By John Lester - images & text © 2007

Scale: 1/200 - about 8"/205mm long when built

Parts: 3 resin

Instructions: 3 page assembly guide

Decals: N/A

Molding Quality: 9 - very well done, with no pits/bubbles and very little flash

Detail: 9 - crisp and clean

Accuracy: Not-rated --- see review

MSRP: $95.00 AUD (~$73.02 USD/$81.71 CAN/€ 56.86 EUR ) available from Scale Solutions

Overall Rating: 9 - well detailed, easily assembled, fun to paint. What more is needed?

Hound's Tooth was a modified Corellian Engineering Corporation YV-666 light freighter owned by the Trandoshan bounty hunter and slaver Bossk . Bossk acquired the ship after Han Solo and Chewbacca destroyed his former ship on Gandolo IV.

Image: Details

Image: Maneuvering fins

Image: If I'd read the directions, I would not have put the parts on backwards and upside down.... they fit just as well that way, though.

So says Wookipedia, and I have no reason to doubt them.

What You Get

The packaging for this is probably the best I have ever seen from a garage kit. The parts are snugly cradled inside form-fitting "chambers" in the styrofoam packing. Despite the long trip from Australia, not a single part was damaged.

Inside that lovely packaging are three resin parts: the main hull, engines and "maneuvering fins", plus instructions. All are cast in an odorless, very dense resin. Of note, the fins are joined with a cast-in brass rod, which not only provides strength but aids positioning them as well. Detail is very clean and sharp, consisting of both raised structures and engraved lines. No scale is stated, but if you take published figures of 41 meters for the "real thing", the model scales out to about 1/200 scale.

Three pages of instructions provide some tips on working with resin plus an assembly guide. Photos of the parts are provide, though they're not overly sharp. Between the text and the photos, however, there should be no question how things are attached. The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels has line drawings that will assist, if needed.

Assembly and Finish

Parts fit is very good - I was able to drop-fit the pieces together with no seams. Of course, I didn't read the instructions first and had everything backwards - but I verified the fit is excelent the correct way as well. The maneuvering fins are trapped between the hull and the engines; if you're carefull with the glue you should be able to make them "workable".

The resin is very hard and very dense - I wouldn't want to try hollowing the model out for lighting. YMMV. You will want to use a fresh drill bit to drill a hole for a stand, and be carefull to position it near the model's center of gravity. Use a brass or steel rod - this thing is pretty heavy, and acrylic will bend over time.

Conclusions

I'm a sucker for oddball designs and this is right up my alley. The detail, attention to detail in packaging, and ease of assembly make it a winner in my opinion. With as little cleanup as is necessary, and the ease of assembly, I'd say this is a good candidate for your first resin model - or a relaxing weekend project for the more experienced builder.

Highly recommended.