Republic Charger Frigate

After I first saw this vehicle in the Clone Wars movie, I wanted to make it. Considering there already was an AF Republic Cruiser, I just bought another one and repainted it. I made the turbolaser turrets from brass rods and random plastic bits. I drilled a hold on either side to fit a large round plastic tube through. These tubes held the turbolaser turrets in place. The front turret I made rotate, and I did remove the landing gear for a more streamlined look. The rear laser turret was added later, as the best reference I had was the first Clone Wars TV episode (where the rear turret is immediately destroyed). Because I added it later, it is really just sitting in there and can easily be removed or turned. However, the rear turret prevents the engine slide-out feature of the original AF version.

I combined masked airbrushing and hand-painting techniques for the red markings (Model Master Anti-Fouling Red). The white is a light off-white custom color. I may eventually create some decals to represent the Open Circle insignia common on this vessel.

I finally added the decals, a light grey wash, and redid the front turret to match the animated version.

The Charger Frigate was a modified version of the Consular-class diplomatic cruiser common throughout the Republic. The c70 refit of the cruiser added 4 twin turbolaser turrets and 2 twin laser turrets. The larger sensor dish was removed however due to power consumption issues.

The frigate quickly became widespread as the Clone army initially lacked a quick support vessel. The fast Corellian design of the frigate earned it the nickname “Charger” and gave it an edge over slower moving Separatist ships. The addition of the turbolasers created a powerful kick from the rather small cruiser.