FINE MOLDS 1:48TH X-WING FIGHTER

Will the plucky little X-Wing from Star Wars live up to the high-quality screen models that graced this inter-galactic celluloid epic? We picked this kit up at the Telford show to find out.

The answer, as you might have guessed, is a resounding yes! The first thing that jumps out at you with this 1:48th scale kit is the stunning box-top artwork that just invites a reaction. If, like us, you grew up on the Star Wars movies, it all comes flooding back! There’re some pleasing additional illustrations adorning the side of the box as well as some useful information of the place of the X-Wing in this fantasy universe.

Inside you are greeted by a Japanese instruction booklet which, despite the language barriers, lets the assembly diagrams do the talking. They are clear & concise – so construction should be a breeze.

In terms of colour, the plentiful decal sheet quickly grabs your attention with lots of nicely printed decorations to help mark out your Rebel Alliance fighter.

Other than the clear canopy sprue, the remaining six plastic sprues are moulded in a pale grey plastic that holds detail well. It is quite tough, not the sort of softer plastic seen in some Revell model kits for example.

There’s impressive raised & relief detail on many parts including the engine housings & the powerplants themselves. Similarly, the parts depicting all the sci-fi gubbins on the top & rear of the aircraft (B19 & B26) look nice & busy with plenty of mysterious fixtures & fittings whose function remains an enigma! Anyway, it’s convincing enough & will come up a treat after some weathering.

A couple of sprues are given over to a display stand, but all in all the kits boasts a modest amount of parts & should build up quickly enough.

The fuselage, meanwhile, is especially well cast & the join between the two halves should be well hidden along the flanks.

So altogether, a simple build that should produce an attractive piece of cinema history. The joy with this kit, will be in the painting. As with much of model making, the challenge will be creating a convincing weathering finish that befits the original sound stage models. Add some of those decals & you should get a beat-up X-Wing model in 1:48th scale worthy of a Jedi hero.