I built this model parallel with the bespin bi-pod cloud car. It was a period of intensive vacuum-forming. The cockpit dome, canopy and the rear section were vacuum-formed. I built the entire cockpit interior and a small Vader figure to fit inside the cockpit dome.

The cockpit`s canopy was vacuum-formed from clear PVC. This was a heck of a challenge, because clear PVC tends to bubble if it is heated to fast. I formed the canopy grid on top of the clear PVC to get an exact match.

I had to build the body of the ship in two halves. This was necessary for two reasons: to get an even horizontal separation line, and the fitting of the cockpit interior before final assembly.

I cut a sheet of styrene that matched the horizontal outline of the ship and glued the cockpit half-domes onto it. I then constructed the "shoulders" and the "spine" protruding from the dome. The construction of the body-halves was assembled on a 100% flat surface.

Before adding the vacuum-formed rear sections I made some styrene support ribs to ensure a durable and correct fitting to the rest of the construction. The ribs were added on the walls of the shoulders and the neck. Most of the details were kit-bashed from Italieri dump trucks or just made from scratch.

All the panel lines were scribed with a small and sharpened screwdriver. When you scribe panel lines in styrene sheets it is important to hold the tool steady and at an angle of approximately 70–80 degrees in the scribing direction. Use a ruler or a pre-made profile to steady the scribing tool. Just experiment on some discarded styrene sheets and you will see how it works. After scribing the panel lines, they have to be sanded. Use a fine quality sanding paper.

The wings were made from styrene. Styrene sheets are available in various thicknesses. I made an alignment jig for the wing assembly. This jig held the wing in position and at the right angle until the glued seams had dried properly. I test-fitted the whole construction before assembly.

I scribed the solar panels myself; a really silly thing to do when you can buy them pre-patterned from Evergreen plastics (US).

Final assembly of the body was really simple, I just smeared the parts with glue and clamped them together. The cockpit canopy had to wait though as it had to be applied after the model had been painted.

I base-coated the model, and painted it in Humbrol enamels. I always use an airbrush to ensure a good finish.