Clone Wars Republic Fighter Tank

[Jayson]

Okay, but how do we know he wasn't wearing Levis jeans based on that shot?  My point is that I'm willing to take some things on faith.  Do you happen to have a picture that shows the Republic Fighter Tank Vehicle on screen all weathered the way you'd like?

On screen no, but this would work or the deco on the front of the box would have been just fine.

Nice pic of the sandtroopers. I meant to type "stormtroopers," but was actually thinking you would bring up the dirty sandtroopers while I was typing.   LOL! Roll Eyes  I'm not saying the imperials never get dirty, just that its more common to see them and their goodies all fresh and tidy clean.  Intended or not, that's how I always think of them.

I knew you did, I was busting your balls.   When it comes to the Stormtroopers, I think they should be clean/spotless as they spend most of their time standing around hallways. Throw a dirty version out every now and then for Endor and I'd be fine - same with Biker Scouts.

[JediJman]

Enough chit chat - our Kubies just arrived!!!  I'll hold off on opening anything until we can figure out a time to meet up.  Must resist temptation to open...

[Jesse James]

Weathering has various levels of intensity though...  A simple "wash" can put a little grime into the right areas, and washes (in model-making) tend to highlight detail, and help to achieve a look of "depth".  Pretty much EVERY model used in the saga had a wash on it, as EVERYTHING has some level of "shadow" to it.  Washes, while a weathering tool for modelers, are also used to show depth, dimension, etc. 

I'd prefer to see a light wash then on some of the ships...  I'm not so into heavy weathering though.

For instance the "battle damaged" deco of the TIE Bomber is not very good quality at all...  The ship's fantastic, but if they wanted something more battleworn I think a simple black wash, left on a little thicker, looks better.  Same with Gunships, etc.  Big giant spots of silver look bad...   Wash looks realistic.

Looking at the Death Star, it's spotless on the interior, but the exterior is "grimey"...  It's nowhere near pristine.  The same applies to TIE Fighters.  Look at the models closely and they're "worn".  Not to the extent the Rebel fighters are with their replaced armor panels, streaks of blaster burns and such, but they're still in a wash.  A good example of this being done right is the grey big-wing TIE Fighter (the 1st BW TIE they put out at TRU a while back).  It's got a wash, it shows the ship has been used, but it lacks the heavy wear/tear Rebel fighters are shown to have in the movie...

The A-Wings are pretty good examples of HEAVY weathering, and while film accurate to existing models, they're also a little cookie cutter looking if you buy multiples.  Takes customizing to make a good assortment ultimately.

The AT-AT's in ESB, AT-ST's in ROTJ, AT-TE's, etc., all look fairly used though...  So I think at least a wash is good to show some use, but still have a well-maintained look to them.

Looking around at photos of current and past conflicts in the real world though, you can see that "used" look without it looking like it was beat to hell.  The US military is strict about keeping their armor clean, but if you look through photos of Bradley's, Abrams, Stryker's, etc., you see how there's inevitable dust/dirt.

So my $.02 as it were, is washes are a good thing and help add depth/realism to a vehicle...  They don't look "worn", or poorly kept, but rather just more realistic.  Big heavy weathering though?  Unless it's for a very specific ship/fighter (Luke's XW on Dagobah, one of the more distinct speeders on Hoth, etc.), then I think "less is more" should be the mantra. 

Washes though, I'm totally ok with.

[Jayson]

I don't disagree with any of that Jesse. Ultimately, "washes" are what I'm meaning when I said/say "weathering" - just something to make panels and details "pop".

[speedermike]

WOW.  I started a real debate.  While I kinda get the "fresh off the factory floor" feel, that, to me, is not Star Wars.  Sure the Empire was pristine and new, but that was indeed done to further the sense of a dehumanized machine.  And I've always realted more to the rebels than the Empire. In fact, it's the only thing lacking on the BMF is a knock-out paintjob.   There's very little detail in the paint job.

[Jesse James]

Exactly Jayson!  That's kind of the actual point of "washes" in doing scale modeling...  They're more to pop panels, and give hair a layered look and things...  Washes are less grime, and more a way to bring something small out of the realm it is locked into.  It gives shadow where there otherwise is none, etc. 

They can be used for griming things up too, completely, or giving leather a look that simple molded plastic rarely can achieve (though Dr. Evazan's vest is surprisingly nicely marbeled looking). 

A little black wash would've given the every day look to the V-19 that I think it needed.  A good wash is hard for a toy company to achieve usually, but something is better than nothing to me. 

Plus nothing's driven off the factory into combat ever...  Well, unless you were cranking out tanks in the factories of Staligrad...  Then, yeah, they were cranking out tanks and sending them right into combat, haha.

[Greg]

Picked up the tank yesterday, it's awesome to have gotten two awesome vehicles in less than a year. (the Vulture Droid being the other) I like the lack of stickers, and the lack of weathering/washes didn't bother me much. I never feel let down by the factory fresh look, but the TAC AAT definitely shows how some extra paint can make a good toy look great.