1/12 R5-J2

This is the 1/12 scale R5-J2 model kit by Bandai. I think this droid made a very brief appearance in the background of a scene in Return of the Jedi, on the Death Star, but I could be wrong. R5 units are often considered to be the most unreliable astromech droid manufactured Industrial Automaton. Distinguishable by their flowerpot shaped heads, R5 units are prone to chronic overheating, jammed servos, loose bearings, and blown motivators. These problems ultimately earned the R5 series the reputation as the worst droids produced by Industrial Automaton, and what led to the R5 line being discontinued shortly before the Clone Wars. However, the galaxy is a big place, and R5 units can still be found.

As a model kit, this is a very nice looking kit with a very nice glossy finish. The dome is very sticker dependent. If you’re good at painting thin lines (which I’m not), you could paint the markings on the dome and it would probably look fine. I used most of the sticker decals for this kit, only actually painting one or two pieces. The orange sticker decals are very bright on the decal sheet, but they become much darker when applied to the model because the decals are semi-transparent. This actually isn’t so bad, since the orange parts on this kit are actually more of a bronze color in the movie. All in all, this is a very nice looking droid, and great for fans of the R5 series.

A lot of people don’t know this, but the R5 line is actually one of my favorites because they’re a lot like old cars in that they’re quirks give them their own unique charm. That, and R5s really don’t get enough love from Star Wars fans, so I like to show them some love, you know?