Hasbro U-Wing modification

Analyzer

Analyzer

Master Member
So the Hasbro U-Wing is pretty close to 1/48 scale. The wings for it are on the short side, and it comes with a missile firing mechanism that needs to be removed, but for the most part, looks decent enough elsewhere as a starting point.

Has anyone done a mod of one of theses? I'd love to see what others have done.

Also, for those who have done mods on Hasbro stuff, do I need special glue or will regular super glue/ CA work?

As far as the scale, based on this...

IMG_1462 (2).JPG


..compared to these images below, it looks to be a good match for Star Wars Legion scale figures (which hoever around 1/46 or so give or take?)

bSwXrAc.jpg

19.png
 
Interesting! I have repainted hasbro ships before and because they are heavy I have used two parts epoxy resin glue and the superglue and baking soda trick. I just don't trust superglue alone where there's weight or tension. Maybe it's an overkill but... Oh actually, I did use superglue for the tiny greeblies like styrene parts and other details on the surface.

I haven't tried plastic glue 'cause Hasbro tends to make some rubbery parts like laser cannons and stuff that kids could break easily if they were plastic, so you usually need superglue or epoxy glue anyway.

Please upload pics of your progress!
 
How is it working with the plastic, like cutting/sanding it?

I had heard working on the Hasbro Rebel Falcon and the large 1/18 X-Wing was a total nightmare since it was HDPE ? type of plastic.

But from what I gather, this is not the same type of plastic?

At any rate, I want to cut at least one of the doors out so it can be displayed open. Not sure if I will spend the time trying to come up with a working mechanic to slide it open or closed or maybe just use magnets to hold it in place if I want it displayed closed/open.

Also, it was made for the typical 3.75 " (1/18) scale Hasbro/Kenner figures and comes with a Cassian figure, so the cockpit pit is designed as a single seater for that figure. More along the lines of an X-Wing cockpit.

As such, there is no interior really beyond that.

Not my pic, but this is what it looks like

header.jpg


I am also torn between making the wings longer or leaving them as is. I kind of like the look with the shorter length vs the longer length. I know the longer is more accurate, but I always felt they were a bit too long
 
Nah it's not Tamiya plastic that's for sure, but I don't remember it like a pain in the ass to work with. It's a reluctant plastic to be separated from the rest of the material. I mean, you sand resin or wood and a lot of dust comes off. This stuff sticks together more so that you make a bit less dust and quite a lot more flashing material around the cut or the area you're sanding, so you're gonna need fine grit sandpaper and wetsand with pacience.

I'll admit that sometimes, when the area to be sanded allowed it, I sanded the thing with the minidremel with no mercy, then applied putty to level the surface and then finished it with a fine grit sandpaper wet sanding. For the cuts I used the minidremel too but it leaves quite a bit of material around the cut, like mold flashing. Keep an eye on the heat too. I think that's the major difference with scale models plastic. Hasbro's material tends to stick together and make a mess all over the cut. But again, I don't remember it as a nightmare. Just different. It is time consuming, to remove all that flashing material, and I guess that's the nightmare people talk about, if that flashing is hard to remove I can see why people have said that.

That said, sometimes there there are variations of the same model, and different manufacturers for Hasbro/Kenner over the years, so my experience could be different to yours or the people complaining about the 1/18 x-wing. I have the Hasbro A-Wing from The Last Jedi and it comes in two different types of plastic. One more rubbery and the other more standard.

If you feel lazy about the cockpit, fog the clear parts a little bit and problem solved. Nobody will be able to look inside and see how many seats you've made inside. Plus it makes a good scale effect.
 
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I have one I picked up on clearance with the same intentions. I really want to make the wings longer to put them in scale with the rest of the ship, but I'm uncertain how best to (affordably) support the wings from within so they won't droop. Any ideas are welcome.

SSB
 
GTImotion said:
Here is my Tie interceptor build i did a few years back. right now I'm working on a Hasbro Tie advanced X1 which I haven't finish yet. This Hasbro toys have lot of potential one just need to have in mind that they require a lot of work to make them work and look good. but once you do they end up looking amazing
Hasbro Tie Interceptor Elite conversion
Click to expand...

That turned out fantastic!

I have been squirling away a few "toys" I intend to turn into models. Kind of a "poor mans studio scale" if you will since many of them are much larger than most commercial model kits and some even are close to if, not studio scale. For example, I have the Hasbro Falcon which is close to the 32" size, as well as the Kenner/Hasbro AT-ST, which I believe is around the same size as some of some of the "go motion" models?

I'd love to get my hands on the Kenner Imperial Shuttle but that is going for crazy prices

I also have some old school Kenner stuff from when I was a kid like the Cloud Car and Snowspeeder which I want to at the very least do asoem repaints for

At any rate, working with plastic should be a lot easier than working with diecast. I had been modding some Hot Wheels and Titanium series stuff to fill in the gaps
 
sbaxter said:
I have one I picked up on clearance with the same intentions. I really want to make the wings longer to put them in scale with the rest of the ship, but I'm uncertain how best to (affordably) support the wings from within so they won't droop. Any ideas are welcome.

SSB
Click to expand...

I think I got mine from Amazon at one point for $33 shipped, but that was back when it was new. I don't think they have gotten crazy in price like some Hasbro stuff does since they probably had so many on the market they couldn't give them away. Some of the Hasbro stuff winds up on the collector's market for insane prices

As far as the wings, I had read that they used a honey comb pattern for the Studio model shuttle wings to keep them light but give them strength. Looking at Aluminum honey comb sheets, they seem like it would be great to sandwich in between some thin styrene, but they appear to be ridiculously expensive for a project like this. I may do something similar, but maybe using some brass strip metal or similar. Just create some x cross braces using the strips standing on their side?

Looking at the wings, from the side view they are ok short, but when looking from above, they look too short, so I plan on extending them myself
 
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A thin sheet of brass, aluminum or even stainless sandwiched in styrene should be more than enough to keep the wing from sagging or bending.
looking forward to your build
 
Honeycomb aluminum probably won't work anyway. It was made to keep things lightweight, but relies on the bond with the bottom and upper layers for strength. No bond, no strength.
Square brass K&S tubing or aluminum bar would be better.

TazMan2000
 
TazMan2000 said:
Honeycomb aluminum probably won't work anyway. It was made to keep things lightweight, but relies on the bond with the bottom and upper layers for strength. No bond, no strength.
Square brass K&S tubing or aluminum bar would be better.

TazMan2000
Click to expand...

That's kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. I actually have some solid brass square shaped as well as hollow square tubing, or brass strips on their edge instead of flat in x patterns. Less likely to bend?
 
Analyzer said:
That's kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. I actually have some solid brass square shaped as well as hollow square tubing, or brass strips on their edge instead of flat in x patterns. Less likely to bend?
Click to expand...

If it were me, I'd go with the brass square hollow tubing. It's a better trade off between strength and weight.

TazMan2000
 
Another option with this ship is to forget about lengthening to wings entirely, and convert it to Ryder Azadi's U-wing from Rebels, which has stubby skeletal wings instead. I modified a Bandai U-wing kit that way, inspired by Rebels and this LEGO rendition, and it's one of my favorite models (full build log photo set here: 1:144 Bandai U-Wing (Custom)).

I'd also go with hollow brass tubing too though :)

45487462155_cff43a3e8d_k.jpg


28214447368_7e27cd513c_o.png


sfBEDJn.png
 
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monsterpartyhat said:
Another option with this ship is to forget about lengthening to wings entirely, and convert it to Ryder Azadi's U-wing from Rebels, which has stubby skeletal wings instead. I modified a Bandai U-wing kit that way, inspired by Rebels and the LEGO rendition, and it's one of my favorite models (full build log photo set here: 1:144 Bandai U-Wing (Custom)).

I'd also go with hollow brass tubing too though :)

View attachment 1248830

View attachment 1248827

View attachment 1248828
Click to expand...

Wow, that is an amazing conversion. Excellent work!

I watched the show, but I don't remember that from Rebels. I must have missed it or forgot about it

I do like that design, but I think I will stick to the standard U-Wing.

I plan to start dismantling it this weekend. The first thing is removing the whole Nerf gun mechanism and see what the inside looks like and whether it is hollowed out enough to build an interior or if I will have to do a doors closed version and skip it
 
Got around to taking it apart.

It has a slider for the wings which is kind of nice. You also press the grey area on the back of the cockpit to "deploy" the nerf gun :lol:
IMG_1620_LI.jpg
IMG_1624 (2).JPG
The landing gear bays will need work as well. Also they will interfere with adding an interior
IMG_1622 (2).JPG

IMG_1626 (2).JPG

Looks like doing an interior is going to be tough, but not impossible

IMG_1628 (2).JPG

IMG_1631.JPG

I might try to keep this mechanism in tact, but cut off the square slider part that sticks out the top and close it off.

IMG_1629.JPG
IMG_1630.JPG
 

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