X-Wing and TIE fighter on Exegol—1/72 diorama with Bandai kits

[TickTockMan]

Hello all,
Been a while since I last visited the forum and I’m looking for some thoughts/opinions on a diorama I’m planning. One of the images from “The Rise of Skywalker” that stuck with me long after I’d seen the film in the theater was the sight of Luke’s old T-65 X-Wing that Rey had flown to Exegol parked next to the Scout TIE that Ben Solo had salvaged from the wreck of the second Death Star...the two old workhorse fighters of the Rebellion and Empire united for one last mission. I have 1/72 Bandai kits of both the T-65 X-Wing and the Imperial-era TIE/ln, and I’d like to create a simple diorama of these two warbirds sitting peacefully side-by-side on the bleak surface of Exegol.

What I’m looking for is information on what all modifications I’d need to make to the kits for them to be reasonably screen-accurate. Admittedly, the fog and darkness hide a lot of detail, but the diorama won’t have all that so I‘d like to still do justice to these legendary vehicles. It’s easier for the X-wing because there are some close shots of it as Rey lands at the Resistance base after the final battle, but I’d still like some opinions about how to show where Rey re-attached the hunk of wing Luke used as the door to his hut (according to the novelization), and other general weathering suggestions to show the effects of being submerged for decades. The TIE is a bit more involved. I don’t recall ever having seen a TIE actually landed on the surface of a planet in any of the other movies (and I’m woefully inexperienced with the animated series), so I don’t know if the TIE deploys proper landing gear or just settles on the bottom of its solar panels, and the scene in the movie is just angled enough to not be clear about it. Also, according to the novelization this particular TIE was a hyperdrive-equipped “scout” variant similar in appearance to a standard TIE, so I don’t really have many qualms about using a model of a standard TIE as a stand-in, but if anybody is more knowledgeable and has any suggestions for mods to bring it closer to what appears onscreen, I’ll gladly welcome them. Thanks in advance!

 

[Richard Baker]

The TIE Scout looks to be the fun mod, from the angle you have the option of extending the rear with a hyperdrive housing, no room elsewhere in the hull to allow for it.
The TIE appears to be resting on the bottom of it's panels, we have sen them in the animated series doing that. In the shw, 'The Mandarian' we see one folding up it's wings and extending landing gear, but it could be a special ground based version, like how the same aircraft in our military have special version for various services, like ones equipped for carrier use.

 

[Analyzer]

The problem I have with a tie landing n it wings like that is how the pilot gets in and out of that top hatch. That is pretty high up. I guess there could be some kind of rope type ladder they can let out that might be hidden by that angle, or I guess you have to force jump into it if your lucky enough to have Jedi powers

The folding wing option make more sense to me

 

[TickTockMan]

The TIE Scout looks to be the fun mod, from the angle you have the option of extending the rear with a hyperdrive housing, no room elsewhere in the hull to allow for it.

That’s what I was thinking...I may need to study the back end of a First Order Special Forces TIE for some ideas. The more I look at the scene, the more I think that perhaps The out-of-universe explanation is that they set the scene up like that just because it looked so cool and then late in production someone remembered that Imperial-era standard TIES didn’t have a hyperdrive but it was too late to make a correction to, say, a Vader-style TIE, so they just left it in and covered the apparent plot hole with a couple of lines in the novelization that it was a scout-class TIE with hyperdrive and navicomputers. It’s better than using the monstrosity that was a TIE Scout in the old Legends continuity! Now that I think of it, some of the earliest toy TIEs had a squarish protrusion in the back (probably for kids to hold on to to hold it like it’s flying) that might make a good pattern for a hyperdrive housing. I’ll have to look into it more.

 

[TickTockMan]

The problem I have with a tie landing n it wings like that is how the pilot gets in and out of that top hatch. That is pretty high up. I guess there could be some kind of rope type ladder they can let out that might be hidden by that angle, or I guess you have to force jump into it if your lucky enough to have Jedi powers

The folding wing option make more sense to me

I see the reason in what you’re saying...perhaps the folding wing/gear deployment mechanism no longer worked after 30-odd years in the Death Star wreckage and all Ben could do was make a landing on the panels and hope for the best.

 

[Analyzer]

I see the reason in what you’re saying...perhaps the folding wing/gear deployment mechanism no longer worked after 30-odd years in the Death Star wreckage and all Ben could do was make a landing on the panels and hope for the best.

I forgot he may have gotten that from the wreckage. That make a good point. Most Ties seemed to hang from rafters where pilots can easily access the hatch from walkways.
Kind of along this line

Being mainly space based aircraft they never really need to land where he was basically using all that he could find. As Richard mentions, there may be Tie's fitted for atmospheric landing that have the folded wings much the same way aircraft carrier fighters have wings that fold for storage compared to the land based equivalents

 

[rbeach84]

I can see a roll-up ladder aka chain ladder being used...
Regards
Robert

 

[Jedi Dade]

C'mon guys the answer is simple - Jetpacks... or if you're Kylo - Jump

Jedi Dade

 

[Jimw100]

According to one of the Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections books the Tie is “structurally capable” of landing on its wings. Given that often in star wars vehicles the internals don’t necessarily seem to have space to accommodate things like landing gear, droids etc I would think you could add in some sort of extending ladder (like the one Poe uses to get into and out of his x-wing) without causing egregious offence to Star Wars purists.

I believe the tie with the folding wings from the Mandalorian was supposed to be a specialised version, as opposed to revealing a capability that all Ties have.

If you’re bothered about “accuracy” (and I’m not implying that you should be) the cross sections books have great reference for things like how big a hyperdrive would be and what shape it might be etc

 

[patrickivan]

I've always envisioned that if it had to land like that, the bottom hatch would open, and the seat would lower with the usual fantastic Star Wars style mechanics. It just makes sense to me. More so than the top entrance into it.

 

[Jimw100]

I just found the book and had a chance to re-read this:

 

[rbeach84]

Given the alignment of the 'guns', the lower hatch appears more likely to provide access to the weapons. If the upper hatch opens like a clam shell into a vertical, position, it would be quite simple to have a powered 'hoist' arm and cable for use in the unusual circumstance of a surface landing vice the usual hangar bay. It would swing out from the hatch inner surface.

Basically an elevator...
Regards, Robert