Model Baron is closing!

One of the most asked questions I get asked on my channel is "where did you get that model?". Honestly, you'd be surprised how often I get this question. And the answer is simple, Model Baron Hobbies in Lethbridge.

Sadly Model Baron Hobbies is closing its doors next month. This has been my model store for well over 20 years. The shop owner is an awesome guy who has been keeping the shelves stocked with the latest kits. He's even special ordered many products for me that you've seen demonstrated on the channel, and this blog. 

I was really sad going into Model Baron for what could be my last trip but also knowing that the store will be closing. I have to admit I didn't want to go to the store, saying goodbye was going to be difficult for me. But I have to also admit, I'm excited for the owner as he's venturing into retirement and keeping Model Baron opened in a smaller capacity, which I've dubbed "Mobile Baron Hobbies".

I was really grateful to the owner for allowing me to take these pictures of the shop. Please keep in mind that the shelves look a bit barren it's just because of the discount sale that's been going on. Before this, you had to spend a lot of time in the shop carefully looking over everything.

The Model Baron Hobbies sign that I painted in 2020 when they moved to this new location.

The store's "guard dog" Bella, who is fueled mostly by hugs and Timbits. She's a big sweetie!

Blue Squadron X-Wing Blue Paint tests!

 As I mentioned in my previous posting on Blue 2, the Blue X-Wings were replaced with Red in Star Wars A New Hope. However, a few pictures of the original Blue Leader studio model still survive. Blue Leader was repainted into Wedge Antillies X-wing Red 2 later on.

I still want to build my Blue 2 model and later on a Blue Leader to add to my collection of X-wings. However, I've had a terrible time figuring out what exact blue was used for these X-wings. In the movie Rogue One, they are quite inconsistent in their color. At times it's a very bright medium blue and other times it's quite a dark navy blue. 

Original Blue Leader X-wing. 

I wanted to use the new Archive-X paints, which are designed to replicate the Star Wars color pallete as close as possible to the colors ILM used while creating models for the film. Sadly the real colors are no longer produced so I went to see what Archive-X had for paints. 

They produce Enamel and Acrylic paints, however, their Acrylics are Latex based, or similar to Vallejo Air paints. And I really don't like using these types of paints, I find them difficult to spray on consistently and without the needle getting dried paint. So I opted to try, with the help of a few of my modeling friends to find what I could mix as a proper Blue Squadron color.

Blue Leader showing several shades of  blue down the fuselage

but still being a lot brighter than the original 1976 model.

I started with a paint test of Tamiya XF-8 Flat Blue, and this color looks okay, but it's still too bright. So my next idea was to darken it with XF-27 Sea Blue, at around a 50-50 mix. 

I started with 6 drops of XF-8, and then I began adding the 6 drops of XF-27. But when I got to 3 drops I realized the XF-27 was going to be too dark and overpower the Flat Blue so I mixed the paint and sprayed it on my test spoon. 

In the end, it's actually not a bad color, and I think if you were building a studio scale Blue Leader this would look really nice. But for my smaller scale models, and in this case, 1:144th scale, I'll need this to be a bit brighter.

I decided since the XF-27 was so overpowering I'd only add one drop to the mix this time. So again 6 drops of XF-8 and one XF-27. And I think that this is a really close color for the Rogue One X-wings!

It's still got that bright blue tone of XF-8, but that drop of XF-27 really brought the color down to the level I wanted. Of course, the next step will be to build the model and then paint it on, but as far as I'm concerned this is the color I will be using and possibly using on the Bandai 1:144 U-wing, assuming that they use the same color as the X-wings?

Every year there are a few new paint companies on the market that all the modelers have to invest in. Some are good and others are... lacking. I still love using Tamyia acrylics as they are really easy to airbrush and they mix together really well. The XF-8 I used during these test was old, and so that's why there are "bits" in the paint tests. So when I am finally able to paint my X-wings I'm going to be using brand new paints for this. 

I do feel sort of bad about doing this as I really wanted to try these new Archive-X paints, but as I mentioned I find Acrylic-Latex paints too frustrating, and I'm not that interested in using Enamels anymore. But I'm glad I was able to find a good mix for these subjects. Now I have no excuse, I'm finally able to build Blue 2... once I finally finish all my other modeling projects!

And a special thanks to Greg and Blake for their help with this project.

Blue 2 X-wing Reference Pictures

With the release of Rogue One audiences and long time Star Wars fans were treated to what was one extinct Blue Squadron. Originally ILM painted the X-wings in A New Hope blue. However, this color didn't work against the blue screens they were filming against and was subsequently changed to the Red Squadron we all know today. 

With all the information on the internet today, I'm surprised that finding proper pictures of Blue Squadron X-wings is a difficult task. I've wanted to build Blue 2 for a while now and I couldn't find much of anything on this X-wing. So these are images I managed to capture of Blue 2 from the film.

Blue 2 wing, just as the shields went up.

Blue 2 making an attack on a Star Destroyer. It seems that some of Blue 2's markings were similar to Blue Leader/Blue1. However, the stripe down the hull is broken up in a similar style to Luke's Red 5 X-wing. Also noting that Blue 2 carries an R5 astromech droid.

The other side of the fuselage features 3 blue sections.

It appears that the main colors on this X-wing are Blue, Light Grey, and Yellow Tan panel sections. The engines look pretty clean and only painted a light grey.  In the original series the X-wings were painted with many different colors, it seems that Blue Squadron is kept to these three main colors.

I'm going to keep searching the film and internet for more pictures of Blue 2. I still haven't quite identified the color of the R5 unit, though I suspect it was white with red highlights as seen in ANH. But based on one picture it also looks silver?
 

Update

I found these other pictures, they are from earlier in the film, and I found a continuity error. This is Blue 2, and Blue Leader is in the X-wing behind it. The scene follows Blue 2 heading towards the shield opening, and then the camera focuses on Blue Leader. Both X-wings pass through the shield gate before it's closed. After it's closed 2 X-wings crash into the shield and then Blue 2 pulls up narrowly missing a similar fate. 

Also I'm more convinced now that the astromech is a standard R5 unit in the same markings at the ones seen in A New Hope.

Bandai Razor Crest

 With the explosion of popularity that is the hit show The Mandalorian, there was a huge lack of merchandise as Disney was focusing on the newest and last film in the trilogy The Rise of Skywalker.  Unfortunately for Disney they didn't expect The Mandalorian to be as popular as it was, and fans were screaming for anything Mando to stock add to their collections.

For us modeling fans we were expecting news from Bandai with a new kit announcement. But we didn't get anything for over a year. 

Finally in 2021 Bandai announced a Razor Crest and 1:12 Mandalorian buildable figure. There would be 2 versions of each; Silver Plated to recreate the Beskar Armour, and a standard kit molded in silverish plastic. 

There's a lot of resentment towards Bandai with this kit, as many find the smaller scale off-putting. And I can agree with many to an extent. But the reality is... I love Bandai, and despite the size I know I'm going to have fun with this kit. 

I didn't expect to get one of these, except to order it out of Japan. But this past week, a new stock showed up at my local comic book store, and I quickly pestered the store to put one aside for me (thank you again). Well today I got it, and it's everything I was hoping for!

Sadly no decals as usual with the smaller Bandai kits, but I'll be painting these markings on.

This is a great-looking kit, it's a shame that it's taken this long to get a Razor Crest model kit onto the market. 

For those who aren't impressed because of the scale don't worry as Revell Germany and Round 2 under the AMT brand are each coming out with their own Razor Crest in 1:72nd scales later on in the year or early 2022.

I'm eager to see this one done and I'm going to work on it as soon as this is published. It will be fun to see this next to my 1:144 X-wing and Millennium Falcon.