That cheeky chappie Andy Moore loves his Bandai Star Wars kits - so hip arranging this new kit of the AT-M6 Walker from a little-known indie movie last ( the Star Wars?) year isnt a surprise. See what's in this kit's box and how it goes together in andy's review...
Inside you'll find four sprues in a dark bluish-grey styrene that's a pretty good match for the main colour of the original. Bandai like to keep the packaging to a minimum with these releases, so all the sprues come in a single bag (removed in the photo) and the instructions and paint references are printed on the inside of the box lid. These kits are designed for glue-less assembly and the parts number is kept low, but none of that compromises the detail. If you've never built one of these kits before you'll be astounded at what Bandai can achieve in such a small scale
The main body goes together in a similar fashion to the head. The body and head then simply clip together. Bandai has engineered the parts very well in that most joints are concealed on the finished build. I didn't require a single smear of filler anywhere on the model.
The main body goes together in a similar fashion to the head. The body and head then simply clip together. Bandai has engineered the parts very well in that most joints are concealed on the finished build. I didn't require a single smear of filler anywhere on the kit
Build Review: Star Wars AT-M6 First Order Walker
Manufacturer – Bandai
Kit Number – Vehicle Model 012
Scale – Approx. 1/550
Available direct from Japan via eBay and Amazon
Okay, first up, let's have no arguments about the film. If you liked it that's cool, if you didn't, then that's fine too. Personally, I loved it, but we don't do film reviews here on The Modelling News, just the kits. (That way we don't need to get into Adam's strange interest in Fifty Shades of Grey.) Ahem! Back to the review Andy!!! - ed.
What we are going to get into here is Bandai's latest addition to their Vehicle Model line of micro kits. This is actually (so far, at least) the only completely new kit from The Last Jedi, Bandai's other releases for the film being made up of re-issues and re-tools of existing kits.
The AT-M6, or All Terrain Mega Calibre Six to give it its full name, is the new trilogy First Order update of the classic AT-AT Walkers. Like their predecessors, these huge machines are used as heavy assault weapons and, to a lesser degree, troop transports. The main differences between the AT-M6 and the old AT-ATs are firstly the size, with the new design standing at just over 36 meters compared to 22 meters for the classic walkers.
The other main difference is the addition of the Mega Calibre Six Turbolaser cannon in the front of the main body which gives the walker massive hitting power against heavily shielded targets.
The other main difference is the addition of the Mega Calibre Six Turbolaser cannon in the front of the main body which gives the walker massive hitting power against heavily shielded targets.
I have to say in all honesty, when the first images of the AT-M6 were revealed I wasn't at all keen on the way it looked. It seemed far too animalistic in its design and reminded me more of the Zoids models from the '80's. It seemed to work better in the context in the film, and although it'll never be my favourite Star Wars vehicle, it's grown on me enough to pick up the tiny (and cheap) Bandai model.
The Kit
The kit comes in the standard small, top opening box that Bandai use for all the Vehicle Model releases. It's important to realise that these kits are specifically designed to fit these boxes and, as such, the scales vary from one subject to another. The kits of the smaller fighters, such as the X-Wings and TIEs, have all been to 1/144, but larger subjects like the AT-M6 are made to much smaller scales. Here the model tops out at a fraction over 65mm in height, which equates to a scale of roughly 1/550.
Inside you'll find four sprues in a dark bluish-grey styrene that's a pretty good match for the main colour of the original. Bandai like to keep the packaging to a minimum with these releases, so all the sprues come in a single bag (removed in the photo) and the instructions and paint references are printed on the inside of the box lid. These kits are designed for glue-less assembly and the parts number is kept low, but none of that compromises the detail. If you've never built one of these kits before you'll be astounded at what Bandai can achieve in such a small scale
The breakdown of parts is fairly simple although some of those parts are tiny and I'd advise clipping them off the sprues into a container to avoid losing any. A good pair of clippers will be a benefit too, as Bandai plastic is quite hard and a little brittle. I used the new Meng clippers on this build, and they were excellent, allowing me to cut right up to the edge of parts leaving a smooth cut that only required a sweep of a sanding stick to finish off.
This is as simple and intuitive as you could wish for. The parts clip together with no issues and will stay together fine without glue. I did add a spot of glue here and there on my build, for extra security, but it's by no means essential to do so. The first step you'll do is to join the top and bottom of the cockpit together, after which the side pieces clip into place. The sides and neck are moulded together, with the neck having a ball on one end which clips into a socket on the body allowing for a small degree of movement.
The main body goes together in a similar fashion to the head. The body and head then simply clip together. Bandai has engineered the parts very well in that most joints are concealed on the finished build. I didn't require a single smear of filler anywhere on the model.
There are just two parts of each leg, so assemble is equally quick here. The downside is that there's no articulation, apart from the pivot where the leg joins the body. It would have been incredibly hard to make articulated legs in this scale though, and in this scale, the lack of articulation isn't really a problem.
The Build
This is as simple and intuitive as you could wish for. The parts clip together with no issues and will stay together fine without glue. I did add a spot of glue here and there on my build, for extra security, but it's by no means essential to do so. The first step you'll do is to join the top and bottom of the cockpit together, after which the side pieces clip into place. The sides and neck are moulded together, with the neck having a ball on one end which clips into a socket on the body allowing for a small degree of movement.
The main body goes together in a similar fashion to the head. The body and head then simply clip together. Bandai has engineered the parts very well in that most joints are concealed on the finished build. I didn't require a single smear of filler anywhere on the kit
There are just two parts of each leg, so assemble is equally quick here. The downside is that there's no articulation, apart from the pivot where the leg joins the body. It would have been incredibly hard to make articulated legs in this scale though, and in this scale, the lack of articulation isn't really a problem.
The final additions are the smallest parts in the kit; the four fuel cells that sit on the walker's back, and the turbolaser cannon. The only extra detailing I added to the kit was to drill out the cannon's barrel. The fuel cells are single-part mouldings so, apart from a very faint mould line, there's no clean-up required.
And with those final details in place, the build is done. I think in total it took about 30 minutes, although I stopped part way through for a pizza (what! I was hungry okay), and I've got to say I'm quite pleased with the result too. The design works a lot better in person than I'd initially thought it would. It's never going to make my top ten of Star Wars subjects, but if Bandai were to ever release a larger version in the regular model line (unlikely, but you never know), I'd certainly consider getting one, which I probably wouldn't have said before building this mini one.
As I mentioned up at the top, the finished kit stands about 65mm high, but to give you a better idea of size here's the industry standard 'paint pot comparison' shot.
In terms of the models, Bandai's 1/144 Original Trilogy AT-AT dwarfs the AT-M6...
… but adjusted for size, this is how they'd look if they were in the same scale.
If you liked the film, then this is the only new-tooled kit from it that Bandai has released, so do yourself a favour and pick one up. If you didn't like the film... well, pick one up anyway. They're dirt cheap, and you may just find you like it more than you expected.
Andy Moore
Although it is hard to get these Bandai kits outside Asia - you can get them from either Andy's house or maybe even easier - go to Japan's eBay or Amazon
