MPC's
B-Wing Fighter
Return of the Jedi

Stated scale:

unstated

Actual scale:

1/94

P1100001 P1100004 P1100006 P1100009
P1100010 P1100012 P1100013 P1100021

Overall length:

Material(s):

styrene

Number of parts:

Stand included?

yes; didn't use

Decals included?

yes

My Source:

local shop

Cost (w/o s&h):

unknown

Built back sometime in the 1990s...

Or rather, it used to be a snap. As always, I made a glued assembly of this kit. Assembly was straightforward, though I made a number of modifications to the kit to correct flaws and improve the detailing. Before assembly, I enlarged the snap-fit holes and shortened the corresponding pins on the parts so they'd fit properly when glued.

Since the cockpit module supposedly rotates in its armature, I decided to build this with the cockpit rotated from the view usually seen.
Below the cockpit, I cleaned up and thinned the edges of the spiky-bits port (guns? antennas? functionless doodads?). I replaced the kit piece, which was lacking detail and too thick, with some smaller, thinner spiky bits from the parts box.
My next modification was the "intake ports" (though what they'd take-in in space is anyone's guess). The area's cowling and kit piece insert were, again, too thick. I thinned the cowling and replaced the insert with an assembly made of sheet styrene pieces.

On the aft side of this area, I cleaned up and thinned the edges of the engine ports area. Again, (this is becoming the kit's mantra) TOO THICK.
I hollowed out the three small rounded rectangular inset areas on the leading edge, thinned the plastic and backed up the thinned areas with small pieces of styrene.
I also replaced the flange extending forward in the darker gray inset area with .06" styrene sheet because the kit's flange was, well, you know...
 

I thinned the edges of the cowling around this area before installing the spiky bits piece.

 
I airbrushed the model overall with neutral gray, then masked off and airbrushed the darker gray color on the wings and cockpit module. I don't recall what color I used for the darker gray. I hand-painted the guns, other spiky bits, and other details.

I used Micro Sol to set the decals into the detail areas underlying them. I misted over the decals with thinned neutral gray to tone down the bright orange. I finished the detailing with black & dark gray (probably gunship gray) washes and chalks.
Rather than use the supplied stand, I wanted a flight display for this. I drilled 1/16" holes in the bulkhead behind the exhausts and bent a piece of coat hangar wire into a squared-off U shape so that the wire ends would fit into the drilled holes.

I printed an image from the Death Star battle and mounted it on foamcore in an 8x10 frame. I inserted the U wire through holes and secured the wire to the back of the foamcore with epoxy and duct tape. Finally I mounted the B-Wing onto the wires.