Restoring an Icons x-wing

Jkirkon

Jkirkon

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Hi all,

Recently, I've aquired an Icons x-wing fighter, that's in need of a little help. Most everyone knows the history of these models, as well as the problems they have.
My acquisition is typical of these problems, with warped s-foils.

I know that the s-foils can be heated and re-shaped, but I'm looking for a more permanent fix for this. I think the best course of action is to replace the s-foil assemblies all together, and repainting them to match.

I would appreciate any insight you all may have on restoring this cool piece of Star Wars studio scale lineage. Maybe point me in a direction for a source for a new compete set of s-foils I can graft onto this model.
I'd love to have this lovely bird returned to its former glory, and displayed proudly in my collection.

Thank you all in advance for any assistance you can provide.
 
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Galactic Resin to the rescue!!

Ray from Galactic Resin is casting up the replacement parts I need to graft on to the Icons fuselage.

Ive also enlisted help from a local professional modeler. I can build, but I can't paint to save my life. My background in modeling is RC aircraft, so I should be able to handle most of the engineering ok.

First step is to remove the original s-foils. I did this with a minimal of fuss with a razor saw, and a piece of a hacksaw blade.

All four foils removed.

Sanded the roots clean. I'll need a little minor filler work to level it out nice and smooth. No big deal.

While Ray is casting parts, I'll be building a set of jigs to ensure my new foils mount at the proper angles. I'll be pinning them in place as the origins ones were, using metal pins.
 
I have been pondering that very thing. Not sure if I should have the new S-foils painted to match, or if I should have the paint job completely re-done.

I DO like the 'dirty' look, but I think the quality of the original paint job is lacking.
 
A small update today. Forgive my long winded explanation to a simple operation.

i got home from work a little early and built a little sanding jig to use on the S-foil roots.
I want to ensure they are of the same height, and are at the same angle, so all the foils fit the same. The easiest way for me to do this was to build a jig.

The port side foils came off the model without any cutting with the razor saw at all. They just slid off their locating pins cleanly. The starboard side had to be cut off, and will need a bit of body filler to even them out. Therefore, the port side will be the reference for the angle/height for the starboard side.

Starting with the port side upper root, I used some scrap balsa wood to build a jig that fits around the root. It sits at the proper angle, so that when i sand the filler down on the other side, everything will line up properly.

Pictures speak 1,000 words, so I guess it's easier to show you than to explain.
I will be building a similar jig for the bottom foil roots, again, using the port side as a reference for the starboard side.

This ks my first experience working with resin. Any, and ALL suggestions from you guys are greatly appreciated.

*Edited to add: not sure why the pictures didn't come out in order, maybe because I'm posting from my phone. You get the idea, though.
 
Ray from Galactic Resin very graciously advised me to fill the locator pin holes with epoxy, not filler. I was planning on using a mixture of epoxy and microballoons, as it will be a little stronger than just the epoxy alone. I will use a syringe to ensure it completely fills the holes, and doesn't leave an air space. Filler will be used to smooth out the surface of the wing roots.


I'm trying to preserve and re-use as much of this old girl as possible. The laser cannons were in really good shape (and not warped), so I'll be re-using them.
A good bit of digging around on the internet led me to a German modeling site, where someone had refurbished one of these Icons models. He went MUCH more in depth than what I will do (lights, fiber optics), but his work was helpful to me for disassembly. Knowing where pins/screws are, is of great help so I don't break anything while taking it apart.

I ground away the resin on the underside of the s-foils, and exposed the small wood screw holding the cannons to the mount base. The resin is a little brittle, and I cracked the mount tab, but that's an easy fix with some styrene.
 
To be honest yours looks to be in decent shape compare to some I've seen.
I would atleast try and straighten the wings, then drill some long holes in from the root and insert metal pins to keep them from sagging again.
Of course I'm saying this just based on these pics :)

L
 
So, a question:

When all is said and done, do you want an ICONS collectible to display for what it is, or do you just want a great looking studio-scale X-Wing?

If the former, then you might consider preserving the parts that you have already, wings and all, as Lee suggests. A lot of collectors out there won't consider this an ICONS collectible once you start replacing the wings and painting over the factory finish. You may have problems with the value of this model if/when you decide to sell it down the road.

if the latter, then you're probably better off picking up one of Ray or Mike's current X-Wing kits, as they will look much better on your shelf than the ICONs model, IMO.
 
I guess the answer is, a bit of both.

I want a nice piece to add to my collection. Something that has direct lineage to the movies I so loved as a kid. I don't think it's practical to repair the original wings for a few reasons. One of which is that the original resin is pretty brittle. I think it risks further damage straightening the old wings, and more trouble than it's worth.
I think replacement is the best option.

I know that makes the purists/collectors around here cringe. So be it. It's not a model I'll ever sell, it will be a nice piece for my office, alongside the Salzo V3.1 that was impeccably built by another member here.

I HAVE decided that I want the new wings to be painted to match the colors and textures of the original ones.
 
Jkirkon said:
I know that makes the purists/collectors around here cringe. So be it. It's not a model I'll ever sell, it will be a nice piece for my office, alongside the Salzo V3.1 that was impeccably built by another member here.

I HAVE decided that I want the new wings to be painted to match the colors and textures of the original ones.
Click to expand...


Sounds like a plan. If you don't care too much about re-sell value, then you should make it exactly what you want.

I ask you these questions as someone who broke down both an ICONS X-Wing and a TIE-Fighter into their component sub-assemblies purely for research purposes. ;)
 
Lol, any information you gained 'for research purposes', would be greatly appreciated!!

And, it's been MANY years since I've used Morse Code, but is your username Beaz?
 
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Galactic Models has finished casting my new parts, and will ship today. I'm traveling on business anyway.

I thought it was at least mildly interesting the difference in laser cannon sizes, between the Icons and the Salzo V3.1. About 1/2" difference in length, and differences where the tubing steps down.
Not a big deal, just interesting to see the differences.
 
Returned from my trip to find a nice package of freshly cast parts from Mr.Ray at Galactic Resin.

Thank you, sir!


The parts were virtually pinhole free, and sharply detailed. Today's project is the rather mundane task of washing/drying them, cleaning what little casting flash there is, and filling the minor imperfections. I'll spare you the details of that, but will include a quick pic of these nice parts.
 
Jkirkon said:
Galactic Models has finished casting my new parts, and will ship today. I'm traveling on business anyway.

I thought it was at least mildly interesting the difference in laser cannon sizes, between the Icons and the Salzo V3.1. About 1/2" difference in length, and differences where the tubing steps down.
Not a big deal, just interesting to see the differences.
Click to expand...

Interesting, yes - but makes perfect sense...
 
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I think part of the length difference there is because of the difference in how much the detail part on the back is pushed in on your V3 build. That is a separate part and looks like it was pushed in further than on the Icons. The actual barrel should be about the same as the ICONS, it was built based off the McCune pyro.
 
The length of the cannon barrels aren't a big deal to me beyond being an interesting observation. The length and size of the weapon pod are pretty much the same. I just get interested in compairing the difference in detail between the two.
The Salzo V3.1 is MUCH more detailed and 'crisp' than the Icons. Just off the top of my head, the droid strip is a prime example. The V3.1 details are very sharp, and clean looking, and the Icons is much softer. There are many other differences between the two, but that one in particular stands out.

Additionally, there are huge differences in detail between the original parts and the new parts from Galactic Resin. When I have a moment, I'll try to take some details shots between the old S-foils and the new ones.
 
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