Bandai 1/12 Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper

[Gemini 8]

I have never built a model in such a big scale. Especially no figure, so this promised to be an interesting build. I started a year ago with the first parts of the bike. I painted all brown parts and the main metallic/dark parts without the handles and the footrests back then. But then I paused building models for a year and after this time I forgot how I made the metallic/dark colours, which I really like. After some tests I got pretty close for the remaining parts but I still don't know how I did it. I still had the brown colour mix, which I brightened a little bit. After the weathering it will be much darker anyway. I also did some pre and postshading at this moment, but I haven't startet any weathering on the bike.

 

But after my break I didn't continue with the bike, but instead I built the whole figure first. I tried to use the white armor without paint, but it looked too much like cheap plastic. Ok, some may say stormtroopers look like plastic, but it didn't look right. I startet weathering the figure, but the white armor is so bright in the light that it is hard to see.

I think I overdid it on the boots. I will try to tone it a little bit down. I saw some other scout trooper models with really dirty boots, but after I watched the scenes in the movie, I realised that they aren't that dirty.

 

Well, there is still much to do. Weathering in this scale will be interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

The joints aren't snapped in in these 2 pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Gemini 8

[Hook]

Nice work so far!

[Gemini 8]

This was another long break, but I am confident that I will be able to finish it soon. Maybe...

This is an update of the weathering of the metallic body parts. The weathering includes acrylic and oil washes, metallic drybrushing, pigments, random tiny scratches and chippings as well as handpainted "big" ones, which resembles the scratches on the movie references. This time I am using a mix of movie-references, because I haven't found a single bike that has good photos from every angle.

 

There are also some pics from the instruments. Next time I'll show the weathered brown body parts I am working on at the moment.

 

Engine

 

 

 

Panel at the bottom

 

Engine

 

 

Top

 

 

Bottom

 

 

I will add some mud on the footrests.

 

I am not sure which "flaps" I will be using. 2 are closed and 2 are open.

 

Laser cannon

 

Instruments

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Gemini 8

[Pete in Lincs]

This is very nice to see. Some great painting and weathering. I look forward to more.

[Stephen W]

Nice build and paint effects, I am glad I am not the only one that starts and stops building! 
 

 

[moondrome]

Looking great !

[Gemini 8]

Thanks a lot.

 

The brown body parts are almost entirely weathered with oil paints, which takes weeks to dry. I give it a little bit more time before I assemble it.

I also almost forgot the decals. I added some containing texts. Also on the metallic parts I have already shown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stephen W]

Nice work on the weathering, it is coming together nicely. 

[Gemini 8]

On 12/20/2020 at 9:34 PM, Stephen W said:

Nice work on the weathering, it is coming together nicely. 

Thanks Stephen.

 

The Bike is almost finished. I added some mud and a few more scratches. I decided to make the flaps half open, so I cut the connector to a 40° angle and filled the gap with plastic.

The bag turned out to be a head-scratcher. I experimented for hours. At first I tried to stamp the pattern from a real cloth, then I tried to paint a pattern with directionally alternating rough brushes. After that I searched unsuccessfully for real cloth I can use. I ended up using a bandage as an airbrush template. It's not perfect but I like it.

 

I also started with the terrain and some vegatation (ferns). Next I will alternate between the terrain and more weathering on the trooper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Gemini 8

[Gemini 8]

The progress to the finished terrain:

 

[The Chief Smeg]

Wow, love the addition to the creeper moulded into the upright support there - looks absolutely spot on

[Gemini 8]

On 1/26/2021 at 3:17 AM, The Chief Smeg said:

Wow, love the addition to the creeper moulded into the upright support there - looks absolutely spot on

Thanks a lot. At first I didn't like the moulded plant on the tree. But with these threedimensional elements I am very happy with the result.

 

 

The Trooper with more weathering and less dirt on the boots. It is still very hard to take photos with my camera without loosing all details on the outshining armor.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought now I am almost done and there are only some finishing touches to do, but there's a space station under construction in the sky, that I try to comine with this set. I am not sure if that will work. Maybe in some specific angles.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by Gemini 8

[Gemini 8]

Making slow progress on the second death star. Lord Vader is not pleased.

The reason is, the whole production lies only in the hands of this lonely trooper.

 

The progress.

Adding the shell with some huge gaps:

 

 

Closing the gaps and protecting the core from the upcoming primer and colours:

 

 

Primed DS:

 

 

Airbrushed colours at the background and at the single panels:

 

 

 

 

Adding details on construction sites and startet painting some variation on the panels:

 

Adding some missing construction elements

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Gemini 8