3x Slave 1 Model Kit Builds with Archive-X

skahtul

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Well, I have been putting this off for some time but I am finally ready for a serious challenge. For me, I think the paint job on Slave 1 is one of the most difficult paint jobs out there in the Star Wars universe.

My goal is not to get crazy with replicating the real shooting miniature (which I am far, far from qualified to even try anyway), but just to improve on my previous build which was the Bandai version. This kit was painted with a mixture of Tamiya and leaving the already colored plastic alone. For my first attempt at this paint job, I think it turned out okay:

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For this build, I have three kits, the recently released MPC, the Revell 1:88, and a Fine Molds 1:72 I picked up last year. I plan to "work" my way up to the Fine Molds kit as I want to fully light it inside and out and I plan to display it alongside my Bandai PGF when I finally build and paint that.

First up is the "new" MPC and there really is no other way to put it, the kit is junk... I will literally build it only to use it as a testbed. I had some high hopes since I thought it had new tooling or something along those lines, but yes, it's really bad.

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My main issue is that the details are super soft. The one on the left is the MPC, and the one on the right is the Revell which is a much, much better kit in my opinion. Also as I pour through reference material for the paint job both have a lot of accuracy issues but the MPC misses the mark all over the place.

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Next, we have the Revel which outside of a few very minor alignment issues is actually an excellent kit. The main body and large sub-assemblies really went together and left almost no lines. It's also broken into the perfect sub-assemblies to really help with painting.

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Last but not least is the Fine Molds "Slave 1", this is the kit I am really excited to build and paint. It's stuffed deep inside my stash right now but when I eventually break it out I will compare it with the Revell.

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First up is the Revell kit as I had already started this one before the MPC arrived. As you can see, assembled it's perfectly sliced up into three main parts which is going to really aid in the paint job:

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And, speaking of paint, the kit does come with some acrylics... we will not be using those :)

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Time to break out the serious paint :)

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The sheer number of paints involved with this shows just how complex this paint job can be. I have about half the colors above-identified and the order in which they are applied and where. I believe the secret to getting this paint job 'correct' or as best as I can achieve is in the correct layering. I have reached out to a few people to see if they have any info they are willing to share which would be a huge help, but either way it will be a journey for sure!
 
Well, as one of my favorite Youtube modelers says, there is nothing to do but to do it. First up is the main hull assemblies, for these, I am starting off with a base coat of Light Reefer Grey which is being put down over a coat of Tamiya primer, they are very close in color...

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Time to apply a bit of masking fluid and refer to my favorite reference book to at least get some of the weathering semi-correct.

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Then goes down a coat of Weyerhaeuser Green:

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Yes, this green is very rich and bright. It will need some serious toning down to bring it inline:

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Nice!

I have built the Revell kit and was always curious how it stacked up with the MPC kit (I suspected the Revell kit was the better one)

They also both seem to be similar sized (around 1/80 to 1/87) That makes either of them the prefect size for those Micromachine figures (the fixed pose ones

It's details in many areas are comparable to the Fine Molds kit. The only real areas that fall far short of the Fine Molds kit are the wing flaps, cockpit and some of the plant on greeblies in the back
 
Okay, I have been hunting all over the place and I have found a few good tips, but for the most part, I am just going for it and taking my best guess on what is used where. Plus, all I have to do is mist the entire model with Earth and it pretty much brings it all home :)

Now it's time to apply some more paint mask and lay down a coat of Olive Oxide. I hope that with a bit of misting this color will get nocked back to right where I want it:

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This is followed up by a misting of Light Grime to knock back that green a bit. The old cell phone camera is really picking up that green, it's much more muted in real life...

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And then it's time to test my freehand airbrushing skills, which are pretty much non-existent but it's one step closer:


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Engine black was used to paint the back pane and to get a start on darkening the underside of the skirt.

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And this is where I leave it tonight so I can mask some parts for the final paint tomorrow. I am still not sure about that main hull (it's not as yellow as it seems in the picture) but I really hope the right level of dusting with Light Grime will knock it down to where I want.

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How are you liking the Archive X acrylics?

are they pre-thinned for the airbrush?

I have been wanting to pick up a set and was holding out for the acrylics
 
How are you liking the Archive X acrylics?

are they pre-thinned for the airbrush?

I have been wanting to pick up a set and was holding out for the acrylics
No, they are not pre-thinned and try as I might, they really do seem to work best with the Archive thinner at about 30% thinner. I also highly recommend flow improver. I actually think he is releasing a new thinner with that built in as I do find that tip drying is my number one issue.

It took a lot of experimenting to get them to work for me. I have only been using Tamiya for years which I feel is about as bulletproof and solid as a paint can be.

They are however very strong and I have stopped clear coating because they hold up to weathering, even oils so well. Once you out them down and they fully cure, they can take a lot of abuse.

At the end of the day though, there really is something special about the hues in person for star wars builds that I really do feel is unmatched...

For my none star wars builds, I go right back to Tamiya since they are so easy to work with.
 
No, they are not pre-thinned and try as I might, they really do seem to work best with the Archive thinner at about 30% thinner. I also highly recommend flow improver. I actually think he is releasing a new thinner with that built in as I do find that tip drying is my number one issue.

It took a lot of experimenting to get them to work for me. I have only been using Tamiya for years which I feel is about as bulletproof and solid as a paint can be.

They are however very strong and I have stopped clear coating because they hold up to weathering, even oils so well. Once you out them down and they fully cure, they can take a lot of abuse.

At the end of the day though, there really is something special about the hues in person for star wars builds that I really do feel is unmatched...

For my none star wars builds, I go right back to Tamiya since they are so easy to work with.

Thanks for the critical review

Sounds like they are similar to regular Vallejo then as far as airbrushing and thinning. Vallejo also seems to work best with it's own thinner brand which is some mix of thinner plus flow improver

Like you Tamiya has been my go to for airbrushing and they are super easy to use

Although I kind of like that the Archive-X are not pre-thinned. I actually prefer that since I can use them to brush paint the Star Wars Legion miniatures as well as thinning them for airbrush when needed
 
Thanks for the critical review

Sounds like they are similar to regular Vallejo then as far as airbrushing and thinning. Vallejo also seems to work best with it's own thinner brand which is some mix of thinner plus flow improver

Like you Tamiya has been my go to for airbrushing and they are super easy to use

Although I kind of like that the Archive-X are not pre-thinned. I actually prefer that since I can use them to brush paint the Star Wars Legion miniatures as well as thinning them for airbrush when needed
Agreed, not having them pre-thinned can be nice and they do brush well and lay down smooth.

Sometimes like the Alclads pre-thinned can be nice as they are just perfect everytime and I cant see wanting to brush those on.
 
Thanks for sharing your build and paint process, skahtul. The kit comparison was really helpful, as well.

Thanks, I will post a bit more on the Fine Molds when I tear into it.

I am building out a guide as I go that I plan to share out, hopefully people can add to it as the layers and in what order are not easy to figure out...
 
No, they are not pre-thinned and try as I might, they really do seem to work best with the Archive thinner at about 30% thinner. I also highly recommend flow improver. I actually think he is releasing a new thinner with that built in as I do find that tip drying is my number one issue.
Tip-dry is my #1 problem with Archive-X paints as well. I've had the same experience contrasting them to Tamiya - Tamiya acrylics spray SO nicely. I think that's the difference between water-based and alcohol-based paints. That said, I *love* Archive-X acrylics. They cover so well, and cure to such a nice, durable finish.

This thread is absolutely epic - I love the step-by-step photos. Can't wait to see the rest!
 
So...many...layers, this paint job is going to take forever :)

Next up is the masking fluid to keep all the parts I don't want green. I was tempted to use chipping fluid which I have but never used. I think I will save that for the MPC version and see how I like it as that will be a good testbed.

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Next up is to lay down some of the Weyerhaeuser Green.

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So tempting to start taking off that mask...

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Lastly was to give the skirt just a misting of the Olive Oxide which included leaving some of the original base coat to show through.

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Looks awesome! The effort it takes to make a multi-layered worn paint job is so worth it when the masks come off.

I had so much fun building and painting my Bandai Slave-1. I didn't have an airbrush at the time, and AX acrylics didn't exist yet, so I used Tamiya rattle cans. I'm really tempted to build another to paint with the Archive-X. I also used masking fluid on mine (first time using it on that one!)
 
It is a struggle not to remove the masking too soon

I am so curious to see how it turned out and hate having to wait for other layers but of course once it is off there is no going back
 
Okay, this top section is just about wrapped up. First I applied a coat of Grey Green which to my eyes was not 100% where I wanted it so I followed that up with a slight dusting of Coach Green.

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Here it is with just the Grey-Green:

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And here it is after a slight dusting of the Coach Green:

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I never really found a great reference for the underside of the ship, and since this is really just for me to practice I decided to just go for it and do whatever I wanted :)

I first hit it with the Coach Green, followed by a dusting of the Lark Dark Grey, and finished it by highlighting a few areas with the Engine black.

At this point is where I discovered (to my eye) the perfect base green color for the upper hull. This model makes it very clear that colors under other colors make a huge difference in the final hues.

For the main hull, I used Light Reefer Grey followed by Olive Oxide which is more of a green-brown than a green. But when I hit it with the Oxide with the Coach Green, I got the color below which is exactly what I was looking for. This is the combination I will be using on my Fine Molds build for sure.

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