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That the models & ships in Star Wars were imagined from the mind of one man is still hard to grasp to this day. To think that someone could build a whole universe within their mind is truly awesome.
What’s even more impressive is that the machines that populate the Star Wars universe just seem to look right – combining Sci-Fi cool looks with a believable practicality.
It’s hard to imagine our childhood without the Millennium Falcon, X-Wings or of course, the frightening howl of the Empire’s Tie Fighters & Interceptors. And naturally for those of us who’ve enjoyed making models since childhood, the use of real models in the film only adds to the appeal.
Seeing the weathered soundstage models that Lucas used proves just how far a love of model making & weathering techniques will go!
So it was with the growl of an Imperial Tie Interceptor echoing in our ears that we decided to build the Fine Molds’ 1:72nd Scale model kit (Ref: SW5 2200).
Released in 2003, there’re around 60 parts moulded in a soft light grey plastic plus transparent cockpit elements, masks & nicely printed decals.
Overall, the standard is good with nice surface details, crisp moulding & separate solar panels to ease the painting process.
Only minor amounts of filling & sanding were needed around the cockpit and the axes that mount the distinctive wings.
The only fiddly bit is cutting out the masks and painting around the glass cockpit.
For painting we base-coated in a grey acrylic mix of our own concoction & then left it to dry. A series of oil washes & filters were then used to deepen shadows. Successive dry brush passes were made in ever lighter mixes & the airbrush was used with Tamiya Smoke to create streams & oil stains. Finally, the chipping technique beloved of armour aficionados was used around the access hatch to show signs of wear.
All in all a fun build & even more enjoyable painting exercise.
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