TIE Defender

This model is a resin “garage kit” from Scale Model Technologies (SMT Models). It’s a wonderful model with a unique design and well cast parts. I ordered it with a B-Wing. I got them on sale. SMT had good customer service and sent me replacement parts for a couple of miscast and missing pieces.

I decided to build this kit concurrently with my TIE Interceptor. I knew I’d have to mix the color and figured I’d kill 2 ships with one mix.

The biggest issue I had in making this ship was that I lost interest in it. I’ve never been a big Star Wars ship fan and even though I had had fun building my TIE Fighters, I couldn’t wrap my imagination around this ship. The design is cool; it’s well cast resin with a figure inside, but still it was a tedious build. Unfortunately, it shows.

I forced myself to finish this and my TIE Interceptor by promising myself not to build anything else until they were done. Even so it took weeks to complete this very easy build.

After washing the pieces I put the solar panels together for the three wings. I painted the interior of the ball including making the pilot with a green jumpsuit. Hey, why not?

I dipped the clear parts in Future to protect them.

I mixed up the main color with Liquitex Aquamarine Blue and Neutral Grey. After matching the color to my other TIEs, I airbrushed the pieces. Naturally, I had masked the clear parts.

I lightened the blue/grey with white to drybrush the details and it came out all right. I painted the panels flat black, picked out some of the details with grey and left it at that.

I called the ship done, put it on my mantle while I waited for my modelcase and wrote this write up. It looks all right from across the room. At least I got through it.

Other TIEs at Nugax:

TIE Fighters

TIE Interceptor