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Finemolds 1/72 Darth Vader TIE Fighter


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G'day people and happy new year from Oz!

I just finished this today. This was a new release from FM last year and I managed to knock it over in a few days, so quickly in fact that I didn't bother with a WIP. If anyone has built any of the other FM TIE series however, you will be very familiar with the construction of this little gem.

The construction proceeded very quickly and was without any pitfalls, however I will say that although the wing panels look similar, they are 'handed' so the builder will need to use some sort of method to keep track of which part is which!

There are two Darth Vader figures provided in the kit, one seated and one standing.

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This is fortunate as you cannot see much of the seated figure once installed!

The kit was finished straight from the box. There are only three tiny decals that need to be applied on the upper access hatch. I nearly forgot, and unless you know about them, you probably could leave them off altogether. The kit includes printed window masks that the builder needs to cut out. the masks fit very well, however, the adhesive is not up to the job and there were several small areas of overspray that I needed to clean up, I used a toothpick sharpened to a chisel point and slightly moistened in meths.

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Overall a great little kit and a valuable addition to the growing FM Star Wars line-up.

Here is is next to the FM TIE interceptor for comparison

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Hopefully they will bring out the TIE Bomber version next!

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Lovely build Pappy,

As you say the FM kits are little gems. I have a couple of these to build at some point, want to put one into a dio with an X-Wing and 2 standard TIEs.

A TIE Bomber would be nice as would an AT-AT in 1/72 or A-Wing or B-Wing or any number of ships!

Cheers,

Warren

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That's a beaut, great painting. The Vader figure is impressive given the size. A TIE bomber would be great, they're really cool!

G'day Tabio, thanks very much, I had fun doing it.

Lovely build Pappy,

As you say the FM kits are little gems. I have a couple of these to build at some point, want to put one into a dio with an X-Wing and 2 standard TIEs.

A TIE Bomber would be nice as would an AT-AT in 1/72 or A-Wing or B-Wing or any number of ships!

Cheers,

Warren

I would like to do that diorama as well some day too, but the trench walls would be a lot of work!

Just started mine yesterday with a view to fitting Warren's lighting kit. If it's half as good as your's Pappy, I'll be well pleased.

Billy D

G'day BillyD, I am intrigued, could you please tell me more about Warren's lighting kit? The FM kits are great and only require a moderately skilled builder to get great results,

cheers,

Pappy

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Pappy,

If you look in the Vendor section of the forum there is a thread for Tirydium Models that had some details of the kits I do and a link to the web store.

Cheers,

Warren

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Pappy,

If you look in the Vendor section of the forum there is a thread for Tirydium Models that had some details of the kits I do and a link to the web store.

Cheers,

Warren

G'day Warren,

Thanks for the heads up. Too late for this build, but I may incorporate one of your lighting kits in the next TIE build,

cheers,

Pappy

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Nice work, nearly got mine to the paint stage too. And you are right, it does not take much to build at all.

With reference to the "wings", the mounting slots are different lengths for each wing so you should theoretically not be able to mix up the "handedness" of the port and starboard panels.

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Super looking build, nice work, what colours did you use......"I'm on the leader"

G'day Mark, thanks very much. I used Gunze GSI Creos paints throughout. Light Ghost Grey (FS36375) overall, with Neutral Grey for the panels on the upper entry hatch and Tyre Black for the front window frame. The studio models were apparently a dark greyish blue, however, the studio lighting give them a lighter greyish appearance. I prefer to model the subject as it was seen on screen rather than make a 'model of a model'. The instructions suggest air superiority blue overall. In the end, pick what you like, it is fiction after all.

I deliberately decided not to go too overboard with weathering, as I assumed that 'Lord' Vader's personal ship would be well cared for by cleaning and servicing droids etc, unlike a Rebel ship which would have serviceability as a driving requirement over appearance, and before you all start, I realise that cleaning of equipment is a form of maintenance

Nice work, nearly got mine to the paint stage too. And you are right, it does not take much to build at all.

With reference to the "wings", the mounting slots are different lengths for each wing so you should theoretically not be able to mix up the "handedness" of the port and starboard panels.

That is good to know! I marked the inside of the attachment point of the wings with a "L" or "R" and applied a piece of tape over them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Stunning work. Really well finished.

Thanks very much Tom, but the real credit must go to FM, the engineering of the kit is superb, you almost can't screw it up and the detail just loves a wash and drybrush,

cheers,

Pappy

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Thanks very much Tom, but the real credit must go to FM, the engineering of the kit is superb, you almost can't screw it up and the detail just loves a wash and drybrush,

cheers,

Pappy

Nope. Disagree. After seeing you progress with your other builds, this is more down to the individual than kit engineering.

Credit where credit is due.

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Nope. Disagree. After seeing you progress with your other builds, this is more down to the individual than kit engineering.

Credit where credit is due.

That is very nice of you Tom!

I managed to find a few of the progress pics. I thought I had lost these, but instead it turns out I had saved them in a different folder. It is slightly unconventional but here they are:

First up, Vader in the driver's seat,

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And the major components waiting to be assembled,

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Incredibly, these pictures represent just a days work at the bench.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

what a superb piece of modelling you have produced there - top marks. I was one of the lucky ones that saw star wars in its very first week of release back in the 70's and then got my hands on the first model kits that were released by MPC (I think) of the Star destroyer, X-wing and DV's tie fighter. Its good to see that other manufacturers have gone on to produce more examples of these classic craft that even to this day, remain timeless pieces of design/engineering and in many cases, far more believable than some of the modern space craft used in sci-fi films.

Having said that, the DSV2 Liberator will always be my all time favourite

May the force be strong with you when you model young skywalker..

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