X-Wing (Pro Shop Electronic)
Source: Star Wars: A New Hope
Brand: AMT/ERTL
Scale: 1/32 (unspecified)
Medium: Injection-molded styrene
plus electronics
Release Date: 1998
Pieces: 75 plus electronics
Life Lost: 100+ hours
Enhanced: Yes (see captions)
TSF Rating: * * * * *
Red Five, standing by. With all the things wrong with this kit it is still one of my favorites. I loved putting the electronics together, mainly because I didn't bugger anything up for once! And I was quite pleased with my addition of the fibre optics in the cockpit which look almost as good as I had imagined, if I may say so myself. But it wasn't all smooth sailing...
I found it quite difficult at the final stage of bringing the two hull halves together with the bulky motors in place. The two servos that open and close the s-foils and canopy take up every millimetre of space inside the hull behind the cockpit. There was no room to move and the wires always got in the way just as I was getting the locating pins lined up. Also, I trimmed the edges off the "wing" motor casing as it looked as if it was stopping the foils from opening to their full attack position. Other problems I had with that servo were how much noise it made, and how the cogs appear to slip, so now the foils need a gentle helping hand when opening or closing. One day I might get frustrated enough to do something about that!
As I recall the instructions were a little vague about the placement of what seemed to be a spare bulb in the circuit, so I put it to good use inside R2. And another lesson to be learned there... I should have paid more attention to sealing his insides to avoid light spill. In a pitch black room R2 has quite a glowing aura going on.
I found it quite difficult at the final stage of bringing the two hull halves together with the bulky motors in place. The two servos that open and close the s-foils and canopy take up every millimetre of space inside the hull behind the cockpit. There was no room to move and the wires always got in the way just as I was getting the locating pins lined up. Also, I trimmed the edges off the "wing" motor casing as it looked as if it was stopping the foils from opening to their full attack position. Other problems I had with that servo were how much noise it made, and how the cogs appear to slip, so now the foils need a gentle helping hand when opening or closing. One day I might get frustrated enough to do something about that!
As I recall the instructions were a little vague about the placement of what seemed to be a spare bulb in the circuit, so I put it to good use inside R2. And another lesson to be learned there... I should have paid more attention to sealing his insides to avoid light spill. In a pitch black room R2 has quite a glowing aura going on.
All images property of The Starship Factory 2010.