2 Versions of Vader's Sith Starfighter

Very eye catching. Nice.

Where did you get the R2 unit for the second kit? It's much better than the box stock one.

How did you paint the canopy, particularly the front windows?

Cosmic J wrote:

Very eye catching. Nice. Where did you get the R2 unit for the second kit? It's much better than the box stock one. How did you paint the canopy, particularly the front windows?

 Actually that is the R2 unit that comes with the Revell kit...
The canopy and the front round windshield were both airbrushed Tamiya Clear Red on the inside then coated with Future.  The larger cockpit canopy was masked off with Tamiya masking tape which I pushed into the corners then cut out around the windows with an exacto knife in order to airbrush the canopy frame Games Workshop Citadel Mithril Silver.  The smaller windshield was simply handpainted Mithril Silver because it would have been too difficult to mask off the same way.
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

The red tinting on the canopy looks sooooooo good. I find it a pain to get such an even coat out of the clear paints!

The Tamiya clear tints are one of the best, and most widely used (hobby wide). Your masking and painting of the canopy is beautiful! You have learned well, the discipline that a good paint job depends primarily on a good masking job. Thanks for posting the photos!

That's super! I love that look, much more menacing than red or yellow on light grey. The tint is perfect, I can't even spray gloss paints without peel much less transparent!

Thanks for all the feedback guys I appreciate it...
Yeah I swear by Tamiya's clear paints they're the best for the end result...
To get them to spray well I thin them just slightly and spray light coats at about 15-20 psi, letting each layer dry before adding another, slowly building it up...
For my first version of Vader's Starfighter I hand painted the clear red on, and it came out pretty well but it still retains brush strokes...
For the second version I airbrushed on several layers then brushed on a layer of Future when the layers had all cured..

I need to go about making a display stand for the second model as it didn't come with one.  I have lots of display stands from AMT/ERTL Star Wars kits I could grab from but I don't know how to go about balancing the weight of the model to determine where to drill for the peg.  I was also thinking of just bending a wire "cradle" that would kinda grib the underside of the cockpit which would mean you could pick up the model and set it down on the stand easily and I wouldn't have to drill peg holes in the bottem.  Any advice about how to go about doing this?  Any guides online anyone know of?

I've seen some good reviews of the Flexi-Display stands by design, they can work with about anything. In fact one of their examples...

 

 

For cheaper, could just make something with a clear acrylic rod. :D

crusader_x wrote:

Actually that is the R2 unit that comes with the Revell kit... The canopy and the front round windshield were both airbrushed Tamiya Clear Red on the inside then coated with Future.  The larger cockpit canopy was masked off with Tamiya masking tape which I pushed into the corners then cut out around the windows with an exacto knife in order to airbrush the canopy frame Games Workshop Citadel Mithril Silver.  The smaller windshield was simply handpainted Mithril Silver because it would have been too difficult to mask off the same way. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

Oooh, the second one is the Revell kit. Sorry, for some reason I didn't catch that the first time round. I did notice that the surface details were different, and that the seams were in different places... guess I should have figured it out.

How close in size are these two? If I wanted to substitute that R2 for my AMT/Ertl one, do you think it would fit?

Very nicely done!  I love the colors you chose, as they really do make the fighter look that much more sinister.  It also keeps with the dark theme that Anakin Skywalker had there in the last two movies. 

Thanks for sharing pics of your work!  

 

That second one's weathering is superb. Very nice work!

appart from one or two thiny things, the only real thing that makes me like the new one over the old one is the old R2's seam.

Sian wrote:

I've seen some good reviews of the Flexi-Display stands by design, they can work with about anything. In fact one of their examples...   For cheaper, could just make something with a clear acrylic rod. :D

Yeah just making one is the route I'm gonna go.  But what I was looking for was some advice on how to place the rods to balance the craft, know what I mean?  I don't know if anyone has written a guide about the various types of display stands and how to build them, I've never seen one really.  Anyways, I will probably photograph how I make this stand to make a guide out of it for my site... and add to it every time I make a new display

Cosmic J wrote:

Oooh, the second one is the Revell kit. Sorry, for some reason I didn't catch that the first time round. I did notice that the surface details were different, and that the seams were in different places... guess I should have figured it out. How close in size are these two? If I wanted to substitute that R2 for my AMT/Ertl one, do you think it would fit?

The AMT/ERTL kit is approximately 7 inches long by 6 inches wide, assembled of course...
The Revell kit is just under 8 inches long and 6 & 1/2 inches wide...
The AMT/ ERTL Droid is .75 of an inch wide while the Revell Droid is 1 inch wide.  His diameter is just slightly larger as well, so in order to get him to squeeze into the AMT/ERTL kit you would have to shave his shoulders almost in half and widen the hole on the AMT/ERTL kit a bit.  That would probably make him look just a bit too much out of scale with the craft, as I think he looks perfectly in scale on the Revell kit already but the one on the AMT/ERTL ship is a tad large.
I liked a few of the features and details on the AMT/ERTL kit but overall the Revell one is better.  However, I'm judging it from the perspective of someone who repainted them to be a different craft, so keep that in mind.
Hope that helps...

smeagol the vile wrote:

appart from one or two thiny things, the only real thing that makes me like the new one over the old one is the old R2's seam.

What about the earlier build keeps you from liking the new build that much?  I decided to photograph the earlier one and list it along with my new one on my site as a way to show how my skills have improved.  And yes, that seam on the Astromech Droid is ghastly and not worth trying to fix in my opinion :D

nononono.  I like the new one alot.  I was just saying that the old one, appart from the seam is quite good as well, the new one is an obvious improvement, but the old one is nothing to be ashamed of.

smeagol the vile wrote:

nononono.  I like the new one alot.  I was just saying that the old one, appart from the seam is quite good as well, the new one is an obvious improvement, but the old one is nothing to be ashamed of.

Ah ok sorry didn't mean to misunderstand.  I'm like a lot of people who model, reluctant to share old work... that's why I'm not posting my other Star Wars models heh :D
Thanks for the feedback I do appreciate it, all of you... this is a great forum

crusader_x wrote:

Cosmic J wrote: Oooh, the second one is the Revell kit. Sorry, for some reason I didn't catch that the first time round. I did notice that the surface details were different, and that the seams were in different places... guess I should have figured it out. How close in size are these two? If I wanted to substitute that R2 for my AMT/Ertl one, do you think it would fit? The AMT/ERTL kit is approximately 7 inches long by 6 inches wide, assembled of course... The Revell kit is just under 8 inches long and 6 & 1/2 inches wide... The AMT/ ERTL Droid is .75 of an inch wide while the Revell Droid is 1 inch wide.  His diameter is just slightly larger as well, so in order to get him to squeeze into the AMT/ERTL kit you would have to shave his shoulders almost in half and widen the hole on the AMT/ERTL kit a bit.  That would probably make him look just a bit too much out of scale with the craft, as I think he looks perfectly in scale on the Revell kit already but the one on the AMT/ERTL ship is a tad large. I liked a few of the features and details on the AMT/ERTL kit but overall the Revell one is better.  However, I'm judging it from the perspective of someone who repainted them to be a different craft, so keep that in mind. Hope that helps...

Thank you, it does indeed!

I had wondered about scavenging parts from the Revell kit or just scratch-building them. Looks like scratching it is...

Excellent builds!  I think you did a great job w/the colors used.  Some fantastic contrasts, as well as the coloration of the cockpit clear canopy. 

Sian wrote:

I've seen some good reviews of the Flexi-Display stands by design, they can work with about anything. In fact one of their examples...   For cheaper, could just make something with a clear acrylic rod. :D

These FlexiDisplay stands are great, IMNSHO.  I've got each of the three sizes and they'll hold up some fairly decent weight if you tighten the screws down a bit more than just hand-tight.  I highly recommend them.