madtatt

Today was construction day again. Not much will happen on the back wall of the diorama, as you can only see a little of it. The surface will probably mainly be decorated with large armor plates. Only on the sloping top plate should a little structure round the whole thing off. That’s why I got a few delicate steelwork girders from the railway model making sector, which are supposed to end in a bracket I printed. The first prototype. I will then distribute four or five units of these over the area and also lay armor plates in between.

Do you know that?! The pages are finished…pffff…whatever. 🤪 When I looked at the Dio from behind, something was missing. It still needed a little more substance. And with this technical surface, what’s better than pipes? That’s right, more plumbing. So I took out the hot air dryer again and quickly made some. I put another one in front of it and now it’s more consistent on the sides in my opinion. Now just need to be aged.

Happy New Year and it can go on. I’ve made a lot of progress with the pages. First I cut the armor plates with which I will cover the surfaces. Fits. By the way, the styrene plate with the X is not a plate but the gauge with which I always mark the same recesses. A few more squares spread out. I attached the top plate with a little overlap, which conceals the gap nicely. And in the front, of course. Base color on it Here’s the overhang again. This should ensure that the maintenance flap is well covered. I will probably create a locking device using a magnet. Left side finished. And the right one.

WOW. What delicate work. That looks fantastic. 👍

I have one last post for this year. I also have to hurry up a bit. I would like to have the project completed by March, because then the largest plastic model making fair will take place here in Germany and I would like to take part in the competition with the model. Euro Model Expo So, it goes on. To finish off the base, I printed out steel structural elements. However, I am still a beginner in 3D printing and therefore the rivets were defective no matter what I tried. Here are the freshly printed front pages. That’s why I removed the rivets after assembly. I just didn’t like it. My old Punch & Die set helped. I got this for this model years ago because some rows of rivets were wrong or missing. And so the faulty rivets were replaced. Then painted. And glued under the base. Ready for inspection. The bottom plate is now finished. I think that it represents a neat conclusion to the bottom. Now I’ll continue on the sides. Then all that’s left for me to do is wish you a happy new year. 🥳 We’ll write to each other again in 2024.

Thank you very much for the nice comment. ^^ It took a while, but the washing and dry painting of the plate is finished. But first I had to improve something on the upper structure, otherwise it would have been too bare. Then we could finally start with the upper level. What a slog. Countless places were difficult to reach. But it’s coming together more and more. And again the overall view from the front.

What have I done to myself… Washing and dry painting is extremely time-consuming. Thousands of places that you can hardly get to and you always have to be careful that excess paint dries on places that you don’t immediately see. But I think it’s worth it. A nice contrast is created. Left side up to the middle level is done. A week of work.😵

Thanks. After the top two sections were so full of great little details, I have to go back to the base plate. Here I started with the quarter circle and practiced kitbashing. After comparing it with the top plate, I found it to be a little sparse. So I picked out a few more parts and created more details. The newly added parts can be recognized by their lighter surface. The plate already has two filters on it. Consisting of blue-grey and a medium gray which also results in a slight washing. Since I added the Y-fighter parts very late, they enrich the lower section very well. Better filled the plate. And the sides received a few decals.

Let’s move on to mid- and high-level preshading. Pannellining and lighting. As well as highlighting individual structures. Now I’m back to the decals, but I’ve had enough for today. 🤤 Everything is slowly coming to fruition.

Too much honor, thanks guys. Let’s get to the painting work. First the obligatory pre-shading. Base coat on and decals glued. When it came to panel lining, things got complicated. It doesn’t work here like it does on the falcon model. The plates are only indicated there and the color is drawn into the gaps between them by capillary action. The panels of the diorama are of course glued on and the gap is much larger. That’s why I have to carefully apply the washing color here with a fine brush. But do it with a steady hand. The countless squares emphasized with a light gray. And the armor plates painted a shade of a darker gray in the corners. This way I get greater contrast. I’m pretty happy with that and I can move on to the next round.

And on we go. Let’s start with the cover for the threaded rod. Printed and covered with styrene. From the paint booth… This should hide the cables and threaded rod quite well. The sides also have to be filled with the obligatory squares. And other Side. This completes the inner section of the star. Let’s get to the cover test. Everything seems to fit. Here are a few more pictures from the final test. The check showed that there were enough tubes and squares. I’m starting to have enough too.

Let’s come to the finale of the middle and upper sections. After cutting what feels like 1000 small plates, we distribute them evenly into the remaining free areas. The Y hunters really pay off. It’s just money anyway. The last pipe was also laid. And with that I present fresh from the paint booth… My very own Death Star. And again in a long shot. Now I have to briefly go back to the lower plate. The covering for the threaded rod needs a surface on top.

I'm coming to my meeting yesterday. More Y parts… And that happened today. And a few little things in the middle. Now clean up again before we continue.

Hello dear model building nerds. Here's a look at my kitbash session today. I didn't really like the position of the bird in the diorama yet. So I tried a slightly longer threaded rod. I think the falcon looks better this way. Not so deep... ...then the backside hangs. This way you can see more of the hard-worked details.

Hello together. I haven’t made much progress at the moment and just did another test today. So that I can see where more or less fine details need to go. At the top center, for example, more parts have to go than previously assumed. Whereas on the right side behind the falcon there are more than enough.😄 So march forward.

Just a little update. The second side is also covered. Another printed steelwork beam was made to see if it would fit.

Thank you, Mike. I am very pleased. And here, new material for you. 😉 The sides are painted, but not yet equipped with the small Styrene rectangles. So I can put it on the side so I can continue working there. Now further detail the basic structures I created. All I see in my mind’s eye are tubes. 😅 Buying the Bandai Y Hunter was definitely worth it. Won many small applications for kitbashing again. And in gray it looks like this. Now we can go to the other side.

That looks fantastic. I'll stay on board.

Thank you all. I had a lot of fun sharing my model with you. And I too am already looking forward to my next ship.

That pleases me. After a short creative break, we can continue fresh. First, armor plates were cut and attached to the top. Then on the right the structure started to be built further. Some people will probably call me crazy, but I got the Y-Wing Starfighter and the A-Wing Starfighter from Bandai to exploit. 😵 I’m slowly running out of good, adequate kitbash parts. Here you can see, for example, the sawn-off half of the Y-Wing stand. These are also covered with styrene panels. The right interior of the framework was provided with a printed plate, which I use like this. Super fine details are not so important here. This is part of the original Death Star interface that can be freely downloaded online. Primed with grease it should be enough to cover the print marks. This thing is starting to get really heavy. 😅

Hello everyone. Thanks for the kit presentation, Yves. My wife accepted the model when the postman came. I thank God that she likes my hobby so much. Of course there is already a Pontos set for the ship. Three sheets of instructions. Now made a little more understandable than before. All sorts of brass parts and resin blast bags. The obligatory wooden deck. Very good large etched parts for the deck. I hope you can see that through the bags. I don't like unpacking it before I start building. Fantastic surface details. As always with Pontos. Five etched part sheets and one sheet of dry decal. By the way, I still have parking spaces for the 1:200 monsters. 😅

Really a great model. Very nice kit and fantastically implemented. 👍 If you didn't know any better, you might think you were seeing the original.

Back on the right side. Here too, fill with styrene sheets. I let my printer work properly and made a few more basic structures. And they're going on the scaffolding now. As you can see, the slant is supposed to hold a fan. The right side also received its appropriate framework and further connections from the middle to the lower level. It's filling up. Edit the top right corner. With a mix of kitbash and styrene plates. The right edge was covered with parts of Iron Doom. In the middle I inserted a printed profile with 2 components glue. Not only intended to look good, but also to reinforce the most unstable part of the scaffolding. The fans were also placed in their positions. Prime everything properly. And a picture for the overall impression. Kitbashing is really extremely time consuming. But it brings a lot of depth. And fresh from the cabin… There’s nothing left to see of the gap. In gray it looks completely different. By the way, my favorite color. This would also complete the middle panel. However, it is possible that one or two tubes still come to mind. Let’s move on to the next level. Since I have also covered the back of the scaffolding, I can now put it upside down and carry on sensibly without bending my fingers. The same procedure here too. Relatively poorly detailed structures from the 3D printer in connection with styrene plates and old model building remains. And of course all sorts of tubes that wonderfully conceal unwanted gaps. And that brings us to the current status of my model.

@Canute It's cool to sink into another world with your nephew, Ken. @CDW I have rarely worked on a model as precise and detailed as this one. In principle you wouldn't need any glue. Then let's start with the base. This is now made of PVC and not of wood as I had planned. It’s easier to edit, I’m a locksmith and not a carpenter. I created threaded rods in different lengths and angles. Then try to find the best one. It fits. Back wall to it... I will make the framework for the Dio in two parts. So I can also disassemble the Dio with the falcons, for example to go to a trade fair. Pushed together and good. I will then cover the gap with all sorts of greeblies and styrene. Then the little bird can take a seat for a test. Above is the last plate and everything is filled, sanded and primed. The small dormer from the 3D printer was placed under the falcon to conceal the holder. The base is now ready to receive the Death Star surface. First I printed some simple structures, which were then refined using greebles and styrene using a kitbashing process Then prime thickly to smooth the surface. A filament printer always leaves streaks. Now come the first slightly finer details. I start lining open areas with styrene sheets. This is based on the surface of the falcon. This gradually creates ever finer surface details. A new test to see if everything fits. The right side. I use the upturned ramp of the falcon to conceal the slit in the two diorama halves. The same on the left, but with parts from an old kit. The truncated pyramid is further refined. The same with the quarter circle. And so things are progressing slowly but steadily. The two plates fit together well and there is no gap. There should definitely be parts of my old tiger on the plate. Who recognizes it?

I finished weathering the hull without the cockpit and engine cover. Here are the pictures… Now it’s on to the cockpit and its lighting. Apply the decals first after removing the surface details. Otherwise I would have had problems with Microsol myself. Falcon 3D figures are great. Far livelier poses than Bandai’s rigid sitting ones. Unfortunately, Chewi is missing the cartridge belt, but otherwise great. What is of no use at all from the original kit are the LEDs. They’re way too weak. Disappointing for a 400 euro kit. Especially since there are very bright lights for a mere 8 cents apiece. To be on the safe side, an additional pair were installed behind the cockpit. Then drilled holes in the blackened transparent part and lo and behold… Let there be light. 💡 I thought for a long time whether I should do the open thing or that use a glazed cockpit, I use the clear part. It's important to me to see the light reflections that the glass casts. There was no glass in the film, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to see the actors properly. And that's the point... This was the first time that a part didn’t sit perfectly. A huge gap had to be bridged with Mr. surfacer. After all, what are we model builders for, close the gap. I only had to score a new board seam with a mini chisel afterwards. Then again panels painted in different shades. And a lightweight Panel Lightning. Individual records immediately get more depth. Finally the panel lining and the decals. The cockpit is now also on the fuselage. You had to use a lot of force to snap the component into place. With all the color, however no wonder. So aging is complete. Control the light and found good. If an LED is defective, I no longer have the opportunity to change it anyway. The plugs for the control unit still had to be soldered to the cables. Then, of course, check again to make sure everything is still working properly. The cover of the weapon bays is still missing. And then everything could be wired up. Ready. This would complete the first part. The easy part. 😅