Many years ago I saw the original filming models for Star Wars and the thing that made the biggest impression on me was the rough shape they were in. Parts broken off, long gone, cracked and chipped paint and dusty.
Like meeting a celebrity and discovering they’re just a person, I was confronted with the realization that these “stars” were merely objects that were plucked from a shelf in a warehouse and put on pedestals, warts and all. And I loved it!
Knowing with great confidence that a trip to the archives is not looming in my future, my goal is to recreate the look of the original filming models in their current state. The weathering and damage is not to suggest that of a space battle but rather the battle of time and the elements sitting on a shelf or stowed in a box for decades and, like all of us, showing age and letting the viewer experience the story.
The kit cockpit was replaced with a scratch built one made from styrene. A faux armature inside was made out of PVC pipe. The kit engines on the rear were replaced with brass tubing and the laser canons were made from brass and aluminum tubing and lead wire. It was Painted with Archive-X Paints. Weathering and dust effects were done with oils. Photos shot on an iPhone13Pro.
Like meeting a celebrity and discovering they’re just a person, I was confronted with the realization that these “stars” were merely objects that were plucked from a shelf in a warehouse and put on pedestals, warts and all. And I loved it!
Knowing with great confidence that a trip to the archives is not looming in my future, my goal is to recreate the look of the original filming models in their current state. The weathering and damage is not to suggest that of a space battle but rather the battle of time and the elements sitting on a shelf or stowed in a box for decades and, like all of us, showing age and letting the viewer experience the story.
The kit cockpit was replaced with a scratch built one made from styrene. A faux armature inside was made out of PVC pipe. The kit engines on the rear were replaced with brass tubing and the laser canons were made from brass and aluminum tubing and lead wire. It was Painted with Archive-X Paints. Weathering and dust effects were done with oils. Photos shot on an iPhone13Pro.
