GreenStrawberry Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer Main Hangar Bay (03617-1/2700)

[Mike]

Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer Main Hangar Bay (03617-1/2700)

1:2700 GreenStrawberry

 

 

Who can forget the imposing scene of the Star Destroyer looming overhead during the first few seconds of Star Wars (yes, yes – Episode IV a New Hope), chasing down the Blockade Runner Tantive IV and hauling it into the main hangar bay in order to board it in the search for the data tapes (ha, tapes!) containing the schematics for the Death Star that decades later/moments earlier Jyn Erso had successfully transmitted from Scarif.  The Zvezda kit was eagerly awaited by Sci-Fi modellers everywhere, offering a scale previously unseen unless you paid for a massive resin kit with matching price-tag.  Reboxed by Revell, it was also a bit scant in detail here and there, some of which has been addressed with 3D printed parts, which are themselves notoriously expensive.

 

GreenStrawberry (I should ask them where that name came from) have already produced some great sets for replacing the engine bells for the sublight and hyperdrive engines, as well as a spruce-up Photo-Etch (PE) set for the exterior of the ship, which we reviewed here.  Now they've turned their attention to the main hangar bay, which is the focal-point of the underside of the Star Destroyer, and sadly the designers at Zvezda didn't pay it the attention it richly deserves.

 

 

As usual with their PE sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a dark backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Each of the three large frets of PE are separated by pieces of black card to prevent chaffing, which can be damaging to delicate PE parts, and one fret is etched from thicker gauge brass to give it strength and structural rigidity, Before you begin, you need to remove the moulded-in main bay, plus the tiny auxiliary bay that sits forward of it, and the bezels that surround them, as instructed in step 1.

 

The smaller bay is first, and is built from a lamination of parts and includes the hangar bay that feeds the exit, where shuttles and TIE fighters are garaged.  Even the latticework within the bay is depicted, and all you would need to do is fabricate some ships to put in there.  With its outer-bezel in place, the bay drops into the slot left by the removal of the old bay.

 

The main bay also has a pair of feeder bays for the smaller craft, which are fitted to the forward bulkhead of the bay once it has been started.  The central grapple is also constructed, using the kit part as a base, although it isn't shown being added to the final model.  The shell of the main bay is a simple topless box with bulkheads shaped to fit the contours of the underside, to which the additional parts are added in droves.  A larger feeder hangar is also built up on the rear bulkhead and the bay control room is fitted above it, with the scalloped fittings and stiffeners lining the bay side walls.  The roof is fitted with a criss-cross of parts in layers to give extra depth, with additional panels added here and there, and a network of conduits laid over the top.  The big feeder-bay can either be attached or blanked off at your whim with a door, but it would be a shame to miss out on all that extra detail, but the option is present none-the-less.    The bay is fitted from the inside again, and the new bezel is added around three of the edges, so be careful that you remove only the sections that you should.  Slim upstands around the bay are also added last of all, and it might be as well to save those for just before main painting takes place so they don't get crushed during handling.

 

 

Conclusion

Another awesome upgrade from GreenStrawberry, and their attention to detail really shows through.  While you're on their site, check out their lighting set for this kit, as it's a cool piece of hardware.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

 

 

[Mick4350]

That would great when built !