Star Wars - A-Wing

This is one of the rebellion's most awesome weapons, fast enough to give even a Tie Interceptor a good run for it money and equipped with both lasers and torpedo's, it has the fire power to worry all but the largest of the Empires capital ships. But resources are scarce and this particular model bears the scars of battle and shows the wear and tare of constantly relocating from base to base. Pilots have to be prepared to fly these vehicles on the seat of their pants as the A-Wing can be most unkind to more timid pilots. However, it is the spirit of the men and women who maintain ships like this who are the real heroes, without them, these machines would still be on the drawing board somewhere, and the Empire would be even closer to victory.

This is another one of those little 'SNAP' models from a few years ago. I used no filler at all mainly because all the parts fit together so well, but this was before I started using filler. I used to just pipe extra glue between the cracks and paint over it when the glue was dry. This is okay until a few years later when the glue starts to discolour and the joins show through the paint again.

I practised on this model with various weathering techniques, some better than others. I think this has had half a dozen washes and paint smeared here and there to try and give the model a really well worn look.

I could do lots more with it including detailing the cockpit and pilot but you have got to decide when to stop fiddling sooner or later am trying a new photographic technique, instead of using a neutral background I am using a book with space images as a backdrop. This save on a lot of post production but with varying results.

(c) 1999 David Pagett - Birmingham, England

DLP Guitars - Handmade in Birmingham, England

Star Wars - Y-Wing Bomber

This is another of the little SNAP models I have built. There is loads of weathering to make it look really well used and maintained on a low budget as is true of most rebel ships. After finishing the model I used enamel paints to pick out the details and then used various shades of black and brown water colour paints to add wear and tear. Using this technique the water colour paints would not spread evenly but eventually dried giving the patchy, flaked paint effect.

As you can see from the un-touched photos, the Y-Wing has its landing gear down. I had to erase these for the final picture to give the illusion of space flight.

I quickly photographed the model on my window ledge with no other lighting other than daylight and the flash of the camera. This meant I had some balancing to do once the image was in the PC. I airbrushed the join from the back of the cockpit as this model was built before I discovered the art of filling, and I had to copy and paste one of the rear exhaust struts because it was over exposed by the flash. Then I added the engine glow and Blaster glow and overlaid it on a picture of the moon I found on the internet.

I would like to say this model is complete but it needs a coat of matt varnish just to seal all the different textures and finishes, the yellow decals are too shiny for starters.

(c) 1999 David Pagett - Birmingham, England

Star Wars - Tie Interceptor

This is a ETRL/MPC model I made quite a few years ago. I photographed it with an old 35mm camera and scanned the image when the film was developed. (which was what prompted me to buy my first digital camera!) I then cut out the shape of the ship using Adobe Photoshop and adjusted the color balance slightly. You can see the yellow glow of my bedside lamp in the cockpit window. I then found an image of the awsome comet Hale-Bopp and merged the two in Photoshop to create the final image.

As you can see from the original photo the join in the cockpit was very pronounced. Nowadays I would fill these in but I used to have very little patience.

The comet is Hale-Bopp but it could be a Rebel Cruiser burning up in the planets atmosphere! This Tie Interceptor must also be modified to operate in the planets atmosphere as well as space!

(c)2009 David Pagett

Star Wars - Boba Fett's Slave-1

Star Wars - Boba Fett - Slave 1 (Modified Firespray Patrol Attack Ship)

This is Boba Fett's heavily modified Firespray patrol and attack ship Slave 1. It is scared with battle damage and every mark tells a different story of a thrilling escape or spectacular shoot out deep in space. I enjoyed this model because it is so different to anything else I have ever made. Most star ships resemble aircraft in some shape of form but Slave 1 breaks all the rules. The cockpit moves depending if the ship is in space upright or lying on it's back in a docking bay.

The two 'wings' move on my model but I glued the cockpit in the space configuration. The cargo hold can also be left open to show a tiny Hans Solo encased in Carbonate, but I sealed the door shut. I used a micro-drill to make some small holes in the hull to simulate Blaster damage, the holes do look really good close up. I spent quite some time on the paint job but it is not completely accurate. The movie slave 1 has a different corrosion pattern, mine is blurred, theirs is sharper as though the paint has flaked off, but I still like my paint scheme.

DLP Guitars - Handmade in Birmingham, England

Star Wars - Snow Speeder

This is the AMT/ETRL snow speeder model photographed and scanned, then touched up with Adobe Photo-Shop and finally super imposed over an icy picture. The lens flair was added using Photo-shop.

The original background shows two brave skiers watching an avalanche which was perfect for a crash site. I suppose two storm troopers would have looked better. You will also notice the pilot and co-pilot are not in their usual orange uniforms, I don't think you could hide from imperial storm troopers in the snow dressed like a tangerine !

This is the original photo. As you can see the colour balance was way too yellow and I also added some weathering and some smoke from the exhausts. I also cloned some of the snow and lapped it around the edge of the vehicle to make it look buried.

All the brake flaps move on this model and the harpoon gun rotates although I have not done anything to the bottom because you never see under there anyway.

Star Wars - Naboo Starfighter

Star Wars Naboo Starfighter

A few years ago I got the Naboo Starfighter Die cast kit made by AMT/ETRL. The first thing I noticed about the model was the weight of the box and its contents. I have only ever used injection molded kits which are feather light in comparison. The second thing is the price, twice as much as the regular plastic kit of the same subject. The first thing that greets you is the excellent artwork on the cover of the box. This would seem to be a stock picture because it also appears in the book, Star Wars Episode 1, The Visual Dictionary.

The parts inside the box are all well wrapped to protect them from bumps and knocks that may occur in transit. The only problem I had was with the tiny screws, there packet was open and one screw had got lost somewhere along the line. I don't think it would have cost too much to put a couple of spares in the kit, they are very tiny and easily misplaced.

All the die cast parts are pre painted yellow or silver and some of the plastic parts in the kit are painted yellow as well. The only painting and assembly work needed is on the pilot and cockpit and the R2 unit. I detailed and completed the necessary work in no time, then I removed the pre painted plastic parts from the tree they are still attached to. This is a bit of a pain because it leaves a nasty little bump which I had to file down and then find some yellow paint of a similar hue to dab over the blemish. The final stage is just the simple process of screwing all the parts together and plugging the screw holes with the stops provided. And that is it, the job is done. With a normal plastic kit I would be painting and filling for days, but this kit is not intended to be like that. I could always go and buy the plastic kit if I wanted to go down that road.

DLP Guitars - Handmade in Birmingham, England

Star Wars - Speeder Bike And Scout Trooper

"The light repulsorlift Imperial speeder bike carries one or two riders at high velocities for reconnaissance and antipersonnel missions. An unusual turbine repolsorlift makes the bike stable even in extreme manoeuvres. Forward-reaching repulsor fields help thread it through obstacles like trees, but their guidance must be used carefully because they are not strong enough to deflect the bike away from obstacles on their own."
Extract from Star Wars, The Visual Dictionary



I think this to be the best model I have made so far. I spent a considerable amount of time and effort into getting it right and I am really pleased with the results. It is two projects in one because you have to build the Speeder Bike and the Scout Troop which both require different skills.

Firstly I will start with the Speeder Bike. The most important thing in getting this to look so good was excellent reference material. I read somewhere that the colours recommended with the kit were incorrect so I got the Star Wars Archives book which has got some great pictures in it. This set me on the right track. The other stroke of luck was my recent discovery of enamel Gun Metal paint which you apply and when it is dry, rub with a soft rag to reveal a polished metallic effect. This made the frame of the bike look really good.



I painted the main body of the bike grey first and then mixed the brown myself using enamel paints.

I always hand paint using enamels which makes thing difficult at times, there are far easier mediums but I like the results. There was a little filling on this model, in particular, where the handle bars met the shell and the cables and levers are very fragile. I mixed a lighter brown for the saddle bag and then made the whole thing look used by smudging and streaking different colours here and there. One thing I did before I painted the bike was scratch the shell with a file to simulate damage on the bodywork. This paid off by adding an extra bit of realism.



Next came the Scout Trooper, he was the first person I had ever made. Basically the arms and head attach to body and then he needed painting. However there was a lot of filling and some modelling to be done first.


I found the arms did not fit very well so I got some modelling clay and improvised shoulder joints which moved the arm away from the body a little bit and meant I had to sculpt the shoulder pads where they met the body. The head was similar, I added a bit of neck and sculptor that accordingly.

I scratch built a breathing piece for the front of the helmet and painted it silver, I also made a lid for the top of his back pack. I sprayed the scout matt black and then painted the armour gloss white.

 I picked out the details with matt black then dirtied the whole thing down. I think he turned out pretty good for my first person.

DLP Guitars - Handmade in Birmingham, England