So a lot has happened on this project since my last post. The original goal I set myself was constructing a good representation of the five-foot model used in A New Hope. I can now attest this plan is now overwritten, trashed and gone. Now the model is tracking along to be a blend of the thirty-two inch and modified five-foot models used in The Empire Strikes Back and subsequent sequels.
Alright, let us take a peek at what I have done…
Once I finished my attempts at re-detailing the top Hull I decided to detail the cockpit interior, exterior, and canopy. The exterior of the kit wasn’t quite to scale so I sanded off the panel detail, added some styrene sheet and redid the area for the Kool-Shade grill and carved out the bottom of the access tube to represent the battle damage. Along with the re-worked panels, I also added more greeblies from the bits box as well as pieces of thin styrene rod and parts from donation kits.
Satisfied with the exterior of the cockpit access way I spent the better part of a weekend detailing and assembling the 3D printed cockpit interior with lights, and with the parts made from translucent plastic lighting was straightforward. More or less. I painted only the front wall of the back wall, used colored PVA glue over some of the holes molded in the plastic and then mounted four white LEDs, two small red surface mounted ones and a tiny warm LED under the main console.
Because the 3d canopy piece is a different to the piece supplied in the kit, the clear insert for the glass didn’t fit so I tried unsuccessfully to make my own from clear acetate. Now after removing the offending clear inserts I have decided to leave them out. I did this for two reasons. The first was because the smudged and glue and ill-fitting acetate spoiled the detail and secondly the actual filming miniatures done have any clear inserts. After all, I am trying to mimic the filming models. 😉
More to follow later…
AJ. Adsett 