Bandai 1/144 ROS Falcon kit as ESB/ROTJ era Falcon? That's my goal. And I seem to have reached it. Now it needs a few friends in its scale...

That aside though Ive seen some great efforts brush painting but good quality brushes with soft bristles that pallet well are a must and playing with viscosity to level out brush marks.
Josh
Yes, the brush is all important!
That said, I have an old trick to take care of unwanted visible brush strokes- ultra super fine sandpaper!
Also, I'll be using un-thinned paint on the sidewalls to dull some of the still-too-intricate greeble Disney additions that my X-acto knife could not so easily remove.
If I'm very careful & fortunate, this Falcon might turn out as well as my recent MPC X-Wing!
IMG_20210224_192920.jpg
 
Yes, the brush is all important!
That said, I have an old trick to take care of unwanted visible brush strokes- ultra super fine sandpaper!
Also, I'll be using un-thinned paint on the sidewalls to dull some of the still-too-intricate greeble Disney additions that my X-acto knife could not so easily remove.
If I'm very careful & fortunate, this Falcon might turn out as well as my recent MPC X-Wing!View attachment 1444211
That is one good lookin' X-Wing!
Have you a link to your build? I still like the old MPC kit.
Cheers,
Josh
 
That is one good lookin' X-Wing!
Have you a link to your build? I still like the old MPC kit.
Cheers,
Josh
Most fun I've had since my last Viper!
 
Most fun I've had since my last Viper!
I shall sit and read through that thread this evening. When I made my comments on brush painting, I apologise I misread your post to assume you hadn't brush painted since the '70s. I didnt realise you had already mastered your technique! That really is one stand out X-Wing.

Cheers,
Josh
 
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RANT:
I've seen a couple of nicely painted Perfect Grade Falcons on other sites in the past few days where the builders light them up & everything, but don't do the sidewall panel denting!?! Why buy a $400 kit and overlook that? I mean, yeah, I was set straight by the fine folks here, but my kit was $60, and I could have added it in later if I hadn't been alerted to the fact that they existed on the original filming miniature & discovered it completely on my own, but a half-grand investment (after paint & such) would have meant 3X the research for ME.
End rant ;)
IMG_20210327_221909.jpg
 
I suppose there is any number of reasons it is overlooked, they dont know, dont care, dont feel capable. And as been said constantly it's your model, do what you want.

If theyre making nice jobs of it that is good enough for most people. Not spending a whole week trying to get just the streaking right by various methods like I did.

I know where your coming from though... for such a heavy investment you would want a quality return. For some of us though its more than just having a nice model.
Cheers,
Josh
 
If they're making nice jobs of it that is good enough for most people. Not spending a whole week trying to get just the streaking right by various methods like I did.
Cheers,
Josh
Nice thing about not having 'all the time in the world (Lazenby Bond ref)' because of daily work intrusion to work on my modelling is that I get to reconsider & discover new ideas on the builds before completion... this kit is that. I attack it a little day by day. The end result will probably be better for my lack of furious momentum.
 
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Nice thing about not having 'all the time in the world (Lazenby Bond ref)' because of daily work intrusion to work on my modelling is that I get to reconsider & discover new ideas on the builds before completion... this kit is that. I attack it a little day by day. The end result will probably be better for my lack of furious momentum.

Totally agreed. Luckily Ive had a quiet week at work and it's given me the week to ponder how to fix the feet on the At-At Im starting. Think I have a solution. Thread up soon.
But the breaks because of life definitely give you time away from the hobby to think and research.
Cheers,
Josh
 
Wasn't gonna bother with this, but since I have the time I used an old 'paint rivet' trick to fill in some almost unnoticeable seams too small for Squadron or epoxy putty.
IMG_20210409_214430.jpg
 
Yes, the brush is all important!
That said, I have an old trick to take care of unwanted visible brush strokes- ultra super fine sandpaper!
Also, I'll be using un-thinned paint on the sidewalls to dull some of the still-too-intricate greeble Disney additions that my X-acto knife could not so easily remove.
If I'm very careful & fortunate, this Falcon might turn out as well as my recent MPC X-Wing!View attachment 1444211


Also the paint you use is very important in hiding brush strokes. A good quality paint designed for miniatures/hobby stuff will work much better than bargain bin craft paints

I often paint many of the red markings on my X-wings and other stuff using Privateer Press P3 paints for example. I you can thin them down a bit and almost stain the surface doing the first coat. Then build up successive layers after each previous one has dried

The mistake I find is trying to put it on too thick trying to cover everything in one layer rather then using many thin layers. That will usually show the brush strokes

Edit: Although it looks like you are using Testors Enamels. That might be a different story vs acrylics since they dry and behave differently
 
Although it looks like you are using Testors Enamels. That might be a different story vs acrylics since they dry and behave differently
Yeah, Testor's enamel brushes on nicely, and brushstrokes (if you're pretty even) kind of flatten out on their own pretty well... but it starts drying quickly, so this doesn't allow for any further strokes, or they show up something fierce. It's all in the reflexes- Jack Burton. ;)
Some brush strokes can be sanded off with ultra-fine sandpaper & a very light touch. Re-painting isn't even necessary if you do it right. I've used this paint on every model except my Seaview (& my upcoming 1:350 TOS Enterprise)- there I used (& will use) Tamiya spray lacquer. Large smooth areas need the serious stuff...
 
Wow! Those Shapeways parts are incredibly delicate looking, they seem like they'd snap if you breathed on them wrong. But they do look awesome. Have you considered replacing the canopy with one of the Shapeways alternatives? I think it would better match the gunport windows and it's a really easy swap out.
 
One more small thing before I start painting the exterior tomorrow, I painted the inside of the canopy gray. Since I'm going with no 'glass', this is a must. View attachment 1446132
Definitely.... need some depth in there!

Those turret frames look really good. Ive been very happy overall with pieces from shapeways. Some of the bigger stuff needed fill but the little stuff has been all A1.
Cheers,
Josh
 
Wow! Those Shapeways parts are incredibly delicate looking, they seem like they'd snap if you breathed on them wrong. But they do look awesome. Have you considered replacing the canopy with one of the Shapeways alternatives? I think it would better match the gunport windows and it's a really easy swap out.
They're actually pretty flexible for such small parts, not brittle at all.
No, I'm done ordering stuff. Plus: I sanded the inside of the cockpit canopy already- so it's already nicer....
This basically "OOB" project has already cost me over twice what I budgeted. The results will be worth it, though.
 
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