by Evan Jones

I really wanted a TIE X1 Advanced (flown by Darth Vader) to match the 1/72 scale Fine Molds X-Wing and TIE Fighters. However, the only way to make one in that scale was to use a Fine Molds TIE Interceptor and do a lot of scratchbuilding and kitbashing. The old MPC Darth Vader TIE Fighter kit was used for reference.

The wings of the TIE Interceptor were turned backwards and new frames for the solar panels were built from the original wings. The details on the inside of the wings were removed and styrene sheet, strip and rod were used to make new ones and add the smaller details. A mold was made of the central part of a TIE Fighter panel and two pieces cast from resin. These were then cut to size and used on the outside of the wings. New solar panels were cut form V-groove sheet styrene to give the panels some texture.

The arms connecting the pod to the wings are bulkier than the TIE Fighter/Interceptor kits and are also at a different orientation with respect to the cockpit - flat on top and bottom, whereas the TIE Fighter/Interceptor arms were pointed. In addition, there were some mechanical details sunk into the arms that needed to be replicated.

The TIE Interceptor cockpit was assembled and then the arms were cut off with a razor saw, turned 30° and glued back on. Sheet styrene was used to build new arms, including the smaller indents on the rear portion of the arms and the larger indents on the front. The details in the indents were built using styrene rod, strip and a small part cut from the Interceptor blasters. Panel lines were scribed in the new arms.

The X1 has a thin elongated body section on the back, with a built up section in the middle. The large part of the body was built using sheet styrene, with an internal bulkhead to give the body a curved profile. The middle section was built up using styrene sheet. Details were added using styrene sheet, rod, strips and the details from some of the Interceptor panels. The details included adding the holes in the body and scribed panel lines, using the MPC kit as a guide. The MPC kit shows that there are four ion engines on the back of the cockpit, compared to two on the TIE Fighter/Interceptor. A mold of one of the engines was made and extra pieces cast for these details.

Although difficult to see inside the cockpit, the pilot has been converted to look like Darth Vader. This included making him taller and fashioning a helmet, mask and cape using a two part epoxy putty.

The TIE Interceptor stand was modified to add a third arm to hold up the back of the ship

The solar panels were painted Tamiya semi-gloss black directly from the can, the rest of the model was Tamiya XF-66 light gray using an airbrush, with some smaller details brush painted. The Graphic Encounters mask kit was used for painting the front canopy and the upper hatch on the cockpit.

A light enamel black wash was added to the entire model to bring out the details and some very slight weathering was applied. I figured this ship should have a bit of damage from flying through the shrapnel of Rebel ships that Darth destroyed. The stand was painted Tamiya semi-gloss black thinned from the bottle and airbrushed. This gives a satin sheen. The paint was sanded off the lettering and then the plastic was polished to give the letters some shine.

Image: Underneath

Image: Dark Lord of the Sith

Image: Front, low

Image: Above and behind

Image: Left side

Image: Assembly mock-up

Image: With the other Fine Molds models