Long the standard fighter of the evil Galactic Empire,
this one has been greatly modified as you can see.
| I built the first of the two fighters that come in the Ertl kit as a
stock TIE fighter. It was my intention to create a "custom" TIE with the
other one.
I started by modifying the Solar panels. I cut one of the sections out with my moto-tool and then cut down one of the other sections. The panels were designed to be rotated 90 degrees from their original position. After cutting down the one side, I replaced the trim to make it look right. |
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I then worked on modifying the aft section of the main body. I attempted to create a look something like Darth Vader's ship. |
| To that end, I cut a slot in the back of the ship to accomodate my hull addition. The addition itself was then built up with layers and strips of sheet styrene. The stock engine assembly was then attached to the rear of the new hull. |  |
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I had originally thought of this as a different approach to a Tie Interceptor prototype. This one was intended for a "private wing" or "personal escort" for the Emperor. I opted, sticking with the coloring of the armor for the royal guard, to paint the ship red after giving it a grey base coat to make it all a uniform color. |
| After the red coat was dry, I went in and painted gery striping on some
of the aft section to simulate the vents found on Vader's ship.
The sections on the solar panels were then painted in their standard black. I have since abandoned the background story behind this and have come to think of it as a "hot-rodded" version of a captured Tie Fighter. Either way, I like the way it turned out. I especially like it since it was a rough ptototype that kind of "built itself.". |
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