Star Wars 1/72 Scale TIE Fighter, Fully Painted Model Kit (A New Hope movie version)

To complement Shire Works's existing products which currently comprise solely of unassembled, unpainted resin or metal miniatures, we will begin offering fully painted model kits as well as miniatures starting with the Bandai Star Wars TIE Fighter. These fully painted model kits and miniatures will be limited one-of-a-kind offerings painted by our in-house painter whose collection of works can be seen at his personal blog site http://foureyed-monster.blogspot.my 

Bandai 1/72 scale TIE Fighter; Star Wars: A New Hope version

Our model kit of choice to kick off this project is the Bandai 1/72 scale TIE Fighter. Bandai Star Wars plastic model kits are chosen especially because they faithfully reproduce Star Wars props with wonderful part details. This then allows a painter to bring a high level of realism to the project and recreate a near movie accurate scaled replica of the model kit.  

To recreate the TIE Fighters seen in A New Hope, a predominantly light grey hue was used for its hull

Shire Work's meticulous attention to painted detail meant that even the TIE Fighter's interior sections were intricately worked on regardless of whether they would be visible in the final build. For example, the TIE Fighter Pilot flight suit was painted a combination of glossy and matte black as well as instrumentation markings. Meanwhile, we applied panel lining, washes, light weathering and decals to the cockpit area to simulate a lived-in environment and add to the realism of the piece.   

TIE Fighter pilot has flight suit markings painted on with an Imperial insignia decal on his/her helmet

In addition, the bottom section comprising fuel/power lines and fuel tank was painted up before being covered up with a removable fuel tank cap. The cap is needed in order for the TIE Fighter to be displayed on a stand (see two immediate photos below this paragraph).

Bottom section showing the fuel and power lines as well fuel tank prior to be covered by the fuel tank cap

Hull markings help add realism of the TIE Fighter, which is attached to the display stand via its fuel tank cap

During the exhaustive painting process, the TIE Fighter actually had two separate synthetic lacquer clear coats applied on its hull. Firstly, a gloss clear coat was applied in order to protect the initial light grey basecoat during the delicate panel lining process. Then, in the latter stages a matte clear coat was applied to provide a final protective outer layer as well as for aesthetic reasons. Moreover, only the finest quality primer was used - Tamiya Fine Surface Primer - to ensure the paint job adhered securely to the plastic model kit. 

Astounding details on the TIE Fighter's wing are brought to life with careful panel lining

With light grey being the hull's predominant hue, dark grey decals also made for a welcome contrast

Also included in the model kit are clear plastic pieces which simulate the TIE Fighter's iconic green laser fire. Tiny detailed decals rounded off the whole built, providing realistic hull markings to increase the level of realism. Some of the decals were applied as is while others were reconfigured to resemble markings seen on the original movie props. To enable ease of transportation of the TIE Fighter model kit, both of its wing panels remain detachable from the main body/command pod.

Pew, pew, pew ... I've you in my sights Red Five

A close-up of the TIE Fighter with its twin laser discharge attached to its cannons

At just the right angle, both lasers will catch the light just right and result in a glowing effect

Fully painted to resemble the ones seen in Star Wars: A New Hope, this Bandai Star Wars 1/72 Scale TIE Fighter retails for RM499 inclusive of shipping which will be on a cash-on-delivery basis to selected public malls in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Interested parties can email shireworks@gmail.com for more info on the purchasing process.