Defender Of The Empire

Fictional / Behind-The-Scenes Background

With the transition from the Galactic Republic to the Galactic Empire, the Republic Navy's older starfighters such as the Eta-2 Actis class interceptor and the Alpha-3 Nimbus (V-Wing) fighter began to be phased out of service. To replace them, the Imperial Navy ordered the new TIE starfighters from Sienar Fleet Systems. The design of the TIE starfighters however bear strong relationships with the earlier fighters (designed by Kuat Systems Engineering) as Sienar had acquired designers, engineers and key assets from their competitor. The mass-production TIE/Ln fighter was derived from the original T.I.E design, which took its designation from the Twin Ion Engine propulsion employed by the craft. The engine utilised microparticle accelerators to agitate ionised gases to relativistic velocities. The engine also featured ion stream deflector manifolds for pinpoint maneuvering accuracy. The stream of particles gave the engines a distinct 'howl' which became one of the hallmarks of the TIE series of starfighters. However in order to reduce the mass  and energy consumption, hyperdrive system, shielding and life-support systems were removed from the design, making the craft more vulnerable to even micrometeorite strikes. .

The TIE fighter sported different power generators for engines and weapons, removing the need to balance between engine and cannon power. The lack of shielding, life support and hyperdrive, although a liability, conferred extra maneuverability due to lower mass. The wings are actually a collection twelve solar panels that collected sonar energy and directed it towards the fighter's systems. Flight controls were considered intuitive and easy to master. However, with the lack of deflector shields, the TIE series are pretty easy to destroy and the craft and its pilot are considered to be expendable. Their pilots were instructed to ignore their own well-being in order to achieve their objectives. But with the Imperial navy's vast size, mass-production of the craft and ready supply of pilots, the matter is not of concern to them. The TIEs were designed to attack in large numbers. So many were build and used that they became the symbol of the Empire's military might.

The TIE Fighter is armed with a pair of relatively powerful Sienar L-s1 laser cannons which can take out enemy starfighters or medium transports with just a few shots. No missile launchers were carried although it can be refitted as such. Due to the lack of life support equipment, pilots have to wear fully sealed flight suit. In combat, without any shielding, they have to rely upon the maneuverability of their craft to avoid catastrophic battle damage. The Empire viewed the TIE fighters as expendable, together with their pilots and the latter were expected to consider themselves as such, in accordance with their ideological training. Meanwhile, the absence of hyperdrive unit means TIEs are fully dependent upon carrier ships, be it a modified bulk carrier or a Star Destroyer.

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Originally starting as a part of three sketches drawn by George Lucas the other two being the X-Wing and the Death Star) and shown to Ralph McQuarrie, the TIE fighter was created by Industrial Light & Magic's Colin Cantwell for Episode IV : A New Hope while the distinctive sound was created by Ben Burtt by mixing the sound of an elephant call with a car driving on wet road. Grey was used as the primary colour of the TIEs as the original maroon was found to blend too quickly into the star field background when moving away from the camera. The TIE Fighter models used in A New Hope was painted light grey while those in the next two movies were blue-grey in colour. Although the acronym 'TIE' went back as far as Lucas' first draft, he originally didn't seem to have anything in mind (an ILM employee supposedly suggested that it simply referred to the bow tie-like shape). Eventually Joe Johnston suggested the 'Twin Ion Engine'. 

The Kit

Bandai's Imperial TIE Fighter is another member of Bandai's release of Star Wars kits from the end of 2015 (and now including all the canon TIEs so far, except for the TIE Bomber). As was its brethren, the kit is basically of the easy assembly type and like its mates, do not be put off by the snap-tite method of assembly as it is very well detailed. Breakdown of the parts are basically similar with the First Order TIE Fighter although the wings' outer frame was separate from the spars and hub. Unlike the Bandai Star Wars kits I have built before, the TIE Fighter kit didn't have Bandai's trademark multi-coloured mouldings on a single sprue (the monocolour of the TIE preclude it, I think). Two figures were included; the one in the piloting position is as stiff-looking as others in the series. The display base is there but now featuring a landscape of the Death Star. The double-hinged display stand is also more curvier than the other kits I have made. As before, the assembly and paint guides were entirely in Japanese with generic colour call-outs.

Construction

As usual with flying things, even fictional ones, construction started at the cockpit. The lazy bug strike again so I decided not to paint the interior and just applying dark wash to pop up the details. To further save some time, stickers instead of decals were used for the uh, 'decorations' inside the cockpit. The hand-less pilot was also unpainted although decals were used for the Imperial insignia on the helmet. The cockpit shell halves were then mated together. The snap-tight construction means that there was actually no need to dab cement on the joints but a bit was needed here to seal a slight gap. The cockpit assembly was then trapped between the fuselage halves. The male and female coupling on the parts were too tight (stop giggling back there!) and caused a sizeable gap. I cut down the male part down and afterwards the parts fit like a glove! As with Bandai's other Star Wars kits, two style of cockpit transparencies were provided and I used the clear plastic ones. The smaller parts were attached (and cemented, just in case) and it was set aside.

By the way, it was widely known that the modelmakers of the original studio models made use of off-the-shelf components from toys and scale models in building their models. Scale model manufacturers like Bandai and Fine Molds before have replicated this for their Star Wars kits. In the TIE kit, the most noticeable were wheels (recognizable as a Ferrari I guess) at the hub of the wing and a tiny one half of a Sherman VVSS suspension unit at the rear of the fuselage!

Painting and Decalling

I decided not to use the colour callouts in the instructions and browsed for alternatives. As mentioned before, the TIEs in A New Hope were painted light grey but were changed to blue-grey for the following two movies. I elected to have my TIE in the latter colour and used Tamiya TS-32 Haze Gray after reading the general view of other builders. Some trimmings on the fuselage were painted XF-54 Dark Sea Grey while the viewscreen frames was painted Vallejo 71.097 Medium Gunship Grey. The wings were painted Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. As I don't have any shade of orange in my stock, I simply mix Flat Red and Flat Yellow to paint the cannon muzzles. Since the trimmings were painted, none of the decals nor the rest of the stickers were used for the model. The display stand was painted XF-85 Rubber Black while the display base was painted Tamiya AS-26 Light Ghost Grey.

Finishing

The model first received a pin wash. Although covered in acrylic and lacquer paints, I was still hesitant to use enamel-based weathering / finishing products on the model having heard the horror stories of disintegrating Bandai plastics when exposed to enamel products. So I just I use dark grey acrylic wash. The display base however remain as it is. When its time to place the model on the display mount, I belatedly realize that I have cemented Part B4 into place! So the mounting plinth has to be superglued directly to the bottom of the model. This also require the removal of the original stub on the pedestal and sanding details off the spot where contact were made. This also means that the model is displayed in 'straight and level' attitude.

Conclusion
The Bandai TIE Fighter is a snap to build (pun intended). There were not many parts, paint was straightforward (just three colours effectively) and being fighters of the spit-and-polish military means not much weathering. If you're really lazy, you can even skip painting the interior as the cockpit is a virtual black hole and can hardly be seen from the outside especially if the clear plastic viewport and top hatch were used (the frame-only equivalent actually makes it easier to peer inside!).

Smart Tank

Historical Background

Even though the Type 90 MBT was still coming off the production line in the 1990s, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force decided to update its armoured force to better prepare for 21st-century warfare. After considering buying tanks from abroad (which were too heavy and too large for Japanese terrain) and after assessing the upgrade potential of the Type 90 (and even the earlier, and obsolescent, Type 74), the JGSDF decided that the Type 90 lacked internal space to upgrade their C4I capabilities. Therefore, in 1996, the Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense began the development of a new tank, under project name TK-X / MBT-X, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries being appointed to build prototypes. The plan was expected to begin production by 2010-2011 and the prototype made its debut on 13 February 2008 at TRDI's facility in Sagimihara. The Ministry of Defense was impressed with the prototype and a contract was signed in 2010. Following Japanese military tradition, the TK-X/MBT-X was given designation Type 10 after the year of its introduction.

Although the main requirement for the Type 10 seems to be enhancement of C4I capabilities, the initial focus of the project was its weaponry and ammunition. While the Type 90 was armed with a licence-built Rheinmetall 120mm gun, the Type 10 was armed with a 120mm weapon indigenously developed by Japan Steel Works. While it can fire all NATO-standard 120mm rounds, a special Type 10 APFSDS was developed and can only be fired by the Type 10. As with the Type 90, the gun was fitted with a bustle-loaded autoloader, reducing the crew to three. 44-calibres long, the gun can be upgraded to 50- or 55-caliber length. Secondary armament consist of a co-axial Type 74 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun which can be remotely controlled from within the turret. The main armour plate is steel but apparently modular applique ceramic and steel composite armour plates is an option according to mission profile and weight requirements.

The Type 10 is lighter than the Type 90 (44 tonnes v. 50 tonnes) allowing the Type 10 to be deployed all around Japan (the Type 90 can only be deployed in Hokkaido as most bridges and roads in the rest of the Home Islands were unable to support the weight of the Type 90). The tank was powered by a water-cooled V-8 diesel engine rated at 1,200 hp. Power was transmitted via CVT gearbox allowing the MBT to move at around 70 km/h. As with its predecessors, the Type 10 was also equipped with a hydropneumatic active suspension allowing it to adjust the ride height, tilt sideways and or adjust the height of the front and rear of the tank. The C4I system can be used to share information among the tanks and also to integrate with the infantry. The advanced systems meant a hefty price tag for the Type 10 (also known as Type 0 Hitomaru) : ¥954 million (US$8.4 million) per vehicle for the initial 13 units and ¥700 million (US$6.5 million) for the rest of the order.

The first delivery of the new tank took place in 2010 and formally entered service in 2012 and current production target was 80 units and could be as high as 600 as older vehicles were retired. In January 2014 the Turkish government expressed in purchasing the Type 10's powerpack for the indigenous  Altay MBT. The deal fell through just three months later, mainly due to Japan's stringent arms export laws.

The Kit

Tamiya was pretty quick off the mark by releasing this kit roughly a year after the real tank entered service. Still conforming to the Tamiya philosophy, the kit comprised of just 205 parts spread among six dark green plastic sprues, two lengths off well-detailed vinyl tracks, a sheet of die-cut clear acetate, a sheet of vinyl mesh plus the usual poly caps and a small decal sheet. The real tank had a smooth exterior with little bumps and bulges usually seen on modern tanks and this also helped in keeping the number of parts low. Simple it may be but existing surface features are very well rendered, except for the tie-downs which are moulded-on., while the vinyl mesh is also a bit of a throwback to the last century.The small decal sheet provide markings for three vehicles:
1. Armored Division, JGSDF Fuji School
2. 2nd Company, 1st Armored School Unit
3. 1st Tank Company, Tank School Unit, Fuji School Brigade

Construction

As the usual practice wth vehicle models, construction started with the lower hull. The suspension arms were installed in the usual way. The idler arm is however quite unique. There were five slots for the 'pimple' on the tab to slide into. Tamiya's instructions have you slot it into the middle, 'neutral' position. The real Type 10 has adjustable suspension so I strongly think that a modeler can replicate his model 'kneeling' by varying the tab's position and by removing the 'pimple' on the suspension arms as needed. I skipped the assembly of the road wheels and went straight to assembling the rear hull panel. The lower hull were set aside at this time and I continue with the upper hull. The front upper hull is a multi-part assembly and I found the fit was not perfect between parts D19 and D22 (but the again, as usual, it could just be me). The provided mesh was cut to act as light guards and I found that it was quite stiff and I resorted to using superglue to bond it to the plastic surface. The clear bits for the episcopes are of semi-cut style (they are of the appropriate width but have to be cut into proper height) and are apparently from Tamiya's earlier Type 90 kit. The side walls and the skirtings were set aside at the moment.

The upper and lower hull hales were then cemented together. There is some gap at the front which was puttied over (the clean-up would be easier if the towing hook are not cemented early on). The lower hull was then painted a base colour of JGSDF Dark Green. I got lazy and painted only the visible areas of the lower hull and the running gears! The tracks were painted Vallejo Anthracite Grey which was then given an AK Interactive Track Wash. Although polystyrene cement can be used on modern Tamiya belt-style tracks, I stick to superglue to get them together. After the tracks were put in place the side skirtings cemented into place and they fit perfectly.

Turret construction started with the gun barrel. It was quite disappointing  because the seam running its length (my bad). I assembled the smoke grenade dischargers in a reverse order from the instructions as I think it was easier that way. The environment sensor at the turret rear is supposed to be moveable after assembly but I find it difficult to handle during the process and end up cementing it in the 'up' poisition. Both the gunner's and commander's sight were finished in closed position. The gun mantlet was assembled and the use of poly caps allow it to remain moveable after assembly. The turret shell consists of multiple parts yet it was easy to assemble without the danger of it askew. At this time I decided to only use the commander's figure so the gunner's hatch is cemented shut. The commander's cupola need some careful assembly as one need to note the location of the locating tabs and in relation, the location for the uh, thingies (upon which the heavy MG is mounted) on the cupola. The turret bustle rack was last. It was quite straightforward work and since the mesh was applied on flat surfaces, its stiffness was not a problem. I however deviated from the instructions by cutting the mesh parallel to the mesh pattern instead of diagonally across it. 

Painting & Decalling

Apparently all Type 10s have similar camouflage patterns and that kind of simply things (in one way). The model was given an overall coat of JGSDF Dark Green (Tamiya XF-73) and was then followed by the camouflage pattern of JGSDF Brown (Tamiya XF-72). The rubber skirting and fenders were painted Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black while the 'canvas' parts (mantlet cover and spent casing container) were painted XF-49 Khaki. As for markings, I decided not to use the 'school' markings provided with the kit and instead used decals from a little-known Japanese company named Twilight Model. In fact I have never heard of them until they opened a booth at last year's MALCOM. The small-ish sheet provide markings for Type 10s from the 8th and 1st Tank Battalions. Further information were in Japanese characters so there were no further details I can gleaned off. I chose the 8th as their tanks feature a tiger's head insignia which is a bit more colourful than the the 1st Battalion's. The decals were thin and having good register.

Finishing

There aren't much to do at this stage with this kit. The pioneer tools and the tow cable were cemented into place. The model then received the usual wash process. The large stowage basket at the rear were left bare as these tanks have never been seen with stowage (plus I don't have any JGSDF accessories in stock). As they were also fairly new weathering was basically not done save for the usual mud / dust at the lower hull. The dried mud was made by using Aqualine 'Brown Mud' from Wilder Weathering Products while the darker mud was made using Vallejo Dark Mud. The radio aerial stubs were cut and replaced with plastic rods. Only the commander's figure was used and after studying the instructions and photos, I realise that the instructions have the colour callout mixed-up - it has XF-64 Red Brown as the main colour. Anyway, since my brushes aren't fine enough, the flecktarn pattern were not as intricate as it should be...but I think good enough from full-scale 6 feet away!

Conclusion

What else can be expected from a Tamiya kit? The build was straightforward, the details, including the non-slip patches were excellent and great fit all around. Probably the only negative points with the kot is the rather stiff (and having to cut them into shape) mesh for the stowage rack and the two-piece plastic barrel.