X-Wing Build Journal No. 24: Issues 85-88

What’s Inside

Oh boy, I get a lot done! The removable hyperdrive unit is completed, and I start painting and attaching hull plates.

Completing the Hyperdrive

It’s time to finish the removable hyperdrive! I begin by cutting away several tiny parts from sprues.

While I love my Gundam Planet nippers, I’ve also been considering trying out a pair of God Hand Ultimate nippers. They are reportedly the best on the market, but they are expensive. I’ve heard that they can be found at a somewhat reasonable price on rare occasions, but I’d have to be at the right place at the right time. Maybe I’ll just bite the bullet one day and give them a try.

All of these little details really add to the look of the hyperdrive, but staying true to DeAgostini fashion . . .

. . . they all get covered up in the end. What a shame.

With the interior of the hyperdrive finished, it’s time to move on to the top, or outside, cover.

Bit-by-bit, greeblies are added until the top is completed and the two parts are married.

Odds and Ends

Before moving on to painting, there are a few odds and ends that need attending to.

The beginnings of the torpedo tubes are attached to a large section of hull plating.

The battery box cover is attached.

The cockpit joystick is assembled and glued into place.

A small greebly is added to the targeting computer.

A little while ago, I accidentally broke a laser canon and glued it back on. Well, I lightly bumped it this time, and it fell back off. The connection was obviously not very secure.

This time, I glued a piece of plastic to the inside of the laser canon tube for added support. After gluing it back on, it does indeed feel a lot sturdier.

Painting

I’ve been thinking about how to paint the hull plating now that the finished wings are attached to the X-Wing’s body. I decided to paint the parts before attaching them to the framework, but not weathering them until they have been completely assembled.

Two things that I forgot about were the cockpit and nose sections which were already attached to the body.

Removing them was not an option, so I had to carefully mask them off and lug the whole X-Wing out to the garage for priming. Thankfully, the ship sits on upright on its engines just fine; I only needed a padded surface (paper towels) for it to sit on so that the paint didn’t get damaged.

I took this time to also paint the cockpit canopy frame.

Early in the build, I was skeptical about the canopy glazing (windows) since there were gaps between the glazing and the canopy frame. One of the two were bent out of shape, but I was unsure of which, and I was unsure of how to fix the problem.

Testing the pieces again, and test fitting them onto the cockpit, it is clear that the glazing is bent out of shape.

I could try to fix the glazing by softening it in boiling water, but I opted for an alternative solution. Instead, I will cut out my own window glazing by using clear plastic sheeting and some window templates (to be used later).

After a day of priming and letting the primer set, I began adding the base colors. This was tricky since I don’t have very good reference photos of the bottom of the X-Wing. But, I was able to manage a suitable color scheme.

I went with a blue-ish grey for the cockpit canopy. It looks nice when test-fitted onto the cockpit.

The same blue-ish grey is used for the stripes on the nose. I didn’t know there were stripes there until I looked really close at the reference photos!

The hull plates are friction-fit onto the hull frames. To prevent them from popping out, I decided to use Gorilla Glue Epoxy.

For good adhesion, I cleaned the metal frame with cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol where the plates attached. Then, I used my homemade mini power sander to give the metal some tooth for the epoxy to grip. Again, I used cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol to remove the fine metal dust from the frame.

Attaching the switch/plug cover plate was tricky. The plug is slightly too large; it bumps into the droid motor inside, making it hard to sit the panel flush to the frame. Force needed to be applied, but I fear I may have to revisit this piece at a later date. Time will tell.

With the hyperdrive assembled, and the top cover painted, I quickly added some grime to the inner components.

Lastly, I test-fitted the hyperdrive. It dropped into place perfectly. Now, I need to remember that it is there so that it doesn’t accidentally fall out the next time I lift the X-Wing on its end. Come to think of it, I’ll just remove both it and the canopy, storing them seperately.

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