Building and Detailing the R/M Babylon 5 Starfury Mk.I By John Lester

The science fiction series Babylon 5 quickly gained a reputation for original and elegant spacecraft designs. Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, nobody argues that these ships are wildly different from what we've seen on screen before. Fans waited a long time before a major manufacturer finally acquired a license to produce some of them, suffering through waves of poorly made inaccurate and expensive resin kits. Finally, Revell/Monogram announced it would produce at least two kits - and there was much rejoicing.

The first of these kits, the Starfury Mk I, finally debuted in the US in January 1998. The model depicts the standard one-man fighter used by the Earth Alliance in the 23rd Century. Sales surprised everyone - especially the manufacturer. It soon became almost impossible to find as store after store sold out. R/M was so impressed with sales they not only started up the production line again, they decided to put out another version of the kit, with different decals and better instructions (to be released in November '98). Despite its popularity, there are a lot of complaints about this model. It does not fall together right out of the box. With time, patience, and a little effort, however, you can build up an impressive replica. Here's how:

What You Get

Upon opening the flimsy box, you'll find two large sprues of grey plastic, one clear piece, decals and instructions (total 56 parts). Detail is crisp throughout. The cartoonish plasma cannon is a disappointment. So is the fit of most of the parts. The instructions are useable, though wrong in at least one step. Decals are probably the biggest complaint. Markings for five versions are provided, though the decals are thick and glossy, and the instructions warn you not use setting aids with them. Scale is given as 1:72, which may or may not be correct depending on how you measure.

Construction

Assembly is straightforward, and you can even follow the sequence outlined in the instructions without going far wrong. However, it's easier to rearrange the steps. Assemble the fuselage and the upper/lower "wings" separately, then mate them. Paint and detail the cockpit, then drop it in. Fix the guns and place them where they belong then mask the canopy and slip into place. Paint the "ion stream suppression tines" (those eight vanes on the back of the thrusters) but leave them off until the very end. Simple enough in theory right?

The inner, ribbed structures and outer wings to not fit well (parts 4,8,10 and 3,6,7). Glue the pieces together and spread putty on the gaps around the edges. Carefully sand smooth - I've found that I've had to putty, spray on some primer to reveal any flaws, fill and sand again to get these areas looking right.

Next assemble the lower inner wings. The thruster halves usually don't line up exactly. The panel lines either won't meet across the join or you'll sand them off smoothing out a step between the pieces. On my first kit, I carefully repaired the lines using ‘one pound test’ fishing line superglued into place. On my second and subsequent kits I sanded all the raised lines off the kit (this looks more accurate anyway, as the on-screen ’model’ doesn't have panels with noticeable division lines as it does panels in different shades of grey and lots of streaking and weathering). You'll also find the lower inner wings do not extend all the way to the fuselage, leaving a 1/32nd inch gap (at best). Most people fill this in with putty or gap filling superglue. However, close examination of the ships seen on the screen indicates this gap should actually be there. Sand off the mounting stubs for the upper cannon at this point. You can't assemble the guns in place properly in the sequence shown in the instructions, and you can't slip them in later if those stubs are in the way.

Thankfully, the maneuvering and main thruster nozzles fit without trouble. The instructions are muddy on the exact placement of the aft nozzles (four parts numbered 19). Make sure the large "tabs" to which the ion suppression tines will attach are parallel with the wings - one of them should rest along the inside edge of the upper and lower wings (parts 3 and 4).

Next, paint and detail the cockpit and pilot. The molded in detail is OK - you could add more in the way of cable runs, a joystick and ejection handles but a lot of this detail will be hard to see once you get that canopy in place. There are two ejection handles above and to either side of the pilot's head. These I made from bits snipped from a pin. The cables that run along the inside edges of the canopy and instrument display (part 22) were made from individual strands of stereo wire. The joystick that sits on the right arm of the acceleration couch can't be placed without surgery to the pilot figure, so I didn't make one. Note that decal 34, the instrument display, should be placed on part 22, not the inside of the canopy as the instructions suggest.

The instructions for painting the cockpit and pilot are wrong. The pilot's pressure suit is a dark metallic grey, with black elbow and kneepads, and a black "sash". Paint his visor glossy black and forget the little face decal. The actual set used for filming pilots in the cockpit is painted a green close to SAC Bomber Green (FS 34159). The acceleration couch is a medium grey with brown leatherette cushions and an almost black headrest. The best reference for this area can be found here, which has photos of the cockpit sets. You can replicate the red glow of the usual cockpit lighting by spraying Tamiya Clear Red over everything after you've painted the cockpit (but before you glue on the instrument display).

Now, fix those guns (parts 15,16,17 and 18). At the very least, drill the kit parts out - including the small cannon on the rear of the fuselage (molded at the bottom of part 6). Better yet, make new main guns. Saw off the barrels on all four parts. They actually should look like two cylinders, one inside the other, and not a stack of pancakes. Cut four pieces of 1/4" diameter tube 1/4" long, and four more pieces of 3/16th-inch diameter tube 5/16 inches long. (Evergreen tubes #226 and #228 work well for this). Bevel one end of each piece to a 45-degree angle. Now place the 1/4" diameter bits where you cut of the kit pieces, then slip the 3/16" pieces inside them. After this has dried, fill in the gaping holes on the backside of the guns. I use a block of styrene and putty over the top to smooth it out, as the amount of putty needed to fill in these holes ends up melting the plastic.

Mounting the upper guns is tricky. Slip them in from the back into a thin layer of superglue. Position them so they are resting along the inner edge of the wing (they shouldn't actually touch it, but that's almost impossible to avoid), with the tip of the barrel about 3/16th of an inch back from the forward edge of the cockpit. Use a toothpick to apply more glue on the inside edges to hold it in place. The gap between the upper gun mount and fuselage shouldn't be there, so carefully install a styrene plug. The forward flat surface of the gun mount should extend straight to the fuselage.

One final bit of detail that's not necessary, but looks sharp, is under-wing missiles. Starfuries sometimes carry (notably in the opening scenes of the "Thirdspace" movie) under-wing "hardpoints", each consisting of a strip about 1/16th inch wide, 3/4 of the wing's chord in length. There are three of these to a side, spaced evenly along the outboard half of the inner top wing, centered on the wing. I made these from strips of styrene, glued along the wing and then sanded until they had a flat bottom surface. (Actually, the ones I did first are wrong, consisting of two bits sanded flat instead of one long strip. Ah, well - live and learn). Mounting shackles can be made from the same 3/16" diameter tube used for the guns. Cut slices as thin as you can (mine are 1/16th inch sanded down to 1/32nd inch thickness). Then cut three equal arcs from each slice. There are four shackles per launch rail - one just back from either end, and two closer to the center. Missiles can be cut from 1/8th inch diameter rod approximately 1 1/8th inch long, with the forward edge sanded into a blunt, ogive shape. The exhaust nozzles I made from the tips of a set of cheap mechanical pencils cut to a length of just over 1/8th of an inch and sanded smooth. Leave the missiles off until after painting and weathering is complete.

Finally, the canopy - I dipped mine in a bath of Clear Acrylic Floor Polish (known variously as Future or Kleer around the world). After this is dry, I carefully mask off the panes that are supposed to remain clear and attach the canopy using thinned white glue. This part fits pretty well, so little to no putty is required.

Painting, Decalling and Weathering

At this point, everything is gently washed with warm, dish-soapy water. Then it gets a good coat of primer - grey, quick-drying, sandable auto primer, though it really doesn't much matter what you use. You're looking to reveal any surface flaws and to lay down a uniform base for the color coats. Next, I mask off random panels and spray with at least two, and sometimes more, variations of the base coat. For "standard" 'furies, I spray and mask random panels of RAF Ocean Grey, Medium Grey, and Camouflage Grey, then cover the model with the main coat of Sea Grey. For the Black Omega ship, I used a base coat of Flat Black, with various panels of Black Chrome, Flat Aircraft Interior Black, Gloss Black and Black Pearl. (This one doesn't photograph well, but looks pretty impressive nonetheless). The insets in the ion suppression tines get painted different shades of the base coat as well.

Next I mask off the leading edges of the wings and spray these "Anthracite Grey Metallic" as directed by the instructions. This is a Testor's Model Master color, which can be replicated just as well with any very dark, metallic grey. After all this is dry I remove the masking from the panels and airbrush the entire model with more Future as a base for the decals (three or four light passes work better than one heavy pass).

Now for the fun part: Earth Alliance pilots are allowed to "personalize" their fighters with just about any markings they choose, limited only by the rules of good taste. The kit markings include Commander Ivanova's "Czars and Stars" markings, a Presidential Escort fighter, a fighter called "Sea Witch" belonging to an unnamed pilot stationed on Babylon 5, one of Psi Corp's Black Omega squadron, and a "generic", unmarked 'fury. The new release of the kit includes markings for more fighters seen on the screen and several placards and smaller markings omitted from the first sheet.

There are many more schemes not found on the decal sheet - for a complete, visual reference see the Starfury Reference Pages. You don't have to limit yourself to ships seen on the screen, however - that upper wing area begs for wing art, so let your imagination run wild. For my second ship, I painted a design based on an anime character on clear decal film, and used decals left over from other projects to round out the scheme (never, ever throw decals out!).

Whether you use all or some of the kit decals, you'll need to apply them carefully. Soak them in warm water (with a couple of drops of white glue added) until the paper backing drops away. I've found that vinegar or other solvents applied UNDER the decal will cause it to shrivel up into a raisin - some kind of reaction with the glue Monogram uses no doubt. You can, however, safely apply MicroSol or any other solvent I've tried on TOP of the decal - even at full strength. After all your decals are settled in their appropriate locations, carefully wipe down the model again with dish-soapy water to wash off any skin oils, setting solution residue, or other gunk that could mar your finish. Spray another coat of Future to seal the decals. Now coat the model in a clear flat (Testors Dullcote works well for me). You may wish to mask more random panels before you do this to get varying sheens on the surface - use frisket or damp typing paper though, so you don't lift up the decals.

Now you're ready to weather. Starfuries look all beat up on screen - you almost can't weather them too much (except the presidential escorts, which should look much more pristine). I airbrush streaks of dingy black randomly from front to back over the wings, and add a wash of grungy grey around the cannons and inside the thruster nozzles. I also drybrush steel. After this, I grind up pastels (dark grays and blacks) and or pencil leads until I have a nice pile of dust. Then I apply them with an old, stiff bristle brush. I lay a business card down along a panel line and streak the brush back over it. This makes a stain tailing back over the model with a sharply defined forward edge. I apply these streaks rather heavily, since I always seal them under another light coat of flat finish (which tends to tone down the weathering rather strongly). Lastly, pull the masking off the canopy and affix the ion suppression tines.

Even though it's a lot of work, the kit does turn out nicely. And the best part - you can build as many as your imagination can come up with new wing art!