Star Wars X-Wing & Adv. TIE fighter

[opal1970]

Hi All,

I bought my son his first models for X-mas and we finally got around to starting them. They are the new Revell kits of the X Wing (1:112) and Darth Vaders TIE fighter (1:121). I found it very strange (and disappointing) that they were not the same scale, since then I have seen that all the star wars ships in the series are all different scales.

The Xwing is as good as finished and the TIE is going along good. Both models are pretty straight forward and really really small, but not very accurate. Nevertheless, they should look quite nicely on a 7 year old's shelf...



With the X Wing, we were going for the "dirty-patch-fixed" look, the kind you would expect from a rebel army that does not have the luxury of a spare parts depot. We decided to make one of the engines look as if it was a little bit more beat up as the others. It has the Rogue 3 insignia but I did not want to drive my son crazy with making a studio correct version, so just consider it as one of the many X-wings in the fleet.

[Edit] For some reason, the rust comes out much more "yellow" as it really is and stands out like a sore thumb in the pics... I had to go back and look at it if I had really painted it that way. In real life, the yellow streaks that you see are a bit more subtle.

 

[opal1970]

Here are a couple pics of the Adv. TIE fighter as it is now. We put quite a bit of detail into the cockpit, even though once it is sealed up you won't see much more as Darth Vader's silouette. But I will know that it is there.





I did not like how the centerpiece looked on the wings, so we are filing them down to minimize the profile. If I had to do it again I probably would go so far as to sand down the entire back of the piece and hollow a bed for it in the wing so that it is streamline with the wing edges.

 

[korben44]

Nice little kits... weird they are not the same scale, though.

 

[opal1970]

Hi Korben,
yeah they would be great for making a diorama, but it really sucks that the scales are not identical. I suppose if one did not know any better, they do not really "look" out of scale, but for me it would just bug the heck out of me. I was thinking of getting a couple more kits and lighting them up in a Death Star canyon run scene, just as the Millennium Falcon breaks up Vader's formation to give Luke a clear shot, but the MF in the series is way out of scale with 1:140-ish. So if I do go this route I will have to think of something else.

All in all, the kits are pretty good. the only things that I really did not like was the TIE's inner detail plate that I mentioned above and the X-Wing's wings did not fit together as they should have. I do not know if it is a general mistake in the mold or if it was just my kit, but one of the wings where a bit warped so that one side slanted slightly upwards. I suppose I could have fixed it with a heat gun easy enough but I opted to leave it as it was, as my son was getting antsy to get started. Here is a pic of the good side, it is a bit fuzzy but you get the idea...



and here is the side that is warped...

 

[korben44]

I see what you mean with the X-Wing warping... Hopefully it's just isolated to your model. I know Dragon Models has a bunch of 1/144 kits coming out and Bandai and Fine Molds offer some up as well. I like dealing with ultra small models, since, like you said, it's easier to use them in some large scale dioramas. I'll certainly be looking into some of these 1/144 kits for some fantastic dioramas. But my main concentration is going to be 1/48 models for the foreseeable future. With the exception of the MPC Falcon I have. That is 1/58, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[opal1970]

I see what you mean with the X-Wing warping... Hopefully it's just isolated to your model. I know Dragon Models has a bunch of 1/144 kits coming out and Bandai and Fine Molds offer some up as well. I like dealing with ultra small models, since, like you said, it's easier to use them in some large scale dioramas. I'll certainly be looking into some of these 1/144 kits for some fantastic dioramas. But my main concentration is going to be 1/48 models for the foreseeable future. With the exception of the MPC Falcon I have. That is 1/58, if I'm not mistaken.

The Fine Molds kits should be identical to the Revell ones as they are using the same molds, but I would assume the Bandai kits to be a notch better regarding quality and overall correctness. On the other side these kits are pretty cheap, you can get them for under 10 if you look around, so you cannot really expect them to be top notch masterpieces... for the price and for the fun of just putting a model together it is quite a bit of bang for the buck.

Yes, I will also be starting a couple 1:48 models coming up... I bought the Hasbro Millennium Falcon so that it is in scale. it is going to be a real §$%&$ working with the vinyl plastic that it is made of, but for a "toy" I was really impressed with the detail, size and the possibilities. If you are interested there are a couple WIPs here that turned out really good...

Kokkari's Hasbro MF
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=226964&highlight=falcon+hasbro

Master Blaster's Hasbro MF
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=251528&p=3886931#post3886931

 

[korben44]

The Fine Molds kits should be identical to the Revell ones as they are using the same molds, but I would assume the Bandai kits to be a notch better regarding quality and overall correctness. On the other side these kits are pretty cheap, you can get them for under 10 if you look around, so you cannot really expect them to be top notch masterpieces... for the price and for the fun of just putting a model together it is quite a bit of bang for the buck.

Yes, I will also be starting a couple 1:48 models coming up... I bought the Hasbro Millennium Falcon so that it is in scale. it is going to be a real §$%&$ working with the vinyl plastic that it is made of, but for a "toy" I was really impress with the detail and the possibilities. If you are interested there are a couple WP here that turned out really good.

I've found the Bandai kits to be above and beyond as far as detail goes. The only thing I don't like about them is in some kits, like the 1/72 T-70 and Y-Wing, they include pre-painted and pre-cut parts like the yellow decals on the Y-Wing. Or the blue decal parts on the new X-Wing. I just don't like the pre-molded and painted parts they push on you. Other than that, the Bandai kits offer the greatest accuracy yet in most of their models.

I do love the price of the 1/144 kits. I'm thinking of doing something with a falcon and Slave 1. I've seen some threads on the Hasbro Falcon and it does look rather detailed for a toy. I didn't realize I could do what others have done to it until after I got my MPC Falcon, so that one will have to do for now. It will be my first falcon, though. I'm rather new to modeling, but have always loved it and Star Wars. Just a noob question here, but what does WP stand for? It's late for me since I work third shift and my brain isn't functioning properly at the moment.

 

[opal1970]

I've found the Bandai kits to be above and beyond as far as detail goes. The only thing I don't like about them is in some kits, like the 1/72 T-70 and Y-Wing, they include pre-painted and pre-cut parts like the yellow decals on the Y-Wing. Or the blue decal parts on the new X-Wing. I just don't like the pre-molded and painted parts they push on you. Other than that, the Bandai kits offer the greatest accuracy yet in most of their models.

I do love the price of the 1/144 kits. I'm thinking of doing something with a falcon and Slave 1. I've seen some threads on the Hasbro Falcon and it does look rather detailed for a toy. I didn't realize I could do what others have done to it until after I got my MPC Falcon, so that one will have to do for now. It will be my first falcon, though. I'm rather new to modeling, but have always loved it and Star Wars. Just a noob question here, but what does WP stand for? It's late for me since I work third shift and my brain isn't functioning properly at the moment.

I totally agree with you on all the pre-cut and pre-painted kits. Revell is doing that for most of its easy snap kits too. Kind of like a toy that you have to put together.

No problem. the only dumb questions are the ones not asked... WIP is work in progress. these are threads that follow the whole construction of a model and not just the finished masterpiece. I currently have one going for a new galactica, the link is below in my signature.

Well, I hope you get to go to sleep soon.

 

[blakeh1]

1/112 and 1/121 are pretty close size wise to pair together.

The difference at that size is not nearly as noticeable as the difference in larger scales between something like 1/6 and 1/17

As far as the Vader tie, it is questionable as to what scale it is. The figure inside is pretty close to a 1/72 figure. Also the ship itself is nearly the same size as the Fine Molds 1/72 Tie Advanced. If you accept Fine Molds size as the gold standard for 1/72, then the Revell one is around 1/79

However, the Fine Molds ties are supposedly too small for 1/72. Bandai's 1/72 ties are bigger and are supposed to be scaled more accurately. So if you accept Bandai's 1/72 as the gold standard, then this pushes the Revell kit closer to supposed 1/121 scale

So despite the difference in figure size, the ships may be closer to scale with each other then one might think

For what it's worth, the Revell Pocket Tie Interceptor kit is the same size as the Vader pocket kit. But the pocket kit of the standard tie is the same size as Bandai's 1/72 tie despite being labelled as 1/110

Also Revell's "master series" are straight repops of the Fine Molds 1/48 line. But again, assuming a studio scale tie is 1/24, then those 1/48 ties are really closer to 1/65 ties

It's probably why Revell generally steers clear of listing scales and just goes with "fit the box" scale. It's much easier

 

[opal1970]

1/112 and 1/121 are pretty close size wise to pair together.

The difference at that size is not nearly as noticeable as the difference in larger scales between something like 1/6 and 1/17

As far as the Vader tie, it is questionable as to what scale it is. The figure inside is pretty close to a 1/72 figure. Also the ship itself is nearly the same size as the Fine Molds 1/72 Tie Advanced. If you accept Fine Molds size as the gold standard for 1/72, then the Revell one is around 1/79
[...]
It's probably why Revell generally steers clear of listing scales and just goes with "fit the box" scale. It's much easier

Hi Blake, thanks for stopping by. Yes the Vader figure is the same scale as the x wing pilot figure, but even to the naked eye, the TIE looks a little bit too small as compared to the X wing. But I also agree with you, Revell is getting lazy in the last years regarding making correct statements to the scale (if they put a scale on it at all). For some areas the screen objects are fairly well documented (e.g. in the Star Trek universe) and it is just a matter of calculating the scale... still it is a pain.

[Update]: I just saw the TIE interceptor today in the stores, according to the box that is 1:90 and the "normal" TIE fighter is 1:110. I wish I knew what they were smoking at the time that they decided to do that. :facepalm

Well, we finished up the TIE today, they are pretty easy kits but we had a fun time with them. Here is a vanity shot of both of them in a dog fight. Hope you like it...

 

[opal1970]

I've found the Bandai kits to be above and beyond as far as detail goes. [...]

I was just doing a bit of research, and the 1:72 Bandai kits look really good. At any rate, I wanted to buy some more in this scale for myself (I always love the challange of lighting up these tiny models)... and I think I will order a couple of the bandai kits. If I buy them from the seller in Japan they cost about 20 Euros + import taxes, kits being sold within Europe are around 50 Euros, so not much question about that.

 

[korben44]

I was just doing a bit of research, and the 1:72 Bandai kits look really good. At any rate, I wanted to buy some more in this scale for myself (I always love the challange of lighting up these tiny models)... and I think I will order a couple of the bandai kits. If I buy them from the seller in Japan they cost about 20 Euros + import taxes, kits being sold within Europe are around 50 Euros, so not much question about that.

As long as you don't mind waiting for them to arrive...lol. The Bandai kits sold here in the States are a bit higher than what I can get them for from Japan. I just don't like to wait too long.

I agree that small scale has its appeal. I really like challenging myself to make them as real as possible.

 

[opal1970]

As long as you don't mind waiting for them to arrive...lol. The Bandai kits sold here in the States are a bit higher than what I can get them for from Japan. I just don't like to wait too long.

I agree that small scale has its appeal. I really like challenging myself to make them as real as possible.

I just ordered the Bandai Advanced TIE to check it out before getting a couple more. Actually the delivery time is within tolerance, according to eBay, it will take 7 to 10 days... the only thing I hate about buying stuff from overseas, is that they usually end up getting held at customs and you have to drive there to pay the import costs. In the end you have a lot of hassel and a wasted day.


yeah, the small size is great. Don't get me wrong, it causes all kinds of headaches to squeeze everything in, but it makes you think and adapt. And in the end it just looks even better than a larger scale, just because you know what kind of effort went into it. The Galactica is quite a bit bigger but I will be putting in everything but the kitchen sink and it is not going to be easy either.

 

[rbeach84]

My experience with ebay purchases from Japan to the US are essentially seamless. Just make sure to stay below the $200 customs limit so your stuff doesn't start 'smelling' like an importer's business... ;^P

Regards, Robert

 

[Jimmer]

It looks like these are the Revell Pocket Models (I think that's what they're called) and this X-Wing and Advanced Tie were the first two kits I built when I got into modeling about a year ago.

The problem I had with the X-wing was that a three of the cannons were bent. I used the boiling water trick to straighten them - worked perfectly on two but the third came out almost corkscrewed. Since I can place it on a lower wing and position it on the side of fuselage not directly displayed I left the third cannon alone rather than heat it again and make it worse. Other than than, fun little models for 10 dollars.