Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

Posts: 5952
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001

Posts: 68
From: West Covina, CA USA
Registered: Jun 2011

posted 07-23-2011 11:54 PM               

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So I want to ask again about the accuracy of the payload.

For example, as mentioned earlier the payload seems to be the STS-100 loadout. But Bandai included the orbiter boom sensor system, a 50-foot extension that wasn't added until after STS-114 correct?

And since Bandai made this shuttle because it carried the first Japanese astronaut Mamoru Mohri, he only flew on STS-49 and 99 so the orbiter boom sensor shouldn't be there right?

Posts: 68
From: West Covina, CA USA
Registered: Jun 2011

Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007

Posts: 20
From: Blackwood NJ
Registered: Aug 2011

posted 08-11-2011 03:48 PM            

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I am curious about the AC connections for the Bandai Endeavour.

Mine just arrived, and it is stunning but it came with no plug for connecting to an outlet. I noted that SuperKungFu made mention of the same situation in his fantastic review of this model (which is what finally pushed me over the edge to buy one of these).

Did others here get a "wall wart" or something similar for lighting their models without battery use?

Posts: 448
From: Naxxar, Malta
Registered: Dec 2010

Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 08-17-2011 10:36 PM               

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My model included the US-compatible AC wall adapter for the lighted base. I haven't permanently unpacked and displayed my model yet, but I've tested the adapter with the base and it works.

For what it's worth, I bought my model from AmiAmi in Japan as opposed to a western distributor. No idea if that made any difference or not.

Posts: 44
From: Renton, WA, USA
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 02-26-2012 11:06 PM               

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Does anyone know how easy (or difficult) it would be to remove the "Endeavour" markings from this model? Has anyone even bothered attempting to modifying this model?

1/144 decals are easy enough to come-by for the orbiters so, I'm just wondering how much effort would be involved in renaming the orbiter.

Posts: 375
From: Herne Bay, Kent, UK
Registered: Feb 2010

Posts: 448
From: Naxxar, Malta
Registered: Dec 2010

posted 02-27-2012 02:57 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by press4meco:
Has anyone even bothered attempting to modifying this model?

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I think it is going to be difficult to find somebody risking modifying the Bandai shuttle.

It is to high a risk attempting to modify one of these models just to have a different setup, well that is my opinion.

Posts: 600
From: Slatington, PA
Registered: Mar 2009

Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004

Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 02-28-2012 08:48 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
There are really people out there willing to potentially wreck the Bandai model just to change the name of the orbiter? Why?

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I think it's a matter of which way you're looking at the model. If you are a 'die-cast collector,' you're never dream of modifying anything (and many would never even take it out of the box for any reason). If you have a 'modeler' mindset, you wouldn't think twice about improving or changing things on it, because that mindset often doesn't like out of the box at all. Many of them think that unless you modify something, it's only a toy.

I had bought a Corgi 1/72nd scale B-17 bomber (the 91st Bomb Group '909' one, as I have flown In a real B-17 painted like that more than once) and it drove me nuts that the group marking was missing from the upper wing (it was a white triangle that was there, but the big letter "A" was missing. I bought a decal sheet with the correct marking and I was going to put it on there to make the markings accurate, and people I knew who collected die cast stuff went nuts. In the end, I sold it at a show as I didn't have room to dedicate it to and never put the decal on, but I would have changed it if I was going to keep it.

As for this model, I have more of an affinity for the Challenger and Atlantis and would rather it be marked for either of them. I just wish they left it blank and provided a decal sheet. But that's not really what the 'die-cast collector' types look for in models like this. I can't justify over five hundred clams for this, no matter how impressive it is.

Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 02-28-2012 09:03 PM               

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Yeah, I get what you mean about the "collector vs. modeler" dichotomy. I just don't understand why anyone would buy THIS model with the intent of modifying it... I'd think a modeler with that kind of confidence in their skills would prefer to just start with a kit and create exactly what they want.

Me (and my 20-year-dormant modeling experience) wouldn't dream of it. If I absolutely had to have a particular orbiter, I'd just buy a kit and pay one of the experts here to build it up.

Posts: 44
From: Renton, WA, USA
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 02-28-2012 11:45 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
There are really people out there willing to potentially wreck the Bandai model just to change the name of the orbiter? Why?

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Haha...well, just to set the record straight, the reason I am asking is that I was considering getting a second one of these. I fully understand the grandeur of this model, so the last thing I'd want to do is "wreck" this model, trust me.

I have one from when it first came out which I have on display in the launch config. Having spent plenty of time admiring it, since I've wanted a shuttle model of this level of detail for sometime, I thought it would be nice to have another to display in the on-orbit config, but in a different name if possible. No commitments have been made.

I've never had the time to hone any modeling skills, so there's no chance right now for a personally built highly detailed model, so instead I'm limited to the prebuilt models on the market.

Posts: 307
From: Maryland
Registered: May 2010

Posts: 640
From: Syracuse, New York, USA
Registered: Oct 2009

Posts: 42982
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 307
From: Maryland
Registered: May 2010

Posts: 382
From: Rochester, NY
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 05-31-2012 10:17 PM               

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I really love this model and am very happy that I purchased it. Looking at this post saddens me because I can't believe that our shuttle fleet is no more. Wow!

Also, I just looked at the eBay completed auctions and found that this model just sold recently for $1310. The other bad news is that the U.S. distributor, Bluefin Distribution, no longer includes the Bandai shuttle on their website.

Posts: 16
From: Canterbury, New Zealand
Registered: Jun 2012

posted 06-28-2012 12:33 PM            

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I recently purchased the Bandai shuttle from a U.S. retailer via Amazon. There's a missing part from the ET support stand and the response from the retailer is that the distributor is unable to help them.

Does anyone have contact details for Bandai Support that I could use to email Bandai directly? The retailer is reluctant to cannibalise existing stock as it won't fix his problem - I'm inclined to agree, and would like to see why Bandai won't play the game. Thanks in advance for any help!

Posts: 382
From: Rochester, NY
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 06-28-2012 06:05 PM               

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If you want to push the issue with Amazon they will support you and force the retailer to exchange the item, replace the missing part, or offer a refund. You purchased the item new and completely have the right to the full product. You are in the driver seat here. I wish you the best with resolving this.

Here is what I can tell you though. The Bandai Tamashii division created the Otona No Chogokin series which include the Shuttle. I own this beautiful model along with the Saturn V. I am missing a part that was not included with my Saturn V model. My concern is that because these models were in limited production the replacement parts may not even exist.

Posts: 169
From:
Registered: Jan 2014

Posts: 243
From:
Registered: Jun 2014

posted 08-16-2015 07:36 PM               

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So I just took the plunge and purchased a Bandai Shuttle model a couple weeks back. $1000 with free shipping from Japan was about as good as it was ever gonna get for a new one. The used one's on eBay were getting $800-$1000 either broken or without a box.

I had never actually seen one in person so I made all my judgements by looking at pictures. When my model arrived last week, I was not disappointed, they are amazing. The detail, the colour, even the weight is what I expected.

One of the things I have always disliked about this model was the plastic base it sits on. I felt the base is not the same quality as the model and it is very big and just seems cheap and tacky in my opinion. The spotlights were of no interest to me and require either batteries or a power cord. My display case is now getting very cramped and real estate is a problem. After holding the real base in my hands, my feelings were confirmed. It is plastic, cheaply constructed and shows scratches on the plexiglass cover over the graphic even when new. Not at all the quality of the actual model.

I had already decided I was going to make another base for it to sit before it arrived. My initial thoughts were to make an acrylic base where the model sat depicting a 60 degree inverted climb attitude after roll at launch. After handling the model, my main concern was the attach points between the orbiter and the main tank. Would they hold the weight of the orbiter hanging almost upside down? I decided not to take the chance and went with a wood plinth utilizing the hardware from Bandai.

Using the plexiglass top on the Bandai base, I traced the holes onto the wood base and carved the grooves for the hardware with a high speed Dremel. After much sanding and three coats of Tremclad flat black paint, I was able to plug in the five plastic Bandai pieces which support the Orbiter and display my new model today.

The model displays in the launch position. The new base measures 8x7 inches by 1 1/2 inches high with 15 degree sloped edges. In my opinion it looks much more professional than the Bandai base and now fits into my space model section of my display case. Here are some images.

Posts: 1014
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 08-17-2015 12:27 AM            

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Nice job. I have two of these on display. One absolutely stock on the Bandai launch stand. The other modified slightly (closed star tracker doors, open fuselage vents and APU exhausts) - gliding back.

Before anyone goes nuts about my ruining a Bandai model, I got the second one for a silly price from a guy on eBay who couldn't spell (well, I guess we both couldn't). Turns out he was ten minutes down the road from me so no postage either. He had several. Looking at the prices now, I wish I'd bought more.

Posts: 1211
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012

Posts: 243
From:
Registered: Jun 2014

Posts: 12
From: Ohio
Registered: Jul 2015

Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008

Posts: 12
From: Ohio
Registered: Jul 2015

posted 05-20-2018 07:16 PM            

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quote:

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Originally posted by Skythings:
So I just took the plunge and purchased a Bandai Shuttle model...

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You have done a nice job displaying your shuttle.

I wish that I had found and joined this site sooner so I would've known that this was coming out. Now I have to buy it secondhand and at a steep price, have to save a couple of months though.

Posts: 342
From:
Registered: Nov 2009

Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

Posts: 399
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002