Vader's Tie Fighter
Source: Star Wars: A New Hope
Brand: MPC/ERTL
Scale: 1/36 (unspecified)
Medium: Injection-molded styrene
Release Date: 1978/1989
Pieces: 56
Life Lost: 25 hours
Enhanced: Yes (see captions)
TSF Rating: * * * *
Another "way-back-when" modelling attempt here! When I first saw this sinister looking ship scream across the big screen I simply couldn't comprehend that someone could have had such a vivid, uninhibited imagination to spawn such a novel spacecraft. Now I might be bucking a trend here but TIE fighters have remained to this day one of my all-time favourite space-faring designs within the SW universe, more so than the agile but ever-so fragile looking X-wings! (oooohhhh, traitor!)
Colour scheme? Now this is how I remember first seeing TIE fighters on the big screen. I may be mistaken but I think that "Imperial" blue was added to the Episode V and VI versions and then the Special Edition release of A New Hope. The paint I used here was Tamiya Camouflage Grey - pretty much my go-to colour for all things Star Wars.
It's difficult to see here but I also added some "plumbing" to those open apertures either side of the rear surface. That nice bit of detail in the centre behind the cockpit slides in and out, allowing access to a hidden battery compartment underneath. Two 1mm red LEDs situated either side of the cockpit cavity are powered by a 3v button battery and can be turned on and off via a micro slide switch hidden within that array of slitted vents (on the underside).
All images property of The Starship Factory 2017.