AMT Studio Series TIE Fighter from ANH

[Boxcar Bret]

Hi @ Hunk a Junk, have you seen Jonathan Faber's SS TIE build over on the Studio Scale section?

My SS TIE Fighter

So I've been working on and off on my Tie Fighter for about 6 years now. Most of that time has been research and kit collecting. Last year I finally started work on construction of the master patterns. I plan to mold the whole thing so that down the road I can make an Interceptor and a X-1 to go...

www.therpf.com

View attachment 1775699
View attachment 1775700

This armature is the what the parts are assembled on top of so if you are looking for the diameter of the pipe, just take it from the kit you have

I do remember you & I suggesting that perhaps Round2 could offer optional 'Studio' interior parts for this kit

I have mucho respect for anyone who can make a thing of beauty like that armature.

 

[Hunk a Junk]

Hi @ Hunk a Junk, have you seen Jonathan Faber's SS TIE build over on the Studio Scale section?

My SS TIE Fighter

So I've been working on and off on my Tie Fighter for about 6 years now. Most of that time has been research and kit collecting. Last year I finally started work on construction of the master patterns. I plan to mold the whole thing so that down the road I can make an Interceptor and a X-1 to go...

www.therpf.com

View attachment 1775699


This armature is the what the parts are assembled on top of so if you are looking for the diameter of the pipe, just take it from the kit you have

I do remember you & I suggesting that perhaps Round2 could offer optional 'Studio' interior parts for this kit

J

I hadn't seen that thread but WOW! I've never lurked much on the SS thread because the idea of finding and collecting hundreds (thousands?) of dollars of donor kit parts makes me throw up in my mouth a little. That said, now that I can replicate kit parts and print them myself, I should really spend more time there. Seeing those pictures is pretty humbling though. It's also embarrassing to see that all the "discoveries" I've made about how these miniatures were originally constructed is stuff that other modelers have researched and have known for decades. I usually think of myself as a pretty observant guy, but then I discover that I really have never truly seen objects I've been looking at for decades.

I should've known that the armature pipe is what we actually see on the exterior of the model. I've definitely seen pictures showing the tube being metal but I assumed that the actual structural armature fit inside the tube we see from the outside. It's really helpful to see how the two sides are connected in the middle to the rectangular locking section. Since my "armature" isn't structural, I think I'll design what we'll see in Tinkercad and just print it. If I sand it smooth, shoot it with black primer, and then use some aluminum Rub N'Buff, it should be a reasonable representation.

Another debate I've been having is the color. I know the studio model was light blue and I want to replicate the original, but... in my world TIEs aren't stinkin' blue (at least not until TESB). They're grey, damn it! They're THIS non-color! V

So I'm likely going to use Tamiya Sky Grey XF-19 for the main color and Tamiya Neutral grey XF-53 for the accents. I'll end up with a model that's more like the studio version in some ways and completely wrong in others!

 

[Boxcar Bret]

I hadn't seen that thread but WOW! I've never lurked much on the SS thread because the idea of finding and collecting hundreds (thousands?) of dollars of donor kit parts makes me throw up in my mouth a little. That said, now that I can replicate kit parts and print them myself, I should really spend more time there. Seeing those pictures is pretty humbling though. It's also embarrassing to see that all the "discoveries" I've made about how these miniatures were originally constructed is stuff that other modelers have researched and have known for decades. I usually think of myself as a pretty observant guy, but then I discover that I really have never truly seen objects I've been looking at for decades.

I should've known that the armature pipe is what we actually see on the exterior of the model. I've definitely seen pictures showing the tube being metal but I assumed that the actual structural armature fit inside the tube we see from the outside. It's really helpful to see how the two sides are connected in the middle to the rectangular locking section. Since my "armature" isn't structural, I think I'll design what we'll see in Tinkercad and just print it. If I sand it smooth, shoot it with black primer, and then use some aluminum Rub N'Buff, it should be a reasonable representation.

Another debate I've been having is the color. I know the studio model was light blue and I want to replicate the original, but... in my world TIEs aren't stinkin' blue (at least not until TESB). They're grey, damn it! They're THIS non-color! VView attachment 1775799 So I'm likely going to use Tamiya Sky Grey XF-19 for the main color and Tamiya Neutral grey XF-53 for the accents. I'll end up with a model that's more like the studio version in some ways and completely wrong in others!

I’m all about reasonable representation. That’s how I roll. Given the visibility and context the Rub’n Buff oughta work great. As for the color? Your model, your color. You go girl!

 

[Hunk a Junk]

I’m all about reasonable representation. That’s how I roll. Given the visibility and context the Rub’n Buff oughta work great. As for the color? Your model, your color. You go girl!

LOL. True, but I like my models tell a story (even if that story is only in my own head). When I made my PG Falcon, I specifically tried to replicate it as the studio model as it was configured for a specific shot (the backing out of the Death Star hanger shot). I wanted it to look like it did sitting on the motion control mount in a converted Van Nuys warehouse in 1976, flaws and all. If I'm going to put the studio cockpit in the TIE, there's a big part of me that thinks the color HAS to be the real studio color. But there's an 11-yeqr-old boy in me that remembers first seeing the TIE on the TV commercial for this cool new movie coming out and that ship wasn't blue. It was white-ish grey. I just need to contrive a narrative in my mind that justifies why my studio TIE is the wrong color. I know it sounds insane. It is.

 

[StevenBills]

Hi @ Hunk a Junk, have you seen Jonathan Faber's SS TIE build over on the Studio Scale section?

My SS TIE Fighter

So I've been working on and off on my Tie Fighter for about 6 years now. Most of that time has been research and kit collecting. Last year I finally started work on construction of the master patterns. I plan to mold the whole thing so that down the road I can make an Interceptor and a X-1 to go...

www.therpf.com

View attachment 1775699
View attachment 1775700

This armature is the what the parts are assembled on top of so if you are looking for the diameter of the pipe, just take it from the kit you have

I do remember you & I suggesting that perhaps Round2 could offer optional 'Studio' interior parts for this kit

J

Gah that's gorgeous!

SB

 

[Jaitea]

Another debate I've been having is the color. I know the studio model was light blue and I want to replicate the original, but... in my world TIEs aren't stinkin' blue

So I'm likely going to use Tamiya Sky Grey XF-19 for the main color and Tamiya Neutral grey XF-53 for the accents. I'll end up with a model that's more like the studio version in some ways and completely wrong in others!

Totally agree with you, I’m really tempted to get this model, as I said in an earlier post, I’m in the middle of making some Bandai 1/72 models, I’ve converted a Y into Red Jammer & I’m trying my best to make it as a miniature version of the filming model, I’m not fussed in making the pilot a Y-Wing pilot, going to try & make it look like the Harrier pilot, in turn, I’m going to attempt that with my 1/72 TIES & Vaders TIE
I have Archive X paint, ANH Stormy Sea, which is made to emulate the paler TIEs before they were repainted for Empire & Jedi, but I still think I’ll mix some Reefer Grey to make it even paler

J

 

[DarkMoon]

Initially given a blue color scheme, the TIE fighter models for the first film were grey to film better against a bluescreen; TIE fighters in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) shifted back to being a muted blue.

 

[Jaitea]

I don't want to get into an argument about 'true' colour of TIEs, but all the fighters were repainted for Empire & Jedi

Here's an image from the ESB section of the recent Chronicles book, translated text says

"It was discovered that the paint for the Tie Fighter's body color, which was custom-ordered in the previous work, was almost the same color as commercially available paint for models, and all Tie Fighter miniatures were repainted with it."

The two images of the ESB TIE look totally different in a change of lighting

Vaders TIE was not repainted, this is the Studio model, the two photos taken in the same photoshoot

Here's a Korbanth TIE Bomber kit I painted with ArchiveX Stormy Sea, different lighting, different effect

My thoughts on the subject, I think George wanted the Imperial fighters in the Blue/grey,..lighting & keying took the blue colour out of how the ships looked in ANH, but he persisted & pushed ILM to get the colour he wanted to appear on screen for the sequels

BUT as I said earlier,....my Bandai Vader & wingmen set, I hope to lighten the Stormy Sea to make them more like they are on screen in ANH

J

 

[StevenBills]

I'm painting mine with good ol' Mr Surfacer as the base color, with accents in XF-53 Neutral Gray. I like my TIEs more gray than blue, anyway. Might not be strictly accurate, but I like it!

 

[Boxcar Bret]

I don't want to get into an argument about 'true' colour of TIEs, but all the fighters were repainted for Empire & Jedi

Here's an image from the ESB section of the recent Chronicles book, translated text says

"It was discovered that the paint for the Tie Fighter's body color, which was custom-ordered in the previous work, was almost the same color as commercially available paint for models, and all Tie Fighter miniatures were repainted with it."

The two images of the ESB TIE look totally different in a change of lighting

View attachment 1775907

Vaders TIE was not repainted, this is the Studio model, the two photos taken in the same photoshoot



View attachment 1775908View attachment 1775909

Here's a Korbanth TIE Bomber kit I painted with ArchiveX Stormy Sea, different lighting, different effect


View attachment 1775910View attachment 1775911View attachment 1775912

My thoughts on the subject, I think George wanted the Imperial fighters in the Blue/grey,..lighting & keying took the blue colour out of how the ships looked in ANH, but he persisted & pushed ILM to get the colour he wanted to appear on screen for the sequels

BUT as I said earlier,....my Bandai Vader & wingmen set, I hope to lighten the Stormy Sea to make them more like they are on screen in ANH

J

It wouldn’t be an RPF thread without a discussion about TIE color.

 

[Jaitea]

A different scale, a different manufacturer, trying to replicate the armature in a 1/72 Bandai TIE

Painted with Archive X ‘ANH Stormy Sea’ with a touch of SP Lettering Grey

Last photo taken under an overhead light

J

 

[jvasilatos]

I just finished this giant kit. Not quite official studio scale, but it’s pretty close!

What color paint did you use? Looks perfect.

 

[Necronaut]

What color paint did you use? Looks perfect.

I used 1:1:2 these Color’s: FS 15050 blue, FS 36231 and FS 36495

Here you go! Hope it works out for you!

 

[Necronaut]

Hey everyone, I had no idea my thread was getting replies like this!? I'm going to try to answer everyone right now. BRB

 

[Necronaut]

Great work! Mine is on order. Any pointers or particular things to watch out for?

I mixed up just one lowly Tamiya acrylic-sized bottle of paint for the blue-grey body colour. Make TWO bottles for one model.
At this size, you can easily and totally see inside the cockpit, so try to put some effort into the pilot if you're going for a screen interior (let's not mention the inside vs outside window mismatch issues lol)

 

[Necronaut]

I have built one of those and have one or two in boxes.

Not bad bud to indeed need mods.

I'm eyeing a 1/29 X-wing on eBay right now. It's close to this scale still relatively affordable. I was going to 3D model and grow some more accurate detail parts for it too.

 

[Necronaut]

Yep, my inner cockpit ball was warped as well. Just CA'd one part at a time and used a few clamps to get it together.

SB

Yeah now that you mention it, my inside cockpit ball was a little wonky. It took about a half dozen rubber bands and a couple clamps to get it to meet up at the seams.

 

[PHArchivist]

I'm eyeing a 1/29 X-wing on eBay right now. It's close to this scale still relatively affordable. I was going to 3D model and grow some more accurate detail parts for it too.

I think I still have a few of these, unbuilt...

It's a nice size, but needs some love to make it close to accurate...