The wealth of details,decals,and possible variants is simply astounding.I can't believe the care and homework that was done to create this exquisite kit.To the folks at FINE MOLDS responsible for this kit...a Hearty"Thank You VERY much for your hard work!"

I can't wait to start building it! This kit is a kit builder's dream! In my humble opinion it doesn't matter if you build Sci- Fi, Star Wars, or Aircraft kits,this kit belongs on the MUST HAVE list.The constant scale of 1/72 is nice.I build quite a few 1/72 aircraft kits so it'll be nice to compare sizes. Not to mention it takes up little space on the shelf.Also an incredibly nice option in this kit is the option of being able to display the model in flight modes or ground modes thanks to modular construction and parts.VERY NICE!!! All this at a more than reasonable price if you do buy one.I may actually buy several.Once again "Hats off To FINE MOLDS" for a truly excellent kit.

The joint between the rear fuselage and the main fuselage could have have been a bit smoother. Make sure you keep the pivot rods and holes clean - paint build-up makes it harder to mount the wing assembly flush into the fuselage (and, thus, get the rear plate to fit flush.

The second problem was not the kit's fault. I was very grateful for the English translation available as a download but it was missing the painting and decal instructions. You get lots of decals and I'm sure some decals go on all versions and other don't. But you've really got no way of figuring this out without a translator.

That said, this is still a beautiful kit and it's easy to make it look good.

This kit is WAAAAY TO SMALL!!! What is the point of producing an accurized kit of such a seminal sci-fi spacecraft if its made in a scale thats too small to appreciate all the effort and detail that went into it? Imagine how small such ships as a snow/land speeder. a-wing, cloud car, or DV's tie fighter would be if FINE MOLDS decided to produce them. I've been a frustrated STAR WARS for almost three decades due to the general crapiness of the products offered. I'm only slightly less frustrated with this FINE MOLDS offering.

Anyway, on to the good stuff....

The building of the kit has been well documented, and doesn't need to be repeated. I will talk about the method I'm using to paint/decal/weathering. The method I use is typical of all my aircraft kits, really and it works great for the X-wing, since it needs a lot fo weahering anyway. And the way they set it up so you can paint the model in sub-assemblies worked great!

After I had put all the major parts together, fuselage, wing 1, wing 2 and the cannons, I 'pre-shaded' the assemblies with black paint. It's somewhat difficult because of the small size, but the effect is subtle enough. I over sprayed that with Tamiya XF-19 Sky Grey. The under shadeing came through ever so subtly, which is what I wanted. The Sky Grey was a little too dark from what I saw in my reference, which is the Star Wars Technical Journal. The SWTJ has a great fold out of several shots of the ILM models and I used that as my reference. So I lightened the sky grey with some Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. It was mostly trial by error, but the ratio turned out to be about 1:3 whit to grey. But using a technique usually used for figure modeling, I made a 'transparent' mix of the grey by adding X-20 thinner to it. The ratio came out to be about 2:1 thinner to paint. This makes it very thin, so when I spreyed it on, it gave it more of a misty appearance that I could buil up layer by layer. This I did, and when I was done a lighter shade of grey was acheived. I let this dry for a day and then I sprayed two coats of Future floor polish. This is the best stuff ever! Easy to spray, easy to clean up, and so versatile. This also works as a 'barrier' layer of paint. The gloss finish makes it great fo decals, and I can apply a wash to the entire surface without damaging the paint underneath. I added decals and made this a version fo Red 4. I thought this would be a change from the norm, and the model is a x-mas gift for my girlfriend, and she doesn't have a favorite. The decal sheet is excellent, so many choices. I used the wing decals with the chips on it, for better effect. Then came the fun part. Using The Detailer brand of wash, I cover the model assemblies in the stuff. Going section by section, I just brushed on the wash. This stuff is great, no mixing, and it's water based, so it doesn't eat into the coat of Future. After the wash has dried, I use wet Q-tips to rub off the offending streaks of wash. Left behind in the panel lines, cracks and crevices is the black wash. The wash also leaves behind some black streaking with you can clean up wth a wet Q-tip, or you can leave on for a more weathered look. I left some of the streaks on, which looked great. And that's where it stands now. As soon as the washing is done, I'm going to add some transparent layers of the lighter grey paint to dull down the washes and the color overall. After that, it's a coat of flat. The model is a gift for her, but it's also a gift for me, since I had all the fun building it! I'm most likely going to buy another one for myself. That one will be a Wedge Antilles Red 2 version, as he is my fave Rogue Squadron pilot.

Again...all the naysayers...come on, give credit where credit is due, this is THE best produced styrene kit of the X-Wing in any scale ever produced! Gotta fly! Skippy

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