Anakins Pod Racer

''I've built a podracer. It's the fastest one ever!"-Anakin Skywalker, Winner of the Boonta Eve Classic, Tatooine, 32BBY
ive made this before, about 7 years ago, and enjoyed doing it, dispite its reputation, but it got well mollied in a house move and ive wanted to do it again,
the kit has some problems, especially with the instructions....and of course its a good excuse to watch the race again......and again......and again

sorry for lack of an update recently....been busy
still been working on this, doing lots of painting little bits, can see its going to be one of those that all comes together at once
problem is it was 6 or 7 years ago when i originally had a go at this kit......ive learnt new techniques since then so am trying them......for instance, back then to do the paint weathering on the scoops i used the hair spray technique, now im trying using latex...........im also having a go at making a better base rather than the plastic one in the kit
next job will be spraying up the pod and weathering up the engines
its supposed to be 1/32-ish scale.....emphasis on the '-ish'...........tamiya paint pot for scale

Coming along nicely, Paul.

Not being quite 'up-to-date' with techniques, exactly what is the latex method?

Looking good Paul. Nice to see the latex method being employed. Sooo much easier then the salt method.

RetiredMike wrote:Coming along nicely, Paul.  

Not being quite 'up-to-date' with techniques, exactly what is the latex method?

spray the part in a metal colour...i used silver.......get a bottle of liquid latex (humbrol sell little bottles of purple latex)......use a bit of sponge and dab it in the latex........dab again to get rid of a lot of it, you dont want too much on the sponge.......gently dab it on the part....you want a variety of sized splodges to make it look natural wear......dab it on edges where paint would be worn off........the benefits of using the purple humbrol stuff means you can see where you are dabbing.....let it dry for a few hours, it will go from a liquid to a rubbery solid..........spray the colour you want over the top and let it dry well.......next day rub off the areas of latex using either a finger or a bit of blutac......the latex comes away revealing the silver underneath

Thanx for that, Paul.

This is great, brilliant work on the weathering.

Excellent work on the weathering and thank you for the tutorial on the application. Looking forward to seeing this come together.

im at that weird point where lots of stuff is painted, just needs putting together after a coat of matt varnish


ive had problems with the pod itself.......three times ive painted the silver and didnt get the finish i wanted..............changed to bottle of 'steel' and it took one coat!!....next will the complicated decals......complicated cos i remember from last time that the instructions are wrong!

The steel finish is brilliant Paul, is it an acrylic?

GaryDainton wrote:The steel finish is brilliant Paul, is it an acrylic?

its just ordinary vallejo air, just happened to get it on nicely

beowulf wrote:

GaryDainton wrote:The steel finish is brilliant Paul, is it an acrylic?

its just ordinary vallejo air, just happened to get it on nicely

Coming together nicely Paul.

bit more work done on the engines.....hope to get these finished tomorrow

ignore the base......its the one that comes with the kit but ive made something a little better....just using it as a stand for the engines while i add the greeblies

The universal greeblies or the UK greeblies?

Great job on the engines.

Tattooine greeblies

beowulf wrote:Tattooine greeblies  

The engines look fabulous. I know what you mean about silver versus steel - more and more I'm getting away from 'silver' paints and leaning toward the steel, aluminium and related pigments as I find they go on better and look 'nicer' when dry. And this seems to apply to both enamel and acrylic. Looking forward to seeing the base you've made as well.

Great work, nomatter what they're called.

Nice work Paul.

Hi Paul,

Sweet work Sir, just noticed though, the engine closest is currently upside down, just in case you hadn't noticed it...

Andy...

Johnag wrote:Hi Paul,

Sweet work Sir, just noticed though, the engine closest is currently upside down, just in case you hadn't noticed it...

Andy...

no its not, just back to front........the red bit is the bottom.............when you see the next pic you will understand, ive added the intake bits that stick out the front

ive now got problems with the pod.....got to work out how im going to get the windshield to stay put......crappy design means the recess isnt big enough and i dont want to spoil it by using ca

Regarding the windscreen, is it possible to use epoxy to secure it? I suggest this as it's come in handy for me when I wanted to avoid crazing or fogging on clear plastic.