SS Tie Bomber Kit

[daverep]

Here's my first SS build...a TIE Bomber kit from the MMM site. I did take a photo of the entire kit contents, but somehow the file got corrupt. There are a lot of smaller pieces from the donor kits which gives me a little work to do.

First up are the wings. These were a bit interesting...some parts of the resin cast were a bit thin and the guy selling the kit strengthened some areas using sheets of styrene. So a little help was needed to get these into shape. One part was actually cracked. Thank goodness for Bondo!




Next the Saturn V parts needed to be cleaned up as well...


So, the two fuselage parts were pretty good except for some eventual accurizing.



The wing struts were casted all in one piece.


I'm going to try and get this as studio accurate as possible, but wanted to scratch one thing...a cockpit. I made a trip to our local hobby store and got a couple of kits for donor parts and scratched the rest.






It's still a work in progress, but my plans are to accurize what I can and then add some lighting to it. Randy at VoodooFX was a big help in figuring out what to do since I'm really do to all of this, especially lighting.

Thanks for looking and any comments that you may have!
Dave

[daverep]

Worked on this a bit today after I snuck out of work early this afternoon.
Did a bit of accurizing to some pieces.

Not really happy with what I did on the above pic. It doesn't match the other "heat sink" piece (can't remember the original donor part). It'll work I guess, but I may try to fix it up before I prime.





I figured that this would be a good time to work on wiring the model up, so I drilled some holes in the wing struts and also the engine holes of the Saturn V pieces.


I decided to do 5 lights total. One for underneath the cockpit and 4 for the engines. Instead of putting the LEDs on the outside of the engines, I decided to go for an "engine glow" look, so I mounted them inside.


Temporarily hooked up the wiring and was surprised that I actually hooked everything up right the first time!


And with the house lights off but letting some daylight in so you can still see the model.


Tomorrow I'll put the fronts back on the fuselage pieces and then prime.

Thanks for looking! --Dave

[JAWS]

Wow Dave your ripping ito this.
I like what your doing man so take your time.
I have heaps of parts for this build.
I bought a kit patern for this but it was released before I had a chance to do it so was dropped.
Is another project I should just build up that is sitting in the draw.
Its all kit parts too.
So back to your build mate.
Take your time.
You have the right idea & just pay attention to the details.
Make sure you post lots more pics.
Gotta sayI love the red cockpit man.
Thats killer right there.

[daverep]

(06-19-2012, 04:17 PM)jase72 Wrote: Wow Dave your ripping ito this.
I like what your doing man so take your time.
I have heaps of parts for this build.
I bought a kit patern for this but it was released before I had a chance to do it so was dropped.
Is another project I should just build up that is sitting in the draw.
Its all kit parts too.
So back to your build mate.
Take your time.
You have the right idea & just pay attention to the details.
Make sure you post lots more pics.
Gotta sayI love the red cockpit man.
Thats killer right there.

Jase...coming from you THANK YOU!!

It's been an interesting build I have to admit. I think eventually I'm going to scratch this one as well. With getting the Falcon donors together I'm starting to get some kits for this one as well so I may try my hand at this too. It seems like it may be "fairly" easy to do. But I say that now...LOL!

Here are some more pics...I primed the model earlier this evening.

Before priming:


And after...


Nice big ole blob of primer there on the cockpit...crap!



I decided to rescribe some of the lines on the fuselage parts thinking that when I painted, they would fill in. Yeah...probably should have left those alone. I suck at scribing. Especially on a curved surface! And I even used a straight edge too! Yeah...need to work on that.

Now that I have the primer on, I have to fix some areas that I screwed up puttying and, quite obviously, some of my crappy scribing work.

I've already mixed my final coat together hoping that it's close enough to the filming model. Used the ref pics here as a guide. I hope I'm close. I'll post some final pics when I get it airbrushed. I've started thinking about replacing the supplied base with a custom one.

Again, thanks for looking and any comments that you may have!
-- Dave

[JAWS]

Looks great mate.
Youve done well.

[daverep]

(06-20-2012, 02:14 PM)jase72 Wrote: Looks great mate.
Youve done well.

Thanks a bunch Jase! I appreciate the compliments! I'm probably going to scratch one myself down the road as well.
A quick update.

I fixed some of the holes I missed when I was filling and also sanded down some sloppy priming on my part. Here is the final primed version.


One of our cats decided he wanted to take a look as well. And now the final coat. I mixed the paint myself. Again, wanted to get a little experience mixing for a model. It may be close...I think it may be a little too dark based on the reference photos here on the site, but I'm happy with it.


I just need to paint up some detail, do just a little weathering and I should be finished the kit. I've decided to do a custom base for this to incorporate the lighting stuff. I'm looking at doing an asteroid surface...not sure how just yet, but I'm kicking around some ideas. Here is the start of the custom base. Not much to look at right now, I know.


So, the base is the next huge project. I'm going to try and work daily on this so I can finish a few smaller kits I have and then get to the TOS Viper! I'm itching to get to it!

Thanks everyone for looking and any comments that you may have!
Dave

[JAWS]

I was going to use some standard Aussie slang to say what I wanted to say but thought best refrane.
I ! love what youir doing man.
This is great & fresh.
I also have to say true model building.
The dio is going to really wow this build.

Just one observation Dave.
The photos show up some extreme detail.
Thats what these models do because people get sucked into every nook & cranny.
The lighting to these models just puts them into another zone & to an outsider just blows them away with wonder.

Get into the details & sharpen them up.
The photos give em away.
Get a file & go around all the edges to remove the excess resin from the mould process.
Clean the lines up & get rid of some unwanted debris from the build.

This is going to be a fantastic display.

I would like to build my own model soon as I have everything thats needed.
Very inspirational to see someone going in hard & sharing.

Cheers mate.

[daverep]

(06-23-2012, 06:26 PM)jase72 Wrote: Get into the details & sharpen them up.
The photos give em away.
Get a file & go around all the edges to remove the excess resin from the mould process.
Clean the lines up & get rid of some unwanted debris from the build.

Thanks again Jase for the compliments! Much appreciated.

Thanks for the tip about the edges. Never thought about using a file to sharpen up casting edges. Makes total sense since you lose a bit of definition when casting parts in resin. I'll have to remember that when I get to the point of casting some of my own parts.

Yeah...I loaded some of those pictures into my computer and thought, holy crap...that's a bit rough! Getting shots that close really show the flaws! HA! My only problem is, like the noob that I am, I didn't mix enough paint to do much of anything else. I can fix the cockpit frame since that'll be a different gray. But that's about it. Well...lesson learned and THANK YOU!

If I get the chance to work on the base a little this weekend I'll post up some pics. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to do this!

Thanks again! --Dave

[JAWS]

Dave uits those sorts of picrures of the studio models that get us where we are today.
They give up everything.
Looking forward to seeing how you texturise the astroid.

[Apophis]

for all of your further scribing needs, get some DYMO tape, that the old embossers used, you can get them in packs of 4 at walmart pretty cheap, and you just peel the backing off and lay the tape down where you need it and then scribe slow and soft with mulitple strokes along the edge of the tape.

[daverep]

(06-27-2012, 10:01 AM)Apophis Wrote: for all of your further scribing needs, get some DYMO tape, that the old embossers used, you can get them in packs of 4 at walmart pretty cheap, and you just peel the backing off and lay the tape down where you need it and then scribe slow and soft with mulitple strokes along the edge of the tape.

Excellent idea! I will have to do that! Much thanks Apophis! I'm heading out tomorrow after work to look at some foam products for my base at one of our big box hobby stores and also Home Depot. Walmart is in the same center.

Using a thin sheet of styrene works fine the cylinders, but sucks on surfaces like the cockpit on the kit.

Thanks again!
--Dave

[JAWS]

Youve done well with this kit Dave cause the more I look at the previous pictures youve had a bit of work to do.
Reminds me of what not to send out when making a kit.

[swfan78]

Excellent buildup with what looks to be a REAL rough kit. Agree with Jase, some fine tuning would really sharpen the build and make it pop.

Can't wait to see what you do with the base. Awesome idea!

Isel

[Apophis]

Your welcome Dave!

[daverep]

Thanks you guys!

Yeah...the kit was kind of rough. Especially compared to some of the kits that I've gotten since. But I looked at it as a challenge. I thought I could learn a bit from cleaning it up and I did...I think.

I really became friends with my Bondo filler on this build!
But I really appreciate the compliments and also the advice. I'm a bit too late to do any more sharpening up. It's already got the final coat of paint on it. I'm probably going to start trying to gather kits and/or pieces to scratch one myself.

As for the base...I think I've figured out how to tackle this. I'm thinking either insulating foam or foam used by florists. Either way, I think I'm going to coat it with ultracal 30 to seal it and give it texture.

As soon as I get something going, I'll get some pics up. I just got to find the time to get this going!

Thanks again guys!
--Dave

[Troy Downen]

I'm really enjoying this build, Dave. This must be Dean Johnson's kit. I picked one up a few months back as well and can't wait to get into it. My wings look like they were cast considerably better than your copy, though. I have to say that you're managing quite well with the clean-up.

Two questions (one for you, Dave, and the other is a general question for the group):

* Dave, can you say something about your paint mix for the base color? What colors did you mix and in approximately what ratios? I like the look of what you achieved.

* All: was the TIE Bomber filming model lit? I've reviewed the appropriate scenes in ESB and it's impossible for me to tell but the reference photos here on the site clearly show red pips in the cockpit and at the aft end (presumably engines). Were those bulbs?

Thanks!

[daverep]

(06-30-2012, 11:45 PM)Troy Downen Wrote: I'm really enjoying this build, Dave. This must be Dean Johnson's kit. I picked one up a few months back as well and can't wait to get into it. My wings look like they were cast considerably better than your copy, though. I have to say that you're managing quite well with the clean-up.

Two questions (one for you, Dave, and the other is a general question for the group):

* Dave, can you say something about your paint mix for the base color? What colors did you mix and in approximately what ratios? I like the look of what you achieved.

* All: was the TIE Bomber filming model lit? I've reviewed the appropriate scenes in ESB and it's impossible for me to tell but the reference photos here on the site clearly show red pips in the cockpit and at the aft end (presumably engines). Were those bulbs?

Thanks!

Troy,
Thanks for the compliments! Yeah, I had to do a bit more clean up than what I thought I should have considering the price of the kit, but no worries because I thought I could learn some things during the clean up. I actually had to contact him concerning the first set of wings. They were pretty bad, but he turned around this set VERY quickly and shipped them out express mail if memory serves. They weren't perfect, but MUCH better than the originals he sent to me which was fine.

Here's what I used for the paints...all Tamiya. I started with a 10ml bottle of XF-83 (Medium Sea Gray) that was about 3/4 full, then added a little bit of white (XF-2) to lighten it up a bit. Not too much...maybe make it a shade or two lighter. Then I started adding XF-8 (Flat Blue) until I thought I had the shade I wanted...maybe an eighth of a regular 23ml bottle? Maybe not even that much. I hope that helps...I usually don't measure out stuff...coming from a theatrical set design background (on the side, that is) I've always just mixed enough until I was satisfied with the color.

Well...except for this time. I definitely didn't mix enough up to cover any other modifications I wanted to do, but I'll remember next time!

Concerning the lighting, I'm totally not an expert, but I'm pretty sure the red bulbs you see on the studio kit are actually lights. I don't remember off the top of my head if the engines are actually lit in the movie or not, but the cockpit definitely was not.

Okay, got my materials this morning for the base. I decided to go with a more porous styrofoam because of the ultracal top coat. Plus, the insulation foam is just too dense thus too heavy.


You'll also notice some really dense foam that is used for floral arrangements. Probably won't use it, but at this point I have no idea. I'm making this up as I go...

I cut the styrofoam to the size of the base and left a hole for the mount.


I then just drew some random lines to represent the striations of the surface then cut them into pieces.


Took the pieces and cut them down to varying heights to match some of the plate photography references that I found.


That's where I stopped for the moment...getting a nasty thunderstorm here and had to come inside from cutting the styrofoam. I didn't think my wife would appreciate me cutting these up inside.

Next I'm going to map out where the 9volt base is going to be as well as the on/off switch and the circuit board for the lighting. I'm going to try and make this so all of that can be accessible. I remember Randy at VoodooFX telling me that the circuit board needs to be able to vent because it gets pretty hot which makes sense.

Hopefully I'll have more time to post this evening (my time). Thanks everyone for the looks and the comments. They're greatly appreciated!

--Dave

[JAWS]

As far as I am aware the Tie Bomber was only lit from the rear with the 2 red LED's.
Looking good Dave.

[daverep]

Okay got some more finished today.

I got all of the styrofoam sheets glued down to the base and did some "sculpting".


I found some stuff that was supposed to be just for glueing styrofoam and man...it worked like a charm! It not only glued the styrofoam together, but it also glued it really tight to the plywood base.


Next I mixed up some regular hobby plaster and spread it over the styrofoam using a cheap 1" brush.


I did two coats of the hobby plaster. Decided not to go with the ultracal 30 coats because I was pretty satisfied with the results of the regular plaster. Plus, I wasn't sure if the ultracal would adhere to the regular hobby plaster.


Did the same treatment on the piece of 2x4 that holds the copper tube...


And the finished plaster base. I'm going to run out to the driveway and grab some stones to hide the break around the base and the 2x4 piece.


Here's the battery compartment. I'll probably put a piece of styrene over it and just attach it using some small brads.


And then the rear with the circuit board and the toggle switch. I hot glued the crap out of the toggle switch to make sure it stays in place.


I'll attach a small screen to the back to keep the wiring and circuit board in and to also let the heat escape. The only thing left is to attach the driveway stones around and then paint it up. I'll prime it probably just with the Tamiya primer that I have. Unfortunately I don't have any browns to start painting...but found out recently that a small hobby shop near my work sells Tamiya paints, so I'll slip over there during lunch tomorrow and see what they have. I'm hoping to have this puppy completely finished by next weekend so I can start on Jase's TOS Viper!

Thanks for looking and the comments!!
--Dave

[daverep]

Hey everyone! Just finishing up this thread with some pics of the base and my finished project.

First are some pics of the finished base...


And the bomber with the base...


I didn't realize until after I uploaded this photo to Photobucket that one of the engine LED's was out. It was on when I tested the lighting before I took the photos. I pulled out the circuit board and tried to figure out what the hell was going on and surmised that I must have blown the LED somehow. Damn!



One thing I'd do differently with the base is to go ahead and use Ultracal instead of the hobby plaster. It worked great until I attached the bomber to the center base. The plaster started flaking off. The Ultracal wouldn't do that since it's a much harder material.

Thanks everyone for taking a look and for the comments. I'll probably be doing one myself from scratch in the very near future. I now have time to start Jase's Viper! WooHoo!

--Dave

[JAWS]

Looks good Dave.
Tell that pilot to fly higher before he rips a wing off!
Lol!

[LeeS]

Nice! TIE Bomber is for sure in my near future!

[daverep]

(07-20-2012, 02:20 PM)jase72 Wrote: Looks good Dave.
Tell that pilot to fly higher before he rips a wing off!
Lol!

HaHa! I thought the same thing when I was taking the photos...MAN, he's low! Maybe he's doing a training flight...a newbie pilot getting a "feel" for the controls. LOL!

Lee- thanks for the compliment!

--Dave