Star Wars Star Destroyer [Completed]

With the Star Destroyer done, that's another must-do-item ticked off my bucket list. Finally that space ship that filled the entire movie screen much to the wide-eyed wonder of a then 5-year-old is up on my shelf amongst my other collectibles. Granted Bandai's existing version is a tad small at 111-mm in length. But until the day I can get my hand on a bigger-scale Star Destroyer, this one will do nicely.  

Bandai Star Wars Vehicle Model 001 - Star Destroyer [Completed with paints]

Main ion engines are just coming online but the emergency ion engines are still offline

Painting the Star Destroyer's hull saw me use Tamiya Acrylic Paints for the first time. I found the solvent-based paints to be a bit more of a hassle to use especially during the clean up process which involves the use of isopropyl alcohol in place of water. Attuned to working with water-based paints and a wet palette for so long, I guess I've gotten used to the minimal cleaning. Getting smooth coats with either types of paint is essentially based on the same concept i.e. patiently applying numerous very thin coats of paint while making sure each layer is dry before applying the next one. For the hull, I used a mixture of Tamiya Flat White (XF-2) and Sky Grey (XF-19) at a ratio of roughly 9 to 1.  

Vallejo fluorescent yellow mixed with white provided a simulation of the ship's lighting

To mimic the main ion engines in action, a mixture of blue and white paint was used

A very light grey hue covers the Star Destroyer's hull; mixed using Tamiya XF-2 (Flat White) and XF-19 (Sky Grey)

To simulate lights emitting from the Star Destroyer, I reverted to my good old water-based paints or more specifically the Vallejo Model Color Fluorescent Yellow mixed with White. While the final effects will never be as good as actual emitted light, it still looks acceptable enough at this scale. Meanwhile I used Citadel Regal Blue mixed with white to simulate the ion engines with their hyperdrive engaged.

Bandai Star Destroyer [Side view, leftt]

Bandai Star Destroyer [Side view, right]

Bandai Star Destroyer [Top and bottom views]

Admittedly I got bored pretty quickly with the Star Destroyer's monotone colour scheme.This plastic model kit is all about the iconic triangular design with the paint job a secondary concern if at all.

To bring out details, a mix of Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color Black plus Grey was applied

Based on looks alone, I would say it's an Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer

At certain angles the light catches the display stand thus breaking the illusion of a vehicle in space

Primary docking bay would have benefited greatly from some LED lighting

With such a monotone colour scheme, the 'sexiness' factor lies mainly in the ship's hull design

Based on close scrutiny of movie screenshots, I'm aware random grey panels can be found scattered all over the ship's main hull. However, I felt it was impossible to accurately depict the grey panels at such a small scale without causing the Star Destroyer to take on a darker hue. So I made do with washes and panel lining (Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color - Black/Grey) to bring out the details.

Lets put all our senior officers on a bridge that sticks out like a sore thumb ... what could go wrong?

Hyperdrives engaged, course locked in ... the rebels are doomed

This mini Star Wars project was ever only going to be a short diversion to keep me busy while I was trying to figure out some colour schemes for other projects. In a way it was the perfect in-between-project due to its simplicity. Sometimes it's good to keep busy while allowing ideas to gestate on the back of your mind. Also in the midst of this busywork I was inspired to add two new figurines (70 mm and 80 mm) into my project pipeline. Details to follow but suffice to say for now that it involves a long-standing universe that I have yet to sink my teeth into, miniature painting-wise that is.