Call for X-Wing experts!

[newca]

I wanna know who is who?

(1/41?)

(1/72?)

I know FM's SW kit is the best in 72 scale, but my target is a bigger one, 1/48 is good, could be displayed next to my Yammie Valks. A little tough or lack of detail is not that big problem to me.

Any comments on those kits are welcomed, reviews, price advices, thanks!

[Morpheus]

I wanna know who is who?

(1/41?)

I got that x-wing kit back in my home country about 7 years ago. Its pretty nice, got the s-foil, landing gears and a display stand, some decals as I remembered .

However, it only lasted for 2 years since later it crashed into the death star surface...I mean smashed to the floor when one of my younger cousin played it. . Its wrecked beyond repair........

Edited May 25, 2005 by Morpheus

[Mule]

My experience with the AMT 1/48 X-Wing is not at all positive. The model just plain sucks. The detail is shoddy, the pilot didn't have the chest box and his hands were bigger than his head with the helmet on. I also have some issues with the shape of the underside of the fusalage under the cockpit area. The torpedo launchers were more like squared off indentions in the side. If you want a real fixer-uper, this kit is for you, but if you want an accurate model, go with the Fine Molds. If you're really lucky, you can try to get an old SMT X-Wing.

[bsu legato]

Macross World member mslz22 was selling the famous Captain Cardboard studio scale X-Wing. You cannot get a more accurate X-Wing than this one, IMO. Try PMing him to see if he still has any for sale.

[BinaryFalcon]

So far as I remember, you have 2 kits and only 2 kits showing there.

The snap kits are both the same kit in a different box, and the other kits are all the same kits simply repackaged with different boxes/display stands.

The glue together kits are basically reissues of the original late 1970s/early 1980s X-Wing kit, which is why fit, finish and detail on them aren't all that great by current standards.

IIRC, the snap kits are newer in design, but not by much, and are still pretty bad on details and accuracy. I'm also pretty sure they're a bit smaller than the glue together kits.

Edited May 25, 2005 by BinaryFalcon

[Less than Super Ostrich]

Repeat after me...

There is only one X-wing... the Studio Scale X-wing from Salzo Models.

There is only one X-wing... the Studio Scale X-wing from Salzo Models.

There is only one X-wing... the Studio Scale X-wing from Salzo Models.

There is only one X-wing... the Studio Scale X-wing from Salzo Models.

[bsu legato]

Nice! I assume this is a different animal than the CC studio scale kit?

[Less than Super Ostrich]

Nice! I assume this is a different animal than the CC studio scale kit?

It is the Captain Cardboard X-wing with a few improvements. Much better casting than what Atom Models was doing, IMHO. Mike made some improvements on the Wing Mounts. I believe you can find a detailed description of the differences on this website:

http://www.blockheadpictures.com/CCX-Wing.html

[bsu legato]

Ah, ok. So then Mike Salzo and mslz22 are one and the same. It all makes sense now.

[wm cheng]

Just my 2 cents,

Hey the AMT 1/48ish isn't that bad, plus I feel its the perfect size, I just don't have the room for a 1/24 studio scale resin (plus something that big just begs for so much more detail ) Maybe its all the great memories I had when I was 8 building it for the first time, without paint, just stickers and zooming it all over the house for days!

Yes, the pilot sucks, but if you get an cheapo Monogram 1/48 scale Apache kit, the pilot in that is pretty darn close to the rebel pilot, just add some big-ass black gloves and a chest box and you've got an excellent Rebel pilot.

(I had some jpgs prepared 5-6 years back that I never bothered to post when I built this X-Wing)

[wm cheng]

[wm cheng]

[wm cheng]

If you're anal like me you can add losts to the AMT kit (which I feel is already the right shape - plus it has engraved panel lines!) In fact, I wasn't impressed with the FM kit, I find it a bit snubbish - the nose didn't seem long enough (IMHO).

[wm cheng]

[wm cheng]

[wm cheng]

[wm cheng]

Just make sure you paint and weather the insides of the foils before you assemble the kit, or it will be real hard to get in there later on.

[wm cheng]

Here's a finished shot (as you can see NEWCA - my kit was that stupid thing with the clear plexiglas disc that supported the X-Wing, 3rd down from your pictures "Flight Display" - it was cheap at a garage sale! - but the black base was nice - so I used it for my base, and drilled a hole in for the clear acrylic tube) Additionally, I feel the larger resin kit has a very thin nose, just too sharp & needle-like (nice kit though LTSO - not to knock your beautiful resin). My main dislikes with the AMT kit are that the canopy could be higher, and the bump on the lower fuselage just aft of the torpedo launchers are too pronouced (make the kit look "cranked") but it dissapears when you look at the fighter from above or 3/4.

Edited May 25, 2005 by wm cheng

[wm cheng]

Sorry for the crappy pictures... it was before I had my digital camera. I might dusted it off for some decent pictures sometime soon.

[wm cheng]

[wm cheng]

OK, last one... (I just don't think the FM has this long shape) so I rather like the AMT kit, yes the photon tubes are not recessed deep enough (which I chose to ignore ) and it lacks a decent pilot/cockpit - but it doesn't take much work to get it into a pretty good looking replica of this famous fighter. (oops, I forgot R2 in this shot - I made decals from my inkjet printer for R2, its just too small and had to have straight edges for my free-hand skills)

[newca]

Great help from all above, thanks everyone~

And wm cheng, you gave me strong confidence to get and build the AMT kit, may the Force be with you all the time

Edited May 26, 2005 by newca

[Chronocidal]

Hehehe.. I see you did what I've been planning for about 5 years now.. I've got a stash of about 6 AMT X-Wings of that type in a box under my bed. I've been planning on how to remake various parts of them to be more movie accurate. Basically, from looking at the canopy of the CC X-Wing, the AMT one is way too long, low, and not angled in front. But that particular kit does seem to be the most friendly to customization.

I've been collecting those kits for about 10 years now, and tried to do a similar remake of the cockpit on one, but it didn't turn out nearly as nice as the one here. I've bought just about every kit, except for the Fine Molds one.. don't get me wrong, it's beautiful... but only under a magnifying glass. Personally I prefer something a little bigger.

The ~1/41st kit is a good fixer-upper for it's size, but if you want something slightly bigger, you might try looking for the Pro-Shop version AMT released later on.. it was $50 when it came out, but I've seen them on Ebay for around $20, which is where I got mine. Basically, it's around 1/32, about 16 inches long. It's also got the added bonus of a good cockpit and pilot. The only problems are that the shape of the fuselage is even stranger (they overcorrected for the area under the cockpit, and now it's sloped too far down sadly) and some details are actually worse than before (like the inner-wing greeblie spots- they're full of random junk that needs to be taken out). But it's a good sized kit, quite a bit bigger and easier to detail than the 1/41st one.

I've started on remaking one of the 1/41st kits, but I think I'm probably overdoing it a little.. I basically started by filling in all the hull detail, and rescribing it. lol.. it was a lot of work, but worth it. I'm also working on remaking the intakes, and I've hollowed out the little fan-blade things that are supposed to go in the engines so they look more like the movies. Afterwards, they're going to go inside a modified set of 1/48th F-18 Hornet afterburner cans, and get stuck inside the backs of the engines. Btw, for reference, the 1/48th Monogram F-18's afterburners are kind of cone shaped, and no where near accurate.. but they're also a perfect match for the nozzles in the X-Wing kit. I've also recut the canopy area on the fuselage to more match the movie shape, and I'm working on making a new canopy. I hope to be done in about 30 years.

Lastly, I don't have a CC X-Wing.. but I'm working on a poor-man's imitation. If you've ever seen the Power FX X-Wing toy, it's very nearly studio scale.. about 20 inches long, and a whole lot more accurate than any of the AMT models. It basically looks like a toy reproduction of the studio model. Recently, they re-released a toy based on that ship without all the electronics.. it was a TRU exclusive in Red Leader's markings from ANH. Well, basically, I've gutted it. I've taken the entire thing apart, and it's going to be getting the ultimate custom treatment.. I'll probably leave most of the ship alone, but I hope to remake the wings, guns, and rear engines, as well as adding a complete cockpit. When I'm done, I hope to have a studio scale replica for about $40.

Edited May 26, 2005 by Chronocidal

[Mechleader]

WM....

My God...

[Mule]

Like I said, a real fixer-upper.

Granted my opinion of this model is from when I built it at about age 15, so I didn't really venture into any of the after market modifications like William did.