This is indeed a shame. (though you can peel the stickers off and use the adhesive outline as a paint stencil)

• What are these “grades” about?
  Bandai produce very popular Gundam kits to a range of sizes, detail levels, and price points. These are marketed as “entry grade,” “real grade,” “master grade,” “perfect grade,” etc. Bandai reused this “perfect grade” branding for their high-end 1:72 Millennium Falcon model kit. No other Star Wars kits have a grade listed.

• Are there different PG Falcon kits?
  Yes, there are two versions of the “Perfect Grade” 1:72 Millennium Falcon kit. (which begs the question - which one is truly perfect?) The initial release of the kit included waterslide decals, a few LED lights, and some etched metal details. The later, and slightly cheaper “Standard” version omits those options and only has stickers. Since the two versions are priced differently, be careful which one you're buying. The original box was black and white with a Falcon that was photographed straight on, whereas it appears that the “Standard” box is colour with a Falcon photographed at an angle, pointing to the left. That said, the basic plastic is almost identical between the two versions.

• Why the heck is that PG Falcon so expensive?
  Probably because it cost a lot of money to research and produce. Nobody has ever produced a Star Wars model kit with that level of accuracy and precision before. (the De Agostini/Fanhome Falcon is even bigger and even more expensive, but not entirely accurate) If you don't want to spend that much money, get a smaller kit. Or I guess you could get one of the less accurate kits made by some other makers, and spend forever adding details to them to get something remotely close.

• Are there fake Bandai kits?
  Yes, there are a few fake Bandai Star Wars model kits out there, and the clone kits are crappier than real ones. If you see a cheaply priced box that says “DROINS”, for example, or “GOLDEN ROBOT”, you may well have found one.
  It is kind of impressive that industrial copy thievery is done on such a big scale that they can crank out surprisingly good copies of Bandai’s sprues like that, though.

• What is Bandai Spirits?
  The name “Bandai Spirits” is corporate branding. Bandai Namco is the parent corporation. Bandai Spirits, created in 2018, is the division of the company that sells model kits and related stuff. They do not sell booze. Tamashii Nations is the division that sells premade figures, collectibles, and whatnot.

• Can I get spare/replacement parts for a Bandai Star Wars kit?
  If you're in Japan you can contact Bandai. If you bought the kit in the US or Canada, and therefore it was imported from Japan by Bluefin, then you can obtain replacement parts. I don't know what Revell Germany's policy is on parts for Bandai kits that they imported.  I don't know of a way to get replacement parts if you bought a kit sold via Japan when you don't have a Japanese shipping address.

• Will Bandai listen if I complain on social media about model sizes or no new kits?
  Probably not. Like most Japanese companies, Bandai do not have a tradition of direct interaction with customers and fans, through social media or other means.