Just completed my latest project, Luke's Red 5 XWing. The kit is the AMT ProShop, not the most accurate but fairly good sized at 15" long. At the time I purchased it, I thought the electronic opening wings and lighting features would be cool and I didn't plan on being too fussy about accuracy.
But as I always do when I actually start a model, I end up wanting it to look just like the original studio model. So, I was a bit disappointed at certain details but decided to just accurize it with paint. After all, the paint job is really the most important factor in achieving an accurate looking model. So I found the few photos that are available of ILM's Red 5 studio model and went to work.
I quickly realized that that I didn't care for the primary gimmick of the kit, which was the electronics. Too much work and wiring and the model would be stuck to its display stand. So I decided to fix the wings open and just do a simple 3v, 6 lite setup, all contained in the model itself, with a switch mounted in the lower rear hull, and battery access by a velcro-fastened rear panel.
Painting it was a fun challenge. Started with flat white base, then everything else is hand-brushed on acrylic mixes - and a lot of dirty washes and dry-brushing. For the "new replacement panel" sections in the hull, I went with a light blue-gray, with a diluted semi-gloss over to give them that bare sheet-metal look. For the rust I started with a base of dark yellow, then a hand-mixed rust color, then a darker brown in the center of each section.
One major disappointment with the kit is the engine assembly. For a kit that markets itself on electronics and lighting, the engines were not molded to facilitate this. The exhaust nozzles are one solid piece molded in clear, where they should be separated by nozzle and inner turbine. Hence, the engines are the least accurate factor in my build. And, I had to chop a hole in R2 to give him a lite.
My overall recommendation is to spend a little more and get a nice resin kit, but I'm still pretty happy with the overall result.
YouTube slideshow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5swN4PkSSpY&index=7&list=PL2olyGtucDeG8WPRz19vkr8Ki8VjzgKs5
But as I always do when I actually start a model, I end up wanting it to look just like the original studio model. So, I was a bit disappointed at certain details but decided to just accurize it with paint. After all, the paint job is really the most important factor in achieving an accurate looking model. So I found the few photos that are available of ILM's Red 5 studio model and went to work.
I quickly realized that that I didn't care for the primary gimmick of the kit, which was the electronics. Too much work and wiring and the model would be stuck to its display stand. So I decided to fix the wings open and just do a simple 3v, 6 lite setup, all contained in the model itself, with a switch mounted in the lower rear hull, and battery access by a velcro-fastened rear panel.
Painting it was a fun challenge. Started with flat white base, then everything else is hand-brushed on acrylic mixes - and a lot of dirty washes and dry-brushing. For the "new replacement panel" sections in the hull, I went with a light blue-gray, with a diluted semi-gloss over to give them that bare sheet-metal look. For the rust I started with a base of dark yellow, then a hand-mixed rust color, then a darker brown in the center of each section.
One major disappointment with the kit is the engine assembly. For a kit that markets itself on electronics and lighting, the engines were not molded to facilitate this. The exhaust nozzles are one solid piece molded in clear, where they should be separated by nozzle and inner turbine. Hence, the engines are the least accurate factor in my build. And, I had to chop a hole in R2 to give him a lite.
My overall recommendation is to spend a little more and get a nice resin kit, but I'm still pretty happy with the overall result.
YouTube slideshow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5swN4PkSSpY&index=7&list=PL2olyGtucDeG8WPRz19vkr8Ki8VjzgKs5