Shadows of the Empire_Xizor's VIRAGO_ala AMT WIP

Not quite done yet, but soon. This problematic model kit from a dubious Star Wars Expanded Universe story is the Virago, Xizor's personal ship. Poor design, wretched fit and general unpopularity pretty much doomed this kit to obscurity. Not even the opening/closing wing feature made it interesting enough to grab off store shelves. 

Four feet of seam along the wings needs filling and smoothing to say nothing of the body halves and puzzling side pieces which fill in the spaces. The upper and lower parts of the fuselage needed wrestling and lickety-split gluing to get them in place. Flimsy plastic gears facilitate the moving wings. Swiveling cannons add nothing but more fit problems.

The good news may be there are no clear pieces. The canopy is opaque plastic, the stand is imaginative and sturdy and the sheer repetitiveness of the assembly makes you an expert when you're on the fourth try.


Painting instructions call for a mixture of light gray and tan. Whatever the color, try painting along with sub-assemblies--the finished version will be very tough to mask when all the wings are glued in place.