EF76 Nebulon B Escort/Medical Frigate 3D

nicholassagan

Active Member
I have begun to pull away from the Event Horizon of this project. What began at least a year or more ago has culminated in a sort of magnum opus of 3D craftsmanship. This is the most accurate independent rendering to date of the EF76 Nebulon B Escort Frigate (Medical Frigate Redemption in The Empire Strikes Back and most recently Rogue One). Better yet, it is the basis for some forthcoming model kits, which WILL be the most accurate model kits to date. The planned scales are 1/350 (36"), 1/1000 (12") and 1/2256 (~6"). There are also a couple one-off projects in 1/900 and 1/500 but more on that in a later update.


All of this modeling was basically done in SketchUp, which some would call a fool's errand. Experience with the software has proven that with persistence and attention to one's work a solid output can be generated. Literally...with the 1/350 kit there are 100 3D printed parts! The smaller the scales, the fewer the parts (the 1/2256 has 8-10 parts). There were however a few tricky spots where the kind folk of modeler kinsfolk stepped in.


Hours upon hours were spent pouring over reference material, both public and private, in an effort to recreate as much of the detail featured on the donor kits as possible. While every part is not 100% identified, the approximation comes within the 95±% percentile both in terms of identification and replication. Many of the original parts featured include Yamato, Junyo and other ship hulls, Bf109 and Hurricane parts, a mass of tank parts from Pattons to Bulldogs, a pile of modern jet aircraft (A-10, F-14, F-15, F-16, Mirage), and of course the telltale massive Saturn V parts.


With regards to the details of how the kit parts breakdown, there are several large pieces and just about every piece interlocks with at least 2 others. There is a sturdiness built into the design of the boom structure as well as the 'stalactite/stalagmite' assembly. Much of the decision making process was based on the methodology of the original studio model, albeit in a much more simplified way. For example, there are at least three 1/450 Musashi hulls with two of them sandwiched. The 2 joined parts create a single 3D print, with all the greeblies integrated, whereas the single hull is part of a larger assembly. There are also two separate plates that join front and back to create the hub of the front spine section with a built-in channel that will accommodate a 3/8" brass square rod. The boom section will also fit a 1/2" brass pipe (though it's design is probably strong enough to support itself).


I don't think I can stress how big of an undertaking this has been for me. It has invading my dreams and damn near half my waking time over the course of the past year. It still persists as there are more exports to generate and more parts to clean. I'd like to give special thanks to Jimi Glancy, Jason Eaton, Gonçalo Inocentes, Jim Creveling, Ansel Hsaio, Paul Hearbelin, Dannon Marsh, Jeffery Griffin, Felipe Reyes, Jonathon Campbell, Matt Jacobson, James McVay, Matthew Walker, Marc Dupuy, ‎Christian Fröhlich‎, Peter Jaensch, and Brian Allen for their help with references, 3D and physical parts, and good vibes.


Much like the project itself, I could go on and on talking about it, so please feel free to ask questions! Also, I am currently in the process of cleaning and prepping the parts for casting. When they are ready I will post another update before sending them to the caster. Until then, on to the renders!

NOTE: I JUST ADDED MORE RENDERS HERE: https://nicholassagan.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/the-black-hole-medical-frigate-project/


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Looks fantastic so far. I'll definitely be interested in the 1/2256 scaled kit and will definitely consider the 1/350 scaled kit as well.
 
O really love the detail work in this model- well done! I have been wanting a kit of this subject for many years- hope to get a 12" version of this when it gets produced.

One question though- you have the vertical antennas on both sides of the ship, as far as I can tell they only appeared on the port side. Was the filming model altered for different scenes?
http://www.galacticempiredatabank.com/NebulonBFrig.jpg
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net...ion_btm.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080318143053
 
One question though- you have the vertical antennas on both sides of the ship, as far as I can tell they only appeared on the port side. Was the filming model altered for different scenes?
http://www.galacticempiredatabank.com/NebulonBFrig.jpg
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net...ion_btm.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080318143053

My references all show antenna on both sides....that was just the mods for RotJ. The shuttle tank underneath the B-29 was also a RotJ mod.

neb-b.jpg
 
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Are you going to as a personal project ever print it out studio scale. Really would love to see someone do that.
 
Well **** it's been a while since I've updated!!! The 1/350 parts are out with JPG for casting. Looks like it'll be about 8lbs to ship so it gets pricey ($50-60 to down under). Once the full run is available I'll post up some stuff. Hoping to get a preview build going soon, too.



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