TIE Brute
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/0/3/9/793039-27411-80-720.jpg)
Started on the Bandai kit. The cockpit interior and outer shell fit into the conversion kit ball. I cut the ends of the arms to fit onto the wings to make a more positive connection and cut down the pillars on the arms to fit into the new shell.
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/0/4/0/793040-27411-11-720.jpg)
The Bandai wings need the detail on the inside centre boss shaved off. Also used the Green Strawberry masks for the panels - sadly they don't fit (too small) and will need strips of masking tape around the edges.
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/0/4/1/793041-27411-99-720.jpg)
The cut-off arms glued to the wings.
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The holes in the conversion parts which connect to the wings had a circular profile - I filed them to fit the shape of the stubs from the bandai kit.
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Test fit onto the wing panels.
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I replaced the barrels on the conversion kit guns (which were slightly warped) with brass tube.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/0/4/4/793044-27411-99-720.jpg)
Bandai interior built and painted. I'm using a Fine Molds pilot I pulled out of an old kit (to save painting).
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Bandai fuselage built and ready to go into the conversion kit.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/0/4/7/793047-27411-16-720.jpg)
The 3D printed resin ball comes in 2 pieces, which had spread apart a bit. I dipped them in hot water and pushed them into a conical glass to push them back into the right shape. Took a couple of goes and wasn't quite perfect (but better than when I started!)
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/0/4/9/793049-27411-43-720.jpg)
I also added some wire pins to make a more secure joint.
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Main ball being glued together with Bandai fuselage inside, all glued with 5 minute epoxy.
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Front ring inserted, with a stand-in Bandai cockpit glass inserted. Also added the top hatch and the detail piece between the hatch and front ring.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/0/9/8/793098-27411-88-720.jpg)
Top view of top hatch. It arrived with some chips in the thin frame around the glass which were repaired using Aves. I also didn't like the fit of the transparent resin glass piece, which sat too deep, so I cut out the individual sections and inserted them to the depth I wanted. Some filler was still needed on the join between the halves of the ball.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/0/9/9/793099-27411-17-720.jpg)
The rear section also has a clear window insert, which also didn't fit well - it stood proud of the frame. I glued some bits of scrap styrene between the parts to get it sitting at the level I wanted. Also it shouldn't be a window so I've painted it dark grey and masked it.
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/1/0/0/793100-27411-82-720.jpg)
The gun turret has had it's glass inserted - painted silver behind and transparent red on the front. This piece also came with a damaged section around the bottom gun insert. I've started repairing that with Aves as well.
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/0/9/6/815096-27411-95-720.jpg)
There was a bit of a step when offering up the rear section to the ball so I glued some styrene strip around the flat section to build it up
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/0/9/7/815097-27411-99-720.jpg)
Here the added strip has been sanded to match the rest of the ball and the rear section glued on.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/0/9/8/815098-27411-25-720.jpg)
All the main fuselage pieces put together and primed. Still a bit of filling and sanding needed.
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/5/9/5/815595-27411-52-720.jpg)
Wings glued on (luckily the fuselage isn't glued yet as I noticed the gun ball is upside-down).
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/0/5/7/817057-27411-13-720.jpg)
I like to put my Star Wars kits on Fine Molds type bases. I still had an unused TIE Fighter base but the larger ball on the Brute won't fit - I had to extend the upper arms with 1.5 mm styrene sheet
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/0/5/8/817058-27411-62-720.jpg)
The base glued together, with some added stiffening supports for the longer arms
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/0/5/6/817056-27411-81-720.jpg)
I wanted to add some red reflectors in the engine exhausts, so I glued some 2 mm reflectors on the ends of some 2 mm rod. I've drilled out the exhausts on the kit and these will be glued in when the paint is done
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![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/2/3/2/827232-27411-95-720.jpg)
Comments
5 18 June 2020, 00:29
![](/profiles/img/27411-254-s.jpg)
The kit is designed and sold as a 3D print by Ron Gamble, through his Facebook page: facebook.com/RonGambleModelwerks/
25 July 2020, 13:16
Album info
This is a 3D printed conversion kit of the TIE/rb Brute as seen in the Solo film. It is produced by Ron Gamble Modelwerks, using wings and interior from a Bandai TIE Fighter kit.