Time to Paint!

With everything built I moved on to the finish. The first thing I did was sand the entire model and filled any gaps that may still be present. When I was satisfied with that I primed the model. I like to use Tamiya Surface Primer Light. It's a very thin primer that doesn't fill in tiny details or clog scribed panel lines.

For the paint I wasn't sure which to use. Typically I use Tamiya model paint which I like alot especially when using it with an airbrush. When ILM painted their original models they used paint from a company called Floquil. Well, Floquil is still in business so I went ahead and ordered some paint and gave it a shot.

I started by spraying the whole model with Reefer White mixed with a little Gray. I let that dry overnight. The next day I lightly sanded the white with a very fine sand paper. Now it's time for the masking. There are alot of different stripes and marks on the XWing and there are a few different versions. I decided to go with Luke Skywalker's version - Red 5.

Alot of the colors may seem bright and pronounced at this point but they will become muted when I begin weathering.