My Monogram Battlestar Galactica Build

[shadowlova]

After seeing some of the work on here I thought I would bite the bullet and give it a go and possibly embarrass :facepalm myself in the process. I by no means consider myself a skilled modeller but a veteran beginner......:lol
I'll call it my interpretation of the Galactica given that I had no resin detail kits or the like. I used reference pics and all the bits I had left from other kits over the years.

Various planes and 1:700 scale or 1:1200 scale - I can't remember which WWII battleships. I also purchased 6 1:144 scale Panzer 2 packs from my local hobby shop. I also used styrene sheet and strips of various sizes............:wacko

Here we go..................opcorn

My box of bits.....

 

[shadowlova]

So I started by studying 105 pics of the studio model and various other builds. How can I pull this off?:facepalm

Close off the front and try to recreate the landing bay and add launch tubes......

Modded the bridge - wasn't happy so redid it......

 

[shadowlova]

You'll notice it's a bit out of order as at this stage I am nearly done and only just decided or got the courage to share my experience with you.

Some head details............

Happy with the bays....

Some side detail.......

 

[shadowlova]

Ahhh or Argghhhh the engines. Looking at the studio model.......how can I pull this off with such soft model detail?

Well I thought less could be more maybe?

And the front sensor array....my God. After 4 attempts ended up here, and changed it again after this.........:lol

 

[shadowlova]

Decided to put it together to help the flow of the bits and pieces I was adding. Tiny tank wheels and parts can do wonders. oh I had also bought photo etch British Navy sundry boxes by now to put on as well...............whatever sundry boxes are :confused.....I wasn't going to make them into boxes anyway. I just liked the look of them. :love

 

[thunderbolt47d]

Looks great!

 

[shadowlova]

I also wasn't happy with the guns after looking closely at the ref pics so I ripped them off and replaced them with the 1:700 scale Bismark or Tirpitz guns I had. I added turned around tank wheels to the gun above the bridge and for the one halfway back I used 2 guns - 1 on top of a radar thingy.....:lol

I had by this stage added some stuff to the underside of the model too....

 

[shadowlova]

I didn't want to go overboard with it so after those above pics I added a fair bit more.....:lol and decided to prime the model.

 

[shadowlova]

As of now this is how it looks after paint. I used Tamiya Spray AS-2 Light Gray ( Imperial Japanese Navy) as this is the lightest spray I could find but it looks a bit dark to me. I can't airbrush to save my life so that is out of the question . Oh and I am a bit colour blind too so that doesn't help.
In some of the ref pics Galactica looks dark and some light. I imagine this is to do with lighting.

So should I spray it with a matt white or leave it this colour?

These pics are with natural light on a cloudy day....

- - - Updated - - -

Looks great!

Thanks thunderbolt.

 

[Galactifan]

Very cool...the Galactica lives!

 

[Apollo]

Wow you really did a cool re-work on that.

I still have mine boxed up somewhere. :lol

 

[Robiwon]

Wow. That looks great! Dude, you did a great job with the added greeblies. It makes this old girl look much, much better! While the 6 footer may be accurate with a very pale grey color, I think the smaller kits look better with a slightly darker grey. Too light and it begins to look toy like. Hard to explain though. I would give her a darker wash to bring out all the added detail.

And no need to feel embarrassed, I would definitely consider you a skilled modeler...

 

[Caretaker10]

Looks like a great Galactica to me..

Love the SW collection as well..

 

[shadowlova]

Wow. That looks great! Dude, you did a great job with the added greeblies. It makes this old girl look much, much better! While the 6 footer may be accurate with a very pale grey color, I think the smaller kits look better with a slightly darker grey. Too light and it begins to look toy like. Hard to explain though. I would give her a darker wash to bring out all the added detail.

And no need to feel embarrassed, I would definitely consider you a skilled modeler...

Thanks I'm a bit hesitant about doing a wash on it as I've never done a wash before.....ever. I'm thinking maybe to practice on my MKII Viper with a wash, then come back and give this one. Just not sure yet. I know I'd have to do an acrylic wash as it is already painted in enamel and then go over with a matt lacquer?

 

[Robiwon]

If you do decide to do a wash, a little will go a long way. It's not going to be heavily weathered as the real sip is a mile long. A subtle wash, maybe a slightly darker grey, not black, is all it would need. But at any rate, that's just me. As is you did a great job and looks just fine as is.

Yes, acrylic followed by a flat clear coat would be good.

 

[Griffworks]

That turned out looking sweet! Excellent work on the additional detailing.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[shadowlova]

Well she's done........I think.........:lol

Now to finish this one...........

 

[Lynx]

Yeah, the old Monogram Lady...

Looks much better with your additional detailing.:thumbsup