Revell U-Wing, Part 1: Cockpit

I just started work on my 1:100 scale U-Wing from Revell. This snap-together kit is generally simple and intended for young modelers. There are no sprues; the parts are trimmed, painted, and blister-packed. It also features a gimmick to illuminate the interior with a green LED and trigger a sound effect when you press a button on the rear engine deck. Although designed to be more of a toy than a model, I’m hopeful some extra effort with painting and weathering will bring it to life.

Here’s my progress so far: the completed cockpit and engine deck. If you’ve seen Rogue One, you can easily see that the interior isn’t remotely accurate. However, it is really nicely done! As for the engine, it certainly looks terrific and compares well to reference photos. The big, chunky, pre-assembled grey part houses the gimmick. A small speaker is located on the bottom and the light beams outward from the rear of the cockpit.

I really enjoyed the challenge of painting the two pilots - wow, are they small! I did my best to paint them to appear like the images I found of U-Wing pilots from Blue Squadron.

Next up: the 4 X-Wing style engines!