X-Wing red leader - CC (kinda hero-like)

[Scott Graham]

Hi guys,

Here is my red leader x-wing so far. I've made panel mods to look more like the reference I have. Didn't take pics of the wings, but if you have the hi-res outlawed pics, you'll know the areas on the top side in the red one markings area.

I've also made the wing wells more like a hero by adding minimal strip styrene to the perimeter of the openings. It works great by dropping a shadow on the sidewalls so you don't see them easily. It was .030x.040 strip styrene by evergreen. I don't think it makes the openings very much smaller than usual.

Any feedback is welcome. I'll post more as it goes along. I'm waiting on some replacement parts from Mike Salzo. As I bought this cheaply on ebay as a CC version, it's not Mike's. He's willing to help with some detail castings that I need. The biggest problem is that the kit comes with the totally non-canon gear mechanisms for the wings. I'm hoping he'll have an old 1st gen. mold to help me here. If anyone else has the usual wing mechanism piece available, please contact me!

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Looks like you're off to a good start.

 

[Nwerke]

I love it when people mod the V1s and V2s. Nice work so far.

You might want to consider adding some sheet styrene to the leading edge of the wings. A few mm of extra chord will get it a little closer to the studio wing size. It's an easy change to make. Have you considered changing the fuselage underside or the tail end at all?

Hi guys,

Here is my red leader x-wing so far. I've made panel mods to look more like the reference I have. Didn't take pics of the wings, but if you have the hi-res outlawed pics, you'll know the areas on the top side in the red one markings area.

I've also made the wing wells more like a hero by adding minimal strip styrene to the perimeter of the openings. It works great by dropping a shadow on the sidewalls so you don't see them easily. It was .030x.040 strip styrene by evergreen. I don't think it makes the openings very much smaller than usual.

Any feedback is welcome. I'll post more as it goes along. I'm waiting on some replacement parts from Mike Salzo. As I bought this cheaply on ebay as a CC version, it's not Mike's. He's willing to help with some detail castings that I need. The biggest problem is that the kit comes with the totally non-canon gear mechanisms for the wings. I'm hoping he'll have an old 1st gen. mold to help me here. If anyone else has the usual wing mechanism piece available, please contact me!

 

[Guy Cowen]

A touch of genius on the wings there.

 

[Scott Graham]

Thanks Guy. I'm glad people can get something out of this too!

To answere NWERKE: I think it'll only be the wing wells that get the full treatment. I don't want to totally rebuild the CC X-wing, but make the best out of it as it is. I already assembled the engines on the wings so I can't add to the front surface now, and as I understand it the fuselage needs more bulk in the cross section to be accurate. This kit has a VERY slim silhouette compared to the efx red 5 I have (which, as I've read, is a little oversize probably).

Hopefully the paint scheme will take it to the next level, and the inaccuracies in the rest of it won't seem so dominant! :love

I'm still waiting on some replacement parts so I won't be working on this for awhile.

A touch of genius on the wings there.

 

[Scott Graham]

Member BobFett was asking about seeing pics of the placement of the circles on the side of the fuselage. These are my best guesstimates. I hope this helps you buddy.

 

[Scott Graham]

...6 years later and it's done.

I tried to make every tick mark you can see in photos of it. Red leader had minimal grunge compared to a lot of x-wings, and minimal reference means some of the paint job was guesswork. As I was shooting it, I noticed some bare resin in the front cockpit area under the canopy: something still to be done.

I'm showing it with a pilot figure although most pics of it don't show a pilot at all. You can still see the pilot in the trench side view shot with red 5 in the foreground. Also, it seemed they used a regular R2 unit painted red and white in some shots and in the same trench pic just mentioned.

It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it.

- - - Updated - - -

Photos didn't attach...trying again.

 

[Scott Graham]

Here are the pics:

 

[MonsieurTox]

Great job Scott, it was well worth the wait ! Glad to see a replica of Red Leader !

 

[el loco]

6 years, wow !
Looks amazing, i like the paint job.

 

[PHArchivist]

Nice work CC - Captain Cardboard - as you mentioned earlier, the fuselage certainly is a bit thin.

Excellent paint job.

 

[-... . .- --..]

Awesome build Scott, and a great rendition of Red 1!

 

[GrahamT]

Beautiful paint job.

Did you glue your wings to the the wing mount bracket pieces? And are those brackets glued to the fuselage?
Just wondering, as I have a CC and am about to reach that step, and I'm wondering if you made all of those removable.

 

[Scott Graham]

Thanks for the comments guys!

I glued the bracket pieces into the fuselage opening, then the wings onto those. Fortunately, the wings and cannons are pretty straight in the end!

 

[Scott Graham]

Well...I sold it on eBay and shipped it. During transit almost every part on it popped off. Now it needs a lot of repair for the buyer, who is in Los Vegas.

I feel like it's almost impossible to protect an x-wing enough with all the protrusions it has. But I was pretty sure I had done a good packing job on it.

What do you guys do to protect models if you sell and ship them? :cry

 

[3phase]

Mate I seen that on eBay and cant believe it took so long to sell. Great deal for the new owner even with repairs to do.

Well...I sold it on eBay and shipped it. During transit almost every part on it popped off. Now it needs a lot of repair for the buyer, who is in Los Vegas.

I feel like it's almost impossible to protect an x-wing enough with all the protrusions it has. But I was pretty sure I had done a good packing job on it.

What do you guys do to protect models if you sell and ship them? :cry

 

[moffeaton]

There is a company called Craters and Freighters. Sending an X-Wing is hundreds of dollars, but it arrives intact in a wooden crate. Buyer always assumes the price of shipping, with my stuff. C&F assume liability on breakage!

 

[Scott Graham]

Thanks Jason. I'll think about a professional shipper next time. That's exactly what I was enqiring about.

And yes, 3phase, the buyer got a good deal. He's looking into getting it repaired.

It's a shame it got wrecked in transit. I thought I had done a good job packing it, but it didn't work out that way. An x-wing is a nightmare to figure out how to protect since everything sticks out from the fuselage and wings.

 

[kokkari]

Dang! I'm just finishing up an X-Wing to ship to someone and now I'm getting really nervous. I already told the customer that he is going to have to attach the cannons himself because there is no way they are going to make it there still attached. I made it so they attach with pins to make it easy.

Out of curiosity, what was your packing and shipping method?

 

[Jkirkon]

I bought a Salzo V3.1 2 years ago, and the builder (goes by ddsyst on here) shipped it very securely. This one had an armature, so he shipped with wings closed. The ship was wrapped in foam paper to protect the paint, and then it was fitted into a flat foam fitted cradle.
That worked well for a ship with an armature. It made it 100% intact. I kept the box and cradle for the future when I move house.

I am thinking ahead about my next x-wing. If I don't use an armature, I will attach the wings with magnets so they can be removed and packed seperately. I will use the same method with the fitted foam cradle.