Author Topic: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures  (Read 12409 times)

Offline JDeck

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #30 on: July 20, 2017, 06:38:47 AM »
This is really awesome indeed. Keep up the great work.

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #31 on: August 14, 2017, 09:27:11 PM »
Paint guide for U-Wing 1:18 scale vehicle playset kit





PDF version of this paint guide:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/bcoq2p5o28z51l5/U-wing_1-18_scale_paint_guide.pdf

This guide can also apply to prepping and painting any cardboard model properly.


General rules for painting cardboard and paperboard models:

1. Brush GESSO over the cardboard and paperboard pieces and sections to be painted. Use art paintbrushes to apply the gesso. DO NOT use foam brushes.

2. Apply the gesso in thin strokes. You are not applying color -- you are just covering the piece with a thin surface of gesso. Wipe off excessive amounts of gesso with a napkin, paper towel, or toilet paper.

3. After the gesso has fully dried, if there are any rough areas, smooth them out by gently brushing the dried surface with an anti-static wiping cloth. Use a used toothbrush to smooth hard-to-reach spots. Fine-grain sandpaper can be used but do so very carefully.

4. Paint over the dried gesso'ed areas of the ship pieces and sections using art paintbrushes. Use ONLY ACRYLIC paints. (DO NOT use any other kinds, which would include enamel, oil, spray paint, tempera, and watercolor.)

It is advised that you use a new set of brushes, not the ones you used to apply the gesso. This is because the gesso will likely have worn out those brushes.

5. DO NOT apply gesso or paint to the top section of the U-Wing or its wings. There's no need to since the white poster board plating sections and wing decals already provide color.

6. TIP: DO NOT squirt gesso or paint onto a model piece/section from the bottle or tube. Put the gesso or paint first on a scrap piece of cardboard, and dab your paintbrush into that:





7. TIP: Avoid applying gesso and paint to areas that will not be seen when the U-Wing is fully assembled, and areas that will be covered with decals. You want to avoid wetting and weighing down the cardboard and paperboard with excess gesso/paint:





8. TIP: Black gesso can be used to block out text and graphics printed on cardboard. But it will make a lighter-colored acrylic paint painted over it a little darker.

9. TIP: When they're still wet, gesso and acrylic paint can be washed out of paintbrushes under running warm water. A dab of dish soap can be applied to the brush to help remove the paint. Paint thinner is not necessary; it doesn't work well for removing gesso or acrylic paint anyway.

Painting the plastic sections of the engines:

1. Apply BLACK GESSO to the engine mid-sections and end sections (which are made of plastic cups). The black will help cover up the graphics and text printed on the yogurt cups.

2. After the gesso has dried, paint the mid- and end sections with MULTI-SURFACE acrylic paint. (Regular acrylic paint will more easily flake off from the plastic after it has dried.)

3. Alternately: spray-paint the engines, if you are skilled at using spray paint. (You need to use a good quality spray paint that can bond to plastic.)

I suggest detaching the mid-section and end section from the main engine, so that you can spray-paint these sections separately. To do this (if you have already put these components together), carefully cut the rear rim of the main engine and unwrap it. Then you can pull the mid-section and end section off:





My personal paint color guide for the 1:18 scale cardboard U-Wing:

1. Apply BLACK GESSO to the arch, cannon housing, outer-facing sides of the interior wall mod plates, pilot seats (including stand and control panel), power reactor wall plate, rear heat fins piece, engine mid-section and engine end sections.

Apply WHITE GESSO to the remaining pieces/sections.

2. Paint with MATTE GRAY ACRYLIC: arch, cannon housing, pilot seats (including stand and control panel), power reactor wall plate, rear heat fins piece, engine mid-section:





3. Paint with MATTE BLACK ACRYLIC: the flight controls (and the stems they are attached to), and end sections of the engines:





4. Paint MATTE WHITE ACRYLIC: everything else.

5. For the top section of the U-Wing, use a white-out correction pen or white paint marker to fill in the gaps between the plating sections:





6. Paint in SILVER ACRYLIC: the troop bench:





7. DO NOT paint the underside of the wings. This will add weight to them, and probably cause them to bend. Leave them alone, since people will rarely see their undersides. If you still really want to cover the original cardboard, cut to fit and glue white paper sheets, or white construction paper, onto the undersides of the wings.

What is gesso?

It is a tacky paste that’s usually a mixture of acrylic paint, talcum powder, and white glue. You brush it over a canvas or wood to prep these surfaces for paint. For cardboard/paperboard models, it does the same thing and can also help protect the paper surface from getting soaked with excess paint. You can buy it from arts supply stores in a bottle or tube:





When dry, the gesso'd surface will feel chalky to the touch. This helps paint to stick to it.

TIP: as it starts to dry, gesso can be used to fill in small holes and narrow gaps between pieces of cardboard/paperboard:





Why only use acrylic paint?

Acrylic dries fast and doesn't consist of as much water and oil compared to other kinds of paint:





If you use other kinds of paint (e.g. enamel, spray paint, etc.), you risk wetting the cardboard a lot, which will likely warp and damage it.

NEVER slather on the gesso or acrylic paint. Brush on thinly, let dry, before you apply another layer -- but only if it's necessary to have more.

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #32 on: August 14, 2017, 09:28:51 PM »
U-wing 1:18 scale engine alternate build

It can be difficult to properly paint the plastic sections of the engine -- the paint might peel or flake off due to the flexible nature of the plastic cups. So here's an alternate way to add color to them, by glue-sticking paper wraps around these cups.

You can download the photo guide to this engine alternate build as a PDF. Or, scroll through the step-by-step photos at the second link below. (These photos also show a closer look at the layout pattern of the engine detailing that uses plastic wire ties.)

U-wing 1:18 scale engine alternate build guide (PDF file):

http://www.mediafire.com/file/tu7cl7m19ze4j6e/U-wing_1-18_scale_alternate_engine_midsection_and_end.pdf




















You can view the complete photo guide to this U-Wing engine alternate build here:

Rogue One U-Wing 1:18 (for 3.75" figures) -- UPDATES:

http://imgur.com/a/P8OP2

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #33 on: August 14, 2017, 09:31:07 PM »
U-Wing 1:18 scale massive photo dump coming on Force Friday!

I’ll be dumping a whole lot of photos of the fully finished 1:18 scale U-Wing on Force Friday (September 1). It will be nearly 200 pictures (or more than 200), which will include hero shots and close-ups that will reveal the nitty-gritty spots of this vehicle playset. Personally, I always clamor to see lots of shots whenever I’m admiring someone else’s model build, both flattering and unflattering shots. Since I always designed my U-Wing to be a kit for the public to download and make for themselves, I’m aiming to give you more than enough photos of the completed ship. So you’ll have tons of visual resources to refer to if you want to build your own.

Here’s a preview below -- and the whole Rogue One gang will be there. (Bodhi cost me $21 on ebay!)

And there’s going to be one last special thing added to this U-Wing… it’s hinted at in the fourth/last photo below...












« Last Edit: August 14, 2017, 09:32:55 PM by WhillsScholar »

Offline Tamer

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #34 on: August 15, 2017, 03:09:59 AM »
Talk about one fantastic project. I do love seeing how you did all this. Off to share the latest.

Offline FialaFernbrugg

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #35 on: August 25, 2017, 09:02:31 AM »
Every time I see a new update on your project I'm totally impressed by the detailing you create with cardboard.
Thank you very much for the detailed building instructions and keep up the great work.

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #36 on: August 31, 2017, 09:05:24 PM »
Massive photo dump of fully painted 1:18 scale U-Wing vehicle playset

Happy Force Friday! I’ve put online over 200 photos of the finished, fully painted 1:18 scale U-Wing vehicle playset.

Below is just sample. You can see the rest of the photos here:
http://imgur.com/a/VCxsf































Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #37 on: August 31, 2017, 09:09:32 PM »
But wait… there’s one more thing… :)











































https://youtu.be/7UYz6_bxYSQ

https://youtu.be/phsTSKVHhCw


Sound Add-on
(Implement the sound board from Revell’s U-Wing model)
http://www.mediafire.com/file/tvi784qvqab8q7d/U-wing_1-18_scale_Revell_sound_addon.pdf


Happy Force Friday, everyone!
« Last Edit: August 31, 2017, 09:33:14 PM by WhillsScholar »

Offline JDeck

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #38 on: September 01, 2017, 01:17:13 PM »
Daaaang dude this is amazing. Love the cannibalized lights and sound effects very cool.

Offline Tamer

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #39 on: September 02, 2017, 06:45:32 AM »
Wow, talk about one awesome project. Off to share the latest.

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #40 on: September 02, 2017, 11:31:39 PM »
Thanks for all the comments, everyone! For me, this project is finally FINISHED. *relief* :)

Which is fitting since the focus of SW is shifting to TLJ. (But the U-Wing will appear in the final season of REBELS.)

Feel free to message me directly if you are building this U-Wing and have questions or just to share your work -- I'd love to see it!

I was interviewed by MAKE Magazine about my 1:18 scale U-Wing:

makezine.com/2017/09/01/force-friday-fun-build-a-cardboard-u-wing-from-rogue-one/

Offline Tamer

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #41 on: September 03, 2017, 05:26:51 AM »
Cool deal. I can see why someone would want to interview you.

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #42 on: September 07, 2017, 03:12:08 PM »
Here are links that may be of interest to any who are interested in building cardboard models.

I recommend this guy's YouTube videos if you want to learn the basics of cutting cardboard properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E6UbAs2sCs

Here are two brief articles I recommend reading; they are about architecture modeling, but the general rules apply to building cardboard toys. (The first article says not to use box cutters, but ignore that since it's talking about building architecture models!)

https://youngarchitect.com/2014/03/31/building-architecture-models/
http://www.arch2o.com/make-impressive-architectural-model-complete-guide/

This guy has been building Star Wars vehicles out of cardboard for 3.75" a lot longer than I ever have. He built most of the Clone Wars era vehicles, and they are amazing. He also built his own U-Wing around the same time I was building mine. Seeing his work motivated me to up my game, adding more details to my U-Wing and building out its interior. If you are building your own U-Wing from my kit, this is the guy you have to thank for inspiring me to keep at it.

https://www.youtube.com/user/hoppyscreations

Here's another Star Wars vehicle builder to check out for inspiration. He builds ships for the 6" figures, and his building material of choice is styrene (plastic sheets mostly used for architecture models):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGIihDTqvNvcd4-wk2HC-7Q

So you want to build your own U-Wing, but need a 3.75" Cassian figure (the one that comes with Hasbro's U-Wing) -- but you don't to have to buy Hasbro's U-Wing and you can't find that Toys R Us exclusive two-pack with Cass and a Stormtrooper? This seller is selling spare Cassian figures that came from the factory in China that produced Hasbro's U-Wing.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Star-Wars-Rogue-One-Tie-Fighter-Pilot-Figure-Imperial-Trooper-Action-Figure-Model-Stormtrooper-Toys-for/32801575962.html
« Last Edit: September 07, 2017, 03:15:38 PM by WhillsScholar »

Offline Tamer

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #43 on: September 08, 2017, 02:29:10 AM »
Great links. Thank you.

Offline WhillsScholar

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Re: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures
« Reply #44 on: September 08, 2017, 02:57:21 AM »
3 more recommended links I forgot to add:

This guy restores old toys, many of which are vintage Star Wars. He created a custom interior for the vintage AT-AT, designing original decals for the inside. In another video, he shows how to bend clear plastic sheets to make a cockpit window for the Imperial Shuttle. Both of these techniques can apply also if you're designing your own original toy. (He also makes repro decal sheets and generously gives them away.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe-GOSNxXB8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avrIvBoCyp4

Of course you should bookmark the Rebelscum photo archive of Star Wars toy vehicles. I found this a great resource for studying the photos in order to be inspired by the "look and feel" of the way Kenner and Hasbro designed things.

http://www.rebelscum.com/hasbro.asp
http://www.rebelscum.com/VINvehicles.asp

GI Joe toys are no longer popular, unfortunately. But many of the vehicles Hasbro made are amazing and should be closely studied if you are aspiring to design your own vehicles for 3.75" figures. Hasbro made such huge vehicles for the Joe figures. Check out the Defiant space shuttle vehicle playset -- that thing is just nuts!

http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/
http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/87/defiant/