First up is Banda's 1/12 scale C-3PO. Since this model comes gold plated, painting it was very easy because there wasn't much painting involved. The torso section was painted with Tamiya Rubber Black (XF-85) and given a light drybrush with 502 Abteilung Faded UN Grey. I then used various Vallejo greys to pick out the wires. The back of the knee joint was painted in a similar fashion, The torso hydraulics were painted with Vallejo Liquid Metal Old Gold and VMA Steel. I also used VMA Steel to paint the hydraulics on the arms. After it was completed, I gave the entire model a gunk wash with 502 Abteilung Starship Filth oil paint. It's an easy process: apply undiluted oil paint directly on the model where you want it and then use a rag to wipe off the excess. It leaves the build up in the nooks and crannies and gives the entire surface a nice patina. The oil drips on his chest were painted with thinned down 502 Abteilung Engine Grease oil paint. The model is roughly the size of a 6" action figure and you can check out the review of the kit I wrote
here.
Next up is Bandai's 1/72 TIE fighter. This model was completed entirely with an airbrush, the only time a paintbrush was used was for applying the panel line wash (which was MIG's Dark Wash enamel). The model was painted nearly identical to the
Fine Molds version I did last summer. I'm not sold on the position of the craft; I tried to make it look like it was swooping in over the Death Star. This kit was actually a little more difficult to paint than the Fine Molds model, mainly because the latch-like greebles on the front and the engines on the rear were not separate pieces so I had to mask them off and the outer edge of the wing frames were six individual pieces instead of being molded to the rest of the frame. The one good thing that came out of building this model is that it secured me some more commissioning work; I posted it to the
NOVA Squadron Facebook page with along with an offhand comment about not really having any space in my display cabinet for and a guy I know offered to buy it from me. He then decided he wanted another TIE, Darth Vader's TIE/x1, and Luke's Red 5 X-wing!
).
