Krieg Andomar, 501st Biker Scout (1/12 Model Kit Custom)

Now this is podracing!

"When I enlisted into the Empire’s endless roster of Storm Troopers, I had one goal in mind; to graduate into scout trooper corps.

"As a young boy growing on the Outer Rim of the galaxy, the Hutt-run podracing circuits were all I dreamed about. I loved the look of the racers, the smell of the burning atmosphere, and the thrill of the danger of flying just above the ground at 700 kilometers an hour. When I was 9, I saw a rookie racer by the name of Anakin Skywalker embarrass the top racers under the Hutts’ pay. Little did I know he would be taken into the Jedi Order and die in service of the Empire.

"When I made it into service as bucket-head, my skill on the 74-Z became renown within the Empire, to the point that Lord Vader invited me to join his personal entourage, the 501st. After the attack on Scariff though, I dropped from the service - took a nasty hit to my shooting arm.

“Discharged and broke, I stole my armor and bike, tricking them out to reflect my time in the 501st and to celebrate the legacy of old-school pod-racing. Who knows? Maybe if I take up bounty hunting I can pool the money together for a pod of my own.”

This is the Bandai 1/12 Biker Scout, with a custom paint job based on the 501st Clone Battalion and Anakin Skywalker’s Boonta Eve podracer. First time using an airbrush on a model kit, and I love the way the bike turned out. I had my pressure way too high on the scout and the paint went on a little unevenly, but I think it adds character.

I did this kit back in March and just couldn’t find the time (or a cold enough desert) to take pictures in. Hope you guys enjoyed.

25 Likes

Wow, that’s awesome. The story, the character, the work itself, overall great job.

2 Likes

That’s one great paintjob.

2 Likes

The scout trooper’s paint job is less than spectacular. The blues overlap far too frequently throughout and some of the edges, especially on the chest, are rather shoddy. If it looks like Ghid could somehow do it, it isn’t the best.

I say this because the paint work on the speeder bike is GODLY. The imperfections at the edges all make sense, fit perfectly, the blue stripes are precise and really fit the theme you’re going for. The streaked pattern on the front indicates a possible former life with a camo coat, and embellishes the story you’re trying to tell. (Even if that wasn’t the intent, it makes for excellent wear and streaking in spite of my initial perception)

All the cuts and grooves torn into the paint speak of a high-thrills, intense action post-service life, which is reflected by the startling red rust underneath and the grime collected on the edges of some of the most wind-tolerant portions. Yet the pilot still shows some respect for the appearance of the machine, because the front has clean-cut edges still visibly sharp, and the feet components and steering mechanisms are squeaky clean - too clean, in fact. My one major issue with the speeder is that the metal components I listed, along with the tubing visible on the side, don’t really look to be metallic or anything other than shiny plastic.

Overall, it’s sad that the scout trooper’s paint job didn’t live up to the incredible standard set by the speeder bike, which is absolutely phenomenal. Keep up the good work!

2 Likes

the 501st was replaced by vader’s fist when the empire came about