Richard Baker

The two X-Wings are new kits from the new movie. Since Bandai uses alternate color parts for vehicle coloring, any striping differences require a new tool.

"Family Photo" Here is a group photo of the last two posts as I keep them at home. The model on the turntable is my very first complete scratchbuild, circa 1978. All are in matching scale (1:72)

I look upon it as Bandai maximizing their existing investments to raise capital for new kits being planned. They do this with a lot of kits like in the Yamato/Star Blazers kits.

This one was built about the same time as the Small Scout Ship posted earlier. It is 1:72 scale, this time I built the main hull first with sheet styrene then added details later instead of having the design being donor kit driven. It does not belong to any particular universe, just another interesting tarmac vessel. The idea was to create a small compact ship able to explore a multitude of environments. The port side has long high powered energy projector which is able to extend and aim about 20 degrees off the centerline in most directions, unfortunately over years the some of the support arms have broken off. The leading edges on the main hull are gaped for sensors and I gave it some battle damage for a bit of history.No decals were used with this model, the only thing I think I would really change is the markings on the underside of the nose- I only had a sharpie and it still bothers me. This was, however, just built for fun back in the early eighties there were not so many SciFi kits out there I did not already have and so I just started making up my own designs... Plan Views

The second X-Wing is an odd choice since they made kits for the squadron ships and then a special one for Poe, great except the only differences are in color which means nothing in clear.

This is fantastic news! I bought the Captain Cardboard/Atomic City 15" Aries several years ago and have given up on ever getting the kit shipped. His production has dropped to pretty much zero and owes many kits to many people ahead of me. He makes some fantastic kits (I have his large Space Pod, one of the finest garage kits I have ever seen). No idea what the Moebius kit will be but this is a grail kit for me

Thanks! I have a fondness for an industrial look to fictional hardware- these are machines (sometimes using exotic technology) that were built to serve a purpose. I like looking at something and being able to see how and why it might be designed to function. This is an older built- IIRC this one was done around 1981 or so, looking at it again I can see so many things I might have done differently, but I need to remind myself that this was just a project to have some fun with with whatever I had on hand at the time that looked interesting...

This is an older build of my own design which is not intended to fit into any series or universe. I wanted to make an obviously well used ship, a small scout explorer that has been stripped and retrofitted over time. I did have a set of removable panels to cover the aft section but those have been lost over the years. For those with a sharp eye for anime subjects you will see a multitude of parts. I pretty much just ran through the donor parts stash and found some interesting stuff. There were no drawings done before hand, I made some basic hull shapes from sheet styrene and began fitting stuff together. The semi-gloss areas are windows as I made them back then, I did not want to get bogged down with cockpit interiors which need to be designed around and built before hand- this was just a build for fun. BTW- the two forward side guns swing down (surface attack mode) and the two aft landing gear pads swing up to tuck under the main engines and help protect then during flight, While the forward manipulator arms do not actually move, they were inspired by the 2001 Space Pod arms and are articulated the same way. The model is about 9 inches long and photographed on a 1" scale grid. This ship has no name or even a clear definition- I wanted to have the person looking at it to come up with their own backstory, just like seeing some vehicle on the tarmac in a background shot. Plan views:

Please post some of your progress photos!- I have been trying to talk myself into getting one for myself but I already have the R2 Large Eagle (unbuilt) and a Product Enterprises one...

The Ghost has been in two live action films now, I think it has a fair chance of being in styrene...

That movie was interesting- great visuals and bad science but then again that is what I expect in movies these days. I do like the model kits, I hope to get a couple when they become available...

They are a marvel of engineering and outstanding examples of cutting edge slide molding techniques! The only drawback is the type of styrene used reacts badly with enamel paints and washes if used in excess- it tends to get brittle. Check the various forums out about painting Bandai kits and there is a wealth of information to avoid having any problems

For me the Trade Federation ‎Lucrehulk-class "Donut" ship is one of the PT designs I would most like to see in plastic. There are three versions of it- the original one used to blockade Naboo, the Droid Control ship which was in charge of that blockade (notable for the additional antenna on the center-sphere), the third being the uprated version used in the Clone Wars with additional guns along the top and bottom of the two arcing hulls. IMO this would be an ideal subject with Bandai as they can produce three kits from the same molds with a sprue swap. For what it's worth, here is an old teaser from Bandai giving us a hint of their future plans. Given the number of kits shown in it that have already been released it does seem to be a good indicator-

I agree- he has been doing it for years and has a stellar reputation for both quality and service

I like to weather down exposed metals so using actual metal bells would be wasted on me... I will defiantly be getting one of these kits- I have the larger R2 Eagle kit but no room to display it when completed...

I think Bandai could make a great edition of this subject. I do not know if they have licensing for this new series or not, IIRC It is not being broadcast in Japan (yet)- one of the big motivations for which subjects Bandai uses to determine what to produce. Personally I think there would be a better chance for a Revell kit (of course with play action sounds) or a nice Gaming miniature we could repaint and detail some.

I agree with the Bandai in flight over the Death Star base, but my favorite way to display fictional fighter craft is on the ground, some ground equipment near by and maybe a panel or two open for servicing. It just brings the fictional craft more into the "real World" for me. Seeing the X-Wings for the first time in the Yavin Hangar with fuel lines and workers swarming around them made a big impact on me- when I saw those fighter in space later they seemed to be actual combat machines instead of some SFX models in a studio...

Don't have AppleTV and I am already maxed out on paid streaming services (Disney+ is the final one)- I do hope this series becomes available on disc sometime soon...

I generally like to display my vehicles with the gear down, like they are parked on the tarmac. The only consistent exception to this is the T-65 X-Wing- the way the gear comes down out of the engines just looks stupid to me and destroys the "reality" of the subject having actual functioning hardware.

That is how I think of it- an active scanning/tracking unit. When we see it up it is chasing the Blockade runner, later the Falcon. It is up in Rogue One and Solo. When the ISD is involved in a fleet action it is down typically. Looking at the actual filming models it appears to be the same unit, just ninety degrees different.

A quick breakdown of the Imperial class Star Destroyers as seen on screen: The first one we see is described later as an ISD-I, it was a smaller model (91cm, about 3 feet long) made by ILM and had simplified detailing and a distinctive X-shaped antenna array on the top of the bridge. It was not lighted except for the engines. The second one is the much larger 259cm (about 8 and a half feet) model created for 'The Empire Strikes Back' this is considered the definitive one and referred to as an ISD-II/ The X-shaped array on top of the bridge is rotated to lie flat now, it has full lighting and much greater detail and the hull proportions are subtly different.. They did use the ISD-I model a couple of times in TESB in the escaping Hoth sequence. Only the ISD-II has the '"garbage chute" at the base of the bridge spine that Han took advantage of to escape. One Star Destroyer type seen in 'Return of the Jedi' is a bit of a mystery. It is much larger than a Star Destroyer, maybe about a quarter of the SSD length. It is seen twice- once with the fleet during the scene with Luke and the Emperor. When he is taunting Luke you see out the side window of his thrown room. It is surrounded by ISDs and you also see the SSD in the fleet so it is not that one either. It has been referred to as the 'Communications Ship'. In another battle scene you see some fighters racing down the length from the nose of a Star Destroyer type hull, but it is much longer and no super structure is seen (the distance they travel would have passed over the super structure location on an regular ISD). It is believed for this seen ILM inverted the larger 8 foot model and added some plates to cover the Hangars. The Star Destroyers seen in both 'Rogue One' and 'Solo' are a mix of the two ISD types with details and features of each. IIRC they were digital models. The fleet of Star Destroyers seen in the TRoS trailer are a variants of the ISD-I as seen in ANH- they have a huge gun mounted underneath where the ventral hangar bays are normally, some red striping on the hull and still retain the distinctive upright X-shaped array.

Thanks! I love the Imperial design elements and have a lot of fun designing vessels which fit within that aesthetic.

It is hard to believe that model is as small as it is- your build makes it look much larger- well done!

1:5000 Bandai Star Destroyer- First Release Lighted Edition Been wanting a decent sized Bandai kit of the subject for a long time. Spectacular detailing and perfectly proportioned. The superstructure, sidewalls, bridge, main hull and hangar bays all have molded in window ports which make lighting easy, It also has clear pieces for extra fine lighting if desired. I am on the fence about that part- The detailing is so wonderful as is I hate to blur it by having to spray black and then the final color over it. I may use some of the pieces selectively, such as the bridge face. One problem a lot of people have reported is that when assembled the bow has a gentle curve upward but all the pieces appear straight and true. There are a number of work-a-rounds being explored and I may wait to see which works best. The design of the lighting system requires the superstructure to be lifted off to make turn it on or off, I think I will wire it for external power and keep everything sealed up.

This is a quick build from the late nineties- back when there were only three Star Wars films released and lot of dreams about what happens in that universe. One Friday night I was having a few beers with a good friend and we got to talking about things which happned elsewhere during the fight between the Rebels and the Empire. I got a piece of paper and sketched out this design, then some sheet plastic and built the main hull as we talked. It was detailed up some and painted the following day. About the design: I wanted to show an Imperial craft which had both a utilitarian look about it but also had a bit of a mean attitude as well. Imperial shuttles (original trilogy) seem to love large dorsal wings (which I don't), two landing legs and a ventral personnel loading ramp. I also added two ball turrets because I had yet to see any unarmed Imperial craft. There is was a smaller turret above the engines but that has been damaged over the years since I built this. This model is about seven inches long and scale is about 1:200 or so. Concept behind the build: The Rebels managed to attack a small Imperial storage facility and obtained some much needed supplies. Going through the wreckage they find an Imperial cargo shuttle which, aside from a rather large hole blown through the starboard side seems to be salvageable. The technicians get the systems back up and running. It has two dorsal cargo doors and the they remove the one abocve the ruined starboard cargo bay and add a remotely controlled twin heavy laser canon. They removed the large upper wing to save weight and to allow a greater field of fire for the new turret. They weld some scrap plating cut from some other wrecked vessels over the large hole in the side and now the Rebels have a new ship to aid in their conflict.