Metal Earth BB-8 3D Metal Model Kit

Among my gifts from my fiancée's parents this Christmas was this phenomenal little Metal Earth BB-8 Metal Model Kit. I finally finished building him this afternoon, and I must say I'm mighty impressed.

On first glance, he looks to be a pretty straight-forward build - but the simplicity of his shape belies just how tricky it is to curve all of those metal pieces into a single sphere-and-dome combination. Nevertheless, I found him to be an incredibly fun build of just the right duration and complexity.

While I haven't picked up a huge number of Metal Earth kits, a strong droid focus does seem to be emerging. He'll go especially well with the K-2SO and R2-D2 I've previously built!

Metal Earth K-2SO 3D Metal Model Kit

My girlfriend received the Metal Earth Millennium Falcon kit from her brother for Christmas, so I decided to pick up another set for myself so we could work on them simultaneously. Fortunately, the new line of Rogue One models had just turned up in stores, so I was able to pick up this very cool K-2SO for $11.99US ($16.74NZ).

All-in-all, K-2 is a very nice model - once you've got him built, at least. There were a few complications along the way, not least of which was the extreme fragility of some of the pieces. I like to think of myself as a fairly careful builder, but some pieces - in particular the hands - broke while merely being removed from the sprue with clippers. It was nothing a little super-glue couldn't fix, but still a tad frustrating. Further, K-2's flimsy joints (which are, of course, endemic to the character, so not Metal Earth's fault) mean that even when the connections are made as tightly as possible, there's still a lot of movement in the finished figure. This causes K-2 to sway a lot, and often fall over completely. Once again, a tiny dab of super glue seemed the best solution to eradicate this movement.

Once assembled and secured, however, K-2 looks absolutely phenomenal. The exquisite detailing - particularly around the face - really bring this character to life. Best of all, he's designed to be perfectly in scale with Metal Earth's earlier R2-D2 model, so the pair will look great standing together!

Metal Earth R2-D2 3D Metal Model Kit

I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of construction projects, and something that fits this bill perfectly is Metal Earth's (relatively) new line of 3D metal model kits. Their range currently covers a variety of fandoms, including Star Wars - and for Christmas this year I received the R2-D2 model from my partner.

Over the past weekend I spent some time putting the kit together. I have to admit I was a little daunted when I first pulled those intricately cut metal sheets from the packet. Fortunately, the instructions make assembly a breeze. The pieces are clearly numbered, and fit together seamlessly. That being said, the full build still took a good couple of hours - and I definitely recommend having a pair of pliers, tweezers, and a skewer handy to make things easier.

Once assembled, the model is striking. The detailing is fantastic, and there are some great recessed features that really add depth to the piece. He's now taken pride of place on the bookshelf in our lounge!