This is the Shuttle Tydirium kit by MPC. It's a fairly large kit and for the most part it's fairly accurate. This was a fun project and with some help makes for a fairly accurate replica of the studio model.

I started this kit knowing that I was going to light it up with mini mag light bulbs for the wing tips and under the hull and a 4" toothpick bulb forthe rear engines. I hollowed out the rear engines with my trusty dremel tool and notched out the corners of each wingtip for the bulbs to fit into. Thewires were run through the wings and routed through the piece that attaches the wing to the main body. The engine light is enclosed in a reflective box to make the light go out the back and not throughout the rest of the model.

I added detail in the wing channels and some to the wing guns. I also hollowed out all the gun barrels with my hobby knife. When it came time to paint this kit I used pictures from the Hardware Reference section of this site to choose color and weathering. The color Ichoose is Flat Light Aircraft Gray with Flint Gray for the small markings on the wings. I also added two thin red stripes, one on each side of the mainhull cockpit area. I also dry brushed over this so it looked worn. Weathering was done with pastels and a pencil. When I was happy with the weathering it was all sealed with Dullcoat.

The base was made from a small serving tray that I found at a craft store. This houses the switches and the two 9 volt batteries used for the lights. I used a wooden rod to support the model. This is screwed into the bottom of the kit from the inside, then screwed into the base.

Image: Starboard side

Image: Ventral detail

Image: Forward closeup

Image: Wings up

Image: Engines at power