# Fine Molds Tie Fighter



## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I've started this little bugger. Nice kit, but man are the parts small! 








I did multiple colors of black, then drybrushed with some grey and silver to bring up the high spots. The interior decals wear a bit of a bear, but they really make it look nice. The pilot decals require a neutron microscope to apply....








I added a single red 1.8mm LED in the back to light the cockpit. Gives a cool glow when it's lit! I used a thin piece of plastic tubing to run the wires down thru the base to a battery underneath.
















The detail on these kits is fantastic! I started drybrushing the hull parts with some dilluted gray and black over the light gray basecoat.


----------



## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Really nice effect with the lighting in the cockpit.


----------



## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Nice job, Tim. As usual. Thanks for the post. And the pics!


----------



## mikephys (Mar 16, 2005)

Nice detail work on the tiny pilot!


----------



## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

This is the first time I've seen this kit close up. Those details are great. Nice work so far. Looks like it goes together easily. I must get some to go w/ my SS Ties.

One notion comes to mind- would a uv led in the cp light up just the red details and leave the black walls black? Probably not...

Do you have a shot of the inner walls before they went together?

Thanks for sharing!


----------



## geino (May 9, 2006)

Nice work. I just got one last week from Target clearance sale. Can you show us or tell us exactly where you put the led?

I am considering lighting mine up - including fiber optic for the engines and weapons.


----------



## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I drilled thru the bottom of the cockpit floor right behind the pilot seat, so you can't see it. I used a 1.8mm (has a tiny dimple that fits in hole) red LED. 
The LED, resistor, and some short wiring fit under the floor panel, and has enough clearance for the bottom of the ship to fit over. I drilled a tiny hole for the very thin ribbon strands of wire to run out of. They feed into a slim piece of plastruct tubing, which I painted the same color as the tower panels. (I thought it might look like a fuel line or something...) Sorry, I didn't photograph the the wiring, I didn't think it would interest anyone! (It's very basic, anyone can do it) Last night, I made (4) legs for the base to sit up on, to elevate it enough for a 9V battery to sit under. I'll either paint the battery flat black or make a box for it to hide it. A micro-switch will be located on the rear of the base. I'm almost done with the actual build, just a few details and finish the wiring up. I'll post some pics when done! Oh, and I don't have photos of the unglued walls. I will tell you, there are (8) decals that apply to the inside walls. The "slices" connect to cover the entire wall. Very small, very finicky, but worth some effort with a micro-tweez and a Q-tip. You couldn't paint the detail by hand that they offer!


----------



## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Here's a few pictures of how I wired it, although I sealed up the bottom of the ship itself without taking any pics unfortunately!








You can see here a small piece of plastruct tubing run up the back of the tower. I painted it to match.








I made (4) small legs to elevate the base enough to fit a 9V battery underneath. I painted the battery flat black to hide it also. The microswitch is on the backside of the baseplate.








How cheezy is this?! LOL. I used a couple rubber bands to hold the battery in place. Reminds me of some of those old Lindberg motorized kits I built as a kid! (hey, it worked then too, so what the heck!)








I'm almost done. I have to mask off and airbrush the ribs on the clear parts this weekend.


----------



## MML (Apr 20, 2008)

Excellent work Tim! I've just started three of these in one go, (2 fighters & 1 interceptor); they're fantastic little kits, very small but brilliantly engineered!


----------

