StarshipBuilder's Studio-Scale Galactica #3

star-art

This is a commissioned build consisting of a head section module and engine section module only. The client is assembling the rest of the ship using pre-fab components (designed by me) that he received from Custom Replicas.

As with my previous effort, I will be building the structure ready to detail and the client will take it from there.

Here are some pics of what's been accomplished so far. Please see my other Galactica build thread for more details on things like my custom aluminum workbench, jigs, etc.

To see more, please be sure to visit the thread started by the client over at StudioScaleModelers.com. (Membership required in order to view.)

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ringa

Wow, Charles! You really go the extra mile to ensure top quality. You've built these for others, I'd love to see you build one for you! You certainly have worked hard enough to deserve a Galactica of your own.

star-art

Thanks! I will keep building these while I can. I'm very thankful for the opportunity, that's for sure.

Maybe one day, I'll get back to building one for myself. But, I have lots of other stuff I also want to get done.

star-art

The bottom of the head section for this build is now complete. I'm still missing some key parts for the top so I'll be taking a break from this to concentrate on building up not one but *two* engine sections. See my other thread for more details on the first one. More parts are arriving this week and there will be lots to do!

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ringa

Looking good!

star-art

I took a break from building the engine section for Galactica #2 to make further progress on the head section for Galactica #3 (juggling these monsters sure isn't easy!).

It's really starting to come together. The modified hatch tub is now complete and installed. I redesigned the parts to make it a bit easier to build the eye sockets as that is one of the most difficult tasks with this design. I also took some extra time to round over some of the sharp corners inside the structure as they can be quite hazardous.

The access hatch has been built, skinned, and test fitted in place. With this design, the hatch is a self-contained unit with integral light source and fiber optics. The original had dozens of fibers going into a light source between the "eyes." As a result, it was not possible to remove the top hatch because it was tethered to the rest of the head by the fibers. With my design, there are only two wires connected to a plug. By unplugging the electrical harness, the entire hatch can be taken off the model for more convenient internal access to the head section.

There is something else that complicates the design. The rear of the access hatch actually extends back into neck rather than being secured to the head structure. (This was how the original was built.) To make sure everything fits together properly, I bolted the neck section from Galactica #2 in place to see how it all goes together.

The upper stringers have also been built and installed. These are another new feature I recently added to the design. They make it much easier to align and install the top skins. But, making patterns for them required using some advanced 3D techniques since they curve in two directions.

Speaking of the top, next I'll glue down the sides of the top skin on either side of the hatch. Then, the side skins can go on. The lower portion of the top skin, however, does not get glued permanently in place right now. That's because the client will need to get underneath it to run fibers for the lights. So, I will just tape it in place for delivery.

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ringa

That's looking outstanding, Charles!

star-art

This is becoming a 2-person thread! LOL

ringa

It's OK, dude, I like your work. There's good, great and then there's what you're doing.

Captain April

I have been following the thread and as a member of your Starshipbuilders site under the same screen name, I am well aware of your work. I am just enjoying the updated high tech version of our favorite Battlestar. BTW are you going to detail the model or is the customer going to do it himself?

star-art

I'm just building the body and the client will take it from there. This is the most fun part for me, anyway. It allows me to take on more projects as well since the detailing can often take months (or even years) to complete.

I may be doing some custom wiring and lighting work, though. I'm talking to the client about those options as we speak. I have a lot of experience making custom wiring harnesses, soldering, working with LEDs, etc. I love doing 12V work as I used to do a lot of custom wiring for cars in my younger days.

LastBattlestar

Years.

Mike

star-art

Hey, Mike! Glad to see you over here for a change.

-... . .- --..

Mostly lurking this summer, but this is still one of a small number of must-read threads for me.

Keep up the incredible work, Charles!

star-art

Thanks, Kevin!

star-art

Time for a long-overdue update. One of the reasons this project is taking a while is because A) the scope has expanded and B) I'm juggling more builds at one time than I think I have ever attempted. All of them are challenging as well. I am building two head sections, two neck sections, and two engine sections -- all at the same time.

The client originally was going to get just the head section, but this has now been expanded to include the engine section and neck section as well. I'm not complaining, though, as I am very thankful for the opportunity to keep building these.

The head section for this build is being wrapped up as we speak. I have finalized the top hatch, installed the top skin, side skins, and built the eye sockets. The upper and lower "lips" are on. The only detail left to add is a "shelf" of sorts on top of each "upper lip." Then, some minor puttying, sanding, and cleanup and this section will be ready for delivery.

Sorry for the poor photography. The white styrene parts are really bright and contrast strongly with the black plex. I have a weird combination of incandescent and fluorescent lighting in the shop and the camera really doesn't like it (or me, it seems, as I rarely get any good pictures from it). LOL

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moffeaton

Charles, if I win the lottery, expect a phone call!!!

star-art

LOL! I should have these builds wrapped up by next month. I'll be looking for the next project, so if anyone else wants one, now's the time!

Wombat

Now thats whats called a Battlestar head right there!

Absolutely outstanding work both in the planning and construction of it all.

Looking forward to getting some grubby paw marks on it soon!

ShowCraft

WOW! Exceedingly high level of engineering. That's going to be one solid beast.

star-art

Thanks, Jim! That's high praise from the master himself!

star-art

While there haven't been any updates from me in a while, the head section is now done (has been for a while) and is ready to go in the crate. Same goes for the neck section.

I've been slowly finishing the last details on the engine section as I'm juggling other stuff. The last few custom parts have arrived (my laser-cutter had technical issues that delayed the delivery). The client was kind enough to allow me to do some extra work such as installing the ventilation fans and designing a custom plug-and-play wire harness and lighting system for the entire ship. All that required some extra engineering, time, new hardware to special order, and a few custom parts such as adapter plates for sealing the airstream around the fans.

Fortunately, I have the crates ready to go. All the packing materials are in place as well. Final delivery will take place soon! I plan to will take one final round of photos before it all leaves the shop.

In the meantime, here's a minor update. I created some special adapter plates for installing the fans. I chose some of the finest computer case fans available. They are very efficient and super quiet. But, as you will see, there is only a tiny mounting surface around the perimeter. This made it impossible to apply weatherstripping to seal around it. Fortunately, I was able to come up with a good workaround.

The solution was to secure each fan to a custom adapter plate via silicone caulking. Then, the assembly is bolted to the front engine bulkhead by way of elastomer anti-vibration mounts. You could argue these aren't absolutely necessary. But, given this is an all-Plexiglass structure and fans do create at least some vibration, I prefer to be better safe than sorry. All my builds are made to last and this is the sort of extra effort I like to go to.

At any rate, the anti-vibration mounts stand proud of the surface of the bulkhead. The resulting gap was filled with weatherstripping to make a draft-proof seal. I finished by hooking up the fan to my 12V benchtop power supply for a test run. It was so quiet I had to listen real close to even hear it! And, it moves a lot of air.

As I was installing all this, I tried to think ahead to what might happen if a fan ever quits working and has to be replaced. Once the front sloping panel goes on, there's no way to access the screw heads on the other side of the bulkhead. I could imagine it being a nightmare to work on later. This is often the case with products you buy that are designed to be easy to put together at the factory even if that means they are impossible to service later on.

Well, I just don't believe in that sort of thing. So, I managed to install jam nuts inside the anti-vibration mounts using thread locking compound. This turned the loose mounting bolts into fixed studs. This way, each fan can be removed and the mounting bolts will stay put. Just twist off the lock nuts, slip the fan off the studs, and replace it.

BTW, I used rubber washers on the back side of the bulkhead so the mounting bolts do not make direct contact. This plus the anti-vibration mounts isolates the fans from the surrounding structure to ensure the smoothest possible operation.

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ringa

This is why you are the guy who is known as the one who (literally) wrote the book on model making! You're in a league of your own, Charles! Nice work!

Tiberius Kirk

Very nice!

star-art

Thanks, guys!

Another update. The engine section is sooo close to being done. I have only one more piece to install, a skin panel on the front upper slope. I hope to have that on Friday so I can start crating the head, neck, and engine sections over the weekend. The crates are assembled and ready. . .

I spent time this week dealing with the lid, front air vent, and rear thruster openings. For the lid, I had to get all the tie-downs in place and everything precisely aligned. Because I made the upper side boxes removable to aid in detailing, much of the top can only be assembled after those are permanently glued in place. But, I want as much done as possible prior to delivery to make it easy on the client. So, I carefully fitted and pre-installed whatever I could, all the while making sure the whole thing could come back apart once it gets to its destination.

The same thing goes for the rear thruster openings. Those come apart to make it easier to detail the insides. Yet, everything must be fitted and assembled prior to delivery. After that, it all has to come apart again. As a result, many of the parts are only taped in place for now, or screwed down in such a way that they can be disassembled later.

One interesting experience was making the Plascore honeycomb engine vents. I have never worked with this material before. It's made from paper-thin aluminum and its about as hard to find as KoolShade. So, I could not afford to make any mistakes.

The center opening on this design has a "tunnel" with a red Plexiglas insert. This means the Plascore must be carefully trimmed to fit inside the tunnel. It took some practice, but I was able to cut it cleanly using sprue cutters.

I also built the KoolShade vent in the front. That was pretty tricky. It turns out they used two layers on the original to try and keep you from being able to see through the material. The top layer runs at a right angle to the bottom layer. I made the bottom piece oversize and glued it around the edges underneath with CA. But, the top piece just sits in the opening and nothing attached it on the original. In fact, they used the kit parts to hold it down!

This stuff is like a fabric so it doesn't want to lay flat. I came up with a unique solution. I took a short piece of stranded aluminum electrical hookup wire and removed the insulation. Then, I separated some of the strands. (Each one was not much thicker than a human hair.) I used these to "stitch" the KoolShade panel in place. By touching the strands with a black Sharpie marker, they completely disappear against the KoolShade. This worked so well, I plan to use this method in the future whenever I need to work with this material again.

I finished by installing a baffle under the vent made from scrap black acrylic. With this in place, you can't see anything at all inside the vent and yet air can still flow. It should work very well.

At any rate, here are the latest pics. I really wish I could take better pictures. This thing looks so much better in person than it does in these snapshots.

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