Search the Community

Had this for a couple of months. Finished him over a few weeks. Requested by a family member for a friend of theirs. First real foray into attempting some subtle detailing on a face, which I did by painting in various magenta and violet tones to resembled musculature on the face, ears, and upper head, before spraying over a lightened/blued Yoda green colour. Came out much better than anticipated Thanks for looking as always Gaz

As part of my ongoing mini-obsession with all things Star Wars Legion, other than playing the game, that is, I made up a couple of B1 droids to try out one of Sorastro's quick painting techniques, and to be fair the guy, it does work, although I did a bit of touching up of areas I wasn't happy with. Painted in predominantly Citadel paints, here they are. First one is an officer with a pair of Macro-binoculars: The other fella is a droid with a bazooka:

Another little character I picked up to go with my Bad Batch figures, all in the same scale as Star Wars Legends, and standing 35mm tall. I had a bit of an issue after prepping and priming her (voiced by Rhea Pearlman from Cheers), as it must have fallen over at some point, which knocked off the head of the staff she's holding behind her back. Bugger! I looked everywhere for it, using my little Shark vac to suck up every scrap of dust in the workshop, then sifting through it all before binning it. Nothing. I contacted the seller on eBay, 3D-Argent, and asked if it was possible to re-print the staff (foolish, I know), but 10 minutes after I emailed him, I got the urge to check through the little plastic business card box of custom files on my desk. It was right at the bottom, so it must have broken off, taken to the skies, and come down in this box, proving once again that you can never assume something couldn't possibly get to place X. Incidentally, 3D-Argent, or Mark as he's called, was very understanding about my loss and desperation, and I can heartily recommend you look him up on eBay if you're in the market for 3D printed figures. Anyway, she's primed, and I blocked in the basic colours after choosing them from my Citadel Base paints, then used some of their Contrast paints to deepen the shadows before I started painting. I really like the Contrast and Shade paints that Citadel do, and suggest you give them a try if you're starting out painting figures. I've since painted the pencil quilted areas of her jacket, and will be doing the rest of it later, when I have a minute. She's got really weird yellow eyes with horizontal pupils, so they're going to be a treat to paint! She's also got a bit of darker tiger-striping on her head and arms, which will be taxing.

Hello again. This is my AT-AT from Bandai in 1/144 scale. A very nice kit to build, all parts fit together almost perfectly. Painted with Mr. Color paints C62, C307 and C308 shades. Weathered was done with Tamiya panel liner and light gray oil paint. Hope you like it. Cheers, Franz Galli

Hi all I think i'm done with this little project now. I'm enjoying building smaller scale scenes at the moment and I'd picked up a Bandai 1/350 Millennium Falcon at Telford with the idea of having a go at basing it in Docking Bay 94- where else? I wanted to include a bit of the world outside of the docking bay so off set the bay on the mdf plinth to make a bit of room for a bit of Mos Eisley to be included. I also made a cut away section so you can look into the dock and see the view from the film when we all see the Falcon for the first time. Its all made from foam, cork, wood filler, foam board and greebles and here's the link to the WiP is here if you're interested: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235122043-docking-bay-94/ Thanks for looking!

Last November I purchased some tiny white metal X wings and Tie Fighters from @BritJet for a small amount. Cheers, Mate! Over the last few weeks I've braved the cold mancave for an hour or so at a time in order to get them sorted. I think the scale is probably around 1/200. Anyway, they're tiny, and after some fettling they went together with superglue. Paint is simple white primer and markings were done (not very well) with ink. They're not going to win prizes but hey. A few years ago I built a Star Wars wall display. It's supposed to be part of a Star Destroyer. I can't remember the scale I chose for it, One of the ship building scales I remember. So these are too big really. The fighters are suspended on invisible thread and held in place by gobs of UHU glue. The Tie Fighters. Interceptors I think? Not suspended as yet, but just sitting in the maintenance trench for now. I'll try something bigger next time. These were too small and fiddly for my fingers. As always, comments and brickbats are always welcome. Thanks for looking, Pete

Hi all and here's one I've had on the go since late last year, just never got around to posting. Revell_Star_Destroyer_L1_box by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr This is the "Build & Play" snap-fit kit which has a low parts count and some features like undercarriage (?!) and lights and sounds. For a simple kit, it's over 37cm long and the level of detail is quite good for the scale. Revell_Star_Destroyer_L1_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr I wanted to see if I could improve it by adding some more details including fibre optics and hopefully have it ready for Dublin Comic Con next month. I started by gluing in the 'landing gear' and filling the trenches. I'll also fill the speaker grills and the space for the button. Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_2_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_1_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr There was a really nice build video online by Eagle Models where he showed how narrow the sidewalls were. So I followed his example and increased the height by a couple of mm Out of box: Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_3_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Plastic strip inserts Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_3.1_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Added greeblies Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_4_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr And after. I think it looks better. Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_5_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_6_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Hard to see in this pic but I've added some extra detail with plastic card on the hull. Revell_Star_Destroyer_Wip_7_Hull by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Thanks for looking. Take care and happy modelling. Dermot

Hi all Tossed the coin over whether this belongs in the SF or diorama section but as I haven't posted in here before SF won. I made a very small Helms Deep and really enjoyed it, so continuing on the small scale I picked up the 1/350 Bandai Millennium Falcon at Telford and have set about making a suitable base for it! It kind of had to be Docking Bay 94. Apologies but no progress shots on the kit, it doesn't come with either the ramp of landing gear. I decided to leave the ramp but scratched some simple legs. Onto the docking bay. The base was made from foam with two layers of cork walls with spacers to allow for the storage bays. Next step was covering the whole thing in wood filler and give it a good sand. Then i've started to add the details before the roof goes on. My plan is to have a cut away section to look in the hanger but have the full circle of the 'roof'. I started adding bits of greebles and plasticard, lead wires old PE etc. and its starting to look like a docking bay! I haven't looked too closely at the film pics for the wall details, I'm more just going with the flow and having some fun. That's it for now! Just going to be working my way around the walls and storage bays.

Here’s my attempt to make a Bandai Hobby 1/12 figure into less of a toy and more of a display figure. The Bandai kits are excellent; I wanted to create a figure that looked more realistic. The OOB figure - the plastic is self coloured and makes a passable figure. I started by dismantling the pre-built figure and using polystyrene cement during reassembly, filling the moveable joints with modelling putty and green milliput. I airbrushed the various armour parts with Vallejo light green. Boba’s helmet is one of his most distinctive features and I started detailing this as I went along. I used images from the web to make sure the painted chips and scratches were accurate.

Din Djarin – The Bounty Hunter (06784) Star Wars: The Mandalorian 1:9 Carrera Revell Firstly, some minor spoiler alerts. If you’ve not seen the series and plan on doing so, skip this section and go straight to text below 'The Kit' heading, where I’ll try to keep the spoilers to the minimum. We’ve all heard of Star Wars, the three trilogies, the spin-off films and now under the auspices of the massive Disney corporation, we are being treated to some television series on their streaming service Disney+ that are bringing back some of the magic that perhaps had been lost, or at least dulled over the years under the helmsmanship of J J Abrams. The Mandalorian reached our screens in 2019, right around the time the Covid-19 pandemic first hit, and it has helped keep us Star Wars fans entertained for two seasons now, with a third in the offing for 2023. It has brought us new characters into the much-loved Star Wars universe such as the Mandalorian, Din Djarin himself, Grogu the baby Yoda, and it has reintroduced the previously reviled but strangely popular Boba Fett, who seems to have mellowed during his time in the Sarlacc Pit, and has now got his own series on the strength of his performance in season 2. Even Luke Skywalker has made a brief appearance at the end of season 2, heavily de-aged to fit in with the show’s timeline of post Return of the Jedi Star Wars. Season 3 is just coming soon, airing toward the end February, and at time of writing, I can’t wait. The eponymous hero was until the second season known either as Mando, or the Bounty Hunter until his real name became knowns near the end of the season. Our moustachioed hero wears the distinctive Mandalorian armour, mostly forged from Beskar steel, which he was often paid in billets of by his early customers. Like many Mandalorians he was a Foundling that was taken in and trained in the ways of their warriors, taking the oath not to reveal his face as part of the deal, which must make eating, drinking and cleaning oneself a mite convoluted. When we first see him on Tatooine, he is working in the void between the fall of the Empire and rise of the First Order, and we often see Stormtrooper helmets and other garb on pikes and as trophies in the background, with the remainder a much grubbier prospect than their previously pristine white armoured hoardes. The Kit This is a brand-new kit from Carrera Revell, and isn’t part of their collaboration with Bandai. It is a static figure that comes with a diorama base and various accessories that arrives in a deep, end-opening box, with three sprues and two diorama panels in grey styrene, a small decal sheet and the colour instruction booklet with a photo of the finished model on the front, and detailed painting guidance throughout the following instruction steps. Detail is good, and is improved by his armour as separate appliqué parts over the simple cloth basis of the figure. Construction begins with the afore mentioned base figure, which is built from a front and rear half that acts as a basis for the additional detail parts that are added later. A detailed painting guide shows the colours for the cloth suit and the under-armour pads and straps, which is best done early before installing the other detail parts for ease of access. The base figure is bereft of hands, feet and head, which are added next, starting with the hands. These are made from the hand/glove with front of the gauntlet that attaches around the forearm stump on pegs to complete the arms. Similarly, the feet are each two parts and are installed on the shin for one leg, and at the end of a shin extension on the other leg in much the same way. The knee pads and calf strapping are added separately on more turrets, with more detail painting information included, then the thigh armour is built up with straps and ammunition belts. The right hand has a pistol moulded into it and a separate piece of hand armour with the arrow motif in the centre, fixing to the arm stub in the same way as the other. The chest is armoured front and rear, with belt and cross-strap laid over them in front and rear halves, plus a pair of shoulder pauldrons that slot into deep holes there. Mando has a disposable block supplied to help keep him upright while painting, which has a recessed foot shape moulded-in, and on that leg the raised thigh has additional armour placed at the top at an angle. Din’s head is nothing more than a ball-joint onto which the helmet is built, starting by adding the two-part socket inside, then closing it up around the ball-joint, allowing the head to be posed at your whim. The T-shaped vision slit is inserted into a recess in the front of the completed helmet, then the figure is finished by adding a cape around his left shoulder, latching against the figure as shown in detail. Attention then turns to the diorama base, which is festooned with a quartet of discarded or trophy Stormtrooper helmets amongst other things. Firstly however, a pair of cylindrical “sci-fi” objects with tapered tops are made up from a pair of halves and a separate top, to be put to the side while the helmets are made up. The two complete helms are built from front and rear halves to facilitate being skewered by pikes that have a mounting pin and two washers moulded into them to prevent them from sliding down. Whether you decide there’s a head in there or not is entirely up to you, and will help you decide whether to smear blood around. All the helmets have decals for the eyes, vents and other details of the helmets, which will simplify their preparation somewhat. The partially buried helmets are similarly made in halves, but these are only present where they will be seen, disappearing where they might be otherwise buried under the sand. The other two diorama parts are the large sections of the base, which consists of an undulating sandy base with a few recesses for the various parts to be fitted, while the backdrop has a door, plus some lights and controls or sensors moulded-in. The two halves just clip together on tabs at right-angles, adding the helmets, cylinders, pikes, and of course Din Djarin, who trades in his temporary foot pad for a sunken Stormtrooper helmet that is fixed to the base. Markings Most of the decals are for detailing the Stormtrooper helmets, but others are included for Mando’s hand arrows, wrist control pad, silver logo on his right pauldron, rear helmet ‘track’ detail, and even a trio of blaster holes for the diorama backdrop, although it would have been nicer if they weren’t all identical. The large white Mandalorian logo decal is designed for the front of the base, but put it where you wish. Decals are printed for Revell by Italian company Zanchetti, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A well-detailed static figure diorama that should go together relatively quickly, and with careful painting and decaling, will look the part. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

Hi all, a little late on submitting my collection for 2022 as it’s the first day of the new year. As usual I had a resolution to build a model a month, something of an epic fail on that score, partly down to indolence and partly the cars needing shiny paint which is something of a challenge. First out of the blocks was the Razor Crest, one of 3 kits given for Christmas which I feel should always be prioritized out of respect for the giver. Finished in various Vallejo Metal Colors, and with a 3d printed plaque by one of my fellow club members. Next was present no.2, starting off a bit of a JDM kick. Tamiya’s lovely Nissan 370z in the Heritage Edition. I was pleased the coloured interior can be seen, the other two JDM to follow on are symphonies in dark grey and black! Last of the Christmas presents was one of Tamiya’s older re-boxings, the Nissan Silvia Ks. A nice simple build OOB, the green colour is the four-paint mix from the instructions though I made the lower half darker than suggested as I preferred it to a test mix suggested for that element. Most of my model builds previously have been 1:72 aircraft, however the Ukraine situation seems to have removed my interest in building model war machines. That said my entry for the Matchbox GB was a USN Helldiver, although I don’t think any of the US, French or British versions actually engaged in combat. Last completion of the year was this Aoshima Mazda RX-7. It’s the Vertex tuning version, the bonnet and wing were my first experiment in carbon fiber decalling; next time I’ll hopefully avoid wrinkles! So that’s my rather low output for the year. I’ve received 2 car kits for Christmas so that will be the first efforts for 2023. Happy modelling all for the New Year. Cheers Will

Hi everyone and hope you had a good Christmas with some kits under the tree! Here's what I got finished for this year, a couple didn't quite make it but hope to finish them soon. All are 1/72 except one! Bandai's Poe Dameron X wing for a 'Movies & TV' group build. Was fully repainted but otherwise OOB. Bandai_1_72_Poe's_X_Wing (5) by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr Italeri's Mk Vb Spitfire finally finshed for the KUTA group build. Aftermarket decals for Wing Cdr Brendan 'Paddy' FInucane of 154 Squadron, July 1942. Italeri_1_72_Spitfire_Mk5b_Finished (2) by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr Matchbox/s Lysander for the Matchbox GB and finished in Irish Air Corps markings to celebrate their centenary this year. Matchbox_172_Lysander_Irish_Air_Corps_done (8) by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr Tamiya's 1/35 Schwimmwagen for a Military Cars GB on the IPMS Ireland forum - my first 1/35 kit in about 30 years!. OOB with stowage from Value Gear. Tamiya_Schwimmwagen_ (7) by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr Back to 1/72 for a Trumpeter AS-90 for the Ground Attack GB. OOB with you guessed it, more stowage from Steve at Value Gear! 1_72_Trumpeter_AS-90_Done_ (7) by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr No stowage next, Sword's U-125A Guardian for the Turning Japanese group build. Sword_U125A_JASDF_8_0722 by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr Airfix Lynx HAS-2 for the Falklands 40th GB. I had also started an Argentine Dagger but that's on the shelf of doom. Airfix_Lynx_HAS-2_Done (20)R by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr AZ Models Martynside F4 Buzzard in Irish Air Corps markings. Learned a lot on this one about rigging! AZ_Martinsyde_F4_Buzzard_6 by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr Trumpeter F-107 Ultra Sabre for the Century series GB. Trumpeter_F107_Super_Sabre (10) by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr And my last finish was this Italeri F-5F Aggressor OOB for the F-5 single type build. Italeri_172_F-5F_Aggressor_8 by dermot.moriarty, on Flickr And that's yer lot! Thanks for looking and hope 2023 brings all you wish for. Happy modelling. Dermot

Bandai's 1/72 B-Wing completed in a small variation of the ILM studio model paint scheme. Much like my A-Wing, I wanted this one to be unique while still looking like something that could have taken part in the Battle of Endor at the end of Return of the Jedi rather than painstakingly try to replicate the studio model. I took a different approach to building this as I had previously completed several Bandai Star Wars kits and expected excellent quality parts fit, which turned out correct with a couple of exceptions - I prepainted the main colours and most of the markings on the sprues and then assembled it. I also used a different painting technique. I primed using Mr. Surfacer White 1500, then washed using Tamiya Panel Line Accent Grey enamel wash, finally a couple of very thin coats of diluted Tamiya acrylic XF-2 Flat White. The teal colored sections went through a similar process, masked off, primed using Mr. Surfacer Grey 1500, washed using Tamiya Panel Line Accent Dark Grey enamel wash, a couple of thin coats of Mr. Hobby RLM 78 Light Blue. I did not like the yellowish squadron marking decals so I used them as templates to cut out masks and painted them using a custom 3:1 mix of Model Master acrylic International Orange and Cadmium Yellow. I decided to add two diagonal stripes on the bottom wing section as the individual marking of "my" B-Wing. The cockpit interior was painted using AGAMA Medium Grey and Dark Grey acrylics, drybrushed with light grey and washed with Tamiya Panel Line Accent Dark Grey. I then picked off individual displays and knobs with white base, followed by transparent red, yellow and green. Sadly, I wasn't able to get good photos to showcase it. As befits a Star Wars build, I added a lot of paint chipping, although I tried to keep it more subdued than on my X-Wings as the B-Wing entered combat after the "dark days" of the early Rebellion when any flying piece of junk was used.. Unlike my typical build, this one was spared of any mishaps and misfortunes so not really that much to talk about. The greatest challenge for me was the sheer size of this, as I hadn't painted a large model in a long while. Overall, another excellent Bandai model that was very fun to assemble. As usual, please excuse the poor quality of the photos - the teal tint is due to the artificial lighting I had to use to compensate for the lack of natural sunlight in my home.

Well, it's finally finished. I started this project as a way of getting back into scale modeling, a hobby I enjoyed immensely as a young lad. Not having much skill, a mentor or anyone to talk to about this hobby, I simply soldiered on until rock drumming, girls and life competed for my attention. Thirtysomething years later, I am looking to get back into this hobby only this time, money, information and folks to discuss this hobby with (youse!) are not an issue. Be constructive with your criticism, folks. I just getting back into this, am willing to learn and welcome feedback around my work. This meant to be fun and relaxing to m so I'm not gonna be freaking out because someone left negative feedback. Cheers! Update: I'm still figuring out how to share from flickr site. Stay tuned and thanks for your patience! Update#2: I think I got it now!

I've been working on a ZM 109 and it's been a bit of a challenging build to do. It's not quite done yet but I decided I needed something that will just go together without much thought. I picked up the original release of the Perfect Grade Millennium Falcon when it first came out and haven't done anything with it. Mostly the paint job I felt would be a tough one. Recently my LHS got me to try the new Aqueous Mr Surfacer 1000 for a primer. It's practically odourless and easy to use so with that and my desire for a straightforward build the Falcon is hitting the bench. It's a big one alright. With the ZM 109 for a size comparison. AM will be an absolute minimum if any at all.

Well it’s finally done. It’s taken a while for me , mostly reshaping and rescribing the head. The 3D printed canopy is beautiful too. I have built a lot of Y-wings in my time , but this colour scheme is my all time favourite. The model is old and not accurate to any particular y-wing studio model , but I did the colour scheme as close as I could to Gold 5. There’s been times when I have hated this model , and it spent a few days on eBay unfinished , but I’m glad I saw it through. It was good to do an old skool resin kit again.

Hi all, after a very enjoyable Greeble / Kitbash build I am calling this done. Who needs a plain old Razor Crest when you can have this ship! Despite his remarks in the video, I think Mando might grow to like this ship and his new speeder bike. Let me know what you think, "This is the way?" Finally, if you want to see the work in progress of this build, click below.

Millennium Falcon (01211) 1:144 Carrera Revell via Bandai Spirits Starting Christmas 2015, a new trilogy of Star Wars movies began that were set 30 years after the original, with new peril, new characters and new hardware, all of which we’ve now seen for better or worse. It also marked the return of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy – The Millennium Falcon, which is perhaps the most widely recognised and iconic space craft, even though it's a work of pure fiction. Although she’s grubby, broken-down and looks like she’s flying backwards or sideways, she became one of the most-loved ships of the Star Wars universe, and now after seeing her in pristine condition with her original shuttle between the loading mandibles, we know just what a hard life she’d had before we met her in the summer of ’77. I'll not bore you with more of the history of this customised Correllian cargo ship, but in the years since she previously graced our screens by participating in the destruction of the second Death Star with Lando Calrissian back at the controls, there had been some changes, the most notable of which was the replacement of the old circular dish that got obliterated whilst escaping from the Death Star inferno with a brand new low-profile rectangular unit, which IIRC didn’t last very long itself. There had also been some minor detail changes to the "greeblies" that festoon the exterior of the ship, but from a distance she's pure nostalgia. Han was bang-on when he said "Chewie, we're home" at the beginning of The Force Awakens. The Kit Bandai attained the license for the new trilogy Star Wars model kits in the Far East, and trotted out kit after kit, beginning with some 1:12 figures that you really should check out if you haven't already. With the subsequent Star Wars properties that have been heaped upon use, such as movies Solo, Rogue One, series The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian, which is also having a number of spin-offs of its own, Revell have obtained a license that has enabled them to release their own original toolings, as well as some reboxings of previous Bandai releases, of which this is one. The Millennium Falcon is one of the larger kits in the range, despite its smaller scale, and it arrives in a much deeper box that has the same footprint as the other Bandai sourced kits, which is very handy for stacking as far as this Star Wars kleptomaniac is concerned. Inside the deep black box are seven sprues in light grey styrene, although one of these ingeniously has the clear and transparent blue parts moulded into it, which is a technique that Bandai use a lot in their kits, injecting one colour and then changing the configuration of the gates to inject further colours, which adhere to the other styrene and make up one multi-colour sprue. If you've not seen it before, you’ve missed out. Another sprue is moulded in a putty-colour and holds the base and stand parts, with both decals and stickers included to cater for the modeller and the younger audience that perhaps just want to knock up a kit with their dad to play with. The instruction booklet follows the design cues of the box, and is printed on glossy paper in colour, but has additional English captions here and there, although it tends to rely heavily upon diagrams, icons and a pair of “snap” triangles where something of interest is to be noted. The kit is designed to snap together without any glue, but don't be fooled into thinking that will mean a compromise in detail, because I was utterly stunned by the level of detail that Bandai have achieved with this kit when I first saw it. Having built the older Finemolds kit of the original Falcon that purports to be 1:144, it is officially left for dead in the detail department. The first thing I noticed about the Bandai kit is that it is substantially larger and deeper than the Finemolds kit, with a distinct curve to the top and bottom surfaces that is much greater than the older kit. I did a little looking around, and it would appear from the data held on the Star Wars Wookipedia, that the Finemolds kit is underscale by quite a margin, leaving it 2cm shorter from the rear to the tips of the loading mandibles up front. It is also shallow, but as the figure included the dish that isn't present on this kit, it's more difficult to decide by how much, however when placing them side-by-side it’s very noticeable. Another thing to notice is that the new kit is designed to accept a modular lighting kit that is available separately, but there are plenty of third-party lighting kits that are now available. The official set comprises a battery box that slips into a compartment in the underside, with a number of LEDs threaded through holes in the model to clip into holders within the important areas such as engines, cockpit and gun turrets. There are also some fun poseable parts such as the crew access ramp, the turrets, dish, and the option to install landing gear or have the bays closed over. Construction begins with the cockpit, which although it comprises only two parts, has a full tub with four seats and instrument panel, plus a busy bulkhead and access door that will look great painted up. There are also a set of seated figures that are surprisingly recognisable at the scale, but Bandai have been producing these tiny figures for their Gundam kits for years. You get one each of seated Chewbacca, Han, Rey, and Finn, the outcast First Order Stormtrooper that tags along in the first movie. The cockpit interior slots into the lower part of the cabin, which has a separate conical nose part, is joined by the upper tunnel that disappears into the hull, and then you have a choice of either a clear canopy with decals applied to the raised framing, or a styrene part that has no glazing, which is truer to the filming miniatures of the original trilogy. The loading mandibles are next, with each one almost a mirror image of its opposite number. The two circular cut-outs are filled top and bottom by an assembly that snaps together from three highly detailed parts, which give a busy, layered look, and are held between the top and bottom halves, with the sides filled by detailed inserts, over which additional pipework and detail parts are installed. These parts are incredibly detailed and delicate, so will need handling with care when removing and cleaning them up. The lower hull has various cut-outs for access areas and the optional battery box, which receive the same treatment as the cut-outs on the mandibles, after which the side detail parts are clipped into the hull on each side, with the lower gun turret detailed with a tub into which a seat is dropped, then covered with the clear glazing. Detail in there is superb for its size, and it really deserves some lighting. The docking ports on the sides are built up from an inner and outer part, which again has two layers of detail moulded in, and they clip neatly in place in their recesses. At the rear is the engine exhaust, which after the first films had a design created by ILM that has been replicated ever since, and here by a styrene outer part with rows of rectangular holes, through which the inner clear blue part will be seen. If the kit is subsequently lit, the blue glow will flood from the rear, amplified by the tubular ridges moulded into the blue part. If you elect to depict the engines shut-down, you replace the blue panel with three styrene parts that have extra detail moulded in that represent the exhaust ports. At this stage, the battery box is inserted if you have one, and the LED holders are slotted into position, which the LEDs push into, holding them firmly and directing the light accordingly. Fine exhaust petal actuators are added to each section of the outer lip, as well as the larger parts that appear along the underside, and the battery box lid is slotted into the aperture, with details added around it. The upper hull's turret is identical to the lower, and fits into the central hole in the same fashion with the cabin and seat under glazing, which have decals on the sheet if you don't feel like masking and painting them. The upper hull has cut-outs to fill with equipment from layered parts, and the six circular vents on the rear deck have some exquisite detail moulded into the hull under them, so it's a shame and a bit of a head-scratcher that it'll never be seen again. More detail is added to the engine deck in the shape of actuators and general greeblies, and it's then time to bring all the assemblies together after threading an LED through a pre-cut hole for the cockpit lighting if you have it. The mandibles are trapped between the two halves on sturdy pins, which are also used to hold the hull halves and the cockpit assembly in place, relying on friction-fit to hold them together. This of course means that you could build your Falcon now and add lights later if the need strikes you. Final construction begins with the new three-part rectangular dish, the cannon assemblies top and bottom, and ends with a choice of gear up or gear down. If choosing the gear up option, simple clip-in blanking plates are installed over the five bays. The gear down option is more complex, and involves building up seven two-part legs, then joining them to the upper gear legs and bay insert pieces, to which you add the gear bay doors. The double legs have one slightly different leg each, but the same process applies. When they are complete, you just slot them into the bays, and they're done, remembering to keep the gear-up covers in case you change your mind. The crew access ramp has a retracted option too, and a three-part assembly that includes the ramp walls, actuator struts and the walkway itself. Detail here is great, looking just like the movie, and as with the landing gear you can swap and change at whim. The stand is typical Bandai cleverness, and although it only consists of four parts, it allows movement in all axes to pose your Falcon as you wish. There is a removable panel in the lower turret under which you'll find the socket for the stand – another nice touch. The counter-balanced base has moulded-in terrain, and is of the same interlinking type that is seen throughout the whole Bandai range, so you can link some or all of them together for a display, using the little clips supplied in the box. Markings As already mentioned, there are both decals and stickers in the box, but we'll concentrate on just the decals for this review, which are of good quality, if a little thick like some other Japanese decals you might be familiar with. They respond well to decal solution, but their thickness can limit your success, and I'd be a little wary of using the decals for the cockpit glazing, using paint and masking instead. As well as the usual accent panels of various shades of grey, yellow and red there are also small decals not seen before, and six dark grey circles to use on the engine deck vents, which I'd much rather paint from a personal point of view, as the detail of the mesh is very fine and would be likely to trap bubbles, ruining the detail for good. Decals Stickers It's possible to build and decal/sticker the kit without a single lick of paint if you're so minded, but most modellers will probably give her a coat or two, as the light grey styrene is a little stark and far too clean, plus paint would give a better key for the almost obligatory weathering. I used Xtracrylix Light Gull Grey (XA1137) on my old Finemolds Falcon some years back, and was very happy with the results, which you can see by following the link in my signature strip. If you're going for ultimate authenticity, some of the weathering on the built-up kit in the instructions looks a bit bland, so you may wish to check your references. Conclusion If you want a 1:144 Millennium Falcon from the new trilogy, this is a highly detailed kit that's true to the published sizes and looks right. I'm hugely impressed with the kit (I’ve got four, plus the big 1:72 one!), and as it’s now available through Revell’s excellent distribution network, it should do well for them. Extremely highly recommended. It’s the Falcon after all! Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

Long, long ago, in a Galaxy far, far away, Airfix produced a Battle of Hoth playset. 3 AT-AT's (One damaged) and various figures with a base mat. Fast forward to a couple of months ago, and I got the damaged one from the bay for about seven quid. Moulded with battle damage to the body and damaged legs, it could have been a lost cause. But no! I got some baseplates with Lucasfilm moulded underneath, and used not quite Lego, card and various bits to build a section of an almost forgotten Empire outpost. The AT-AT was repaired with card and filler. I've added non standard parts so it's not quite as per the films. I was inspired by a series of posts by @Gekko_1 to use a custom paint job. I've seen huge warehouses being built which are blue at ground level and which fade as they go up to almost merge with the sky. So I did a version of that. The scale is about 1/150th If this were wading slowly offshore (as they do in one film) it might merge with the sky. (Maybe) I added various parts including a searchlight under the jaw. The guns are Guitar wire and tube. The original model doesn't have the prominent 'toes' so I added them from card. Just to prove that I painted the other side! That oval bit at the back is an addition too. The original model was a not too accurate snap kit. Here's the base. Power station on the right, Comms base on the left. The yellow comms tower was a Kibri crane jib. Drone shot. Spot the greebly! There is a build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235113899-at-at-in-miniature/ It's been a fun build with a unique result. And all for around fifteen quid. Modelling as I like it! Please feel free to comment, or send chocolate biscuits to the usual address. Thanks for looking, Pete P.S. I'm taking a Sci Fi break for the next one (or two). Hop over to the Muscle Car section for more...

Just smashed out the cockpit last night. First Bandai kit, Primed in SMS Surfacer Black https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/products/primer-surfacer-black-50ml Painted the Canopy and front cluster in SMS Gunship Grey. I haven't decided if I'll use the clear or glass free canopy and hatch so I'm painting both https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/products/premium-gunship-grey-fs36118-30ml?_pos=2&_sid=abe991cfe&_ss=r Interior in SMS Neutral Grey https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/products/premium-neutral-grey-30ml?_pos=1&_sid=4de655062&_ss=r Painting Vader Head: SMS Jet Black Satin parts: SMS Advance Black Check switch panel thingy: SMS Advance Black with some Gunship Grey mixed in Eyes: SMS Clear Red over SMS Jet Black Belt Buckle: SMS Hyperchrome Pen Rest: SMS Surfacer Black primer SMS Interior Grey SMS Super Clear Tamiya Black Panel Line Wash Added SMS Super Clear Tamiya Panel Line Wash Photographed with better lighting than earlier pic Super Clear and Decals These decals aren't bad but they're definitely not Cartograph They're a faithful reproduction of the kit bashed original studio model so they don't quite fit the spaces and are real fiddley to work with. Starting to assemble cockpit base. Coin in the reference photos is an Australian 10c piece, this kit is TINY Detailed the back with SMS Hyperchrome pen and test fit Added some Tamiya Black Panel Line Wash for a little more contrast and gloss coated over the top. I left it glossy as limited light will get into the cockpit anyway so any extra sheen or reflection is going to make it that much more visible. The glass free piece has subtly more detail than the clear on the underside of the hatch. But with the hatch closed it'll never be seen.

AAAAAAND we're back in a universe far far away and a long time ago.... A bloke on the bay had an old Airfix Battle of Hoth Diorama set which he sold as separate parts. I missed out on the walking AT-AT's, but got the damaged one for about seven quid. (inc post). Someone on Scalemates reckons it's about 1/150 scale BTW. What to do with it? Well it's not a bad representation but with the legs being solid and posed you can't stand it up. I know, lets chop off the legs and start again. Whose brilliant idea was that? Will it end in tears or cheers? We shall see. Luckily, I have this rather excellent book. (World of Books, I think. Less than a fiver!) It's full of detailed cutaways. Unglued, so disassembly didn't take long. See what I mean about the legs? All moulded in that position. So I fitted the circular cutter into the Dremel, made a strong cup of tea, took three brave pills, and voila! I counted my fingers afterwards and they all seem to still be there. Bonus. I hate that circular cutter! H & S? Ha! It should have a flat bottom to the main body onto which the Harrier engine* and leg supports fit. *What do you mean you didn't know that? The original concept used one from the 1/24th Airfix, doncha know. I wanted to keep these angled plates on the sides. They're not far off being correct. See those rounded bits where the legs fit on? You can just see the front of the Pegasus between them. How do you feel? Gutted, Guv! I added large tabs inside to make it stronger & cut a belly plate. No comment. At least it'll keep the water out when wading in the oggin. Here's another bay purchase. A small diorama base. Two pieces that clip together. They have the magic word Lucasfilm mouded into the underside. So far, the idea is for the AT-AT (I'm going to call it Spot) to be standing on here. I'll then do buildings or something industrial around it. This clone copy came with the ones above. I may or may not use it here. It's NOT marked Lucasfilm, BTW. And that is it so far. I had the day off work, so, after the chores, I enjoyed myself for a couple of hours. I hope you like what you see. Please don't get too excited if you are of a certain age, I'm not insured for medical stuff. As always, any questions, comments and bourbon biscuits can be sent to the usual address. Or Mrs Trellis in Wales. Thanks for looking, Pete.

Hi all, I am calling this triple kit bash project Mando's next ride. This will be what you might call a 2nd generation Razor Crest. The main fuselage will be from the Apache air frame, with the Colonial Raptor cockpit grafted to the nose and the A10's Gatling gun attached underneath complete with the A10's nose cone. Skid landing gear will be used from the Raptor, but beefed up with the A10's metal landing legs. The idea is to give a sort of Alien Drop ship style look, but retaining some of the Razor Crest's original design DNA. I might add lighting to this ship if time allows. "This is the way!"

These are finished at last. Real life kept getting in the way. As usual! See the WIP for the full build. I got a pair of part started 1/48th Hobbycraft Vampires from the Bay for a decent price. Bits were missing. What to do? Why not turn them into 1/32nd scale orbital fighters in the Star Wars universe? I just made it up as I went along. Both were two seaters. The oneon the right had a broken canopy. I took a page from early Meteors and built it as a Mk 1, with a metal rear to the 'greenhouse'. The paints are Citadel (Warhammer) as I wanted 'Alien' shades rather than bog standard Tamiya. Here the laser pod is underneath. Engines are printed and were very kindly donated by @TheBaron I've added a bit of detail and paint. The Vixen name comes from the source of the engines, they were for his wonderful 1/72nd printed Sea Vixen. Not meant for atmospheric flight you just need an engine & thrusters. Not tail booms. The yellow stripes? Alien flames, for that death or glory look! RH wingtip pod. Half an old missile with added bits. Yes, And a Harrier outrigger. In the Star Wars universe ships can hover indefinitely. But I've fitted a fixed central skid & the outriggers in case of 'wobbles'. Launched from an orbiting space station the skid could be jettisoned and the ship could 'skip' on top of the atmosphere. The Mk 2. Full length canopy. Slightly different markings. I just used odds & sods from decal boxes. The 'flames are intentionally rough, BTW. The green is Citadel Goblin green. The Vampire had a Goblin engine! Just sayin'. The Pilot is ex Phantom. Now from an unnamed race of humanoids, threatened by the evil Empire. The gear is just a push fit, so here's a close up. The skid was two halves from a wingfold, I think. My Citadel paint stock. Bought used from a car boot 4 or 5 years ago, they are still good to go, and odd shades. Another fun scratchbuild and I'm happy with the end results. They're certainly unique! Thanks for looking. Your comments are always welcome. Next? one word. Vanship! ×

Millennium Falcon, Snowspeeder & T-70 X-Wing Junior Update Sets (2004, 2005 & 2006) 1:144, 1:48 & 1:72 GreenStrawberry Star Wars. Enough said? We all know the Bandai kits from this ground-breaking series of movies (we’re talking generally here – ignore any you don’t like). Not so very long ago, GreenStrawberry hit upon a cool idea that would appeal to a broader group of modellers, a simple pared-down set of Photo-Etch (PE) parts and accessories that can be used to improve on the detail of the base kits, which are pretty impressive to begin with, let’s be honest. You can always improve on injection moulded plastic with a little PE and some cleverness though, and these sets are just that. They’re smaller than their fully-featured siblings, and are useful as an introduction to PE wrangling, or in case you just want to put a little extra into your model without pushing the boat too far out. Each set arrives in a resealable clear foil bag with a black card that has the usual green/red branding, and a thick piece of card within to protect the goodies inside. The sets usually comprise one fret of PE, plus either printed acetate, stickers or paper, depending on what is appropriate to the set. The final part is the instruction sheet, which has step-by-step isometric instructions to guide you through the process, and is folded up to add even more protection to the package. 1:144 Millennium Falcon Junior Set (2004-1/144) Despite the small scale, the set is quite large, due to the inclusion of the mesh for the six vents on the rear deck, all of which are shown in a scrap diagram to ensure correct alignment of the mesh with the direction of motion. There is also a rear bulkhead for the cockpit, which is layered with a door and its padded surround from either side, and a set of stickers that when applied will allow light to filter through them and give the impression of the bright flashing bulkhead we know and love. There are similar panels for the side consoles, although these do not have corresponding holes to match the stickers. A simple control yoke is included to place in front of Han/Rey and Chewie. Nien Numb and Lando Calrissian have just spat their collective dummies. The crew ramp is backed up by a two-part assembly that prevents the see-through effect if anyone is looking up there with an endoscope, and a T-shaped part is also fixed to the exterior just next to the opening. The final parts for the interior are the gun controls for the twin cannons that Han & Luke had so much fun with in the original Star Wars movie. Externally, the seven sets of landing pads are upgraded with fine filigree ‘cuffs’ that are each single parts with four sections with pre-thinned joins that allow them to be folded and lightly curved to form the vertical parts of the cuffs. They slip over each strut before installation of the legs into the hull, and although there are two types of legs, there is only one type of cuff. 1:48 Snowspeeder (2005-1/48) The fret for this ship is slightly smaller than the Falcon set, and includes a sheet of clear acetate that is printed with various shapes for the instrument panels, allowing light to show through if you’re planning on lighting your model, and who doesn’t? A little removal of moulded-in detail is needed first, taking the dials off the instrument panel, the two pegs on the seat that retain the kit pilot figure, and the instrumentation on the rear gunner’s console in the centre of their control yoke. The front and rear seats are re-skinned with PE replacement roll padding, and four small parts are applied to the back-to-back bulkhead sides between the crew members. The main panel is fitted with a flat T-shaped part on the rear, and a laminated panel on the front that is made up from three acetate pieces and three PE parts over the top, ending with four layers on the outer areas. This is then glued in place on the recently blanked panel. The rear gunner’s station has a similar, smaller panel made up from two layers, then it also has a pair of grips installed underneath, folded and then laminated to give the handles some thickness. Externally, you have a choice of two styles of grille at the front under the windscreen, connecting hoses and coiled cables to the harpoon gun at the rear, as well as a twin-layer part glued into position vertically beneath the cylindrical barrel. The final part is another grill for the back of the intake that runs down the centre of the underside. 1:72 T-70 X-Wing (2006-1/72) This set includes a sheet of printed clear acetate as well as a fret of PE, and starts with a small panel fixed to the control column, augmented with a new triple faceted instrument panel that has a clear central section. The side consoles are also covered with new panels, and five additional parts are dotted around the rest of the interior. Externally, there are two crew ladders, one for the pilot that descends from a slot in the lower fuselage the plastic for which must be removed from the kit before proceeding, as per the accompanying diagram. The ladder is folded in two to give it additional thickness, and the treads are folded horizontally to better represent the steps, with a small folded part at the top representing the opened ladder door in the fuselage. The other ladder is a larger accessway for the ground crew onto the aft deck that houses the BB-8 unit or other Astromech, as appropriate. The ladder’s structure is etched as a single T-shaped part that is first folded perpendicular to the treads, then each tread is folded horizontally, and covered by cross-hatched plates, with another double lamination on the flat top where the mechanic would crouch attending to the droid. A guide rail is affixed to the left side of the ladder, then it can be placed behind the cockpit and a crewman sourced if you feel the need. GS have sets of 1:72 Star Wars figures too, so while you’re there… The last four parts are replacements for the nozzle detail within the exhausts, which are fixed in place after removal of the simplified moulded-in detail. They fit neatly against the rear of the nozzle parts before adding them to the rear of the engines. Conclusion Not everyone wants the full PE sets to adorn their model, and these sets take the most important and noticeable areas of your model and upgrade it in a relatively simple but effective manner, without too much taxing work with the PE bender. A decent pair of flat-bladed pliers would be sufficient if you’re not already tooled up for PE. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This is a 1/6 scale bust of Boba Fett (as portrayed by Temuera Morrison) sculpted by Piotr Kupper (Corax Artifex). It was an exercise for skin painting and directional lighting, both things that I have been wanting to improve upon. Comments and criticism welcomed as always!