Adama's "First Cylon War" painting

SpyderDan

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I scored a full size 48"x36" giclee print of the "First Cylon War" painting seen in Adama's quarters, signed by the original artist (Ken Rabehl) on ebay over the weekend, and now I need to find a frame for it.

AdamaCylonWar.jpg


Anybody have any leads on this frame, or where to start looking for similar styles? I'd like to duplicate the original as closely as possible, including the name plate.

I'm sure the frame will end up costing way more than the $400 I spent on the print. :lol
 
I scored a full size 48"x36" giclee print of the "First Cylon War" painting seen in Adama's quarters, signed by the original artist (Ken Rabehl) on ebay over the weekend, and now I need to find a frame for it.

AdamaCylonWar.jpg


Anybody have any leads on this frame, or where to start looking for similar styles? I'd like to duplicate the original as closely as possible, including the name plate.

I'm sure the frame will end up costing way more than the $400 I spent on the print. :lol

I hate to break it to you but Propworx is selling them for $295.
 
Got just got mine today from Propworx. It's HUGE. I have no idea where I'm going to put it. Must look into framing it.






 
I use to work in a Deck the Walls frame shop about 13 years ago. That frame looks familiar to some they carried. Now regions and suppliers will differ on what stock they have, but I would try there first. Also, maybe Michaels and Joanne Fabrics. Privately owned places sometimes have an easier time getting what you want.

Awesome piece and Good luck.

Best,
DBCooper
 
I hate to break it to you but Propworx is selling them for $295.

IIRC, this was the "be all and end all" of props from Galactica that went for major bucks... Didn't know they were selling knockoffs themselves. :unsure
 
The thing that's going to make this kind of rough is the size. You'll need supplies that are bigger than anything you can get off-the-shelf at Michaels. I frame a lot of my own drawings and paintings, but 36 x 48 is larger than anything I've ever done.

By far, the worst part is going to be the mounting. It looks like that giclee is on paper, so it's going to need to be mounted to something like foamcore so that it can set in its frame. If you don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, then I really, really recommend NOT doing it yourself. You might be able to find self-adhesive board in that size, but I'm not aware of anyone who makes it that big. If you can't find self-adhesive board, then you'd have to get regular foamcore and a suitable glue. Either way - if you're freaked at the combination of you, glue, and your print in the same room, then have a pro mount it. You need the right supplies; you need good lighting; you need a helper; and you need enough room to work. Otherwise, it can get tense.

The good news is that you can find ready-made frames in 36x48. You may be able to do that locally, but you can do some online research at a place like ornateframes.com. Freight is going to be an added expense if you have to order something, but try pricing it out. If you're hoping to stay true to the set-used piece, keep in mind that you should match the moulding first. You can always replicate the finish later.

Assuming the print is on paper, you can use glass or not. It's canvas works that are generally not placed behind glass, in order to let the fibers breathe.

While this project isn't quite as easy as framing a fuzzy kitten poster from Target, you are dealing with a fairly standard size in the art world. This doesn't have to be a total custom job if you don't want it to be. :)
 
The PropWorx versions are canvas while the QMx are 100lb paper.

I chatted w/ the Michaels frame dept. earlier this evening and without their 1/2 off sale they sometimes run, it would be:

$30 for the stretching (putting the canvis on the boards)

$190 for the boards to put it on... This I find difficult to believe...

$300+ for the frame.

BUT I may be the only lucky person here... My local Sam's Club has a road show (a temp. vendor selling their goods within the club) has an oil painting sale and they have 36x48 framed casnvas prints on sale for $197!!! I will have to pick one up for mine and post the pics. Much cheaper than Michaels.

-Sean
 
Michael's usually has a framing sale at least every other week (40-60% off).
That's probably the best option for something so large.
I'm guessing that board price is for something thicker than foamcore. Maybe gator board which is thicker and more rigid.
It's also an odd size size artboard/foamcore is typically 30x40.

I've used www.americanframe.com several times. The big print is just within their size limits (make sure and click "no mat"), but you get hit with a $75 oversize shipping fee. The don't have plexiglass or backing boards big enough.
 
AHHHHH!!! COOL! i was drooling over the original in the auction pics. my fingers were crossed for decent prints.

so is the qmx version selling now? their site still says "available for pre-order"... even though the ship date is 5/28.
 
Does anybody have better photos, perhaps from the auction?

According to the seller of mine, the screen used frame was 3.5" wide. Looking around, I'm finding most stuff is 2.5" or less.
 
A good framing shop will have frames from 1 half an inch to maybe 8 inches wide. I had a couple of pieces cut and framed that were 4'x8' as I recall and got very large frames so that it "felt" right.
You might also look into someone with one of those carvewright machines making this for you, if you can get good references. Unfortunately, it was probably a frame the prop master picked up at some random place. Like a thrift store? I hope not!

I wonder about the print itself, does anyone know where it is from? Was it painted by their art department or was it an old painting of a medieval battle where they went in and painted over some armored knights and made them into cylons?

Nice piece. Hopefully I can afford the QMx one!
 
ARGH... i didn't realize the qmx print was smaller. i was hoping it would be full-size... or at least 24x36...
 
The painting was a custom job for BSG production. Stretching and framing something that size is always an expense proposition. If it can be done (a quality job and frame) for less than $350 - $400, I'd be shocked.
 
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