I've done a few Fine Molds TIE Fighters, also Japanese import kits, and was curious how these stacked up. Getting a new Force Awakens kit didn't hurt either.
One of the first things I noticed was the kit had multiple colored molds, depending on where the parts where. It also has two options for the entry hatch and the cockpit glass, one with glass and one more "studio style" without glass, where the reflections don't obstruct the view. While Finemolds parted the glass separate from the piece, this is an interesting choice. I always glassed my other TIEs, and I might change that on this kit. I'm still undecided.
One other interesting thing is it comes with two sheets of decals...one that are waterslide decals, and once that is actually stickers. Thinking about it being Bandai, I guess this isn't TOO surprising (their Gundam kits use stickers instead of waterslide decals normally), but still an interesting decision, though I certainly won't use the stickers at all. I guess this will let junior modelers get decent results without having to get too far into expert mode.
I'm also filming this as I go, and soon I will post the link to the Youtube video as to the ins and outs of building this. For now, I was able to assemble the interior, which is, to me, far superior to the Fine Molds kit. There are more accurate details in there by far, and its parted out pretty well. I still haven't decided whether to put the pilot in the cockpit...I tend to leave them out, as I want to showcase the vehicle, not my miniature painting, and this most likely won't be any different.
There are a few other pieces the enclose the cockpit, but once assembled, will make painting the interior quite difficult, so they were joined together and test fitted to the cockpit. They get their own decals more in line with the movie than the set Fine Molds had. This entire section has to be completed before moving forward with the main assembly, so the build stops here while I prime and paint the interior.
Thanks for looking!
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