Nexus Models RED 3 X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

CAPTAINCOX

Sr Member
Hi Guys

Just got my X-Wing from Rodolfo Martínez aka Nexus Models.

I am simply blown away by the Detail and Finish of this kit, the pure passion he has put in to the casting, detailing, choice of resin, concept with the servos to open and close the X-Foils...even down to packing the parts is simply stunning.

Its a pretty darn expensive kit (800$) but its literally ready to assemble...I would say 98% ready to just glue together with almost no cleanup or Bondo work...stunning quality

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Perfectly packt, all parts are well protected and some even comes in little plastic containers plus bubble wrap, simply awesome care taken when packing the model.

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Awesome detail and quality. The Cockpit...Beautiful and its more or less screen accurate to the 1/1 set models used for the closeup shots.
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Again the finish of this Model is simply stunning, will be a pleasure to build it.

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Pilot and Three different Astromecs, even the Visier for the Pilots helmet is included. Decals for the Cockpit and Helmet in super Res and Quality.

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The two Servos that will move the X-Foils and a Arduino Circuit board to control them...by fracking BLUETOOTH!!! how cool is that :)


I will give this model my best as soon as I am done with my Slave 1 Mod, Its a beautiful kit done by a extremely talented and passionate Modeler, Hats off to you Rodolfo!

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Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

That is a beautiful kit. I can't wait to see you work your magic on it!!
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

this is a wonderful looking kit!
but, it's twice the price of Salzo's x wing
so, is this better sculpted and more accurate than Salzo V4?
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys

Started to build this brilliant kit (@KevinHotchkiss, I can't say much about the Salzo kit as I never seen it in the flesh)

I started with the Optical fibers for R2 and the Cockpit
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R2 still needs a final touchup of glossy black on the big Lens and I need to cut the Optical Fibers back.
He has 3 fibers (white LED) in the Holo projectors. I also put in a RGB LED slowly changing color for the Status Indicators front and back.
will take some shots later showing the LEDs turned on.

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The sculpt of "Luke" is pretty good, did my best with Acrylics and Oils...was to lazy to detail the legs as they will be hidden under the cockpit anyway...lazy modelers hey :)

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Same thing on the Head...I had to call it a day with the face as I started to over do it and was afraid I will clog up all the details, came out ok though.
The Helmet Decals still has to go on and some weathering of the helmet is also needed.

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The cockpit is not 100% screen accurate but it sure has some cool details and it captures the look and feel of the X-Wing very well.
The decals that came with the Kit was either old or not properly sealed. They would not stick and came off very easy, I stuck them down with some diluted white glue in the end, I have to give the whole thing a coat of mat clear as the Decals have a pretty heavy sheen. For the White Stripes I used 0.4mm White Modeling Tape...they are a tad to thick so I might make my own transfers as i want to make some other graphics for the fuselage anyway...we will see.

Will post some more pics later with all the LEDs and Fibers lit up.

Cheers Guys.

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Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Good to see you making progress on this build. I am looking forward to watching this one!
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Looks great !


I don't know how you're planning on the helmet details, but I made my own decals and they worked beautifully....
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

View attachment 635820View attachment 635817View attachment 635816
The two Servos that will move the X-Foils and a Arduino Circuit board to control them...by fracking BLUETOOTH!!! how cool is that :)

Servo powered wings!? Wow, that is just fantastic! Can't wait to see how it works. Maybe you can show the mechanics too?

I'd love a pilot like that on my builds. The goggles are a great little detail, it adds so much!

this is a wonderful looking kit!
but, it's twice the price of Salzo's x wing
so, is this better sculpted and more accurate than Salzo V4?

I'd say the Salzo is more determined to recreate the screen used original (keeping in mind that the V4 is created after a pyro model, which is ever so slightly different than the hero models). The Nexus seems to take some liberties (to me, the nosecone looks a bit different) and idealizes the model a bit, like adding the full size style cockpit. I wouldn't say it's wrong (Salzo IV had a full size tub as an option too), it all depends on what you want; a filming model with no canopy glass and a pilot with a motorcycle helmet, like they were back in the day, designed to look great on screen, or something true to the spirit but a little more refined. The detail on Nexus looks stunning and crisp from the photos I've seen, and it builds a fantastic model, it's also probably a little easier to build based on the description earlier in the thread. It also has bonus parts, like the different droids etc.
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys

Thanks for comments!. As for the Servos I am really eager to try them out. Rodmart (Nexus Models) wrote the App that controls them for Android and guess what I don't have an Android Phone...so I had to order a cheap one on eBay, should be here this week, will post when I have that whole electronic thing figured out :p


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I finally managed to get those Decals for the helmet to work with a little help using White glue.


I also did some Decals for the Fuselage and Cockpit, I decided to order them from a company here in Germany. I tried to make my own for my TOS Enterprise build but was never happy with the quality and resolution.

I used the Finemolds X-wing Decal sheet as a base and did some tweaks of my own. I saw the brilliant Decal graphics from moffeaton and I might use some of them as well...(Open Source I hope)

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View attachment X-WING MASTER 1.pdf
If anyone is interested please feel free to use them.

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I will replace those white tape stripes on the top of the cockpit with Decals as I find them to big and a bit rough

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Some pics with R2 und the Cockpit lit up. The cockpit is prepared to take four LEDs behind the Seat Wall, Rodmart did some pretty clever planing there!


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Some light leaks around the main screen...will fix that later with some black modeling tape.

Did a short vid using my iPhone hence the pretty poor quality, but you can see the RGB Led sitting inside R2 lighting up the Processor display.

Cheers Guys.
 
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Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys

Worked on the guns for the last two days, Rodmart included a very detailed assembly instruction so it was merely down to cutting the brass pipes at the right dimensions and gluing them together, added some detail using styrene sheet and tubes.

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Now on with the engines :)

Cheers Guys.




Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys

Assembled the Engines/Wings, must say that Rodmart did a really good Job Engineering this kit.

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All four Wings assembled and cabled up for engine LEDs.

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Each wing have holes leading the cables for the LEDs to the Fuselage, and they are placed to conceal the cable best way possible.

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The Cables are Hidden with the "inner engine"

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All the engine Parts are designed to feed the cable from the Engine LED right trough to the fuselage...brilliant, no extra drilling or sanding Parts.

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Quick test of the engines, using a 12V Red LED and a 9V Battery.

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The "Aft" engines are attached using 10mm M3 allen Screws, again all prepared/marked in the resin Parts, simply brilliant for a kit like this.

After Assembling the Wings/Engines I must say that this kit has a really high level of quality and cleverness, pure Joy to assemble.


Cheers Guys.
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys,
I am really touched by Mike’s comments on my X-Wing model. It is so nice to read such cool comments on a model that took me years to finish. It is true, it took me 3 years to find the time to design this model and to be able to make it work with the smallest technology available and to make it look better than my 2010 X-Wing build.

This build is based on a corrected and symmetrical version of the Pyro cast, plus reference material not very public. I discovered the nose and canopy of the Pyro casts was heavily deformed.

I believe the nose changed shape as it was connected to the casting pipe, and the canopy lost a little geometry when separated to the fuselage in order to make it a different part, or at least I guess this might have been the case. I based the profile of the nose on the Red 4 and Red 3 Pyro models and other not painted ILM pyro models reference material. The truth is I really do not know why the noses on the ILM models differ so much, but the moment comes when you must decide which nose you want for your build. On my 2010 build I tried to copy Red 5 nose style, so this time I wanted a Pyro looking nose, which looks more like Red 2’s nose, even though Red 2 is the more weird X-Wing as it has lots of differences in relation to the other ones. Look at the picture below, and you will see what I mean.

X-Wing Noses.jpg

Look at the angle missing on the cockpit in the Pyro casts, and in almost every X-Wing kit, including my 2010 release! I do not know how I missed that! But I did!

X-Wing Canopy.jpg

With all the differences between the ILM X-Wing models I was forced to try to make a model that would look as cool as the picture we all have in our minds. I cannot say my X-Wing is an exact replica of the original filming models because for that I would need to have a filming model in my hands, and that is not going to happen, sadly! I´d love to! But even then, the only one remaining is Red 3 Hero, so… What I mean is that X-Wings are amazing, and one of their most beautiful mystic characteristic is the asymmetry and impossibility to determine the exact shape of the fuselage due to the imprecision of the way all the filming models were built. Each one has its own personality. For this model I chose to base it on the Red 4 Pyro model, scheme which I love. So all the paneling and chips are from Red 4 Pyro, which are very similar to other Pyros, but very different from Red 2, which at the same time is very different from Red 5 and so on!

Red-4 Left-01.jpg

That is why I build a Red 4 for my web site pics, at this link you can see more pics of the Red 4 and 2 builds I did last year:

http://www.nexus-models.com/red-4-2017.html

I designed this X-Wing kit thinking and imagining the molds I will have to be casting over and over again. So you need the friendlier possible mold, and that starts in the division design of the kit even before constructing it. That is for me the most important step you must take in order to get a clean cast. And it starts months before even making the molds.

I really feels good to read words like the ones Mike has written. For years I worked silently on this model and it is really cool to hear all this planning and efforts are appreciated by you guys.

Thanks:
Rod
 

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Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

When will these go into production? The kit looks epic
Hi Guys,
I am really touched by Mike’s comments on my X-Wing model. It is so nice to read such cool comments on a model that took me years to finish. It is true, it took me 3 years to find the time to design this model and to be able to make it work with the smallest technology available and to make it look better than my 2010 X-Wing build.

This build is based on a corrected and symmetrical version of the Pyro cast, plus reference material not very public. I discovered the nose and canopy of the Pyro casts was heavily deformed.

I believe the nose changed shape as it was connected to the casting pipe, and the canopy lost a little geometry when separated to the fuselage in order to make it a different part, or at least I guess this might have been the case. I based the profile of the nose on the Red 4 and Red 3 Pyro models and other not painted ILM pyro models reference material. The truth is I really do not know why the noses on the ILM models differ so much, but the moment comes when you must decide which nose you want for your build. On my 2010 build I tried to copy Red 5 nose style, so this time I wanted a Pyro looking nose, which looks more like Red 2’s nose, even though Red 2 is the more weird X-Wing as it has lots of differences in relation to the other ones. Look at the picture below, and you will see what I mean.

View attachment 707655

Look at the angle missing on the cockpit in the Pyro casts, and in almost every X-Wing kit, including my 2010 release! I do not know how I missed that! But I did!

View attachment 707656

With all the differences between the ILM X-Wing models I was forced to try to make a model that would look as cool as the picture we all have in our minds. I cannot say my X-Wing is an exact replica of the original filming models because for that I would need to have a filming model in my hands, and that is not going to happen, sadly! I´d love to! But even then, the only one remaining is Red 3 Hero, so… What I mean is that X-Wings are amazing, and one of their most beautiful mystic characteristic is the asymmetry and impossibility to determine the exact shape of the fuselage due to the imprecision of the way all the filming models were built. Each one has its own personality. For this model I chose to base it on the Red 4 Pyro model, scheme which I love. So all the paneling and chips are from Red 4 Pyro, which are very similar to other Pyros, but very different from Red 2, which at the same time is very different from Red 5 and so on!

View attachment 707658

That is why I build a Red 4 for my web site pics, at this link you can see more pics of the Red 4 and 2 builds I did last year:

http://www.nexus-models.com/red-4-2017.html

I designed this X-Wing kit thinking and imagining the molds I will have to be casting over and over again. So you need the friendlier possible mold, and that starts in the division design of the kit even before constructing it. That is for me the most important step you must take in order to get a clean cast. And it starts months before even making the molds.

I really feels good to read words like the ones Mike has written. For years I worked silently on this model and it is really cool to hear all this planning and efforts are appreciated by you guys.

Thanks:
Rod
 
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Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Looks fantastic. Well done Rod.
Does it come with aluminium armature?
will start saving up!
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys,
I am really touched by Mike’s comments on my X-Wing model. It is so nice to read such cool comments on a model that took me years to finish. It is true, it took me 3 years to find the time to design this model and to be able to make it work with the smallest technology available and to make it look better than my 2010 X-Wing build.

The quality of craftsmanship on this kit boggles my mind. It's amazing Rod, out of this world!

So is watching the build coming along on this thread. Beautiful work CAPTAINCOX!
 
Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Hi Guys

Small update on the X-Wing build.

First off, as you guys can see Rodolfo did an ace Job constructing and making this kit, Passion and Hours of work simply makes this kit a pleasure to assemble and paint!
Had some probs with the electronics and Rod was there all the way!. Thanks man!


I had three days off from work (yes...also a break from modeling :( ) and decided to go to Salzburg (yep the Mrs had something to do with that decision) was ok but (I dont want to go political here but..) Skiing was a NO GO as there is no Snow in the Alps (now comes the political Part) I dont care what Mr Trump says...Global warming is a THING!, NO SNOW in the fracking Alps beginning of March...not normal and yes...I call that global warming.

Anyhow, had some time to think and I decided that this build will be a RED 3, Biggs Darklighter's X-Wing.

The RED 5 has been done soooo many times and I thought that the RED 3 will present a chalenge when it comes to weathering this kit, and it has not been done that often.

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There are some realy good Ref Pics of the RED 3 from a Master Replicas Photo shoot from the Lucas Archives made 2009 here RED 3 and Thanks moffeaton for posting those pics AWESOME, thanks Jason!


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I will have to Repaint R2 and make him in to a R2Q2

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I also have to Repaint the Pilots helmet...
Will start to make the Decals in Illustrator in the morning.


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I gave the Model a Base coat of Tamiya Matt Black. As Model Master Colors (Recomended from Rodolfo)are hard to Get hold of in Germany I used Tamiya Acrylics for the main "White/Gray Coat" , Matt White, Deck Tan, Light Grey and Drops of Yellow and Black..on the fly.

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Notice that the "Long Feature" on the Main Engine (from the Apollo kit) is on the Right Side...Like on the RED 3 :)


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Also "Scribed" in the Parting Line on the Nose.


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Added the 5 "Brass (Pipe) Fittings under the Cockpit.

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Started to Mask off the "Call Sign" Red parts...will do the Masking Fluid/Chipping Weathering in the morn.

Cheers Guys.
 
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Re: Nexus Models X-Wing Build Log by CAPTAINCOX

Cheers Jkirkon, some really great pics there and not only of the RED 3, for sure worth a look.
 
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