Science Fiction Modeler: Red 5 X-Wing

My build up of the FineMolds 1/72 scale X-Wing. I built mine as Red 5, Luke's fighter from Star Wars: A New Hope.

I have completed the first sub-assemblies on my X-Wing as well as the fist part modifications. Here is the end of the kit laser cannon. As you can see it end in a solid tip.

I used my pin vise to open up then ends. Now instead of a closed off end, the cannons have an open barrel. It's a small thing, but will improve then end result.

I have also completed Luke in his pilot suit, cockpit and the droid strip.

Just so you can see the improvement here they are compared to the last X-Wing I built.

Detailing work. Here is a picture of the back of the studio Hero model. If you look at the trench of the back of the wings you will see a thin rod going the length of the wing. The kit doesn't have that bit, so I cut some small brass rod and added it myself.

Hero:

Old kit:

New kit with brass rod:

The next big problem to over come was the clear canopy. Bottle paint doesn't stick to clear parts well, and the provided kit decals were not the right color I wanted. Since I lack an airbrush, the only other option was to use a spray can. I started by masking the clear areas off and using my exacto to cut out the template. Then it was just as simple as spray, clear coat and remove the tape.

I have also tried a new technique to get better definition in my panel lines. On the old kit, I sprayed the primer and base coat so thick that you can't see any of the panel lines, which just kills all sense of reality and scale. On this kit I tried a "pre-shade" before painting. On the bare plastic I used a fine point sharpie and traced the panel lines on the wings. I found that a wet Q-tip would remove the excess, leaving only the recessed panel lines with color. The next part would be far easier with an airbrush, but after a few attempts I got good results spraying over the wing with the rattle can, and still getting a good look.

Before: