Star Wars Naboo Starfighter kit by Ertl

Mike Pigott looks at a large, high-quality diecast model kit of a starfighter from the Star Wars film franchise.

 Since Star Wars made its debut in 1977, there has been a number of diecast models based on the film and its many sequels and prequels. There was the Kenner series produced between 1977 and 1981, while in the 1990s, the smaller but better-detailed Galoob Micro Machines was introduced, later evolving into the Hasbro Titanium Series.

However, there is another one-off diecast craft from the Star Wars franchise that is worth looking at. It is a Naboo Starfighter metal kit made by AMT-Ertl in 1999. Of course, there have been numerous construction kits based on the various Star Wars films over the years, by such firms as MPC, Airfix, AMT-Ertl and Revell. However, this appears to have been the only diecast kit.

N-1 STARFIGHTER 

          The Naboo Starfighter – or more correctly, the Naboo Royal N-1 Starfighter – is the most advanced fighter and escort craft of the beautiful planet Naboo. Like most Naboo spacecraft, it featured a handsome, streamlined, slightly organic design. The craft had their wings affixed to the nose, with a powerful pulse engine mounted on each wingtip. The main fuselage was shaped somewhat like a stingray, with a long tapering tail which echoed the finials behind each engine.

As was the case with many spaceships in the Star Wars universe, Naboo Fighters used an Astromech Droid (a small, rubbish bin-shaped robot like R2-D2) as co-pilot, and there is a berth for one behind the main cockpit.

THE KIT

 

The kit was, unusually for this type of vehicle, made to 1/48 scale. It was almost entirely diecast and was supplied pre-painted. For the most part it only needed to be screwed together, although there were a few parts that required painting or gluing. The cockpit interior, pilot and droid were plastic, and needed to be painted, while the cockpit canopy had to be glued into position. The tail of the ship and the two engine finials were plastic, but came pre-painted.

The back of the box showed all of the enclosed parts

The model was quite easy to build, requiring little more than a Philips-head screwdriver. The ship was painted a light yellow colour, with the nose, wings and engine intakes in a bare metal finish that was polished but not too shiny. The pilot figure was based on Anakin Skywalker (later to become the evil Darth Vader), while the droid was the ubiquitous R2-D2, and needed to be finished in silver and blue. The finished model looked surprisingly good, and there were even pre-coloured plugs to cover up the screw heads on the underside. To finish off there were some warning markings around the cockpit that were supplied as water-slide transfers.

The completed model on its stand

If well-built, the result was a satisfying, heavy model of an attractive spacecraft. Included in the box was a black stand which was also diecast. The kit retailed at around £10 in 1999, and it is still possible to pick up an example for not much more.

For some reason, there was no Naboo Starfighter in the Galoob Star Wars: Episode I range, and this kit was the only metal replica available until a smaller model was added to the Titanium Series in 2006.