Dart Scoutship Kitbash spaceship

mung · Jul 9, 2022

Here is another new project among a number I have recently started.
This particular model is unusual for me in that it is small insize and and quite a quick project.
I generally prefer to work on bigger models however I was curious to see how this would turn out as a simple display model without having to worry about any lighting or sturdy model mounts.

Whilst trawling through my stash of parts I came across the wings of a Revell 1/32 scale Mirage fighter jet kit I have had for probably a decade. Inspiration struck and I just had to start building.

Spreading the delta wings apart at the root resulted in a star destroyer style triangular wedge shape and I figured it could be the basis for a small one man craft.
I had a 1/72 Mig jet cockpit canopy and fuselage section from another kit and combing that with the fin from the Mirage kit and some styrene sheet and a small selection of kit parts resulted in the shape shown in the photos below.

I added a small pilot figure that seemed to be smaller than all the other 1/72 scale figures I had on hand so I am guessing the scale is somewhere around 1/96. The model support is some 2.4mm piano wire that plugs into a hole in the model with some 6mm PVC sheet buried inside.
The model is 255mm long from tip to end of the rear probe and 215mm wide.
With the construction and detailing phases complete I sprayed some grey primer.

There's a little bit of filling and sanding to do then its onto the paint finish. I am aiming for a 1970's scifi bookcover type of vibe.

Thanks for looking.
More soon...

Pepperbone · Jul 9, 2022

Love this! Looking forward to the paint job!

publiusr · Jul 10, 2022

Shades of Cantwell:

I see it related to these:

Stardestroyer

Stardestroyer was a small agile two-person starfighter of the New Galactic Empire. Just prior to Emperor Cos Dashit's speech at the Plaza of the Daders on the Imperial City of Alderaan, a four-fighter wing of stardestroyers, wanting to please their emperor, did a maneuver on the plaza where they...

starwars.fandom.com

SCUDMAN · Jul 10, 2022

I love the design!

Pepperbone · Jul 10, 2022

Any well-designed delta shaped flying vehicle or space ship: I'm in.

mcusanelli · Jul 10, 2022

Mung,
You are one helluva designer, that looks fantastic!!

Analyzer · Jul 15, 2022

Very cool design

mung · Jul 27, 2023

I have finished the paint and weathering on the Dart Scout Ship project.

It was not without the usual paint dramas which as usual was incorporated into the heavy weathering.

I decided to try a bare metal finish once again using the AK Xtreme metals paints. The model was sprayed with their black gloss base coat and then with white aluminium metal colour. These paints are enamel based and use a pretty strong smelling thinner. I left it to dry for a whole 24 hours and then applied Scotch Blue sharp lines masking tape which I have used many times before on various paint surfaces. Once the other colours where applied, mainly dark grey and flat black I peeled away the masking tape to find the gum had reacted with the metal paint surface and remained stuck to it leaving a sticky mess and a very spotty finish. I cleaned the gum off using Wax and grease remover which did not affect the metal paint but did start rubbing off the dark grey which was from a spray can of Rustoleum Slate.

The result was an interesting fine grained weathered aluminium effect which would have been impossible to achieve if I tried to do it deliberately.

Oh well, no matter how hard I try, my models always end up heavily weathered and I have come to accept these paint disasters as part of the "happy accident" weathering process.

I now have a second new model to display at this year's WASMEx 2023 which is in a weeks time. WASMEx is an acronym for Western Australian Scale Model Exhibition which is held in Perth Western Australia.

The finished model is 255mm long including the rear probe with a wingspan of 215mm.