Building the Bandai Nike Air Jordan Plastic Model Kit
This project is a reinterpretation of the Bandai Nike Air Jordan plastic model kit, approached not as a clean display build, but as a subtly worn sneaker object. The goal was to sit between scale modelling and product design — capturing material depth, tonal variation, and light ageing without pushing the piece into an overly artificial or exaggerated weathered state.
Design Direction
The kit provides multiple colour directions across its runners, including a grayscale-based scheme and an alternate variant with beige-toned elements.
For this build, I chose to focus on the grayscale direction to maintain a more unified visual language. This allowed the final piece to emphasise material contrast, weathering variation, and surface depth within a restrained palette.
Base Preparation
All parts were first airbrushed with Mr Hobby Mr Color No. 2 as a unified base coat. This created a consistent foundation across the different plastic tones and ensured that subsequent weathering would behave coherently across all surfaces.
Weathering Approach
Rather than applying a single universal weathering tone, I treated each injection-moulded colour as a different material requiring its own interpretation. The intent was not to simulate heavy damage or dirt accumulation, but to introduce subtle ageing — similar to how real sneakers develop uneven wear across different materials.
Black Injection-Moulded Parts
Weathered using Mr Color No. 13, producing a softened, slightly faded rubber-like appearance.
Grey Injection-Moulded Parts
Weathered using a custom mix of Mr Color No. 13 and No. 107, balancing contrast while maintaining a muted, dusty tone.
White Injection-Moulded Parts
Weathered using Mr Color No. 107 to create a lightly aged midsole-like effect.
Panel Line Detailing
After weathering, Tamiya Black Accent Fluid was applied to bring out recessed details and structural lines across the model.
Once dried, excess fluid was cleaned using thinner and cotton buds, leaving definition in the panel lines while preserving surface softness.
Unlike traditional mechanical model kits, the panel lines in this context function less as structural separations and more as stitched seams, material joins, and subtle shadow breaks within the sneaker design.
Final Impression
The overall aim of this build was to maintain a balance between fashion object and scale model. Rather than pushing the surface treatment toward a heavily mechanical or overly aggressive weathering style, the focus remained on controlled tonal variation and material realism.
The result is a sneaker model that feels lightly worn and physically grounded, while still retaining the clarity and design language of its original form.
Project Context
Completed on 30 May 2026, the project coincides with the 55th anniversary of Blue Ribbon Sports being renamed Nike in 1971. The timing served as context for reinterpreting the Air Jordan silhouette as a scale model object shaped through material treatment, tonal restraint, and subtle surface ageing.
Science Fiction Flavour 