# Ban-Dai BTL-A4 Y-Wing Build



## INVAR (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks to several here who have posted their builds and links to the excellent kits from Bandai - I took the massive plunge and ordered several of their kits some time back.

I was most impressed with the Y-wing when it was first shown, and there was never a good build for that star fighter back in the 70's and 80's when I built just about every MPC and Revell Sci-Fi model that came out.

The Y-Wing is the first kit that I was eager to sink my chops into just given the radical amount of detail, and to my incredible surprise - for a SNAP KIT, the level of detail on this model blows anything I have ever built before in my life - ESPECIALLY for a 1/72 kit.

I decided I was going to take my sweet, sweet, time and make sure I get this painted, built and weathered to my satisfaction. I think it was Robiwon who asked me to post build pics - and never having taken pics of any of my builds this is a first.

While the detail on this ship is mind-blowing, I really wanted to see the cockpit hoses that were seen in the first film. So I had to create those first. I will admit the tiny scale has been a challenge and the need for a headset magnifier was crucial for me.










Also wanted to see the targeting computer, so had to create that also.










While this is molded in some key colors, I cannot leave those as is. In the nose, recessed behind the canons, is a dark gray panel. Normally that area one would not see, but I'm a stickler for adding things only I know is there, and so I detailed that panel that the canons will stick into and weathered it a bit.










While my build is just getting started in earnest - I really needed to get the cockpit, droids and engine details painted first before I continued. As suggested, I will build the fuselage in it's entirety before priming the ship due to how exact the fits are for all the pieces thus far. But first I thought I would share my feeble efforts at the detail for the cockpit, droids and the engines (which are seen only when the cowling is off).





































Will post updates as I get further along, but as I said - I am taking my time - mainly because engineering and detail this fine, deserves a fine amount of attention to make come alive.


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## edge10 (Oct 19, 2013)

Really nice work so far!


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Looks fantastic so far!!!


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

I'd say your efforts are "feeble" like Arnold Schwarzenegger!


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Love it!


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## spock62 (Aug 13, 2003)

Looks great so far! Really impressed with how your cockpit came out, looks sharp.


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## INVAR (Mar 28, 2014)

Pilots and droids painted and placed. 

The slide decals for the helmets were a real challenge to get set. My method of choice is to use Future for setting and another coat for encasing. The tiny figures however did not afford any bleed of the clear decal area and I went through the extra set Bandai enclosed because I ruined the first set I tried to apply because they tore trying to adjust them into position.














































I plan on masking and painting the clear sections of cockpit windows when I finish the main build so I can change the display from flight mode to hangar Bay mode when I'm in the mood the do so. I really dig that Bandai set this up so that the cockpit windows can be seen 'opened' in rest mode.











Piping on the fuselage has been placed.

The build continues. Onto building the engines.


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## PixelMagic (Aug 25, 2004)

That cockpit looks awesome!


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## INVAR (Mar 28, 2014)

The build continues. Got the fuselage piping, the engines and the stabilizers attached. All that is left to apply in the build is 12 pieces of the wing pylon piping (some of it tiny) and the landing skid well covers.










Pleasantly surprised this is actually a larger scale than the Hasbro/Galoob Action Fleet ships - and a BILLION times more detailed and accurate.










A little airbrush action for the engines. I decided to show them "lit" because most of the time this will be displayed in flight mode.










Had to paint that now, because the nozzle is recessed and I will mask it off before shooting a coat of primer over the whole fuselage.

I'll have to take out the cockpit before that and I'm toying with the idea of removing the yellow stripe before priming and painting that separate. The tight tolerances of the exact engineering is giving me pause as to whether or not I should do that. It will just be easier to do that than priming the entire ship and then masking and painting those curves to reapply the yellow.

I'm studying Robiwon's build and a few others to see what I might decide to do there.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

My ignorance can be as deep as the ocean. I never realized how much stuff was going on under the 'cap' of the engine nacelles. 

It's a beautiful, somewhat intimidating build. Looking great!


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## electric indigo (Dec 21, 2011)

The engine effect looks really cool!

Bandai should just blow up the molds of this kit and make a 1/48 version from them. The level of detail is more than sufficient.


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## INVAR (Mar 28, 2014)

Without a doubt. They could scale this up to studio scale and it would still have the most detailed and accurate version of this model ever mass produced at retail.

In many ways, this kit is more detailed than many 1/48 kits I've seen and built. MPC cannot hold a candle to what Bandai did here. Never saw a Fine Molds in person so I have no frame of reference to compare that to this.


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## PixelMagic (Aug 25, 2004)

INVAR said:


> Never saw a Fine Molds in person so I have no frame of reference to compare that to this.


The Fine Molds Y-Wing is pretty awesome, but this one still edges it out.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Looks great so far. Yeah, the super tight tolerances aren't real paint friendly on Bandai kits. That is my only criticism of their kits. The yellow stripe is easy to mask off though. I also had trouble putting the cockpit back in after painting as the front edge is under the yellow stripe. I had to carefully pry up the back legs of the stripe to re-insert the cockpit. If I built another, I would leave the cockpit in place and just mask it off.


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## INVAR (Mar 28, 2014)

Took my sweet and deliberate time, but this is as close to finished as I am going to take it.

I was inspired by the ILM Gold 2 model and took some liberties to get this how I remember the ship on-screen in the 70's.

LOVE these Bandai kits. Exceptionally-engineered, the details are off-the-charts and because of the quality - I made sure to take my time as a novice to get this looking sweet.


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## INVAR (Mar 28, 2014)




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## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

nicely done, great cockpit!


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