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  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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:
  5. 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
  6. Well, after watching Andy's build with great interest, my kit finally made it to the bottom of the world! (Adelaide, South Australia). What I wasn't prepared for however was just how good a kit this one really is! I must say, hats off to the engineering department at Bandai for I have never built a model quite like this one, and I've been modelling for 41 years. The quality of plastic is first rate. Not too soft, not too hard. Very easy to work with. The parts breakdown is VERY cleaver and fits together without glue very well. I'm one of those fussy modellers that has to have everything perfect (which is probably why I finish so few models) So I was very surprised at just how quickly I was getting the parts off the sprues, cleaned up and ready. Here's where I was at after an hour and a half. All parts were lightly glued with Tamiya extra thin cement. Building this kit is so hassle free that I keep thinking I'm doing something wrong! About three hours into the build I'd gotten the head all off the sprues, cleaned up and dry fitted/pushed together. Next it was time to pull the head apart and tackle those seats. First, remove the locating slots for the pilots...... Then clean up the area.............. And make some seat cushions from plastic card. Job done in about 15 minutes. The only issue I've come across so far is a very slight gap at the front of the head. So here is where I'm at three and a half hours into the build. I'm very impressed with how things are going. For anybody who is suffering from, or has suffered from AMS (advanced modellers syndrome) this is the model for you! Next it is time to prime and paint the cockpit and mid section and try and decide on a camouflage scheme for it. At the moment I have 20 different schemes drawn up with more on the way! http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234978670-star-wars-at-st-camouflage-schemes/ Cheers Richard.
  7. 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.
  8. 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!
  9. 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
  10. Something I've been playing with over the last couple of days. A poster to show the relative size and scale of some of the 1/72 Star Wars models out there. This is very much incomplete, as it only covers the ones I've built. I'll add further Bandai ones to it as and when I build them, but it's unlikely I'll be adding any more Finemolds subjects (regular TIE, Naboo Starfighter, Falcon etc.) as they're obviously going to be hard to get hold of. If you can't read the small text, you can see the full size version here. The full size dimensions are based on the upscaled dimensions of the models, assuming that they are 1/72 ( which, in the case of the Finemolds kits, many aren't). The photos are accurately scaled, so this is how big the models are in relation to each other. There are various listed dimensions for the "real" versions of these ships, so non of them could conclusively be called wrong, but some are certainly more out than others. One of the worse ones in regard to scale accuracy is Vader's TIE from Finemolds. There's more than one quoted size for the real one, depending on what source you use, but starwars.com and the incredible cross-sections book both list the length as 9.2m, which seems reasonable (around the length of a Spitfire). Based on that length, the Finemolds kit actually scales out at 1/123. Anyway, I've done the poster for anyone interested in seeing how these kits scale up next to each other. I've got the Bandai X and Y Wings to build (and the upcoming A-Wing) and I'll rework the poster to include them. Note: I didn't add my Snowspeeder as it's 1/48, but I could scale it to match the others, so I could add that one too. Andy
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. Hi all, this kit has been in my stash since 2016 when I bought it from a guy in Texas USA. I have only now plucked up the courage to tackle this beast of a kit! My kit is good condition; however it will still have warp issues and fit problems, it has got sharp panel lines and crisp details, which leads me to think that this was one of the first examples to be pulled from the original moulds. Obviously, I plan to light it, but I am not after a film accurate replica, I plan to just build it as a nice looking model with modern lighting added. So, I will be using a few dozen 0.5mm drills to get the windows opened up, and then I will be adding 100 metres of 0.25 fibre optic strands. I think this should give a nice scale lighting effect. I fully expect to spend about a week just getting all of the parts to fit together, also I plan to have a pole mounted through the bottom reactor dome, this will involve some tubular structure in the hull of the ship to support the model and stop any possible future warpage and sag issues. Let's hope the modelling force is with me for this build, I look forward to receiving your comments as always.
  14. 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
  15. 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.
  16. Hello everyone! Last year I completed a build of three Fine Molds 1/72 X-Wings (one of them being a rescue after a botched attempt from my teen years) as Red-2, Red-3 and Red-5. Given that Fine Molds provide extra parts for a landed version with an open canopy and extra decals to build several markings, I had a lot of spare parts, even after using some in my rescue of poor old Red-2. With such a large pile of parts and decals available I decided they shouldn't go to waste and decided to try and build yet another one, the caveat - this one is mostly 3d printed on my cheap, sub-$200 FDM Tevo Michelangelo printer! I know there's a lot of debate if 3d printing scale models is possible and given the entry-level equipment I have, I hope I can prove resoundingly yes. It won't hold to scrutiny at a very close inspection compared to Bandai or Fine Molds' fantastic kits, nor win a contest, but as something to sit nicely on the shelf it would do. A big, big thank you to the creator of the absolutely fantastic 3d models I am using for this print - 1/24 X-wing by Simhopp and Cockpit and pilot for 1/24 X-Wing by Simhopp! They're free, to boot! Scaled down to 33.3% it's very close in size to the Fine Molds kit; however, to exactly match the spare parts I had to resize the wings with some changes to their STL files. At 33.3% the main fuselage (comprised of four main sections) is about 2.5mm shorter than the FM kit with the rear section being just a tad shorter; barely noticeable even if they're side by side but if you want the exact length, print the forward fuselage halves at 34.3% and the rear at 35.5%. I printed the main parts from white PLA and then switched for the gun barrels to a sturdier white PET using a 0.2mm nozzle at mostly 0.1mm layer height. As I assembled the trio in flying mode, this one will be landed in a mini diorama displaying Red Leader. What I'll be using from the FM kit as spares will be: clear canopy (in fact, the spare one from my oldest kit, after polishing it with Tamiya polishing compound) top engine covers engine nozzles (short versions; what remained as spares) landing gears spare pilot figures and R2 droids The main parts printed and assembled: Engines with nozzles as test assembly: Gun barrels: Pilot figure; yes, it's 1/72 and 3d printed! Photo taken before I painted the helmet using Red Leader's markings: Panel line scribing details; not only am I not great at scribing but PLA is porous and keeping an even line is quite difficult... The first couple coats of primer revealed tons of impurities in the print. Tedious amounts of sanding, rescribing, repriming, and then some more all over again, followed. I'll spare you photos, it was boring and the kit is still waiting for a final primer coat. There are still numerous small detail issues I am not fully satisfied with but at this point it's about equal in detail level with the quality of pre-2010s Eastern Europe garage kits that I grew up with, so I guess it will do!
  17. 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.
  18. 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!"
  19. 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.
  20. 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!
  21. It only took a few days of construction and painting to have a cheeky little table decoration. Bandai boxed the Death Star II with a Star Destroyer, originally I wanted to build the warship, but the superweapon got me. It can be put together in just half an hour, I haven't used glue anywhere. Sure, the joints could have been sealed here and there, but I didn’t deal with it. The base color is Tamiya XF-19 sky gray lightened with flat white. I painted the panels with artistic oil, as I could safely wash back on the acrylic base and repair it with thinner. The colors I used: Abteilung snow white + Rembrandt Payne gray. I hope you like it! 🙂
  22. 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...
  23. 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
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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