jvasilatos
03-01-2008, 11:59 PM
as requested by Kurt Kuhn.
First, the parts out of the box next to my Neissen TIE so you can see the scale match!
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_1.jpg
Some closer pics showing off the detail...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_2.jpg
Showing the interior where you can fit electronics for lights! :D
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_3.jpg
Cockpit and greeblie detail...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_4.jpg
The wings, mesh for the wing solar panels and great base!
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_5.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_6.jpg
And finally, the main hull trimmed.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_7.jpg
Here are some first pictures of the build up.
The wings do take a little work, but angle in real nice. They still needed the screens, but I added them after the resin putty dried and I had sanded the outer edges smooth.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WINGS.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WING_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WING_2.jpg
Then I started making room inside for the batteries.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/BATTERY.jpg
Then I found a spot on the bottom to hide the switch.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ELECTRONICS.jpg
Finally, the Vader that comes with the kit is great with very nice detail, but I wanted to reduce the scale to match the pilot size in my Standard TIE so I used this Vader candy dispenser that is a little smaller to bring his size down to the scale I want. Once the putty dried I sculpted the details and added arms and painted him.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/VADER_MOD.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/VADER.jpg
Before I sealed up the two halves and added the control yoke attached to Darth's hands through the front viewport.
http://www.nitestar.com/RPF/COCKPIT_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/RPF/COCKPIT_2.jpg
I painted the underpanel area of the wings flat black and the screens satin black so that they are not too shiny and they give a great reflecting quality when light moves past them similar to how Koolshade gives that neat effect on the standard TIE wings.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WINGS_PAINTED.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WINGS_PAINTED_2.jpg
The panel lines on the body look good, but I was worried they'd get lost after a few coats of paint, so I decided to rescribe them:
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/SCRIBING_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/SCRIBING_2.jpg http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/SCRIBING_3.jpg
However after several attempts to match symmetry on each side (and a lot of puttying to correct mistakes), I abandoned the effort and got really thin sheet styrene and after tracing the surface with tracing paper, I then added precut panels from a template created to make sure everything is even. I did the same on the back hull as well.
This meant stripping most of the surface detail but it's no biggie since I will mostly be replacing rectangles, squares, and the odd shaped raised panel.
I also modified the back vents to be more film accurate... this is a great "out of the box kit" but since I want to be as accurate to the shooting model as possible, I chose to do some modifications accurizing things like the two vents (I brought the edges up a little so they are no longer as long as they were originally.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/VENTS.jpg
As nice as the work is on the frame that Steve did for his SS TIE (of which I had an extra I was planning on using for this Advanced), it served the model better that I fabricated a brand new one from scratch just a little smaller in diameter to "cheat" the smaller size of the cockpit ball and make it all look closer to scale. The one that came with it was kind of flat, Steve's is great in it's angles and detail... but something mixing the two in between was ideal.
Here is how I replaced the surface detail on the back, from the original body sanded down to the sheet plating I did to keep the lines straight instead of scribing:
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_2.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_3.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_4.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_5.jpg
Then I had to make 3 more... then I added the extra raised panel plates on top and matched them to pics of the studio model. Then I finished the tops and bottoms of the arms connecting to the wings.
This became a complete overhaul since I was getting obsessed with bringing it closer to studio detail. As I said it's a great out of the box kit but customizing it was fun to get it closer to pics of the MOM model.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/JUST_RIGHT.jpg
The one I kitbashed that fits in the middle is 2 3/4" wide, while the SN one is 3 1/4" wide. That should illustrate the difference in scale between the Vader TIE and the Standard TIE Steve N puts out. The Vader is slightly smaller, but when displayed next to the standard TIE the size difference will not be noticeable because of the large scale of both fighters.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/FRAMES.jpg
And here is a picture showing the accurately sized, kitbashed cockpit frame in place and comparing it with the studio model.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/COMPARISON.jpg
And finally, the rear panels covers I had cut and laid over the back part of the hull with the process I shared earlier:
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/BACK_PANELS.jpg
Panel process...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_2.jpg
Finished plate...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_3.jpg
Times 16!
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_2.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_3.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_4.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_5.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_6.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_7.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_8.jpg
I never want to accurize a kit again lol. It's a very easy kit to build if you do an out of the box buildup, but of course I had to go insane and add engine and cockpit panel lights and re-plate the hull for fear the original panel lines would get lost when I spray painted it. And I also wanted to get it as close as I could to the shooting model by using the various Magic of Myth photos to replicate as many details as I could. I don't think I would do interior lights on another TIE fighter since they are practically impossible to apprecaite anyway unless you look at the ship from a certain angle anyway.
It's not perfect, and I KNOW the cockpit ball is a little smaller than it should be (I had no idea how to correct that), but I cheated some details with the canopy sizing and other surface details to try and fool the eye, so I hope you all enjoy the result of the effort.
Okay, until Neissen puts one out here is how my studio scale TIE Advanced turned out in crappy lighting without a background.
http://www.nitestar.com/RPF/ADVANCED_1.jpg
Now go look at pictures of it in the finished model area with proper lighting and professionally taken digital photos!
First, the parts out of the box next to my Neissen TIE so you can see the scale match!
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_1.jpg
Some closer pics showing off the detail...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_2.jpg
Showing the interior where you can fit electronics for lights! :D
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_3.jpg
Cockpit and greeblie detail...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_4.jpg
The wings, mesh for the wing solar panels and great base!
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_5.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_6.jpg
And finally, the main hull trimmed.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED_7.jpg
Here are some first pictures of the build up.
The wings do take a little work, but angle in real nice. They still needed the screens, but I added them after the resin putty dried and I had sanded the outer edges smooth.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WINGS.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WING_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WING_2.jpg
Then I started making room inside for the batteries.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/BATTERY.jpg
Then I found a spot on the bottom to hide the switch.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/ELECTRONICS.jpg
Finally, the Vader that comes with the kit is great with very nice detail, but I wanted to reduce the scale to match the pilot size in my Standard TIE so I used this Vader candy dispenser that is a little smaller to bring his size down to the scale I want. Once the putty dried I sculpted the details and added arms and painted him.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/VADER_MOD.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/VADER.jpg
Before I sealed up the two halves and added the control yoke attached to Darth's hands through the front viewport.
http://www.nitestar.com/RPF/COCKPIT_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/RPF/COCKPIT_2.jpg
I painted the underpanel area of the wings flat black and the screens satin black so that they are not too shiny and they give a great reflecting quality when light moves past them similar to how Koolshade gives that neat effect on the standard TIE wings.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WINGS_PAINTED.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/WINGS_PAINTED_2.jpg
The panel lines on the body look good, but I was worried they'd get lost after a few coats of paint, so I decided to rescribe them:
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/SCRIBING_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/SCRIBING_2.jpg http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/SCRIBING_3.jpg
However after several attempts to match symmetry on each side (and a lot of puttying to correct mistakes), I abandoned the effort and got really thin sheet styrene and after tracing the surface with tracing paper, I then added precut panels from a template created to make sure everything is even. I did the same on the back hull as well.
This meant stripping most of the surface detail but it's no biggie since I will mostly be replacing rectangles, squares, and the odd shaped raised panel.
I also modified the back vents to be more film accurate... this is a great "out of the box kit" but since I want to be as accurate to the shooting model as possible, I chose to do some modifications accurizing things like the two vents (I brought the edges up a little so they are no longer as long as they were originally.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/VENTS.jpg
As nice as the work is on the frame that Steve did for his SS TIE (of which I had an extra I was planning on using for this Advanced), it served the model better that I fabricated a brand new one from scratch just a little smaller in diameter to "cheat" the smaller size of the cockpit ball and make it all look closer to scale. The one that came with it was kind of flat, Steve's is great in it's angles and detail... but something mixing the two in between was ideal.
Here is how I replaced the surface detail on the back, from the original body sanded down to the sheet plating I did to keep the lines straight instead of scribing:
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_2.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_3.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_4.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_5.jpg
Then I had to make 3 more... then I added the extra raised panel plates on top and matched them to pics of the studio model. Then I finished the tops and bottoms of the arms connecting to the wings.
This became a complete overhaul since I was getting obsessed with bringing it closer to studio detail. As I said it's a great out of the box kit but customizing it was fun to get it closer to pics of the MOM model.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/JUST_RIGHT.jpg
The one I kitbashed that fits in the middle is 2 3/4" wide, while the SN one is 3 1/4" wide. That should illustrate the difference in scale between the Vader TIE and the Standard TIE Steve N puts out. The Vader is slightly smaller, but when displayed next to the standard TIE the size difference will not be noticeable because of the large scale of both fighters.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/FRAMES.jpg
And here is a picture showing the accurately sized, kitbashed cockpit frame in place and comparing it with the studio model.
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/COMPARISON.jpg
And finally, the rear panels covers I had cut and laid over the back part of the hull with the process I shared earlier:
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/BACK_PANELS.jpg
Panel process...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_2.jpg
Finished plate...
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATING_3.jpg
Times 16!
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_1.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_2.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_3.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_4.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_5.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_6.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_7.jpg
http://www.nitestar.com/ADVANCED/PLATED_8.jpg
I never want to accurize a kit again lol. It's a very easy kit to build if you do an out of the box buildup, but of course I had to go insane and add engine and cockpit panel lights and re-plate the hull for fear the original panel lines would get lost when I spray painted it. And I also wanted to get it as close as I could to the shooting model by using the various Magic of Myth photos to replicate as many details as I could. I don't think I would do interior lights on another TIE fighter since they are practically impossible to apprecaite anyway unless you look at the ship from a certain angle anyway.
It's not perfect, and I KNOW the cockpit ball is a little smaller than it should be (I had no idea how to correct that), but I cheated some details with the canopy sizing and other surface details to try and fool the eye, so I hope you all enjoy the result of the effort.
Okay, until Neissen puts one out here is how my studio scale TIE Advanced turned out in crappy lighting without a background.
http://www.nitestar.com/RPF/ADVANCED_1.jpg
Now go look at pictures of it in the finished model area with proper lighting and professionally taken digital photos!