Ep. III kits available yet?

I really want one of the big Republic capital ships...and an ARC-170 now that I think about it.

You can order the Revell Germany kits from the Starship Modeler store,

http://www.starshipmodeler.com/cfstore/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=40

And at most on line hobby sites you can opt for e-mail notification when the AMT Ertl Episode III kits are in stock.

Yeah, there was one site (I don't remember the url) that allowed me to do that and I did - but it just said they were delayed. I just checked Starship Modeler and those prices seem kinda steep for snap-together R-G kits.

Those capital ships were cool looking and I liked the irony of the Jedi fighters looking so much like Maul's ship from Ep.1 but does anyone else think the ARC-170 looks kinda like a P-61?

The problem is these kits are licensed for Europe only whiich means the only way to get them is to purchase them form a company in Europe and have them shipped. Just like ordering from Japan, it' sthe shipping that kills ya.

I got the 6 kit set from Starship Modeler and don't regret it. The Republic Star Destoryer is not a snap together kit and requires painting. The other 5 are helped greatly by glue and a decent paint job.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Trigger74 Are the Ep. 3 kits like the Jedi fighters and ARC-70 available in the states yet; is there an online retailer of them? TIA

There are two sets of Ep 3 kits being released. They are NOT the same kits. They are being released by two totally separate companies independent of each other.

One set is the 6 kits released by Revell-Germany in May. RG has an exclusive license agreement to sell these kits ONLY in Europe. They will NOT be available in retail stores in the US, as their license agreement precludes them from doing so. We have them in stock at StarshipModeler.com. We buy them in bulk from a hobby shop in London as we cannot purchase them through "normal" distributors in the US. That's why you haven't been able to (and won't) find them in your local hobby shop or Wal-Mart. They are forbidden from selling them in the US and most other parts of the world. So if you want them, you need to buy them online. The reason they are more expensive then other similar sized plastic kits is that they are imported -- meaning we pay a high shipping price to get them here, along with taxes & tarriffs added at the source.

The second set of the Ep 3 kits to be released will be released by AMT in the fall. These include:

- Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Jedi Star Fighter (plastic)

- Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Corporate Alliance Droid Tank (plastic)

- Star Wars Jedi Star Fighter (Die-Cast)

- Star Wars Droid Tri-Fighter (Die-Cast)

All are scheduled to be released in November, 2005. AMT has an exclusive license to sell these kits in the US. So here in the states, you will readily find them in hobby shops and Wal-Mart type stores (or at StarshipModeler.com). But those of you in Europe will have to get them online, just as the US customers have to get the Revell Germany kits online.

Hope that clarifies things,

Linda

Oh, and as an added bit of information. I priced buying hte kits myself in Britian and having them shipped over. For the cost of 1 Star Destroyer and 2 Jedi Fighters (plus shipping) + about $10 I got all 6 from SSM. Shipping and VAT would have added about $80 to the order.

Promise, getting them from SSM (or another dealer in the US if you can find them) is much cheaper than buying them yourselves and getting them shipped over.

And no, I'm no an SSM employee (tho' I am an avid fan).

Linda

Ah, European-exclusives! Thanks for clarifying that for me. I looked at the price tag on my Rafale kit and thought R-G had lost their minds!

Thanks!