1/32 BSG Viper Mk II - Revell/Moebius build

[Analyzer]

Hey at least you got back to it

Looks great

 

[modelerdave]

Wow. That is seriously impressive. I can't wait to see the finished base as well!

 

[HughB]

Thanks folks! Did a bit more weathering last night...

 

[Analyzer]

excellent work!

 

[Jimw100]

Update! I've decide to do the RCS thrusters - although the full size prop doesn't have them, I'm modeling a functional ship here, and she wouldn't be able to maneuver without them. I'm using a technique I first saw implemented by JanewayC in her build here, IC sockets for electronics.

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Drilled out - a 1.8mm bit works perfectly:

This is an awesome idea - did you find different sizes of these sockets for the different size thrusters on the model? I’ve scoured the internet and can only find one size.

 

[HughB]

This is an awesome idea - did you find different sizes of these sockets for the different size thrusters on the model? I’ve scoured the internet and can only find one size.

No... I'm just using the one size. I wasn't that bothered about them all being different sizes on the decals, I'm not convinced that would be realistic.

Some progress has been made on the base - It's a chunk of 25mm MDF with some holes routed in the bottom for wires, batteries etc:



It's capped with a sheet of styrene and a styrene extrusion gives the illusion of a girder under the hangar deck:



Corners must of course be cut at 45 degrees for Battlestar-ness.

A switch plate was cut out of aluminium and bolted to the bottom corner. This houses the key to the viper (vipers have keys, right?) and what will become the engine start button:

After that, it's just paint and some styrene trim - you can see the brass contacts for power and control on the shot without the viper. There are small locating pins made of brass tube that protrude and hold the model in the right position, but it can be easily lifted off if you want to make whooshy noises and pretend to fly it around.



When the model's on the base, the key switch sends power (via a 5v regulator) to the contacts on the port landing gear leg, and the button is now connected to the arduino inside the viper via the starboard landing gear leg. Pressing the button sends 5V to the contact. So the contact isn't floating when not pressed, it's connected to ground via a 10k pull-down resistor. In this video it's just running a test program I wrote so I could map the button input pin correctly (I hadn't noted down which pin it was on when I sealed up the model 3 years ago). When it's done I plan to have a cockpit power-up sequence start when you turn the key (screens coming on one-by-one, flickering etc), and then the engines start/stop when pressing the button.