EFX X-wing panel colors

[GF]

Ok so I saw the new photos posted on rebelscum, I was really surprised to see so many various different grey panels all over the ship, but many of them seem the wrong color, shouldn't the canopy and stripes on front engine intake and cannon be blue/grey instead of grey, what about all the other grey and grey/ blue panelling are they correct? I mean there's big sections of grey panelling on the wings ect...

GFollano

 

[kitbasher]

I too have always been under the impression that the canopy area was blue-grey and that the barber shop striping on the gun was the same color as well.

I also just recorded ANH in HD off SpikeTV, and was able to freeze the shots of Red Five on my 9'-wide projection screen. Got a real good look at her as she appeared on screen, and here's what I noticed:

I can't see ANY yellow on the top of the fuselage. The red on the sides and on the wings is very obvious, but all other colors are non-existent. The canopy area coloration is very, very subtle. You can tell it's a darker color than the fuselage, but you can't make out the blue-grey tint (if that is indeed what it is). I also can't see any of the rust or tan patches which adorn the ship.

I suppose the explanation for this would be that the optical compositing process used to create the death star attack sequences washed out a lot of the colors that were painted on the models. Another explanation might be that the few ILM photos of Red Five were taken when the ship had its original paint job, and at some point after wards, the colors were toned down and muted substantially.

I only know that, as she appeared on screen, Red five is basically a dirty, dirty white fighter with Red markings. And that's about all I see color-wise.

In this case however, I will defer to Frank and Moe who have been involved in the MR/EFX X-wing and may have a better handle on Red Five's true colors.

 

[moes1]

In this case however, I will defer to Frank and Moe who have been involved in the MR/EFX X-wing and may have a better handle on Red Five's true colors.

I have only been involve in the part mapping, not the colours.

 

[mverta]

Red 5's center top fuselage stripe is unquestionably yellow, as is the ribbing on the upper left engine. There is actually a panel of green on the fuselage, and on the rear as well, though subtle. This is based on some archival references I have of the original paint job.


_Mike

 

[AJK001]

Phil at Rebelscum mentioned something about the prototype he received not being finished. I for one, will wait until I see a production version before complaining that they got it wrong.

 

[Dymerski]

Red 5's center top fuselage stripe is unquestionably yellow, as is the ribbing on the upper left engine. There is actually a panel of green on the fuselage, and on the rear as well, though subtle. This is based on some archival references I have of the original paint job.


_Mike

I agree with the above , I am NO expert, but doing this bird for many customers is making me so!:lol
every one points out missing elements as I am doing them , I think I have all the details correct now and the new Red 5 I am doing for GF should be close to perfect.

 

[EchoLeader]

You can't go by what was seen on film as the final word on what color any filming model is. The lighting that the model was filmed under, color correction from all the different FX passes usually wash everything and in some cases make colors non-existent.

The ultimate reference on any model would be the actual model. Unless it was repainted somewhere along the line after initial filming as in the case of the Blockade Runner then I say to stick to any reference pictures of the actual model.

 

[cking]

So GF's going to get those green panels that we argued about?
:lol
Just playing with you. I told you it was green though!

Look forward to seeing GF's.
I'm VERY tempted to get one of these Efx birds repainted. Would you be interested?

I LOVE the repaint you did on my 1/35 Kotobukiya!

[/IMG]

Chris

I agree with the above , I am NO expert, but doing this bird for many customers is making me so!:lol
every one points out missing elements as I am doing them , I think I have all the details correct now and the new Red 5 I am doing for GF should be close to perfect.

 

[mverta]

You can't go by what was seen on film as the final word on what color any filming model is.

True, but that brings up a philosophical point, too - meaning how you want it painted; usually the painting choices were made with the wash-out in mind, and painted compensatorily. Personally, I like the look of birds painted as they ended up on screen, since the actual paint jobs could be a touch cartoony to compensate.


These are the green panels on the top of the X-Wing (exaggerated, obviously):

_Mike

 

[cking]

Yep, those are the ones.
Try telling that to Dean though! :lol

I lost out on that fight but hopefully GF will get them on his!

Chris

 

[EchoLeader]

True, but that brings up a philosophical point, too - meaning how you want it painted; usually the painting choices were made with the wash-out in mind, and painted compensatorily. Personally, I like the look of birds painted as they ended up on screen, since the actual paint jobs could be a touch cartoony to compensate.


These are the green panels on the top of the X-Wing (exaggerated, obviously):

_Mike

I agree Mike. It all depends on the persons taste and whatever makes them happy. These models also took a beating while filming and in the years since so they are constantly evolving. Some have parts and even whole sections replaced and touched up.

It's all in personal taste. I've done up models where my client has requested that I use my own artistic interpretation. This gives me a lot of leeway and lets me paint up a model and give it my own signature.

 

[mverta]

Yep, those are the ones.
Try telling that to Dean though!

I lost out on that fight but hopefully GF will get them on his!

Chris

Well they're tough to spot without the ref's, but yeah, they're there no question.


_Mike

 

[Dymerski]

The one on the body is green!!!

 

[Dymerski]

Yep, those are the ones.
Try telling that to Dean though! :lol

I lost out on that fight but hopefully GF will get them on his!

Chris

ahhhhhhhhh we fought in the blue not green!!!lol

the one in the body left side is green, look again!!

Dean

 

[kitbasher]

True, but that brings up a philosophical point, too - meaning how you want it painted; usually the painting choices were made with the wash-out in mind, and painted compensatorily. Personally, I like the look of birds painted as they ended up on screen, since the actual paint jobs could be a touch cartoony to compensate.

I tend to agree with this. My feeling is, that, since the vehicles we are all interested in recreating in "studio scale" are not actually smaller versions of life-sized objects, then the closest thing to "reality" for them is how they appeared on-screen. That is how most people became enamored with the vehicles, and that is the medium in which they were meant to serve a purpose.

Now, in a situation where vintage studio photos show a radically more vibrant color scheme than appeared on screen, I defer to the screen image. I don't doubt that Red Five was painted with greens and yellows and blues etc; However, after careful examination, I can not detect these colors on the model as it appeared in ANH.

 

[Falco3]

This one over at the RI is an interesting take. It looks like there's been a compromise between the references and the screen appearance of it. The thread's been buried for awhile though.

Some colors are present but muted, but they're there.

Looks like a lot of the cockpit detail was scratch-built:

Then in another Red Five, I saw the job done with cockpit lighting.

Link to the thread on the second Red Five.

 

[Kuhn Global]

I can also confirm these panels (that Mike Verta has highlighted) have green in them... of course dumbed down significantly... but indeed a greenish color. Direct from detailed photos taken of the ORIGINAL ANH filming model.

 

[Stormy320]

So am I correct that the EFX has a longer nose than the CC and other version that came first.

 

[rahman]

So am I correct that the EFX has a longer nose than the CC and other version that came first.

Yes, which is more correct...

 

[vaderdarth]

one inch longer according to Barry.