Almodelling

As the last 4 post as been lost (some might says their legend now not canon) it's time to reliving the moment and post it again before the final submission

This update was probably one of the biggest painting sessions of the project so far.

With the main colour palette established, I continued painting both the engines and the cockpit, working panel by panel to break up the large surfaces while keeping the overall green, off-white and yellow colour scheme consistent across the podracer.

The mechanical areas received the same treatment. Pipes, fittings and smaller components were picked out in different metallic tones: steel, darker gunmetal shades, copper and a few brighter highlights, to avoid having one large uniform mass of metal. These variations are still fairly subtle for now, as most of their character will come from the weathering stages that follow.

Then came one of the stages I had been waiting for since designing them a few weeks ago: the custom sponsor decals.

Seeing the logos finally applied to the actual podracer was strangely satisfying. What started as a small worldbuilding exercise while I was travelling has now become part of the physical model, and I really like how they help sell the idea of a locally built racing machine covered with sponsors, markings and repairs accumulated over time.

Once everything was sealed, I started damaging all that nice clean paint again.

Chipping was done with a combination of sponge and brush work, concentrating it around exposed edges, access panels and areas that would naturally receive more handling or impacts. I then moved on to panel lining across the engines, cockpit and bodywork.

That stage also gave me the week's little workshop disaster.

I normally use white spirit without any issue, but the substitute I used this time behaved very differently. It attacked the paint in a few places and, more annoyingly, caused several small panels on the bodywork to come loose. Nothing impossible to repair, fortunately, but definitely a reminder that two products sold for roughly the same purpose can behave very differently on a model.

After a few repairs, the weathering continued with oil streaking across the engines, cockpit and body panels. At this stage I am trying to build the dirt progressively rather than applying one heavy global wash: individual leaks, grime collecting around panels and directional streaks that suggest the speed and airflow around the racer.

There are still two major weathering passes before I can finally call the podracer itself painted.

Next will be corrosion, oil and fluid leaks, and some dust accumulation, followed by the hotter effects: exhaust staining, smoke, heat discoloration and burn marks around the engines.

And then... the podracer should finally be ready to meet Lothal.