REVELL CYLON CENTURION

The Centurions are basically foot soldiers & deadly dog’s bodies who do a range of tasks from executions to simple guard duty or even manual labour. Whereas some of the more advanced Cylons can be identical to humans in form & appearance, a Centurion has the look of an out & out robotic killing machine.

Though humanoid in design, gait & stance, these killers are constructed of metal armour & are impervious to most human small weapon systems. They are characterised by their “Knightrider 2000-like" ruby-red scanner where you might expect a set of eyes. The robot's hands, meanwhile, can be retracted to reveal integrated weapons. A Centurion can also carry & operate a larger weapon.

They are known as “Chrome Jobs” or “Toasters” by the Colonial forces. Sentient by design, they are not as self-aware as the higher-level Cylons. However, in some episodes, the implant controlling self-awareness was removed, meaning some Centurions reasoned for themselves & changed sides. They became so-called “Red Stripes” – a reference to their external marking denoting alliance.

It’s an attractive if rather deadly-looking machine, worthy of being kitted in plastic. So it’s great to see Revell release a 1:6th scale model kit of the robot (Ref:04990).

This is a re-release & reboxing of the 2013 Moebius Models kits. These were of high quality when first introduced & the company had access to the original props as part of the licencing deal with the re-imagined TV series. So the standard is top-notch.

Inside the kit are several sprues with 100 or so parts that come in a crisp clean pale grey plastic. There's a tiny bit of flash here & there but it's of no real consequence & the moulding stands up really well.

Talking of standing up - this is a big kit when assembled leaving you with a figure 36cm tall - so it's useful to see a base included on which to mount your Cylon.

There’s only one clear plastic part for the scanner which slots into the helmet & which can be animated with various after-market upgrade sets from smaller companies.

The challenge will be the paint job. The Revell box-art shows a highly polished silver finish that will be hard to replicate but which could be tackled with something like Alcad.

It’s worth doing some visual research though, as a quick internet trawl & a gander at the TV box-set sometimes shows a more matt, darker, alloy shade - as well as weathering & battle damage or even blood splatter from one of their victims.

You could even custom-paint a “Red Stripe” Cylon that has changed sides! So there’s something for everyone.

A great kit of a striking subject.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model stores. For details visit the Revell website.