Fine Molds Tie Fighters

There are so many parts the same on these three kits - the 'Standard' TIE and Interceptor are pretty much the same apart from the front cannons and wings. Building them all three at the same time. 

Assembled the cockpits ready for primer. I've used liquid mask on the column and seat as there are parts to be glued to those after painting. 

Cockpit side walls ready for primer. 

Three figures, not as bad as I remember them being when I first looked in the boxes but they needed some seam cleanup and are now ready to prime.  

Steering x3 ready for primer. 

Primer coat. Gloss Black for the figures and steering. USN Light Ghost Grey on the cockpit parts/ 

The "Three Wise Monkeys" 😉 get some paint. Panzer Dark Grey and some touches of Neutral Grey and Silver. 

Cockpit parts get their base coat of Neutral Grey. 

There's a reason that I don't build many Fine Molds kits and that's because I only need to look at their decals and they fall to bits! The ones for the X-1 worked fine but the Standard and Interceptor TIE decals just disintegrated. I've already learnt not to use any sort of decals setter/softener with them so the only thing left is that I must have the "wrong" kind of water!! Oh well, you're never going to see them anyway. 

The tiny decals on the pilots were OK though! 

Three cockpits completed 🙂 

Started on the fuselages by fitting the sight on the front of the cockpits. 

Front and backs have had their greeblies added and the front section primed with One-Shot grey. 

Front section painted Anthracite Grey and drybrushed with Sky Grey 

Cockpits fitted. 

Body assemblies. Now you can see the slight difference between the Standard TIE (Left) and the TIE Interceptor (centre) - it's just the front blasters.  

The top hatches have been masked and fitted and the front window area masked off. Circle cutters are amazing things if you don't already have one - get one 😉 

Front windows masked but kept seperate for ease of painting. 

The 'normal' TIE bodies have a nice hole each side to grip with a crocodile clip for painting but the X-1 didn't so I've glued a bit of sprue on the side as a 'handle' for holding it while painting 

All three primed with One-Shot Grey. 

This is a grade 1 f*ckup!! I've glued the Ion Engines on the X-1 backwards so I've ended up, not with a TIE Advance but a TIE Retreat 😄. No-one look at the back of it 😉 

Base coated the bodies. All of them Pale Blue Grey 

Due to having it's Ion Engines glued on backwards, I decided to stop at that point with the X-1 Advanced and have ordered another so I'll start that one again. Did some hand painting on the Standard TIE and TIE Interceptor bodies with Panzer Dark Grey on the 'clasps' either side of the front window. 

Panzer Dark Grey for the Ion Engines and Anthracite Grey in the centre of the back. Panels picked out with Medium Grey.  

Standard Tie gets Panzer Dark Grey sections on the top hatch, Medium Grey on the Interceptor. 

Front windows sprayed Panzer Dark Grey. 

Made a custom mix of Gloss Black primer and Metallic Blue (approx 70:30) and sprayed all the solar collectors. 

The metallic really shows up in the sunlight - they sparkle 😎 

Also made the stands. Gloss Black primer with Metallic Gunmetal Grey base coat. Picked out the logo with Gloss Black primer. 

Front windows are glued on with Revell's Contacta Clear. 

Both main fuselages get a coat of clear gloss ready for weathering. 

Three sets of wings assembled, masked and ready for primer 

Three sets of wings primed with Mig One-Shot Grey 

Starship Filth pinwash was made and applied then cleaned up from the Tie Interceptor body 

Same process on the Standard Tie 

Views of the wash from above and the back  

Three sets of wings base coated with Pale Blue Grey 

The Tie Advanced X1 re-joins the party 🙂 It's at the same stage with base coat as I got to with the other kit but this time the Ion Engines are pointing in the right direction 😎  

The Advanced X1 gets some detail painted with Medium Grey and the front window is glued on. 

Details from the back, all four Ion engines have been picked out with Medium Grey 

Three sets of wings glossed and then pin washed with Starship filth and cleaned up. They're ready for a matt coat. 

The X1 Advance gets glossed and then pin washed with Starship filth and cleaned up also ready for a matt coat. 

X1 Advance view from the back/top. The panel lines on this one are much more defined than the other two so took the wash really well. 

X1 Advance view from the back/underside.  

Wings have been matt coated and the masking removed. 

The three tie bodies have been matt coated and I've painted the front blasters with Metallic Silver - also did the Ion engines the same ready for transparent paint. 

Front blasters painted with a mix of Transparent Red and Transparent Yellow (I don't have any Transparent Orange 😄) 

Ion engines painted with Transparent Red. 

Final assembly and they're all compete 🙂 I'll get the plain background out later and do some 360s.