Science Fiction Flavour

Tag: 1/12

  • Tesla Trooper

    Border 1/12 BA-001 Tesla Trooper — Red Alert 30th Anniversary

    With the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 30th anniversary community celebration beginning in October 2026, it seemed like the right time to finally complete a long-shelved project: Border’s BA-001 Tesla Trooper in 1/12 scale.

    The kit was received as a gift several months ago. The parts had already been painted according to their moulded runner colours, but only the first few assembly steps had been completed before the model went back into its box.

    The original paintwork was done using GSI Creos Mr. Hobby Mr. Color paints. Parts from the black runners received a uniform grey coat; the red runners received a black base coat followed by red weathering; the orange runner received a black base coat followed by orange weathering; and the silver runner was given a uniform silver finish.

    Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color was then used throughout: Black on the grey, orange and silver parts, and Light Grey on the red parts.

    The kit also includes rubber-moulded components, including the gloves, tubing, pouches and sling. These were left in their original rubber material rather than airbrushed. Light Grey Panel Line Accent was used on the black rubber parts, while Black was used on the orange rubber parts.

    The head sculpt is also made from a rubbery material and came as a separate piece. It was left in its original finish and mounted onto the body, with the Tesla Trooper’s distinctive, Juggernaut-like headgear fitted over it.

    Nitrile gloves proved useful during the final assembly and handling of these flexible components.

    Once assembled, the different materials become much more apparent. The figure combines metallic-looking painted surfaces, rigid plastic components and flexible rubberised equipment, giving the Tesla Trooper a convincing multi-material appearance.

    There is no particular faction preference behind the build. The appeal is the Tesla Trooper’s suit design as a piece of fictional science-fiction technology — an armoured infantry system built around an electrically powered weapon.

    The actual 30th anniversary of Command & Conquer: Red Alert falls on 22 November 2026, but with the community celebration already beginning on 2 October, there was little reason to keep the unfinished Tesla Trooper in its box.

    After months of waiting, the Tesla Trooper is finally assembled.

    Red Alert — 30 years.

  • Power Loader

    Build Log: MODEROID 1/12 Power Loader (Good Smile Company)

    On 18 July 2026, the 40th anniversary of James Cameron’s Aliens (1986), I completed Good Smile Company’s MODEROID 1/12 Power Loader. It felt like the perfect occasion to finish and share a build of one of science fiction’s most iconic industrial machines.

    There are model kits that test your painting skills, and there are model kits that test your patience. The MODEROID 1/12 Power Loader managed to do both.

    Rather than building it straight out of the box, I decided to repaint the entire model. Every solid yellow moulded part was first airbrushed with Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 13 (Neutral Grey) as a base coat. The black moulded parts also received the same treatment before painting continued. The yellow armour was then weathered using Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 109 (Character Yellow), gradually building up a worn industrial appearance through multiple light applications.

    One thing I quickly learned was the sheer scale of the project. The kit contains a large number of parts, and simply preparing and painting them required considerable time before assembly could even begin.

    Assembly itself proved to be an enjoyable engineering exercise. Although several steps in the instruction manual recommended the use of glue, I found that the snap-fit design held together securely enough for my build.

    The most demanding stage came with the hydraulic tubing. The supplied black rubber tube had to be cut into multiple lengths before being routed throughout the Power Loader. Installing each section required patience, as previously connected tubes would occasionally detach while the next ones were being fitted.

    Another lesson came from the piston cylinders. Their orientation matters more than it first appears. If assembled incorrectly, routing the hydraulic tubes becomes significantly more difficult, with tighter bends and less room to manoeuvre. Correct alignment made the installation process much smoother.

    To complete the exterior, approximately thirty decals were applied. They add the finishing industrial touches without overwhelming the clean mechanical design.

    Looking back, this wasn’t simply a painting project. It was an exercise in mechanical assembly, problem-solving and patience. Every painted component, correctly aligned piston, carefully routed hydraulic tube and precisely placed decal contributed to transforming a box of plastic runners into one of science fiction’s most iconic industrial machines.

    Happy 40th Anniversary to Aliens. Here’s to four decades of one of cinema’s greatest science fiction classics, and to the remarkable machine that continues to inspire model builders around the world.