Building X-Wing 1/24 : Help!!

[JamesDavis]

Wow Guardian! A 1/6th scale X-Wing! That will be over 7 feet!

Here are some X-Wings I have built using information contained in this thread and some reference I have found from various places. This thread contains "EVERYTHING" you need to make an accurate 1/24 X-Wing model (well it used to before a lot of things were deleted).

The Red 2 Model has a scratchbuilt fuselage and wings. It was made from plans using side measurements of Red2 from the Kalmback book, and overhead measurements of Red3 from AOSW. It turned out nice, but I will wait for more Red2 reference, before I make another. The Red 5 Model was based on a Maxi-Brute (heavily modified)and has lighted engines and cockpit. Real Saturn V and Sherman parts were used on both models, the rest of the parts were cast from the original kit parts. Both of these models have been sold. Their sales have made back at least 75% of the money spent on buying kits, a few which cost over $200, not to mention all the blunders. The new fuselage under construction will be my "ultimate" hero X-Wing. It is being made from drawings posted by NWERKE, reference shots of RED3, and measurements taken off the FineMolds. It will have internal lights and moving wings.

http://www.picturetrail.com/jdmodelpics

Any other X-Wing scratchbuilders out there?

 

[Boba Flint]

What is it you think was deleted?

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

I think I found a part. Need to recharge my camera batteries, so I'll take the time to ponder whether I should share the info or keep it to myself.

If I mention that it's the insignificant blue greeblie on the R2 strip in Treadwell's picture, will beaz (or somebody else) beat me to the punch?

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

Hmmm, no takers, eh?

Okay. Well, I managed to get hold of a Bandai StuG. Being a bit of a cheapskate, I got a secondhand pre-assembled one for sixty dollars, which looks like it was put together by an eight year old in a hurry, but nevermind: I got my jack.

I also got these:

 

[Treadwell]

 

[Treadwell]

Yup I got a sealab but was waiting to post about it after I had the parts isolated--mine is assembled and I'm still noodling on the safest way to disassemble it without damage (ruining any resale value). Had I owned a crystal ball, I would've gone for another unassembled sealab that sold for just $20 more a week later.

Anyhow, I'm not aware of any sealab part for the FRONT of the engines. The Sealab has two parts that are the elusive flat rectangular piece with the three thin strips on them (and a hatch-like detail) that are on the angled wing pieces butted up against each engine (the structures that also have the brick pattern greeblies on 'em). Sorry for the vagueness, I'll put some pics together to illustrate this better soon.

This page
http://www.greysteele.com/models/sealab.htm

Has pics of the model and scans of the instructions. The part in question is part 19 in this pic:
http://www.greysteele.com/models/Sealab-i06.jpg

I also got to look at a blown-up pyro X-Wing on display at the Planet Hollywood store at Downtown Disney in Orlando, and discovered that another, similar sealab part is used on the wing surface under each engine nozzle. Unfortunately my pics didn't come out so a return trip with a digicam is in my future. This part I believe is #18, also in the instruction pic above.

This kit also yields parts for the five foot Falcon, and I'd be surprised if it didn't have Y-Wing parts, too, although I haven't looked into that yet.

Your CG X-Wing is superb! My X-Wing is still a bunch of donor kitparts still on their trees, sheets of acrylic and styrene still untrimmed, etc.

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

Hey, Jay, you got way more than that! The Sealab also supplies the little tanks that sit next to the Phantom engines inside the wings, as well as the "exhaust manifold" things on Red 2. The parts at the front of the wings are in there, too (the bits that the Sherman guns and StuG jacks sit in front of), but that's not what I meant. You know the part that butts up against the Saturn V halves, that's supposed to have been a section of pill bottle? I have a hunch that that's part of the Sealab, but I haven't been able to measure it, to confirm my hunch, obviously. I think it's a slice from the front of the hull (the bit that comes in clear and opaque versions)...

 

[Treadwell]

Hmm! I'll have to prioritize tearing my lab apart so I can check this out! (and post pics, of course)

 

[DARKSIDE72]

Smooth move... Hopefully the cost of this already scarce kit will now be driven into the stratosphere. Especially when the kit dealers themselves find out that is has something to do with Star Wars.

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

Sorry, Jamie, but we just don't see eye to eye on this.

The Sealab is already a collector's item anyway.

It took me six months to get a Phantom, and about eighteen months to get a Whitley, but I held out, and eventually got both for a couple of dollars apiece.

I've spent far more money on kits that turned out to have no parts in them than I have on the right kits. To me, this is proof that your way is wrong. There'll never be a level playing field. If somebody who manages a large model store gets into this hobby, he can open boxes all day without spending dollar one. I have to order kits and pay shipping on top. It'd cost me hundreds of thousands to have access to the same stuff that he gets for nothing. I'd like to think that he'd share his good fortune with the rest of us. You think he shouldn't.

We're both entitled to our opinions, I guess; I just wish that you'd apply your "no sharing" rule to yours.

 

[Boba Flint]

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The Sealab is already a collector's item anyway.

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Exactly. Now this will drive the price up even further.

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

What's the difference? If you want to build an X-Wing, you need the Sealab.

What does it matter whether you spend more money on a Sealab kit, which has the parts you need, or spend the money on other kits that don't have any useful parts.

Why insist that everybody repeat our mistakes?

If we freely share information about what we do know, then everybody can concentrate on the parts that we don't know yet. There aren't many left. There's the virtually invisible part that sits underneath the guns, the tiny greeblies on the Phantom engines, the sidewalls on the inner engines, the part of the gun incorrectly identified as the Hummel roller, and a couple of pieces on the R2 strip.

However you look at it, you guys just don't have a good argument. Jamie repeatedly badgered Jay about his list, and really, the only point that had any credibility to it was that Jay was listing information that he hadn't checked was correct by comparing the parts directly to reference images, thereby passing on possibly incorrect information. A while later, Jamie is insisting that the jack on the front of the wings is from the Hummel (which it ain't), and anybody who says otherwise should keep their trap shut. Now, you're saying (in the Y-Wing thread) that anybody who hasn't already spent a wad of cash doesn't deserve any help, whilst complaining in this thread about useful information that might lead to a bit of a price hike.

Don't you both have Sealab kits, already? The only reason I don't have one is because I'm waiting to snag a cheap one, like I did with the Phantom and the Whitley. With all the cash you guys claim to have been throwing down, I'd have thought that you'd have Sealabs to spare.

 

[Boba Flint]

Graflexes once went for $5-$10. Then a bunch of idiots go to camera shops and say they want them to make lightsabers. Word quickly spreads and now you can't buy one for less than $200. If people were more subtle about buying a Graflex there is still the very real possiblity that one wouldn't have to pay $200 for one.
Now lets see what you did. A kit that already costs $200-$300. Now all the lurkers and others that don't want to do ANY work on their own start hunting for this kit, collectors hear about this and now add to the description that it was something used for Star Wars. Now this very rare kit starts to sell for $400-$500. Whay to go! Make an already expensive project even more expensive. Round of applause for Ray!!!!!!!


Are you so blind or stupid to understand that some things are not told openly because we are trying to keep the cost of certain kits down?

Try this crap at starshipbuilder and see what happens. You'll get the same responce.

The argument is there in plain daylight you are just incapable of seeing it.

It has taken us (Jmie, Frank Moe, Lee, Charles, Jim and other SS builders) YEARS to find these kits and get the money to buy them. We don't have a disposable income as you seem to suggest.

All we have ever asked is for people to do some work. Show that you are serious about it. Show some progress. You may never know what PM or email you may get to help you along or offer you some really good castings of the part(s)you need.

But now you'll never know that. Will you?

 

[DARKSIDE72]

Your obviously new to this hobby Ray.

You truly feel that those who REFUSE to do any work on these models should be privileged enough to know exactly what was used on them...

Only a FEW people are tenacious enough to pursue these projects in question. So it ends up being those select few doing all the work (as with what happened to the Y-wing thread) , concentrating on the remaining parts. It will never be a group effort.
You end up with a feeding frenzy of the lurkers and lazy asses gathering their free hard EARNED information. Laughing all the way because they didn't have to do (This person cannot express opinions maturely) in order to find out anything on their own. I'll be damned if I ever shared what I know to help worthless bastards like that.

The lab is old news , I've owned two within three years. You just turned a rare model kit into a graflex, or an MPP, or an Obi-Wan grenade etc. A finished studio scale model is after all a prop; an ultimate prop. A mint kit is already worth $300-$400. You'll never understand Ray, good luck finding your missing parts...

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

Whatever. I've bid on four Sealab kits since I found out about it, and I don't think any of them went for over $200. I've only bid on kits that show up on ebay.co.uk; there are more on ebay.com because people sometimes don't want to bother with international buyers.

Are you too blind or too stupid to see that building an X-Wing is about more than the size of your pocketbook?

You want to know what's really funny? I've had a PM and three emails today, about the X-Wing. One of the emails is from a japanese guy who's probably built the nicest X-Wing models on the planet, asking for my opinion on something. Another email is from a guy who not only offered me castings of the Sealab, thanking me for pointing out the "pill bottle" part, but also intimated that he had more parts information. Here's the funny part: He specifically said that he only shares information with people who won't share it with Jamie. Sadly, I won't be accepting this information from him, because I believe in sharing with everybody...

 

[Boba Flint]

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Miniaturizer Ray wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
..... building an X-Wing is about more than the size of your pocketbook?
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Oh my God! How ever did you gain this ability to point out the obvious??????????

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Sadly, I won't be accepting this information from him, because I believe in sharing with everybody...
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For some reason I have a very hard time believing that.

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

Well, he's an active poster here. If he chooses to identify himself, he can quote from my email reply.

Look, I'm not interested in getting into a wiener comparing contest with you guys. The results of my wiener comparing contest with Luke Skywalker are posted above. Care to share yours?

I already offered an olive branch to Jamie once, and the offer still stands, to the both of you. We'll never see eye to eye, but we can agree to disagree, can't we?

 

[Guardian]

Hi guys I missed the X-wing drawing that NWERKE posted NWERKE care to post it again ?( or any one for that matter ?) I have a book "The essential guide to vehicles and vessels " in side they have a 3-view of the X-Wing, how accurate is the drawing ?,

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Treadwell]

Over the weekend I figured it was high time I fused some plastic.

 

[Miniaturizer Ray]

Looks good, Jay! If you like, I could prise off a couple more StuG hinges and send them to you - I have plenty of spares.

Guardian, If the drawings in the Essential Guide are the ones that look like the image that used to be here that I had to remove the link to because the guy whose webpage I found it on wasted his time coding some snooty message about stealing "his" picture, even though he just scanned the darn thing out of a book
- then they're not really very accurate.