X-wing recon "Snoopscoot"

This, like the Rebel Sandspeeder, was only vaguely mentioned in reference books. The Wookieepedia website provided a comic book drawing of the X-wing recon version, which became the basis for this custom. I started with a leftover AF X-wing, and added a lot of “stuff” to the nose of the ship consisting of missiles, German anti-tank launchers, and a WWII fighter wheel. I used styrene rods for the rear antennae, which are less likely to bend or fall off like brass rods.

I painted the ship a light grey from Polly Scale, and added wing identification marks in Model Master Anti-Fouling Red. The sensor tips are painted with Polly Scale’s Panzer Yellow. I used a lighter shade of that color for the side stripes. I did a little paint chipping on the ship, but not much. I may return later to do more weathering, including a wash and dust streaks.

The X-wing T-65BR Reconnaissance Starfighter was one of the Rebel Alliance’s first attempts at a long-range scanning/recon ships. Also known as the Recon-X or “Snoopscoot” by pilots, the T-65BR featured powerful scanning and sensor equipment in the nose of the craft, as well as internal computers/transceivers in place of the torpedo launchers. The “Snoopscoot” also had two trailing sensor probes that could record and send information automatically.

Unlike most Alliance starfighters, the T-65BR featured a baradium charge that would destroy the craft and it’s information should it be captured. While most recon missions were milk runs, the pilots were always aware that they were quite expendable if captured, which strangely seemed to limit the use of these starfighters.