Star Wars Models
These models of various spacecraft from the original three Star Wars films were built from the highly detailed Finemolds kits, all  done in 1/72 scale. The models were all built "box stock" as per the request of the customer who they were built for. The kits all come with finely detailed figures as well, but they are so tiny that they are difficult to paint realistically.




The Millennium Falcon




This model  is the most highly detailed of all, measuring 17 inches long and is assembled from about  900 parts! The kit challenges you with the time consuming process of having to glue on most of the "kitbashed wiggets" all over the model individually, just as the studio models were done. My customer wanted the model built in the landed configuration with deployed landing gear and boarding ramp. White LED lights (which look very blueish in the photograph because the model was shot under common tungsten lighting which cast a more yellowish hue) were also added to the cockpit and the interior above the boarding ramp. Inside the cockpit the figures of Han, Chewie, Leia and C-3PO are positioned as seen in "The Empire Strikes Back".



Unfortunately, despite Finemolds' extreme attention to the kitbashed detail accuracy, the kit falls short on some key proportions, the most obvious being he shrunken radar dish and the incorrectly parallel front mandibles, which should actually taper in towards each other prominently at the front. There are several other innaccuracies which are also apparent upon closer examination.

I finished the model using Krylon paints using an airbrush to preserve as much of the fine detail as possible and also added battle damage with a Dremel tool and airbrushed all the weathering. Extra detailing was also added using the decal set available from JBOT.












X-Wing Fighter



TThis model of  Luke Skywalker's starfighter measures a diminutive seven inches in overall length and was built in the landed configuration as per the customer's wishes. It comes with figures of the Rebel pilots in both seated and standing positions as well as the R2 units. Finishing was done by painting the model Krylon light gray with an airbrush, applying the decals that came with the kit and then weathering again with the airbrush using dark gray primer.







Imperial Tie Fighter

As with the models above, this one was built "box stock"  and simply hand painted with Tamiya Acrylics to match the  powder blue version seen in The Empire Strikes Back. At only four inches high and essentially unweathered, this model is by far the simplest to build and finish of the miniatures shown on this page.






Y-Wing Fighters

Here's a pair (note, for example, the different coloured bands around the engine nacelles) of Y-Wing models built for the same customer who ordered all the ones above. The Finemolds kits give you the option of building a few versions here, and they are extremely detailed for their diminutive size, only about 9 inches long.

For those who question the accuracy of the models in this case, it is important to note that, although they shared certain similarities, no two of the studio models were built alike (they all had different "kitbashed" detailing and piping on them, not to mention the radically different paint jobs), but nevertheless these models are very accurately reproduced, and are detailed based on one specific "hero" model used in the original Star Wars films, which remains in the Lucasfilm archives.




















All photos on this page are unaltered except for some colour correction (due to tungsten lighting), background clutter removal and brightness/contrast adjustment as are all photos of the models shown on this web site except where specifically noted.

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