Commander Scale

What started as a loose idea and a collection of completely different materials now stands in front of me as a finished Podracer.

The basis of the build was created from bubble solution containers, lighter parts, plastic containers, polystyrene and a large amount of greebles. Step by step, these materials were turned into two custom engines, the cockpit, the connection systems and finally the complete silhouette of the vehicle.

For the paint scheme, I deliberately wanted to move away from anything that felt too military and create something that would fit naturally into the world of Star Wars. The neutral grey base, heavily worn orange markings, metallic areas, washes, oils, atmospheric dirt and pigments were all used to give the racer the impression that it has already survived far more than just one race.

The connection between the two engines was also completely scratchbuilt. The bundled energy between the engines was made from wire and deliberately painted pink to give the RAXXON its own visual identity.

For the presentation, a fully custom-built desert base was added at the end. The final pigments were only applied at this stage so that the vehicle and the environment would share the same dust and colour palette instead of looking like two separate elements.

From individual scraps, everyday materials and an idea came:

RAXXON XR-170
XR-170 Twin-Engine Podracer

A completely original scratchbuild — and one of those projects where the journey was almost as important as the finished result.

This is Podracing.

Final Pigment Work

The final pigment stage is now complete.

Different sand and earth tones were used across the base to add more depth and variation, with darker pigments worked into selected areas first and lighter tones used afterwards to blend everything together.

The same dusty tones were then carried onto the Podracer to visually connect the engines and cockpit with the desert environment and make the whole display feel more cohesive.

Building the Desert Base

With the main weathering on the Podracer complete, the next step was to finally give the project a proper environment.

The base was built up as a dry desert surface with uneven terrain, small ridges, scattered stones and subtle surface variation to keep it from looking too flat or artificial.

Once the basic structure was finished, the engines and cockpit could finally be positioned properly and the scratchbuilt connection lines added between them.

This stage really helped bring the whole project together and made the Podracer feel like a complete display piece rather than three separate components.

Next up: final pigment work to blend the vehicle and the terrain together.

Weekly Update – Scratchbuilt Podracer

The weathering stage is now complete across both engines and the cockpit section.

Washes, atmospheric dirt, oils and subtle colour variation were used to break up the grey surfaces and bring out the scratchbuilt details, while keeping the overall appearance consistent across all three major components.

At this point I’m calling the vehicle weathering finished. Final sand and dust pigments will be added later, once everything is integrated into the display.

Next step will be the base itself, followed by the final positioning of the cockpit and engines and the scratchbuilt connection lines between them.

Slowly starting to look like a complete Podracer now.

First Oil Weathering – Engine Update

I’ve now started the next weathering stage on the Podracer.

After the previous layers with washes, Streaking Grime and Atmospheric Dirt, I moved on to oils for the first time. The goal was not to create obvious colour effects, but to introduce subtle tonal variation and give the metallic surfaces more depth and a slightly heat-stressed appearance.

For this pass I mainly used Starship Filth, Cyan and Purple. The oils were applied in very small amounts and then blended back with White Spirit until only faint colour shifts remained.

This was my first time working with oils, so I approached the process carefully and built the effect up gradually. I’m very happy with how much extra life and variation it added to the engine without overpowering the existing paintwork, edge highlights and chipping.

The weathering is still not finished. More grime, localized wear, rust effects and, at the very end, dust and sand pigments will follow to tie the Podracer into its desert environment.

Second Engine – Paintwork and Chipping

Progress on the second engine has been noticeably faster, as the overall colour direction had already been established with the first one.

The base and detail colours continue to follow the cockpit and the first engine, keeping the whole Podracer visually consistent and making the different sections feel like parts of the same machine.

Once the main paintwork was in place, I added edge highlights and Gun Metal sponge chipping to bring out the many raised details, edges and mechanical surfaces.

Because of the amount of exposed piping, cables, housings and smaller technical components, a large part of the work is still done by hand with a brush.

Both engines are now getting closer to the same stage. The actual weathering with washes, oils, grime and further wear will only begin once both engines are fully prepared.

So this is still very much a WIP stage — but the overall look is starting to come together.

FIRST ENGINE PAINTWORK COMPLETE. 🔧

The first engine has now reached the end of its main paint stage.

All base colours and mechanical details are in place, followed by edge highlights and Gun Metal sponge chipping to break up the surfaces and add the first signs of wear.

Because of the amount of exposed machinery, pipes and small technical components, this section took quite a bit of time to work through. The colour choices were kept in line with the cockpit so the whole racer continues to develop a consistent visual language.

The actual weathering is still to come. Washes, oils, grime and further wear will only be added once the second engine has reached the same stage, so both engines can be weathered as one coherent pair.

For now, engine one is complete and ready for the next phase.

The base paintwork on the cockpit is now finished, including the smaller technical details, controls, piping and color accents. With that done, I moved on to the first major weathering stage and completed the chipping across the racer.

The wear is deliberately focused on exposed edges and high-traffic areas, with heavier damage across some of the outer panels. At the moment, parts of the chipping still look quite pronounced — intentionally. The following weathering stages will tone everything down and tie the different surfaces together.

Next up is a matte clear coat to seal the current work. After that, I’ll move into washes, grime, streaking and more localized weathering to build depth and give the whole racer a more used and mechanically worn appearance.

The basic paintwork is done. Now the real weathering begins.

Brush Work Session #2

This week’s progress focused entirely on brush painting the cockpit section of the scratchbuilt Podracer.

After completing the revised base coat, I decided to change the painting workflow. Instead of applying the racing colours first, I’m now painting all mechanical details before moving on to the orange accent colour and weathering. With the amount of pipes, cables, housings and small technical components, this approach gives me a much better impression of the final balance before committing to the colour layout.

It may not look like a huge step at first glance, but every single detail is painted individually. Sessions like this are time-consuming, yet they add the depth and visual complexity that I want this build to have.

Next up is continuing the brush work on the remaining assemblies before finally introducing the racing livery.

As always, thanks for following the project and for all the valuable feedback along the way!

A productive weekend at the bench.

After looking at the first base coat for a while, I wasn’t completely happy with how it represented the surfaces of the engines. Instead of pushing ahead, I decided to take a step back and rethink my painting approach.

Rather than treating the previous coat as a mistake, I used it as the foundation. I added a subtle re-shading with NATO Black and NATO Brown before carefully building up several translucent layers of a lighter grey. The goal wasn’t to completely cover the previous work, but to create more depth and variation while keeping the shadows and technical details visible.

I’m much happier with the result now. The lighter modulation gives the engines a more convincing sense of scale, and all the scratchbuilt details read much better under the paint.

With the base colour finally locked in, I can move on to what I’ve been looking forward to the most: metallics, orange racing markings, chipping and weathering.

Slowly but surely, this racer is starting to develop its own personality.