GAL 356

Wombat

Well heres a little something i've finally managed to get to a point that i think i can call finished. I haven't posted anything in a while but i haven't actually finished anything since the last build and even that i went back and did some modifications to make it more accurate since i posted that as a finished piece.

Anyway this has been on the bench for quiet sometime now, i got it when Mike first released them or at least put my name down for one very early on when they became available. It was a beautiful kit as per normal from Mike which is very light weight wise for a kit of this size. Least i was expecting it to be heavier i guess.

The armature has 5 mount positions and i was helped out with that by a friend,well two actually but i ended up going for this configuration in the end.

Power is fed via brass tube insert in the body. This is basicly how the original shuttle and some of the other miniatures had the power run into them also. The front and rear point are on the original shuttle but the one that is behind the s/b mount cover is one i added also. If i side mount this which is an idea i may do, i thought it would be a good place to run the power rather than the front or rear positions.

The castings were fantastic that came with the kit and there was quiet a lot really. As i had a lot of the donor kit's i decided to use kit part's where i could even so. It's something i like to do.

So thats a bit on the build up.

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Wombat

So now for the hard part. LOL

I sorta struggled with the weathering on this just because i wasn't really sure how weathered it should be. I used what reference i had (which isn't a lot) showing the shuttle from it's early days. It was very hard for me to make out just where the weathering is and how dirty is should be so, i went with what i've done and just tried to follow what i could see as best i could. The problem there, was to me anyway, the reference i was using it appeared to me the port side was pretty grubby yet it couldn't be made out like that on the b&w image i was using for the s/b side. So i really just used some artistic license as they say and grubbied that up to the same level pretty much as the port side while still adding the things i thought i could see.
The pictures ain't the greatest it looks a little grubbier in person than what these pictures show mostly.

The foil in the engine bells is again based on reference that showed the same thing on the original model for lighting. It also actually helps as an insulator for the engine bells themselves. May not look the greatest but it seems to be how they did it on the original miniature so it was good enough for me also.

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imaginager

Looks great, I like the foil on the engines, too. Have any pics of them lit?

timeslip

Wow, I love it. Now I just got to finish mine. your paint job came out great.
George

LastBattlestar

Holy crap Phil, that really looks superb! I wish you had brought it to my place yesterday, but I don't blame you for wanting to transport it around. It's a crime I don't have this kit yet!

But it does look fantastic. Doug's revised decals really give it the edge and your usual ultra-realistic weathering makes this one good looking ugly duckling! You have to put this on show in October- this will be a multi trophy winner, just like your Movers was!

Mike

marvin

Excellent weathering. I dont know how heavy the weathering was on the studio model but for display purposes this is just perfect!

Marvin

Wombat

Thanks for the kind words there fella's.

I'm still a little unsure about the weathering and Mike can make a better call on it once he's actually seen it with his own eyes. It's an area that as i mentioned, struggled with as i just couldn't make out a real lot of how it actually was on the original shuttle with what i had as reference. I think the pictures make the build look better than it actually may be but i like it anyway and am happy with it.


I took a couple of snaps with the lighting on but the rear angle i can't get a very good picture, so this is about the best i have come up with so far. The engine lights are not that bright in real life but they make for a pretty good effect in the picture.


Thanks again!

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LastBattlestar

I think the weathering looks great, but you are right, it's hard to tell how weathered the original was. I have an idea, try photographing it against a dark background, crank up the room lighting and over expose the pic a little if you can to simulate the Apogee moco shots. If the weathering dials down, you've got it right!

That's always something I've struggled with: studio correct paint or how it looks on screen. Personally I prefer the latter.

Mike

moffeaton

I think it's perfect!

Wombat

Cheers, Jason!!

Mike, thats an interesting choice in what look you want and comes down to personal preference obviously. I use to just go with whatever i came up with but i got introduced to real hard core SS building by this fella and things haven't been the same since. I never thought i'd ever be so anal (oops can i say that?) about small things when i build but it seems to be the way i've become. Thanks!! LOL