TIE-DA (Drone/Assualt)

The TIE-DA

The TIE-DA (Drone Assault) was developed as a more powerful variant of the TIE Drone fighter for use in ground attack and anti-shipping missions. Although the results were successful, the program never got very far due to an unusually high unit cost. Those examples that were built saw almost constant action due to a natural desire on the part of the empire to get their money's worth.
The DA is armed with a pair of four-tube rotary warhead launchers which can be configured to carry a range of rockets and missiles, along with a pair of laser cannons unusually large for such a vessel. The DA is also unusual in using it's solar panels only to power it's engines, power for weapons, sensors, shields and the droid brain are supplied by a compact on-board reactor, hence the small solar panels and large body.

The Model

This model came about because I was buying parts for another kit bash on eBay, and the guy I was buying from had a Zoid Killerdome going for 99 cents. Usually, I wouldn't bother since the postage would push the price up a lot, but since I was buying a big kit from him already I got combined postage. The killerdome yielded a number of nifty parts, and it's main body just seemed to call out to be made into a heavy TIE variant. And who am I to argue with that?

I fabricated the solar panels from styrene sheet and clapboard siding garnished with the odd greebly and plenty of Plastruct shapes. The cockpit tube was built from part of a Space Shuttle booster rocket toy I picked up years ago, which just happened to be a perfect fit! The cockpit itself is a large Doll's eye with plasticard detailing. I added various bits of plasticard plating to the body, and cut a chunk out of the back for the engines.

Paint is mostly all Citadel Codex Grey mixed with varying amounts of black to get several different shades. The solar panel insets are Tamiya German Grey. I dry brushed everything with various custom mixes of grey, and added some washes and soot-streaks.

The base is plasticard and balsa, sprayed silver. I added the letters 'DA' cut out of tread plate plasticard to make it look more interesting.

This is the first thing I've ever built intentionally to fit in the Star Wars universe, and I think it does fit in reasonably well. I really have little knowledge of the SW universe beyond the films, so I don;t know exactly how this fits in, I'd just seen pics of the TIE Droid around and I liked the wing design.