As you may know, I am currently subscribed to 2 partworks- the Deagostini X-Wing and the Hachette Terminator.
I’ve seen a lot of hate for partworks online over the last few years, but I quite like them. The chance to build a large kit is out of most people’s reach but paying as you go is more affordable. People also complain that you have to wait for the next issue instead of just motoring through to the end.
The cost of a partwork does seem to put people off. When you work out the total it can be daunting, several hundred pounds for a single model. But, the models are BIG. The R2 I recently completed is 1/2 scale. With working electronics for lights, sounds and movement. The best thing is that you don’t have to pay up front. It worked out to around £1.28 a day. Many people spend much more than that on a morning coffee and have nothing to show for it at the end of a year.
The “Waiting” is a different argument, and one that I find works for me rather than being a detriment. If I am building a ‘normal’ modelkit I usually only do one at a time: from opening the box, building, painting, weathering. With the weekly/monthly schedule I can do the parts that come along then put is all aside and carry on with my other project.
I look forward to sharing my partworks with you, I’ll leave you with some pictures of R2 and the modifications I made to him.
I think I’d like a partworks project. It would be fun to anticipate the arrival of each new module, and to have the sub-assemblies portioned for a nice, leisurely build. The T-800 looks like a magnificent kit, I wish it was available in the US.
It looks better than it really is. There are quite a few plastic parts. I think I understand why, as if it was all metal it would be a stupid amount of weight and would not be able to support its arms!