Some time ago, the lovely and talented Tyke Smyers directed me to some 3D files being sold by Greeblerelf, The files in question were Greeblerelf’s version of Kenner-style Tantive IV Blockade Runner, as if it were produced circa 1978. I don’t make a whole lot of “retro” Star Wars stuff (I defer to Tyke in that department), but I had to build this for my shelf. The design is not anywhere near screen accurate, but looks just like something Kenner might have come up with back in the day. (Indeed Kenner developed a prototype after 1983, but it never went into production. This design seems to pull some elements from the photos of the prototype that are floating around the internet.)

Most of the ship is printed in Siraya Fast Tech white. The landing gear, guns, and radar dish are printed in Siraya Blu Nylon Black. All printed on my Elegoo Jupiter. Printing the guns and radar in black might seem somewhat odd, but that just screams “retro” to me.

As expected, I made a few modifications. Most of the hatches and doors would not sit quite flush, so I rigged them all with small magnets. That seemed to solve the problem.

Greeblerelf’s files include a PDF to print as stickers. I added a few of my own, namely the rader dish console and screen, and a photo of the maintenance hallway, to give it some illusion of depth.

I was about to start painting the red stripes when I remembered that most of the original Kenner ships has little to no paint, as was the norm back then. All color was applied via sticker. So I started measuring stripes to be printed as stickers instead of paint. I think it really helps sell the “vintage” aspect of the ship.

Thanks again to Greeblerelf for sharing these files. He has corrected a 46-year-old oversight.

Created May 2024