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Adam Savage’s Tested
Adam Savage in Awe of Star Wars' Resistance Bomber Model!
⏱ 20 min video · 3 min read28 May 2026Worth watching
TL;DR
Adam Savage hosts modeler 'Bobble' who brings two stunning Star Wars ship models — a 1/72 scale Star Fortress (resin 3D printed) and a 1/144 scale Hammerhead Corvette (traditional scratch build) — to discuss techniques, materials, and philosophy behind high-end scale modeling. The conversation dives deep into resin printing challenges, panel line depths, weathering methods, and fiber optic lighting systems.
Key points
1
Bobble spent 1.5 years developing and iteratively printing the 1/72 scale Star Fortress resin model, which consists of 200+ individual printed pieces held together with magnets for easy painting and disassembly
2
Panel lines on the resin model are achievable down to 200 microns (twice the width of a human hair), but Bobble recommends starting at 300 microns and iterating, as going too deep can corrupt the print
3
The hairspray chipping technique with two layered brown coats — each locked in with clear coat — produces the realistic rust and metal weathering effects seen on the model
4
Engine weathering involved 4-5 layers of oil paint applied over several weeks, with each layer partially faded by reapplying base paint on top before adding the next oil layer
5
Bobble uses custom resin-printed LED holders shaped like salt shakers, with fiber optic wires press-fit into ports and secured with PVA glue (not super glue, which would make the fiber brittle) to light the models
Actionable insights
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For resin panel lines, start at 300 microns depth; going deeper risks print failures, so iterate carefully and always do painting tests on sample prints first
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Use PVA (white glue) rather than super glue to fix fiber optic wires into LED holders — super glue causes the fiber to become brittle and fail
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The hairspray chipping technique works best in two distinct layers: apply brown, chip it, seal with clear coat, then repeat — giving richer, more dimensional weathering than a single pass
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Orient resin prints to minimise print line stepping on visible surfaces, but budget for sanding regardless — Bobble estimates removing ~30 microns per surface during finishing
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When scratch building with styrene, use mismatched kit parts (e.g. a Bandai Millennium Falcon piece on a Corvette) as happy accidents that add authentic dimension and detail
Notable quotes
“I am always painting things and making them so that they work for camera. You have made a model that rewards the person in the presence of the model.”
“I know most people won't see that piece that I have in there, but I know it is there, and I want it to be as good as possible.”
“I am always thinking of it as a conversation between me in the present and me in the future. Me in the present is like, God, this sucks. But me in the future is going to be so happy when I am painting this thing.”
Worth watching?
✅
Worth watching the full video?
Watch if you want to actually see the models up close with Adam handling and examining them — the visual detail is stunning and hard to fully appreciate from the summary alone.
Saved you some time? The creator still deserves a like.
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