Project: Boba Fett's Slave 1 (Fine molds)

[Exarkun77]

Ok, finally received my kit (ah, some days i love mailmen), a Fine molds Boba fett's Slave 1.

Didn't do anything yet, because i need to make decisions first.
So i'll try to stay focused, but i've got many ideas, and i'd like the opinion of modelers on what's possible and what's not.

So...here are a few ideas. the main goal would be to make a model that could be either a flying Slave 1, or a landed one recreating the scene where Fett orders imperials to put frozen han in the cargo hold (for a diorama).
-I've got a lot of reference picture for the hull, but am lacking clear shots of the cockpit. So...i won't really bother with accuracy, but if someones has links to clear shots of the cockpit, that would help me.
-I think the model will be lit with a few things i picked up from different toys, that shouldn't be a major problem, cause i don't want it to light like a christmas tree.
-I'd like to add 2 "mechanical features" to the model, which are an opening..."acces ramp", and a movable cockpit.
Basic feature for the ramp, i just want to be able to see a bit of the interior of the ship.
And for the cockpit, definitely trickier: cockpit as you know it when the ship flies, and that makes a 90° turn when the ship is landed, so that the pilot is still vertical. And i think my main problem here will be space, because of the two seats under Fett.

If i can't do these two, i think i'll choose the landed version, which leads me to one last question:
where could i find 1/72 stormtroopers and imperial officers, if that exists?

 

[elend]

I'd go for the landed version, since I haven't seen that before. I don't think anyone has done that before. You could scratchbuild that cool landing platform as well. 1/72 Stormtroopers are to be found in some Fine Molds Kits like the Millenium Falcon or the Tie Fighter. Maybe someone out there can make you a resin copy of those.

 

[Exarkun77]

Yep, the landing platform of cloud city is what i have in mind for the moment.
And for figures, Fett and frozen Solo came with the kit, gotta see the empire strikes back again to check how many figures i need.
cause i think there's a few stormtroopers, but also an officer.
Thanks for the idea, though, i'll check what i can get from fine molds other kits.

Edit: i know there's a new rpg-figure based starwars game, too, i'll try to get one set of figures, they seem to match the size.

Second edit: the star wars miniatures game figures don't match the size. Nice figures, by the way, but too tall for 1/72 scale.

 

[Junkie]

Yeah, landed with the pad. Very cool. You could try the older Galoob Micro Machine figure packs. Close to 1/72 but the Stormtroopers are in really dumb poses.

 

[JMac]

the Stormtroopers are in really dumb poses.

That's why they could never hit the Rebels - no matter how much they shot...

 

[Exarkun77]

The worse being of course that they are all Jango fett's clones. but i shouldn't start on this ^^

Thanx for the Micromachines idea, Scott, but i checked, and won't be able to do anything with these.
I could, but it would be almost like scratchbuilding. I'll keep them in mind, never know.

And i still need to check the Empire strikes back, but i think i wil go for Fett talking to an imperial officer, 2 stormtroopers pushing frozen Han, and maybe 1 or 2 stormtroopers somewhere else.
I've searched for all kind of little toys on the net, but the 1/72 is not common, and now i think my best options will be:
-figures from other starwars kits or dioramas
-customizing figures from other kits at this scale
-scuplting them (but don't really want to try this one ^^)

 

[Exarkun77]

Quick update on the slave 1.
Didn't do that much, mostly because i'm making another small model kit first, to test my skills.
I'll try to make video, because some questions are coming out of it.

But i'm thinking of a planning for the slave 1, and i'd like to be sure the order seems correct.
I still don't have any idea on how and when to assemble the pieces, and what goups do i make, nor when to paint them, but this will be my general planning:

1 ) wash the parts (never know), file or sand the flash.
2 ) glue, then putty + file/sand, to get rid of the seam (?) lines and gaps. Eventually reinforce some delicate places on the kit
3 ) primer: i'll go for a silver base coat, since it's a starship, and i'll try some scratches on the hull later.
At the same time, i'll paint everything that is not visible in black, for a possible lighting of the model
And i might use a different primer color for the back of the ship (radar dish, engines, etc), haven't decided yet.
4 ) pre shadowing (i mean painting in black all the panel lines)
5 ) then the real paint job starts (and i won't get in the details for now, i have a lot of masking and layers to do on this baby)
6 ) then, if i'm not mistaken i should put a matte gloss on it
7 ) put the decals
8 ) maybe another coat of gloss, but here i'm not sure of anything anymore. i just don't want the decals to show up more than the rest.
9 ) weathering

So please, if you see anything wrong, tell me. Especially in the last parts because i never knew how to use decals properly.

Other than that, Stil trying to figure how i'm gonna make the rotating cockpit and the opening cargo hold, but i'll tell you that in the vid, easier to see.

 

[DreamKnight]

4 ) pre shadowing (i mean painting in black all the panel lines)

Pre-Shading works if you're using an airbrush so if that's what you're doing then that's correct.

6 ) then, if i'm not mistaken i should put a matte gloss on it
7 ) put the decals
8 ) maybe another coat of gloss, but here i'm not sure of anything anymore. i just don't want the decals to show up more than the rest.
9 ) weathering

Yup. The gloss coat after the decals is to just set in the decals so they are protected when you do the next steps after.

Between 8 and 9 you might wanna do a panel line wash then go to weathering (which is part of weathering I guess).

Chung

 

[Grendels]

For the weathering on my Viper build (You can find photo's under completed models) I used Rust-oleum metallic paint as the base coat. Purely on accident, I found out that when you paint acrylics over that paint, they do not stick all that well. To clarify, the paint goes down fine, But if you use a sticky tape, some of it will come up when you pull up the tape. That is how I got the paint chipping effect on that Viper.

I then did a panel line, weathering wash with oil paints afterwards to dull down the colors. I didn't bother with the decals at all.

Here is a video on paint chipping with hairspray:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwr61o2Hp_k[/youtube]

Watch this set on jet aircraft:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzMmT8xkplk[/youtube]

He talks about pre-shading, decals, and oil washes. I followed his technique on oil washes for my viper build.

 

[Exarkun77]

Chung:
Yep, i'll do the pre-shading (thx for the word) with the airbrush.
Got a cheap one that was sleeping on a shelf at home, i cleaned it up and made the first tests.
I'll try to find a good paint/solvant mix, since i'm using tamiya acrylics.
I don't know if they're the best for me, i often heard about Gunze, Humbrol or Enamel paints, but i can find Tamiya everywhere, and i like to be able to use water as a solvant, i don't have much money.
Makes me think i need to list the colors i don't have.

And yep, by weathering, i meant washes, chipping the paint, adding rust and maybe a few laser blasts, dirt, etc.

Grendels:
Thanks a lot for the vids, i'm watching them right now.

 

[DreamKnight]

Chung:
I'll try to find a good paint/solvant mix, since i'm using tamiya acrylics.

I use mostly Tamiya paints with some Citadel paints for details though I'm going to be throwing Vallejo into the mix soon.

For Tamiya, I just use 91% Alcohol as my thinner which runs your about $1.25 per 16oz. Cheap and I also use it to clean out my airbrush. For cleaning my airbrush I runs a 50/50 alcohol and windex mix through it, then a pure alcohol mix through it then just water to flush it out. Works great for cleaning AND as a thinner for acrylics.

Difference between water/acrylic thinner as a medium vs alcohol is alcohol tends to dry pretty fast.

 

[JMac]

I use the Tamiya paints with alcohol as a thinner. I'm cheap and it works not to bad.

 

[ScreamingSamuraiStudio]

you know...I just finished the AMT kit a couple of weeks ago and used pretty much just the little folk art paint bottles you can find at the craft store for about a dollar. I also used toothpaste on the basecoat to get the chipped paint effect.
I'll start a new thread for it on the forum here so there won't be any confusion or thread hijacking..I know how funds can get a little stretched and when I did this one I was actually unemployed..hence the Macguyver-style supply list.

And if you're going to use tamiya paint, i have always found regular rubbing alcohol works best as a thinner.

 

[Exarkun77]

Ha ha ha... i'll put a bounty on you if you hijack my empty thread.
But it won't be empty soon, i'm building another kit quickly, and i'm slowly starting fett's ship. I just tried filming with my camera, and you should see some vids on youtube in a few days, i'll post the links here. Vids will be easier to show you where i'm at, and the problems i need to solve.

So...toothpaste. Nice trick, thanks. I'm not working on the paint job yet, but i'll think i'll use all kinds of tricks.
As you said, the Mc-Gyver way.

 

[Exarkun77]

Champagne !
I'm now uploading my 3 first vids on the badass ship on youtube.
Crappy quality, but easier for talking about the first problems i encounter.

Here's the link to my profile: http://www.youtube.com/user/77ExarKun
Feel free to make any comments on the profile or here.

 

[dsmadz]

Here is a picture of the cockpit being made.

[attachment deleted by admin]

 

[dsmadz]

Here is a photo of the cockpit in the model and a screen grab of the model from the movie. I also wanted to let you know that I don't think the cockpit is supposed to rotate like in the AMT/ERTL model.

The images from both posts are from the STAR WARS CHRONICLES by Deborah Fine and Aeon Inc.

[attachment deleted by admin]

 

[Junkie]

Quite a design, isn't it!?

 

[Exarkun77]

Hi there. Good to be back on the net (lost my connection for a while).

Not much progress on the slave 1 here, still working on another model before i go further.
Did some small things, but still trying to find how i could add features to the kit.

Painted my "pilot" boba fett and frozen han to try my skills on figures, and it went nice, just have to do "standing" boba fett now.

About the cockpit, thanks a lot for the pics, these are probably the most and only accurate ones i saw of it.
So the fine molds cockpit is relatively accurate to this. But i still may scratch build another one, might be easier for it to rotate later on.

Found sets of figures that are almost to scale, they are the west end games / grenadier role playing sets of 25mm figures. But i couldn't get all of them so i'm still looking for an officer and stormtroopers.

 

[Exarkun77]

Update:
- still struggling with the figure problem. i'll try to cast the star wars minis i have and shrink themin the casting process.
And i'm redesigning the standing boba fett to a more appropriate position.

- glued the two upper halves of the hull, and even if i was cautious, big seam line in the middle (i think t was a bad fit from the start, one half being slightly higher than the other)
Puttied, sanded for hours. Then i primed this part black to test, still visible, so sanded again and new layer of black, looks ok now.
I'll prime again with white then metal, so i'll see if the seam is still there, and will eventualy sand between each layers.

-Added a few greeblies and holes in this part of the hull, for fun/accuracy.

-The skirt of the ship: i cut the ramp access, have to find how i'm gonna make it move now.
And finaly found some styrene, so i was able to scratch build the sides of the ramp: my first scractchbuild thingie ^^

And that's it for now. Pictures and vid coming soon.

Forgot something: i bought a scribing tool, i knew i was going to loose lines in some places.
So i can't say i'm a master with it, but it's cool, i can scribe now, and i can even make bevels (or chamfers )