Nothing makes it better!
I own a Chris Kelley X1 and it is accurate aside from a few scratch build greeblies,..i even think his tie ball dimensions are more accurate than the niesen version,that is if Steve used his dimensions from his tie-fighters to master the x1.
If that is the case then his tie ball is slightly undersized and the Chris Kelley x1 is more accurate.
Vooodoocaster,
I am afraid your knowledge/information regarding the
Nice-n TIE fighter is a little out of date.
[ Undersatably, the history development of Steven's SS TIE Fighter kit may be a bit confusing.]
The Fuselage, AKA: TIE ball and arms (and related components) were completely re-mastered back in 2015.
The current outside diameter of the "Ball" is
5.25" Inches (5-1/4") This is larger than the older version of the kit.
The Current version of the TIE Wings (WingStar & Hub) were re-mastered back in 2010. dimensions for the new wings taken off an original ANH miniature. (now in a private collection) I think they became available for the kit around 2011-12. (not really sure)
The
Nice-n X-1 TIe Fighter also mastered in 2015, also has diameter of 5.25" and has always been that size.
...so enough about the size of Steve's balls.
Regarding the accuracy of Chris Kelly's X-1 TIE kit:
First of all I want to be completely clear; It is a wonderful kit! ...beautifully engineered. It goes together quite nice.
I have the utmost admiration for Chris's work. I still would like to get hold of one of his Blockade Runner kits they are beautiful!
He is a very talented Modeler.
His version of the X-1 kit does however, have a few inaccuracies. Based on the information he had available to him at the time he did an excellent job. The inaccuracies are minor, chiefly, thay have to do with the shape and "character" of the main fuselage, (engineering deck / sail panel area)
Also the dimensions of the wings and the black "solar panel" material.
Given the information he had available to him at the time, I certainly could not have done as wonderful a job on the subject.
In mastering the
Nice-n X-1 TIe. The team had direct to ILM assets. They were able to take measurements off the wings etc. ... and a casting/impression of the original light diffuser material used for the solar panel section. In this regard, the
Nice-n X-1 Advanced TIE is the more accurate of the two. I may put up a diagram, to try and better explain what I mean regarding the "character" of the fuselage.
I have to say, very valid points and concerns have been raised regarding issues with the quality of the most recent castings of the
Nice-n X-1 TIe Fighter kit.
Also, there is the issue of a "
not so stellar" track record for timely delivery, once purchase has been made from
Nice-n Model Designs.
These are certainly factors decidedly against choosing the
Nice-n X-1 Kit.
Hope this information helps.