Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack
True to its 1/2 scale, it stands a whopping 40cm tall.

Head detail shots

The build starts by assembling the large core section first.

Then you assemble the six round body segments.

After attaching the six round parts to the core,
you fit the white armor panels in between each of them.

1/2 BB-8 - Three extra body armor parts are included, and you can swap the armor on each section to change the rotation

Three extra body armor parts are included,
and you can swap the armor on each section to change the rotation angle of the body.

1/2 BB-8 - There are large fixing pins on the top and bottom of the round body — the top connects to the head, and the

There are large fixing pins on the top and bottom of the round body —
the top connects to the head, and the bottom locks into the stand hole.

1/2 BB-8 - The stand hole is elongated sideways, so you can tilt the body slightly left or right even while it's sittin

The stand hole is elongated sideways,
so you can tilt the body slightly left or right even while it's sitting on the stand.

1/2 BB-8 - By swapping armor parts and rotating the fixing pins, you can position the body in a variety of orientations

By swapping armor parts and rotating the fixing pins, you can position the body in a variety of orientations.

The included LED unit can be fitted inside the large black eye. (batteries sold separately, of course)

1/2 BB-8 - On top of that, you can add two separately sold new-type LED units — one on each side of the head — for a to

On top of that, you can add two separately sold new-type LED units — one on each side of the head — for a total of four additional light sources.

With all of that, you can get a total of five LED light points on the head.

As expected, it looks much better with the lights dimmed.

Full view with all LEDs on

A variety of accessories are included, and some of them are poseable.

1/2 BB-8 - There's a linked gimmick where opening the cover automatically pops the storage pocket forward slightly — ma

There's a linked gimmick where opening the cover automatically pops the storage pocket forward slightly.
That makes it easy to pull out by hand, and inside there's a map chip part just like the one that appeared in the film.

Cover open on the section where the various arm parts attach.

One antenna part is left over as a leftover part.

Storage pocket open shot

Electric shock scene using the zapper arm.

Thumbs-up shot using the burner arm.
That little thumbs-up moment from the film was such a fun little gag!

With the utility arm attached

Together with the 1/12 BB-8.
The size difference is massive.

Size comparison shot with the 1/6 and 1/12 Stormtroopers.

This kit is one of Bandai's more eccentric releases — a 1/2 scale BB-8 model kit. Even for a small droid, 1/2 scale is something else, and sure enough it ended up being a large kit standing 40cm tall. The box is also PG-sized, and it was released at ¥14,000 — right up there with PG pricing.

Open the box and you'll find it packed with big chunky parts, but there aren't actually that many of them — even if you take your time, you can finish the build in about 2–3 hours. It goes together so fast for the price that you might feel a little shortchanged, though on the flip side, that does mean it's been designed to be nice and easy to build.

The build process goes like this: first you assemble the black core that forms the skeleton, then you build and attach six round outer sections, and finally you fit triangular white armor panels in between each of them. It's a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, and the connection points are all shaped differently so you can't mix up which piece goes where. That means even if you clip and clean up all the parts in advance, there's basically no risk of putting anything in the wrong spot. The parts snap together satisfyingly and everything fits just right — it's a pretty enjoyable build experience.

Being a large-scale kit, the color separation is nearly perfect, so even a straight build gives you a great-looking result. The head section is set up to accept several different LED units — the red LED unit that goes inside the large black eye is included with the kit, so you just need to pick up some batteries separately. Beyond that, you can also use two of the separately sold new-type white LED units (¥2,000 each) to add four more light sources.

The LED effect is decent enough, but it really only looks its best in a dimmed room. Whether it's worth an extra ¥4,000 investment is debatable — unless you're a hardcore BB-8 fan, it's hard to recommend from a value standpoint.

For accessories, you get three arm attachments: a zapper arm, a burner arm, and a utility arm, all of which can be fitted by opening a cover on the body. There's also a storage pocket section with a linked gimmick — when you open the cover, the storage compartment automatically pops forward slightly, making it easy to grab and pull out with your fingers.

In terms of articulation, the head rotates and the body spins horizontally. The stand hole where the bottom fixing pin slots in is elongated sideways, letting you tilt the body about 5 degrees left or right. Three extra spare armor parts are also included — you can't roll the body around like a ball the way the 1/12 can, but by swapping the position of the armor piece with the fixing pin, you can adjust the body angle to look like it's been rotated in various directions.

The overall look and build quality are clean and solid, but I think the biggest question with this kit comes down to value for money. At ¥14,000 — or ¥18,000+ with the LED units and batteries — the contents feel a bit sparse for the price. This is really one for people who absolutely, desperately want a big BB-8 to call their own. :-)

1/2 BB-8 | 2017.4 | ¥14,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.