Anyone ever built a large-scale Mon Calamari cruiser?

[AlexD]

I'm planning on scratch-building a Liberty-class cruiser that's about 5 feet long. I have seen a lot of brilliant, huge star destroyers, but I've been unable to find any large-scale Man Calamari ships. I'm talking 5-7 feet in length. If anyone has built a model similar in size to the studio-scale Liberty, I'd love to see it. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I'm actually surprised because you never see any models of them. I thought for sure after the resin printers came out, that they would be everywhere. Give GEEK1138 a week and he'll have a 6ft version done.

 

[Hunk a Junk]

Until recently, the difficulty in scratch building any Mon Calamari capital ships is that the ships are nothing but curves, domes, and bubbles. It's not just a matter of cutting and gluing sheets of stock styrene to make a hull. You'd need a vacu-form or use some kind of sculpting medium. 3-D printers make it all easier, but to get a model close in scale to even one of the star destroyer kits you still need to break up the print into sections. I'm sure we'll see someone make good 3D files in the near future, but I also think it's one of those subjects that only appeals to a relatively small group of potential buyers. Let's face it, the ships look like pickles. They aren't exactly sci-fi sexy.

 

[AlexD]

Until recently, the difficulty in scratch building any Mon Calamari capital ships is that the ships are nothing but curves, domes, and bubbles. It's not just a matter of cutting and gluing sheets of stock styrene to make a hull. You'd need a vacu-form or use some kind of sculpting medium. 3-D printers make it all easier, but to get a model close in scale to even one of the star destroyer kits you still need to break up the print into sections. I'm sure we'll see someone make good 3D files in the near future, but I also think it's one of those subjects that only appeals to a relatively small group of potential buyers. Let's face it, the ships look like pickles. They aren't exactly sci-fi sexy.

I agree, thanks for the response! Yeah some of them are straight out of a pickle jar, but I’m hoping to make a Liberty class which is pretty good looking IMO. Thinking of using Easter eggs and silly putty containers for the blisters, until someone makes good 3D printed ones. Interesting how it seems nobody has attempted a very large scale one yet.

 

[Hunk a Junk]

Interesting how it seems nobody has attempted a very large scale one yet.

Large scale is a big investment in time, materials, and money. When investing heavily in a project, people will usually go for the more iconic vehicles -- the Falcon, a star destroyer, an X-wing -- rather than something more niche. If I was going to build a large scale Trek model, I'd definitely do an Enterprise rather than, say, a travel pod. We can't all be GEEK1138! I look forward to seeing you tackle the project!

 

[AlexD]

Large scale is a big investment in time, materials, and money. When investing heavily in a project, people will usually go for the more iconic vehicles -- the Falcon, a star destroyer, an X-wing -- rather than something more niche. If I was going to build a large scale Trek model, I'd definitely do an Enterprise rather than, say, a travel pod. We can't all be GEEK1138! I look forward to seeing you tackle the project!

Thanks! I’m definitely amateur and probably won’t do the Mon Cal justice at all haha. Do you have any idea how the original studio scale Liberty was made? I can’t seem to find much online about it.

 

[Hunk a Junk]

FWIW, there is a scratch build at Starship modeler you could scale up Starship Modeler - Scratchbuilt Mon Calarmari Cruiser and a 21" Liberty kit for sale in Etsy. Huge Star Wars Mc-80 Calamari Space Cruiser Large Kit Measures | Etsy

Its a start.

 

[Analyzer]

Nicholas Sagan CosmosModels) created an MC-30 and MC-80 in 1/2700 scale

It is currently not for sale, but there is a listing on Shapeways

1/2700 Mon Calamari MC-80a by nicholassagan on Shapeways

Check out 1/2700 Mon Calamari MC-80a by nicholassagan on Shapeways and discover more 3D printed products in SciFi.

www.shapeways.com

here are just the blister shapes themselves for 1/4222 scale

I am sure he could scale them up

1/4222 MC-80 Blisters by nicholassagan on Shapeways

Check out 1/4222 MC-80 Blisters by nicholassagan on Shapeways and discover more 3D printed products in Other.

www.shapeways.com

Cosmos Models and Parts by nicholassagan - Shapeways Shops

www.shapeways.com

you could consider contacting him.

 

[AlexD]

Thank you both for your input! I had not seen that Etsy listing, what an impressive resin kit. I'll think about contacting Nicholas Sagan- his work is so awesome. Thank you guys. This will be a slow project, I'll be sure to post pictures when the ship looks half decent! I may post some pics soon of a Nebulon-B I just completed.

 

[JediMichael]

Give GEEK1138 a week and he'll have a 6ft version done.

No no....more like 36 feet, but still done in a week.....

 

[Duncanator]

Thanks! I’m definitely amateur and probably won’t do the Mon Cal justice at all haha. Do you have any idea how the original studio scale Liberty was made? I can’t seem to find much online about it.

The blisters were all vacuformed styrene. I forget if the large hull surfaces were styrene or fiberglass (but I think it was fiberglass).I did some repairs to the Mon Calimari ship at the archives many years ago that included regluing several blisters that had come loose.
The amazing Ira Keeler carved the original patterns for the Mon Cal ships.

 

[AlexD]

The blisters were all vacuformed styrene. I forget if the large hull surfaces were styrene or fiberglass (but I think it was fiberglass).I did some repairs to the Mon Calimari ship at the archives many years ago that included regluing several blisters that had come loose.
The amazing Ira Keeler carved the original patterns for the Mon Cal ships.

That is great information, thank you! Maybe one day I'll see the studio scale ships in person..I will have to look into vacuforming for my model.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I don't have a vacuforming machine, yet, so that's why I never tried to build one yet. I would be freaked out if I had to try and fix one of the original models! I wouldn't want a price on my head if I screwed it up!

 

[Duncanator]

I don't have a vacuforming machine, yet, so that's why I never tried to build one yet. I would be freaked out if I had to try and fix one of the original models! I wouldn't want a price on my head if I screwed it up!

"Price on my head"? Oh man!

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Well maybe an extreme, but I'd have to tell my ILM bosses "Look I'll quit, just leave my name out of it! Tell the fans it was an earthquake!"

 

[Madhatter]

Anigrand did a resin kit a while ago. You could look for one of those if your not keen on scratch building one. Its 1/2400 I think.

 

[publiusr]

There was an unreleased Action Fleet Liberty. Attack Wing has a mini…

 

[AlexD]

There was an unreleased Action Fleet Liberty. Attack Wing has a mini…

Anigrand did a resin kit a while ago. You could look for one of those if your not keen on scratch building one. Its 1/2400 I think.

Good to know. It seems a shame that such an important group of ships in Star Wars is only found by a couple model producers nowadays..

 

[publiusr]

Space Capital ships get no love. Too few of those…too many action figures and cars.

 

[publiusr]

Space-themed Capital Ships get no love. Too few of those…too many action figures and cars.