Kit preview of EVA Models latest figures: 2001 Astronaut and Roughnecks Trooper.

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EVA Figures: 2001 & Starship Troopers


By John Lester - images & text © 2001

Scale: 1/35 - both figures will be about 1.5"/4cm tall when finished
Parts:
  • 2001 Astronaut: 13 resin, 1 steel wire
  • Starship Trooper: 10 resin
  • Instructions: 1 letter-sized page printed front & back
    Decals: 1 small sheet (each), waterslide printed by MicroScale
    Molding Quality: 10 - top notch castings
    Detail: 8 - crisp and plentiful, given the scale
    Accuracy: 9+ - each figure looks convincing
    MSRP: No longer in production (2012) - eBay is your only hope.
    Overall Rating: 9+ - either kit is a great weekend project.


    [Astronaut boxtop]

    [Click to enlarge]

    [What you get - 2001 Astronaut]

    ^ What you get - 2001 Astronaut

    Image: The astronaut is made up of 13 resin parts

    Image: Decals are by MicroScale

    Image: Backdrop

    [Trooper bits]

    ^ What you get - Starship Trooper

    [Click to enlarge]

    Image: Decals include names for all the series "stars"

    Image: Base

    Image: Instructions for both kits are simple but effective.

    I have a great fondness for kits from EVA Models, having built several over the years (though I'm still not brave enough to have finished the LRV kit!). The latest releases from EVA do nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. Both the Starship Trooper figure and the 2001 Discovery Astronaut figure (one of a series of three from EVA) are perfectly cast and sharply detailed.

    The 2001 Astronaut comes in a sturdy cardboard box. There are thirteen resin pieces, decals, a printed backdrop to display the figure against and a steel wire to position the figure proud of the backdrop, plus instructions. The resin is crisply cast and defect free. Decals include the various tell-tales for the suit as well as mission patches. Printed by MicroScale, they're perfectly registered. The only nit I have with the whole kit is the background image is slightly pixilated - which is most noticeable in the halo around the EVA pod lights.

    The Starship Trooper comes in the familiar zip-lock bag. There are ten resin pieces, including a base, plus decals and instruction sheet. Again, the resin bits are top-notch. Decals provide patches and names for all the MI troopers seen in the animated series, and are equal quality to the ones in the other figure.

    Both kits come with one letter-sized page of instructions, printed front and back. These include tips for working with resin, and an exploded diagram showing assembly and decal placement.

    Assembly and Finish

    Having built several other EVA kits, and having dry-fitted the pieces together in both these kits, I expect no surprises. Fit is quite good and you may well even get away without using filler if you're careful removing the pour stubs. Assembly should be a metter of a few minutes, allowing you to concentrate on painting and weathering.

    Conclusions

    EVA figures are like potato chips - you can't have just one. I'm looking forward to building both - I'll probably do the 2001 Astronaut as Babylon 5 Earther, just because of the similarity in suits (if you want to portray Captain Sheridan lugging the tac nuke off to the ship in Thirdspace, EVA kit EVA13 is carrying a briefcase that can easily be modified into the nuke).

    Highly recommended!


    Many thanks to EVA Models for providing the review sample. Manufacturers and retailers, interested in getting your wares reviewed and publicized on a site averaging 3500+ readers a day? Contact us!

    Another Look: EVA 2001 Figures

    By Mike Mendoza - images & text © 2004

    I have just purchased all three of EVA Models 2001 Discovery Astronaut series. They also carry other kits, but those would fall under the category of Real Space. The series is made up of the following kits: EVA Pod Diorama, Computer Room Diorama and the Antenna Diorama.

    Scale/size: 1:35 Finished, they stand about 2” tall.

    Parts/Media: Each kit is made of 13 resin parts, 1 steel rod, a single set of decals and an accompanying diorama display image.

    Instructions: Decent. One page instruction sheet with information on both sides. Goes into cutting and construction and the placement of decals on the front page. On the back, goes into painting and how to apply decals. Also goes into how to setup the background for the display.

    Molding/Casting Quality: On a scale of 1 to 10, with your typical 10 being Superb, these resin models would rate a 9. I found it hard to find any of your typical pinholes but there were plenty of casting plugs and some flashing to be removed. In some of the kits, extra parts (hands) are provided for if you are looking for a different look or pose.

    Detail: This is where these kits excel. I have to give it a 9+. The details on these figures are very, very good. Details, like the straps on the body and other such minute details I found to be very crisp and clear. Even when you look at the back of the life support pack, there were very clear details present where you would not expect to find any! The only thing I would question would be the detail around the helmet. Some of the fine detail appears to have been filled in during the pour, so there is some cleaning required.

    The photos for the backgrounds are workable. I'd give them all a 7. They are ok, but they're a bit too cartoonish for me. What would improved them 100% would have been screen capture shots. It would have given it a more realistic background appearance.

    Accuracy: I give these kits an overall 9. Is it close to the movie suits that were worn? My best guess is that it is close enough for me. But I feel that the holes for the rocket exhausts, on the backpack, seem a bit too large. Doesn't look like the right scale to me.

    [Click to enlarge]

    ^ Representative of what you get in each kit

    [Click to enlarge]

    ^ Closer look at the rocket pack

    [Click to enlarge]

    ^ Closer look at the figure's body

    Image: Decal sheet

    Image: Antenna background

    Image: Computer room background

    Image: Pod & Discovery background

    Decals and instructions: As for the decals, due to the scale of the model, the detail or clarity is lacking. The patches are not legible. I would rate them as an 8 due to their clarity. I have not built any of these models yet, but the instructions are clear (meaning that the print is readable, not lost due to too many copies being made) and they include a decent diagram of the figure, which also indicates where the decals should be placed. They even give you hints on how to improve the model… i.e. substitute silver wire for the resin hoses, etc. So, I would give the instruction sheets a 9 for its helpfulness and clarity in reading.

    Overall: Yes, I would recommend these models to anyone who is into 2001. I feel that the price that they are selling these kits for are not a wallet buster and worth the investment! I was pleasantly surprised when I opened each box with the quality of these kits. I have only built one resin model in my life although I find these to be a bit of a challenge (due to the size). I have to be clear that I am not sure if this will be an issue or not but I am hoping not to lose any detail when it comes to cleaning up after puttying the seams around where the arms meet the torso. But I feel that the end results will produce a nice figure for a shadow box. Of special interest, this company states that they will replace any parts for free, with you only paying for the shipping cost. Not a bad deal.

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    This page copyright © 2001 Starship Modeler™. First posted on 12 July 2004. Last updated on 27 March 2012.