I'm going to be painting my TIE Defender in FO colors, and I was wondering if any one had experience painting a Defender? I want to get it right the first time.

It's fiddly as heck. The solar panels are quite deep.

Easiest way is an airbrush, if you have one.

Either way, you'll want to pop at least 2 of the wings off, possibly all 3, for the painting process. It'll make life a LOT easier.

15 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

It's fiddly as heck. The solar panels are quite deep.

Easiest way is an airbrush, if you have one.

Either way, you'll want to pop at least 2 of the wings off, possibly all 3, for the painting process. It'll make life a LOT easier.

I was afraid it might involve some deconstruction. That might change my plans.

Just now, schmidty1701 said:

I was afraid it might involve some deconstruction. That might change my plans.

Don't let it, the deconstruction is trivial. The wings are held on by keyed sockets, but they're only a couple of mm deep, so they will snap of will a little hand pressure, and they're easy to superglue back on.

10 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

Don't let it, the deconstruction is trivial. The wings are held on by keyed sockets, but they're only a couple of mm deep, so they will snap of will a little hand pressure, and they're easy to superglue back on.

Mehhhhh..... I can't say I'd look forward to that.

Seriously, it's really, really easy, and non-destructive. All you'll be snapping is a glue bond.

Just now, thespaceinvader said:

Seriously, it's really, really easy, and non-destructive. All you'll be snapping is a glue bond.

Well.... alright. Thank you for your help.

From what I hear (no direct experience), drop the little bugger into the freezer for a hour. It makes the glue brittle and easier to pop. Like I say, second hand tip there, but it could help. Can't wait to see your fresh paint job!

1 minute ago, Kleeg005 said:

From what I hear (no direct experience), drop the little bugger into the freezer for a hour. It makes the glue brittle and easier to pop. Like I say, second hand tip there, but it could help. Can't wait to see your fresh paint job!

That makes two of us! I'll be doing it the long way, with a steady hand and a brush. Any painting tips? I'm using Citadel paint (the only model paint my game stoe has).

No specific tips for Imps, I'm afraid. I've not done a ton with them, as I mostly fly Scum swarms. Just the general, then: thin your paints, multiple coats, etc., etc.

THin your paints, use lots of layers, washes are the best thing in the world.

No one here can answer you from experience... everyone who's tried has ended up in an insane asylum!

(buuut, seriously, you can find a couple here in this sub-forum, but i believe the consensus from those that have is that it's insanely fiddly - not just awkward access angles, but the sheer number of individual panels to pick out)

Good luck!

The best advice I can offer is to pop the wings off before you begin painting. If you're gentle you can wiggle them free of their mounts without breaking any plastic. This makes them 10 times easier to paint, in one piece the angles you'd be required to navigate your brush around are genuinely unpleasant.

The Solar panels still need some work, but that can wait. 3 hours non-stop...

Also, I managed to paint the shop without removing the wings. It was incredibly hard, but I was able to get a good layer of black paint everywhere.