Republic LAAT Carrier

3D-printed kit scaled to 1/72

Well, I opted to take another commission. Even though for my last commission the buyer backed out, I did end up selling the LAAT Gunship. And the person I sold it to has become a good friend and a 3D print-man for me. He and others are making a lot of figures and customs for the Micro Galaxy Squadron line at 1/72 scale. So, he asked me to build and paint a LAAT Carrier that he printed.

The LAAT/c 3D model is incredible in detail. Moreover, it's very intelligently constructed. If everything fit together perfectly, you'd think you were building a regular styrene kit. However, not everything fits. The tolerances must be really tight because I've had to do a lot of sanding already. Time will tell if it gets easier or if I end up pulling my hair out.

Still, this is one of my favorite vehicles, and I'm going to enjoy customizing the LAAT carrier into truly nice model.

The 3D printed kit had a solid canopy. So I heated a thin clear styrene sheet over a candle and pressed it down over the canopy as a mold. It took about 30 tries and some burned fingers to get a "close" enough version.

The hull has slots with bracers to align everything. However, I had to do a lot of resin sanding to reduce the support points. So that means, I had to wear a mask and sand outside as much as possible since resin dust is dangerous.

Not everything is attached yet, but you get the idea. I'll have a fun time filling all the gaps, but it's not impossible. What impresses me most is the size, the LAAT Carrier is one heck of a beast.

Leave a Reply