Kaiju Country Home > Model Kit Reviews > StarWars Legion Kit Reviews > Separatist Alliance Kit Reviews > Droideka Destroyer Droid Model Kit Review (AMG)
This Star Wars Legion review focuses on your favourite and mine... Droidekas! These little chaps come in boxes of two which contain both a deployed and rolling version (for a total of four miniatures) in the box as they switch between modes for faster travel in-game. I'll be judging these miniatures as a unit of 2 even though I have two sets in my photos.
Look and feel (5 / 5)
Ever since I watched that hallway scene in the cinema as a teenager I've loved the destroyer Droid design. That alien insectoid look is so unique in a franchise where most Droids have traditionally been bipedal. Even their arrival, rolling in with a heavy metal ringing sounds is instantly recognisable.
And with that in mind, it was great to see that the model kit contains a deployed and folded up, rolling version for each of the two Droids in the set. There's something very cool about seeing the deployed vs travel mode next to each other - I think it allows you to imagine that iconic transition with its clicking and clacking. A bit of mind theatre has always endeared me to a great model kit and these miniatures are definitely a great kit.
These Droids ooze alien malice from those creepy little eye stalks and the proportions are perfectly screen accurate. I really appreciate the incredible levels of micro mechanical detail in this design, especially as the designer could have skipped parts which might be obscured from a single view. The layered details such as cabling and mini pistons really add depth to what could have been a ball with spindly uninteresting limbs!
The end result is a set of miniatures which perfectly capture the onscreen visuals in both forms. Perfect execution.
Functionality, Cost & Quality (5 /5)
Despite the very tiny components and contact points, the miniatures still feel like robust gaming pieces when assembled while not compromising on aesthetics to achieve a solid build.
In general, the quality of the kit is excellent, having made the transition to hard plastic in this new iteration, benefiting from the extra fidelity in a similar way to the other kits I've already covered.
Although these miniatures are available via the starter set, I feel that their standalone boxed set is actually pretty reasonable for what you get. A solid kit either way!
Construction (5 / 5)
I've seen people struggle with this kit previously due to the small thin components. I didn't actually have any issues with the build although I will say that it's worth dry fitting the parts before adding any glue into the mix as the level of mechanical detail in these miniatures can make it difficult to identify the contact points!
My other top tip is to make sure you only clip one arm off the frame at a time as it's easy to mix up the parts if you're not careful. Cleaning up such thin parts can be a horrific experience, but luckily mould lines and flash were minimal on both of the sets I assembled. This may change in the future with mould wear on the production line, but the AMG kits have proven pretty consistent in quality so far.
As long as you take your time and aren't too heavy handed with the thin cables and eye stalks, this kit is a breeze!
Kit posing and options (5 / 5)
In short, there are no build options in this kit. You get two sets of sprues to assemble two deployed and two folded up rolling Droids. There are two poses in the deployed mode, but the difference in pose is so tiny it's barely noticeable!
The poses are pretty static, but this isn't really much of an issue given the source material. Destroyer Droids just slowly bumble forwards on their stumpy peg legs with their arms in a shooting position in the movies, so dynamic posing was never really on the table! The head is also in a fixed position by design, so no movement there either!
Where I feel you do get a little bit of variation is with the rolled up versions which do not have a specific connection point for the base. This means you can position each Droid slightly differently in wheel mode! It's surprising how much these little nuggets do actually look like they're rolling along when looked at as a unit!
If I had to nitpick, it would have been nice to have more optional poses, but I don't see myself owning more than four, so this really is a non-issue!
Final Score & Comments (5 / 5)
A clean sweep makes me feel like a lazy reviewer, but I promise that I genuinely looked for pitfalls when working on these miniatures and was pleasantly surprised not to find any little niggles!
I thought I'd mention the carapace of the Destroyers - I experimented with lots of different colours and paint types to get the perfect sheen. Ultimately, things like contrast over silver or multiple colour washes either didn't give the effect I wanted or simply didn't register on such a small surface. In the end I went with Copper paint from Darkstar's Molten Metals range. I gave the carapace a light wash of Nuln Oil to accentuate panel lines then added some verdigris for some visual interest.
Out of all the Droid kits I've assembled so far, these guys were far and away the most enjoyable to assemble and paint. If you're a Separatist at heart or are just into the prequel movies, this is a must have kit!
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And with that in mind, it was great to see that the model kit contains a deployed and folded up, rolling version for each of the two Droids in the set. There's something very cool about seeing the deployed vs travel mode next to each other - I think it allows you to imagine that iconic transition with its clicking and clacking. A bit of mind theatre has always endeared me to a great model kit and these miniatures are definitely a great kit.
The poses are pretty static, but this isn't really much of an issue given the source material. Destroyer Droids just slowly bumble forwards on their stumpy peg legs with their arms in a shooting position in the movies, so dynamic posing was never really on the table! The head is also in a fixed position by design, so no movement there either!