SD Studios
Well-Known Member
I actually finished this two years ago, but another thread about the model spurred me on to post some info...I hope this is helpful to others wanting to make a model of this ship.
The BEST replica of this (currently) is the kit made by AJA models. It is about 10 1/2 inches in diameter. (1/3rd studio-scale) This is the one I built.
Scott Alexander has had one in the works for about 47 years. It is much bigger at 15 inches (half-studio-scale) But if you look at the pics on Scott's Atomic City site, the detailing doesn't match the original model. ???
Scott's kit is beautiful, but it is "idealized". Odd. It is also HUGE. I wish it was more accurate and "actually existed". I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.
If you build the AJA model, you can just do it "Out of the box" or go all "hardcore".
I decided to go "hardcore" since this is one of my favorite ships...EVAR.
That adventure entailed about 200 hours over the course of a year, a fair amount of scratchbuilding and replacement, and a lighting system using an internal 40-watt fluorescent bulb, power taps in the mounting points, a display base, and a complete rebuild of the windows.
The original kit has 150 parts. My "hardcore" version has 450+. The landing gear retracts, and most of the visible piping is brass and steel rods. I also added quite a bit of PE parts and plastic chips to better match the filming model.
Since the windows would be a major "focus point" of the replica, I had to make sure they looked really good up-close. So I built the double-window-frames that are visible and replicated the rear-projection images as seen in the film. I also partially-built the interior of the cockpit to give it some depth. I figured all of that wouldn't be that hard...about 100 hours later...
And YES, the windows are COMPLETELY a-symmetrical. The widths don't match each other, nor do they line up with the quadrants of the ship. And that is EXACTLY how the original filming model was made. To this day, I can't figure out why they did that. WHY make one window MUCH wider than the one next to it and off-center??? WEEEIIIRRRDDD.
The paint-job was done in numerous shades of off-white and gray to match the high-rez pics on the DT site. Those were a GOD-SEND. The filming model is also covered in lots of dripping stains and oily patches. If the ship is leaking so badly...why not fix it??? So I replicated the process they used to match properly. I don't like it, but it is accurate. I mapped out each stain and drip with a pencil first and then painted them in with dark gray paint (Don't use BLACK!!!)
Also the anti-glare panels on the original model were dark gray... NOT BLACK like everyone paints them...that makes it look like a toy. Don't do that!!
The base color is Montana Colors, Diamond Gray." I love that stuff! It dries in like ONE MINUTE!!! But you have to learn how to use it or it will look awful.
I took screen-grabs and various behind-the-scenes interior shots and printed them, so the people were sized properly at 1/48th scale.
I then back-lit them with a 40 watt bulb. I needed a BRIGHT light that would light all of the windows evenly with no spot-lighting or shadows but not TOO bright so as to be out-of-scale-bright.
My LED test failed. But the fluorescent bulb worked like a charm, but now the model would have to be plugged into a wall socket...Oh well...life is full of little trade-offs.
The base was made to replicate a section of the Clavius landing pad.
Better pics in a bit!!
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The BEST replica of this (currently) is the kit made by AJA models. It is about 10 1/2 inches in diameter. (1/3rd studio-scale) This is the one I built.
Scott Alexander has had one in the works for about 47 years. It is much bigger at 15 inches (half-studio-scale) But if you look at the pics on Scott's Atomic City site, the detailing doesn't match the original model. ???
Scott's kit is beautiful, but it is "idealized". Odd. It is also HUGE. I wish it was more accurate and "actually existed". I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.
If you build the AJA model, you can just do it "Out of the box" or go all "hardcore".
I decided to go "hardcore" since this is one of my favorite ships...EVAR.
That adventure entailed about 200 hours over the course of a year, a fair amount of scratchbuilding and replacement, and a lighting system using an internal 40-watt fluorescent bulb, power taps in the mounting points, a display base, and a complete rebuild of the windows.
The original kit has 150 parts. My "hardcore" version has 450+. The landing gear retracts, and most of the visible piping is brass and steel rods. I also added quite a bit of PE parts and plastic chips to better match the filming model.
Since the windows would be a major "focus point" of the replica, I had to make sure they looked really good up-close. So I built the double-window-frames that are visible and replicated the rear-projection images as seen in the film. I also partially-built the interior of the cockpit to give it some depth. I figured all of that wouldn't be that hard...about 100 hours later...
And YES, the windows are COMPLETELY a-symmetrical. The widths don't match each other, nor do they line up with the quadrants of the ship. And that is EXACTLY how the original filming model was made. To this day, I can't figure out why they did that. WHY make one window MUCH wider than the one next to it and off-center??? WEEEIIIRRRDDD.
The paint-job was done in numerous shades of off-white and gray to match the high-rez pics on the DT site. Those were a GOD-SEND. The filming model is also covered in lots of dripping stains and oily patches. If the ship is leaking so badly...why not fix it??? So I replicated the process they used to match properly. I don't like it, but it is accurate. I mapped out each stain and drip with a pencil first and then painted them in with dark gray paint (Don't use BLACK!!!)
Also the anti-glare panels on the original model were dark gray... NOT BLACK like everyone paints them...that makes it look like a toy. Don't do that!!
The base color is Montana Colors, Diamond Gray." I love that stuff! It dries in like ONE MINUTE!!! But you have to learn how to use it or it will look awful.
I took screen-grabs and various behind-the-scenes interior shots and printed them, so the people were sized properly at 1/48th scale.
I then back-lit them with a 40 watt bulb. I needed a BRIGHT light that would light all of the windows evenly with no spot-lighting or shadows but not TOO bright so as to be out-of-scale-bright.
My LED test failed. But the fluorescent bulb worked like a charm, but now the model would have to be plugged into a wall socket...Oh well...life is full of little trade-offs.
The base was made to replicate a section of the Clavius landing pad.
Better pics in a bit!!
View attachment 83498
View attachment 83500
View attachment 83501
View attachment 83502
View attachment 83503
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