TIE In The Sky

Fictional / Real-World Background

To replace Republic- and early Galactic Empire-era starfighters, the Imperial Navy ordered the new TIE starfighters from Sienar Fleet Systems. The mass-production TIE/Ln fighter 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. 

While a good space superiority fighter, the TIE/Ln's performance fell in planetary atmosphere. The Imperial Navy then decided to build a small number of experimental fighters derived from the basic TIE design. These were known as the TIE/sk x1 air superority fighter or TIE/sk atmospheric fighter or simply as TIE Striker. The craft is a more streamlined version of the TIE Fighter and was specialised for in-atmosphere missions. Due to it's speciality, it was one of the rarest version of the TIE. The Striker feature horizontal and pointed wings designed for atmospheric combat. The wing also helped improve the TIE/sk's VTOL performance. Additional speed can be gained by curling down the wing which is also the craft's attack mode. The TIE Striker is armed with two pairs of Sienar L-s9.3 laser cannons and a pair of H-s1 heavy laser cannons which can take out enemy starfighters or medium transports with just a few shots. An unknown number of VL61-79 proton bombs are dispensed through a  chute underneath the fuselage for ground support missions and is effective against vehicles while also dealing heavy damage over a fairly large area. 

Although intended to be an atmospheric fighter, the TIE Striker can still be used in space, accompanying the standard TIE Fighters. It is also useful to transfer personnel and supplies from orbit to planetary surface due to its larger pod/fuselage. By the time the Galactic Civil War erupted, the TIE/sk was used to defend important Imperial bases, most notably the Imperial security complex on Scarif. TIE Strikers remain in use throughout the conflict. The Imperial Admiralty however frowned upon the TIE/sk, seeing it as a result of indecision and wasteful expenditure such as atmospheric streamlining, pressurised life support and ground support weaponry. Its pilots however were anamoured by such novelty.

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The TIE Striker was a new design developed for 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story', the first of 'anthology' series of Star Wars movies as the movie has scenes of in-atmosphere dogfighting at the planet Scarif.

The Kit

Following the release of Rogue One : A Star Wars Story, Bandai came up with the then-latest member of the TIE family in 2017. Size-wise, it was roughly a bit longer than the Rebel Y-Wing Fighter. The well-engraved parts are spread among five sprues including two in Bandai's distinctive multi-coloured sprue - one sprue in grey and black and the other in grey, black and green. Also included are the frames-only canopies and viewscreen. As with previous kits, the TIE Striker kit can be build-up without cement. The wing panel, like on the TIE Fighter kit, is trapped between the outer frames. A display stand is included by I'm not sure whether it's stable enough for this kit. A cut-out of an Imperial TIE Fighter pilot is also included  Markings are of the usual stickers and waterslide variety and there is also the usual 'laser bolts', 

Construction

As usual with flying things, even fictional ones, construction started at the cockpit. The interior was painted FS36375 Light Ghost Grey although I didn't bother with washes as the interior would be nearly invisible with the roof in place. Stickers were used for interior detailing. The hand-less pilot was also unpainted although decals were used for the Imperial insignia on the helmet. The cockpit interior halves were then mated together. This was followed by assembling the fuselage proper. The snap-tight construction means that there was actually no need to dab cement on the joints but a bit was needed on the forward portion to seal a slight gap. The TIE Striker is a two-seat craft although Bandai didn't bother with the rear cockpit as nothing could be seen anyway through the clear openings in the canopy. Some smaller parts were attached (and cemented, just in case) and the fuselage was set aside. The wing assembly is left off until after painting. I however forgot to paint the area under the rear canopy black. While not really visible from the outside, the empty interior is quite plain to see under a strong light source!

Painting and Decalling

Using my previous builds of Imperial TIE Fighters as a guide, the TIE Striker was Tamiya TS-32 Haze Gray. Unlike other Imperial TIE designs, the viewscreen frames and some small parts of the fuselage were painted Flat Black. The wing solar panels were painted Vallejo Anthracite Grey. The display stand was unpainted. Some small decals were then applied.

Finishing
The I started with the wing assembly. Nothing to shout here with the wings themselves as they fit very well. It was however quite a tight fit for the completed wing assembly to fit into its slot on the fuselage. The model was then given a wash. By this time, I am quite confident that the model can receive the enamel wash treatment and stuff from AK Interactive was used. The model then received a final coat of semi-gloss clear paint. It was then mounted on the display base. And talk about the latter, while it was basically the same as others in the series, it was just flat, plain plastic. Bandai however instructed the modeler to place the plinth in the opposite direction to ensure balance.

Conclusion

As with just about other Bandai's Star Wars model kits, the TIE Striker is a snap to build (pun, more or less, intended). There were not many parts and painting was straightforward (just two colours effectively) and not much weathering. Again, like building other TIE Fighters, 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!).

'Boss' Fighter

Fictional / Behind-The-Scenes Background

In designing the TIE series of starfighters, Rath Sienar of Sienar Fleet Systems drew heavily from the designs of Kuat Systems Engineering, specifically the V-Wing and Eta-2 interceptor. While the main run of the TIE series feature no hyperdrive and deflector shields, experimental versions using technology from earlier craft such as Sienar's own Scimitar Star Courier were built. The first, dubbed TIE Advanced v1 featured basic shields and like the Scimitar, the S-foils could fold in around the cockpit when not in flight, conserving hangar space. This was followed by the x1 which became Darth Vader's personal starfighter. The x1 featured high-performance solar cells in the more angular wing than the v1. Lord Vader also specified a personalised cockpit to accommodate his armoured suit.

Like the regular TIE Fighters, a Sienar Fleet Systems I-s3a solar ionization reactor and paired P-s5.6 twin ion engines powered the x1. The spaceframe is entirely new with elongated rear deck and reinforced durasteel-alloy hull. The bent-wing solar array wings makes for increased surface area for more power and at the same time reducing the craft's profile. Although power was increased, the net effect was not much due to added mass and the fact that some of the generated power was needed to power the shield generators. Weaponry is the usual two L-s9.3 laser cannons. Provision was also made for a cluster missile launcher. The targeting system is more sophisticated than the regular TIE Fighters. However, the system require frequent adjustment in combat for best performance. A modest class 4 hyperdrive was fitted.

The x1 was used by Vader in the attack on the Phoenix Cell of the Rebel Alliance, resulting in the destruction their flagship. the Phoenix Home. During the Battle of Yavin, Vader piloted the x1 and succeeded in destroying a number of attacking X- and Y-Wings before being knocked out of battle following collision with a panicked wingman when the Millenium Falcon intervened. Vader's x1 spun out of control following the collision, allowing him to escape the destruction of the Death Star. Even so, the blast damaged the x1 and vader was only able to return to Coruscant following a rescue by Ciena Ree and Berisse Sai.

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The TIE Fighters of the Star Wars Universe originated as part of sketches shown by George Lucas to concept artist Ralph McQuarrie in order to give the latter a feel for the project. The first model was built by model maker Colin Cantwell  and was then modified and detailed by Joe Johnston. For filming, only one TIE Fighter cockpit was made and was used for all interior shots of the TIE Fighters, including Vader's. However, George Lucas later decided to have Vader's TIE distinct from the the other TIEs. As principal photography has already been concluded, Vader's ship should not stray too far from the basic design and Joe Johnston has to work one in a hurry. He turned to an unused (at that time) design dubbed 'TIE boarding craft' (which later materialised in The Empire Strikes Back as TIE Bomber). Modifying the design, he came up with with what was described as 'a next year's model TIE Fighter...one of gothic evil, as if the Empire fully intended for this to be terrifying psychological weapon'. The design was brought to life by model maker Steve Gawley.

The Kit

While the Star Wars Universe portrayed the x1 as a more advanced and complex version of the TIE series, Bandai's kit, released in 2014, is a bit more simple than the same company's TIE Fighter kit. The x1 kit comprised of parts spread among five sprues. Unlike the TIE Fighter kit, the black solar panels were moulded integrally with the wing frame (and causing extra masking job later on). Sprue A2 (cockpit interior) is the same with the one in the TIE Fighter. Two Vader figures were included - one seated, (again, no hands) and the other standing. A Death Star display base, but with different details was included. Markings are of the usual stickers and waterslide variety and there is also the usual 'laser bolts'.

Construction

The cockpit interior of Vader's TIE Fighter is the same with the one in the TIE Fighter kit, although to avoid the Dark Lord's displeasure and hence being Force-choked, the interior was painted, using Tamiya XF-19. Also, like TIE Fighter, stickers were used for the interior detailing. The front fuselage was then closed up and unlike the TIE Fighter, the fuselage halves fit perfectly from the start. Also of note, the tiny one-half of a Sherman VVSS is also present on the model. The cockpit front viewscreen was left off for painting while the cockpit frontal area was painted Medium Gunship Grey. The rear fuselage consists of two large halves with a few smaller pieces amd they snapped into place with just the smaller pieces being glued, just in case. The inside surface of the wings were then snapped into their places on the fuselage, instead of the main wing structure., to ease masking a bit. I also make sure I leave out Part A2-22 (or at least no glue it into place) so that the slot for the display stand won't be obscured.

Painting and Decaling

As stated elsewhere, the studio models for A New Hope was apparently painted Light Grey (or something similar). However, a number of sci-fi modellers mention that the TIEs in  A New Hope are actually the same colour as those in Empire and ROTJ and that includes Vader's TIE Advanced. So without further question, the model was painted Haze Grey using Tamiya TS-32 while the solar arrays were painted XF-69 NATO Black. A  few small panels and the viewscreen panel frames were painted Vallejo Air 71.097 Medium Gunship Grey. The cannon muzzles were painted a mix of X-7 Red and XF-3 Flat Yellow (since I don't have any orange paint!). As with the TIE (or for that matter, the entire Bandai Star Wars flying craft kits I have to date), the stand was painted black. As for the display base, it was painted Tamiya AS-28 Medium Grey while the stand was painted X-18 Semi-Gloss Black.

Finishing

The model first received a pin wash. And like the earlier of my Bandai kits, I was still hesitant to use enamel-based weathering / finishing products on the Tie Advanced. So I just I use dark grey acrylic wash. The display base remain plain and did not receive any wash. The build was finished when the model received a coat of semi-gloss clear paint. Unlike my TIE Fighter build, the hole underneath the cockpit remain accessible and the model was easily mounted on its display base. Although the mounting allows some'action' pose, I simply place the Dark Lord's fighter in a straight and level pose...just like it does in the Death Star trench. Oh, as before, the 'laser beams' were not used and discarded.

Conclusion

If my previous build of a Bandai Star Wars kit is a joy, this one is even more so due to its even more simple engineering. I heartily recommend the TIE Advanced to all levels of modelers especially novices as it is so easy to construct and display. And yes, I found that there are aftermarket PE set available for this kit for those who think that the level of detail is not good enough (or savour the work of attaching tiny brass parts onto small kit parts). But for the rest of us,OOB, the kit is very good and makes a fine addition to a Star Wars model kit collection.

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!).

Black TIE Affair

Fictional / Real World 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 starfighter 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 engined 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 the engine was not compatible with the current hyperdrive, shielding and life-support technologies of the day, denying the TIEs to lack these essential items.

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 of 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 depended upon carrier ships, be it a modified bulk carrier or a Star Destroyer.

When the Galactic Empire-inspired military junta known as the First Order arose from the ashes of the former, it too took the design of the original TIE to equip its forces. The new version of the TIE, designated TIE/fo has the same look as the original although slightly smaller (due to advanced and more efficient solar panels) and was armed with a pair of the new version of the original laser cannons, designated L-s9.6. Other improvements include a stronger hull and the use of a rudimentary deflector shield, reflecting the First Order's change of attitude towards starfighter pilots, viewing them as assets rather than expendables. Externally the body and the solar panel /wing framing are now painted black, to act as camouflage against visual tracking during space battles. The wings are also strong enough that the craft can be landed on its wings. Another version, TIE/sf, is a more heavily armed, two-person starfighter but are only issued to elite pilots.

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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 TIEs in The Force Awakens were able to be painted black due to a more modern method of filming and creating special effects.

The Kit

Another member of the first line-up of Bandai Star Wars kits released towards the end of 2015, the TIE/fo kit is simply not a re-tooled Imperial TIE/Ln, also released around the same time. Using the studio model as guide, the TIE/fo kit has subtle changes that differs it from the TIE/Ln. Most noticeable is the smaller wings compared to the TIE/Ln. The wing construction is also simpler than the TIE/Ln. Most of the parts were moulded in black, save for the windowless windscreen and wing solar panel in light grey, display base in sand yellow, optional crew hatch and windscreen in clear and the 'laser beams' in clear green. A decal and sticker sheets plus the instruction sheet completed the package. As usual the parts are very well moulded. The painting instructions are very simple, consisting of just four colours (make that grey and three shades of black). Two crew figures are included, one standing, the other in a rather stiff sitting posture.

Construction

As usual, although a fictional vehicle, construction started at the cockpit. Part A5 was placed first and although the fit is fairly tight, the part was cemented to the cockpit floor. The crew seat was cemented into place, having been painted XF-63 beforehand. Parts A4 and A6 (apparently the control columns) were first painted Gunze H315 for the 'stick' half and X-18 Semi-Gloss Black for the 'display panels'. Decals were then applied to represent the instrument readouts. The Pilot was then inserted onto the seat. I didn't paint him, save for some buttons on the suit and applying X-22 Clear Gloss. More decals were applied to the crew compartment shell although they end up being invisible from the outside. The shell of the TIE's fuselage was then closed up. For the crew entry hatch, I used the clear plastic version, with the windows masked for painting. The windscreen was however left off at this time to facilitate painting while the aerial was left off due to its vulnerability.

Painting and Decalling

At first, I was thinking of leaving the model unpainted. However I changed my mind after realising that the sonar panels have a lighter colour than the light grey of the plastic, in fact it was almost white. To get a uniform colour between the clear and black plastic, the fuselage (if you can call it that) and the wing frames were sprayed Tamiya TS-6 Matt Black. The wing panels were painted XF-2 Flat White mixed with a little bit of XF-19 Sky Grey to make it a little off-white.The canopy frame was painted Tamiya TS-32 Haze Grey. As for the decals....what decals? OK, actually there are up to eight pieces to be used on the outside surface of the model but I painted the windscreen frame and the crew hatch door instead. The rest (specifically on the cannon assembly and the engine) are pretty problematic to get in place, as they were in recesses and the carrier film was in the way, they were not used. Instead XF-7 Flat Red was painted on the relevant areas.

Finishing

I did not wash the model as the paint is already dark and I'm not a believer of having lighter colour inside the engraved panel lines. With hindsight, maybe I should have painted the model with something lighter, like dark grey or the like. I end up dry brushing dark grey on the raised details. The display stand parts were painted X-18 Semi-Gloss Black as a base. As with the Resistance X-Wing Fighter, the display base have textures suggesting the sand dunes of Jakku. While the early starship dogfight scenes were shown to be on Jakku, I decided to paint the base Flat White to represent the snowy surface of Starkiller Base and act as a companion (sort of) to the Resistance X-Wing. The whole assembly was then sprayed with a sealing layer of semi-gloss clear.

Conclusion

All my lingering prejudice against Bandai was swept away by the time I opened this kit's box. As mentioned before, the parts have very nice and crisp details and once construction began, it went on very smoothly, even better than the X-Wing I built previously. The kit can also be built unpainted as the majority of the parts are moulded in their respective colours although the wing panels are really too dark as they were. I'm looking forward for more Bandai Star Wars kits in my collection! And I should add that before placing the model onto its display base, I took the time to zoom around my hobby room with the model while making a terrible impression of the sounds a TIE fighter makes!