[MOD] The Twi'lek Bombshell

[Veynom]

The Twi&'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The Twi’lek Bombshell

The Twi’lek Bombshell is a Slayn & Korpil B/SF-17 Starfortress heavy bomber belonging to the Cobalt Squadron of the Resistance movement against the First Order. This bomber is immediately recognizable through its distinctive nose art. Indeed, a ferocious dune lizard mouth is painted on the nose under the cockpit canopy, but the most noticeable part is a striking blue-skinned Twi’lek female sitting on a heavy bomb and painted on the bomber downward wing. Some people reported this was some kind of tribute to the defunct Jedi Master Ayla Secura. However, several other sources indicate this Twi’lek was only one of the numerous one-night bomb-run of one of the crewmen. Mystery will remain as the Twi’lek Bombshell was destroyed – and all of its crew killed – during the bombing mission on Q’Dar resulting in the destruction of the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought Fulminatrix of the First Order

Some archives could be retrieved. On one of them, we can see the Twi’lek Bombshell flying alongside another Starfortress from Crimson Squadron. This photo was probably taken shortly before its last run as 8 bombing kill marks can be seen and resistance records indicate the raid against the Fulminatrix would have been the 9th one.

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell in space by Veynom, on Flickr

 

Another picture shows the Twi’lek Bombshell during a bombing mission above what looks like a First Order cruiser of some kind. This one cannot be the Fulminatrix as we know all but one S/BF-17 were destroyed before reaching it.

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell on a bombing run by Veynom, on Flickr

 

(the above story is pure fiction mixed into canon elements from Star Wars VII: The Last Jedi .)

 

The Twi’lek Bombshell is therefore a heavy MOD of the 75188 Resistance Bomber official set. The following modifications can be listed:

• The vertical wing has been made thicker by 2 plates and tiled;
• Nose arts (shark mouth & Twi’lek) and kill marks custom water transfers have been applied;
• The bomber body length has been increase by 8 studs while the hight was increased by 1 plate in order to better match the original model dimensions;
• The top turret has been moved backward, detailed and can now rotate;
• Rear guns and turrets have been detailed, taking inspiration from [URL=https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/154310-mod-bsf-17-heavy-bomber/]Gudetamago[/url]
• The bomber’s top received extra-detailing to closely match the original model.
• Forward wings have been rebuilt using SNOT.
• Cockpit and body inside have been detailed.

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The resulting model – while much heavier than the 75188 set – remains perfectly playable. It can still bomb (and the panel can rotate to be opened and reload the bombs) and it can still land as the 75188 model.

Special thanks to Muad’Brick for the original concept art of the Twi’lek Bombshell and the edited pictures.

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

The Twi'lek Bombshell by Veynom, on Flickr

 

Thanks for reading and comments are welcome.

[Fuppylodders]

I like it, a lot! It makes it look so much more cleaner in every way. Its really making me want to just bite the bullet and buy one now!

[stormtroopercaptain]

Great job. This is the one vehicle from the new trilogy that I really like. I’ve been thinking of getting one to mod up like you did. This might make me have to get one to start work on. 

[Ellisss_2]

Wow, fantastic modifications looks way better!

[Veynom]

On 14/04/2018 at 3:21 PM, Fuppylodders said:

I like it, a lot! It makes it look so much more cleaner in every way. Its really making me want to just bite the bullet and buy one now!

Thanks. And I agree, the standard set is already nice, even if a bit overpriced. 

23 hours ago, stormtroopercaptain said:

Great job. This is the one vehicle from the new trilogy that I really like. I’ve been thinking of getting one to mod up like you did. This might make me have to get one to start work on. 

Thank you. Feel free to copy or improve. If I may suggest another modification, replace the blue by dark red for Crimson squadron. 

22 hours ago, Ellisss_2 said:

Wow, fantastic modifications looks way better!

Thanks so much!

[Fuppylodders]

It is the price that's holding me back a bit... I'm hoping it goes on a decent sale, then I'll nab it. The minifigs are really good too, so compliment the ship nicely, even more so when sat in one like yours! How much modification did it take to get the front horizontal wings snot bricked instead of plates?

[Azrielsc]

This looks lovely! 

[Veynom]

7 hours ago, Fuppylodders said:

It is the price that's holding me back a bit... I'm hoping it goes on a decent sale, then I'll nab it. The minifigs are really good too, so compliment the ship nicely, even more so when sat in one like yours! How much modification did it take to get the front horizontal wings snot bricked instead of plates?

Thanks. The SNOT wings are easy to do. You can copy (and also improve) them just by looking at the pictures. To attach them to the body, I used modified 2x2 plates with 2 studs on side. Those plates are easy to insert behind the front wedge plate. They're holding in place thanks to the 2x4 grey tiles next to the pilot and thanks to the slope and tiles. The small bars also helps to harden the built but are not strictly necessary as 4 studs are already available for each wing.

21 minutes ago, Azrielsc said:

This looks lovely! 

Thank you. :)

[That Orange Thing]

A fantastic MOD of the only new ship a like from the latest films. Your version looks a lot more streamlined yet heavy hitting at the same time, especially the great upgrades done to the turrets. I believe the film makers were going for a WW2 vibe with these ships and you've taken it to a new level with the B-17 style artwork which looks great.

I was luck enough to receive this set as a gift and like everyone else I feel it would be overpriced if i had to buy it but once built it really is an amazing set with some great figures.

[Veynom]

8 hours ago, That Orange Thing said:

A fantastic MOD of the only new ship a like from the latest films. Your version looks a lot more streamlined yet heavy hitting at the same time, especially the great upgrades done to the turrets. I believe the film makers were going for a WW2 vibe with these ships and you've taken it to a new level with the B-17 style artwork which looks great.

I was luck enough to receive this set as a gift and like everyone else I feel it would be overpriced if i had to buy it but once built it really is an amazing set with some great figures.

Thank you for the nice words.

And I fully agree, it has a WW2 bomber style. The synchronized rear guns and the end tail make me think to the Avro Lancaster bomber. And it is because of the similarities with these WW2  heavy bombers that I decided to add nose arts and kill marks.