In Part I of this Bandai 1/5000 Star Destroyer build, I kick things off with the early-stage work that really sets the tone for the whole project: paint, lighting, and the beginning of assembly. This is the phase where I’m making sure the finish is headed in the right direction before I lock anything in permanently, because once you start closing up a ship like this, fixing mistakes gets a lot harder. I’m treating it like a proper build series—getting the fundamentals in place so the later detailing and final reveal actually pop. I also start laying the groundwork for the lighting, which is one of my favorite parts of sci‑fi builds. Even if you’ve built kits before, lighting changes how you approach everything—planning wire runs, thinking ahead about light bleed, and making sure the model still goes together cleanly. If you’re following along for your own Star Destroyer, the big takeaway here is to slow down early, test-fit often, and make your paint and lighting decisions now so you’re not fighting them later in the build.