Star Wars GB Episode II CLOSED

Steve, That tank looks great. I forget, is that the AAT? I like the color scheme you have there.

Bish

What Acrylic paint were you using.

I was using Tamiya. I believe it was more my fault. I wanted to show some metal under the chipped paint (why a civilization that has FTL can't figure out how to stop paint from peeling is beyond me) so I sprayed Lacquer metalizer as a base coat. I think that was the problem. Although I have had a peeling problem with the Tamiya before. I will be using Vallejo acrylics on the Indianapolis, I hope I don't run into the same issue.

Rob

Thank You, My hovertank and your TIE's will finally crush the rebellion.

Looks great Steve!

That looks real nice Steve. What Acrylic paint were you using.

OK,

After try after try and frustration after frustration with the paint pulling off every time I masked it, I finally got it. I had to sand it all down and re-prime and I used enamel this time instead of acrylic. I just need to paint the guns the mechanical cylinder thingies on the sides and do some weathering.

 Steve

Well, if you feel you really really have to build it, you might as well do it here.

Glad to have you on board, will add you to the roster.

Bish,

If you'll have me I'd like to join in with my Fine Molds 1/48 X-wing fighter. Got it for Xmas and it is one that  I don't want to sit and collect dust. So, I just  as well build it now.

I agree klik, Bandai has some good Gundam kits if you get the master grade or better. There smaller kits are more toyish and that's what concerns me about the star wars kits. That being said, some of the Revel kits are rather toyish   but can be made (with some effort) into a nice model.

Thanks Klik..low part count and lot's o' time on my hands!!

WOW! I'm MIA for a few weeks, and already someone's finished not one, but Two TIEs? Outstanding job there.

I'm busy on a couple ships, but when they're wrapped up, I'm starting my Falcon.

Klik

By the way, Bandai is an excellent model company. Based off my experience with their Gundam line of models, you can expect simple, easy construction that maximizes the ease of painting and gluing, with fun extras thrown in, just because.

ye, I think your right there. Disney haven't wasted any time either. I got an R2-D2 mug for Christmas that had the Disney lark on it.  No doubt with the new movies there will be some new subjects for the model companies and the prices of those will no doubt be higher.

I think with the recent SW cartoons and upcoming movie it's becoming popular again. Plus you factor in Disney's buyout and their marketing ability, the prices for Star Wars items will start to rise again. I am seeing this in the sideshow figures that I try to buy.

They do seem a bit expensive. I don't know what scale they are, but that's about the same price as the 72nd FM kits. I just looked on E-bay and they are about the same price on this side of the pond.

Went to the LHS tonight and lo and behold they had a Revell Y-Wing snap kit. I had it in my hand ready to go but it was $27, which to me is way to pricey for a prepainted snap kit (they also had the Millennium Falcon and AT-AT kits for $50 each!). I put it back figuring I could get it cheaper online, but as it turns out the only one listed on Ebay is $50, and it's out of stock at the online stores I checked. So tempting, but at that price I have to pass. Very disappointing.

Well, that makes me feel better, perhaps I'm not such a bone head after all.

Ah, yes, the ole enamel/acrylic debacle....been there too....

I will do that. I always have a few tins/jars of each colour, but I will make double sure before I start.

That's not something you want to do to often is it.

Make sure you have enough paint! I'm sure you have a good ideaof how much you need from building Darth Vader, but have a little extra as white does not cover as well as black. Speaking from experience here(almost ashamed to admit), I thought I had enough but one of my bottles was an enamel instead of an acrylic. Mixed the two together and started spraying. Don't have to say what a mess that was. Can laugh about it now, but boy was I mad at myself at the time.

Thanks for the tips. I am a bit confused about the instructions as well. It says to remove the pour stub from the bottom of the helmet and then put it in the helmet. I also noticed you have to removed the stubs from both legs and torso but on Darth, you had to leave one of those to attach it to the other half.

I had not thought about polishing the armour, but that sounds like a good idea. I was thinking about doing several light coats of white, maybe 5, rather than one or two heavier ones.

You are welcome Bish, I liked the Stormtrooper kit. It went together well. the only problem I had was attaching the helmet to the body. I didn't understand their directions. Ended up cutting the tip of an old garden hoe, glued that to the body, put some epoxy putty around the base and smoothed it down. This gave a good representation of the neck of the bodysuit, then I glued the helmet to the top of the stick. Came out okay and is pretty sturdy.

Painting the white is not a big problem, you just have to be careful when you polish the armor. If your layers are not thick enough, especially on sharp edges, you can quickly buff down to the primer.

Terry, I have not seen the Bandai kits myself either. I am waiting out on a comparison. To be honest, apart from the falcon, I have all the 72nd FM kits I had wanted, so FM losing the rights is not an issue to me, but I am curious to see how they compare. Stephen is right, FM are indeed the gold standard. I built the TIE In a couple of years back and off that build I got the X and Y wing, Darths TIE, 2 TIE fighters and Slave 1. I do like the old kits mainly because of the large size, apart from Slave 1, to my surprise the FM kit is bigger than the old kit, but the detail on the FM kits is hard to beat. they were pretty expensive before now for the size, but defiantly worth it. Defiantly get them while you can. I think the falcon will certainly be out of my price range now, it was expensive enough already.

I just have the impression that the Bandai kits will be more toy like, I hope I am wrong, but they have a lot to live up to.

Stephen, thank you for posting that. He really does look very nice, I just hope I can pull it off, I often have trouble when painting white. My 70mm trooper came out ok, so fingers crossed I can match that. And the Rancor looks really nice, don't think I have seen that before.

Jibber, I only see the prices for Fine Molds increasing now. Get em while you can. Thanks for the compliments on the Stormtrooper. The ugly monster is a Rancor, seen in ep VI, an old MPC vinyl kit. I recomend that kit if you can find one. Goes together well and is nicely detailed.

Stephen I just checked the stormtrooper who looks fantastic BTW, but that Mountain Ogre type thing, monster beast whatever looks awesome….very cool job with that ugly, snarly, menacing, mole faced  Shrek thing or whatever. It almost looks like the Monster from the Id from Forbidden Planet but not quite. Now that must have been fun!

Stephen thanks, FM it is. I've checked with what photos I've found and FM's look fantastic, just to expensive…Terry

Jibber, I think Fine Molds has been the "gold standard" for plastic Star Wars kits for awhile. Other than them all you had were the old mpc/ertl kits and newer Revell releases. I liked the Revell and MPC kits but they did not compare with what Fine Molds had (Plus having ships in the same scale was a nice advantage also). I have not had the chance to get my hands on a new bandai kit, yet; so I don't know how well they will compare. I'm looking forward to see what appears here though.

Bish, here are the photos of my screamin Stormtrooper.

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-Stephen

Thanks jib...an excellent kit made for a dream build!!

Rob congrats on a very cool build, I especially loved the crews and cockpits. Real nice and getting on the board first, awesome start .

Bish, I'm not familiar with Bandai Kits and I see they make a Y Wing Fighter too. But comparing the Fine Molds to the Bandai kits, it appears that the detail and overall appearance of the Fine Molds model is outstanding. I haven't picked up the kit yet and I know they're both a little pricey but I don't mind spending a couple extra dollars for a much better kit. Am I right the Fine Molds is a better kit?

Terry

Thanks, Rob, Bish, and Nuc, for the comments.

Awesome Stormtrooper, Bish. Can't wait to see that.

18" of Stormtrooper-y goodness!!

Congrats on getting the Stromtrooper, Bish! Looking forward to seeing the build pics!