Showcase: Sienar Fleet Systems TIE/LN starfighter

 

Showcase: Bandai TIE Interceptor (181st Imperial Fighter Wing)

Bandai 1/72 TIE Interceptor (181st Imperial Fighter Wing); completed in Tamiya acrylics, Alclad lacquers, and MIG Productions enamels.

WIP: Bandai TIE Interceptor (181st Imperial Fighter Wing), Part 2

 

 

The model is done for the most part, but I might add a couple more touches of weathering before I consider it complete. The base is painted and awaiting a pin wash, after which I'll add a little bit of weathering to it. This has been a nice, quick build to lead me into my Christmas vacation next week and I can't wait to complete more models next year!

WIP: Bandai TIE Interceptor (181st Imperial Fighter Wing)

I had a little bit of spare time so I decided to throw together this Bandai 1/72 TIE Interceptor. Being a fan of the X-Wing Miniatures tabletop game, I decided to paint it as a member of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, specifically Soontir Fel's fighter. In the tabletop game, Fel has a reputation of being one of the best pilots the Empire can field and this is based on his storied history of fighting the Rebel Alliance (and later the New Republic) in the various Rogue Squadron novels.

The model was primed black and then given a coat of Alclad Aluminium (ALC-101). I sponged some Vallejo Liquid Mask on areas where chipping would most likely appear (hatches, leading edges, etc.) and then applied some light preshading with Tamiya Rubber Black (XF-85). I mixed a nice blue-grey Tamiya Neutral Grey (XF-53), Flat White (XF-2), and Medium Blue (XF-18) at about 70% Neutral Grey to 30% Flat White with a couple of drops of Medium Blue added. (Truth be told, I probably couldn't recreate this color if I tried!) The panels on the wings were primed black and painted with a 5:1 mix of Vallejo Game Air Black (72.751) and Vallejo Model Air Arctic Blue (71.071), which is a metallic blue to give the panels a bit of a bluish tint and a nice iridescent shimmer. The telltale marking of the 181st, the "bloodstripe," was masked off with Tamiya tape and painted with Tamiya Flat Red (XF-7) with some liquid mask applied with a piece of torn foam for the chipping. Various panels and greeblies on the ship were painted with a dark grey I mixed using Tamiya Neutral Grey and Rubber Black.

All that is left to do is an enamel pin wash to bring out the details and a little more weathering, using mainly oils and enamels.

Showcase: Bandai 1/72 TIE/fo fighter

Bandai's 1/72 First Order TIE fighter, finished in Alclad II lacquers, Tamiya acrylics, and 502 Abteilung oils.

WIP: Bandai First Order TIE fighter (1/72)

In the wake of the release of The Force Awakens, Bandai has given modelers a number of kits based on the new movie: T-70 X-wing, Millennium Falcon, BB-8, First Order Stormtrooper, and a First Order TIE fighter. The newest carnation of the venerable TIE fighter shares a lot with it's predecessor, such as the basic shape, the distinct twin ion engines, and dual laser cannons. Aside from the reversed color palette, the newer model sports a deflector shield, more powerful weapons, and an upgraded sensor array. The kit itself is molded in black and light grey plastic with the usual Bandai precision. Like all Bandai kits, it snaps together in a hurry and the final result is very nice, even without paint.

I decided to tint the windscreen and top hatch glazing using Tamiya Clear Red (X-27) to mimic the the box art. I'm sure the red is due more to the lighting in the cockpit, but I'm not overly concerned with screen accuracy and I don't light kits so this is the next best thing.

I wanted to go with a weathered look on this TIE fighter because the First Order no longer treats its personnel as expendable, given that their ships are shielded now. It makes sense that these fighters would see considerable action and over time would accumulate wear and tear; this particular TIE is being piloted by a veteran Special Forces pilot and has seen plenty of combat. After priming with Alclad grey primer, I gave all of the hull and wing frames a coat of Alclad Dull Aluminum (ALC-117) and then applied Humbrol Maskol with a small piece of torn foam where I wanted the chips too be. I then gave the entire ship a coat of Tamiya Rubber Black (XF-85), which is a nice near-black color. After the paint cured I used a piece of poster tack to remove the liquid mask, revealing the metallic color underneath. Because Tamiya paint is so matte, the Dull Aluminum was too bright and I decided to give everything a light dusting of Rubber Black to tone it down a little.

The wing panels were painted with a 12:1 mix of Tamiya Flat White (XF-2) and Sky Grey (XF-19), which is much lighter than the grey they come molded in.

I need to figure out how I'm going to further weather the model. Normally I would do this with oil washes, but given the almost-black color, I'm not so sure that would work out well. I might give everything a light drybrush with some grey oil paint, but I'm not sure how that will turn out. While I think about what to do, I'll start working on the cockpit tub so I can get the main hull assembled.

Showcase: Bandai TIE Fighter & TIE/x1 Advanced

I finally got around to taking some showcase photos of the TIEs for the ongoing Star Wars commission. I wanted to play around with using a white backdrop instead of the black backdrop that I usually use. Overall, I like it; the pictures seem brighter (duh!) and more vivid. I forgot to adjust the white balance on my camera before I shot these so they're slightly off but not too bad. I also need to get a higher quality backdrop than the ones I currently have, so look for that in the future.

WIP: Darth Vader and Black Squadron TIEs

I'm nearing completion of the first phase of my Star Wars models commission. These three TIE fighters will be displayed chasing down Luke Skywalker in his Red 5 X-wing. I haven't been making a detailed build log of this project, but I have snapped a few pictures here and there to share with my client.

Hobby Talk: TIE fighter coloration

Let's talk about TIE fighter coloration.

Here we have a TIE/ln fighter and Vader's TIE/x1. Both craft were primed with Alclad grey primer and preshaded using Tamiya Rubber Black (XF-85). The TIE/ln was give a base color of Tamiya Sky Grey (XF-19), which is a fairly neutral light grey color. The details were then picked out with Neutral Grey. Vader's TIE was given a base color of a 1:1 mix of Tamiya Ocean Gray 2 (XF-82) and Flat White (XF-2). The result is a cool, blue-grey very similar to the color haze grey used on modern USN ships

By doing this, we're able to stay with the cool grey color palette of Imperial craft, but still make each ship unique.

Showcase: Bandai 1/72 TIE/ln fighter

One of the recently release Bandai Star Wars kits. Model is finished in Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics along with MiG enamels. Flight stand is brass tube bent to shape.

Showcase: Darth Vader's TIE/x1 Advanced

Here are some nice shoots of Fine Mold's 1/72 TIE/x1 Advanced! The final product is quite tiny; the cockpit ball is about 1.25" tall and the wings measure 3.5" long. The model was completed in Tamyia and Vallejo acrylics and Mig Productions Abteilung 502 oils.

WIP: Darth Vader's TIE/x1

After a wash of 502 Abteilung Starship Filth had dried, I moved on to discoloring individual panels. To accomplish that, I used 502 Abteilung Faded Grey, Faded Navy Blue, and Faded UN White to pick out random panels along the craft. Since this is Lord Vader's personal starfighter, I figured it has seen a lot of action in his hunting of the Jedi and subsequent offensives against the Rebellion, so it isn't unreasonable to think that the craft has been damaged and required repair. The canopy had been given a bath in Future and is now dry, the next step is to mask the windows and paint the frame. After that is complete, the entire model will get a coat of matte varnish and I can then mask and paint the panels in the wings. I sanded the "Star Wars" logo off of the base to accommodate a larger Imperial cog than I did on the TIE/Ln base. The added benefit is that the cog will be centered on the base which should give everything a much cleaner presentation.

Quick Update: Space Marine, Submarines, & Personal WIP

Both Stormtalons are complete and currently en route to their owner. I have a Stormraven and a Knight-Titan on the way to my house that I will get cracking on as soon as possible. On top of that, I was recently commissions to paint a model submarine for a family friend of mine. It should be an interesting project: the subject is the USS Michigan (SSBN-727) in 1/350 scale. The boat is near 19" when complete! I'm looking forward to my first maritime model so I'm excited to get started on it.

Until then, I have plenty of personal work to keep my busy. I am in the process of finishing Darth Vader's TIE/x1 and Luke Skywalker's Red Five X-wing. The TIE has already been painted (save for the black panels on the wings) and I have begun weathering it. Typically, TIE fighters don't get much weathering due to their expendable nature. However, this is Lord Vader's personal starfighter and considering the fact that he is one of the best pilots in the Galaxy, I'm willing to bet his ship has seen a lot of action. I know it won't be exactly screen accurate, but I don't mind.

Luke's X-wing is still in pieces, but nearing a stage where I can begin throwing some paint on it. I have all the laser cannons, engines, and S-foils built, and tomorrow I am looking to get some paint on the cockpit so I can start getting the fuselage painted. I'm still undecided how I will paint it; neutral grays or warm grays.