New Galactica with battle damage and a twist
- Thread starter opal1970
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- battlestar galactica
opal1970
Well-Known Member
...but I must be disciplined and finish my current project first
Thanks Hugh. I know all about "trying" to stay focused on one project. This actually started off as a TOS Galactica, first with the revell kit, til I got so disqusted with the inacuracy I went out and got the timeslip kit. The Timeslip kit is absolutly amazing, but quite a few of the pieces that I wanted to do lights or interior detail were solid cast... I was in the process of hollowing them out, when the news came out that Moebius was putting out a TOS version. At that point I put the Timeslip kit on the shelf (which I will one way or another go back to), and ordered a BSG75 Galactica to work on until the TOS version came out. Now that the TOS is available from Moebius, I need to get one or two of them to put in the waiting line.
I have to admit, I was a hard core fan of the original ship, but working on the new one tends to grow on you after a while. I really like how it is more streamlined and a bit clear of clutter on the hull. The series itself is nice to watch every now and then, but in my book, it will never come close to the old series.
I still have a LONG way to go on this though. The kit is great out of the box, but to make it really special there is a ton of things a guy can do. I am loving how all this small detailing is improving the overall look, but there are days when I really have to force myself to start cutting up little 1mm x1 mm pieces of plastic.
I cannot wait till this part is over and I can start putting in the electric and the last coats of paint.Cheers,
Jason
Griffworks
Well-Known Member
Lookin' great!
You need to get a set of these:
https://www.shapeways.com/model/145...assembly-set-of-twentyfive.html?materialId=61
They're quite choice!
You need to get a set of these:
https://www.shapeways.com/model/145...assembly-set-of-twentyfive.html?materialId=61
They're quite choice!
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opal1970
Well-Known Member
Hi Griff, Thanks. Long time no see. Nice that you stopped by.
Yeah, I saw those gun pads in one of your threads. They look really awsome.
UPDATE:
One of the known problems with the moebius kit is that the head section fits offset to the body (sits slightly higher). Believe it or not, fixing this was actually quite easy. Much of the access that a guy has to remove to correct this is bordered by a mold line or the like, to the point where you have to wonder if it is really a coincidence. Not many WIPs that I found go into detail on this and some that do did a couple things differently, but I was very happy with the ease and end result of my steps and wanted to share this step by step for anyone else who would like to do the same.
At any rate, here is how I fixed the height difference problem with the head section where it connects to the body. (Thanks to Prof. Coffee over at hobbytalk for the picture).
First I made both slots about 2 cm higher and then removed a portion of the bottom up to the horizontal supports that go accross the whole piece. Then I shaved back the raised detail to accommodate a lower position. this and in most all other steps, I used my chisel tool, BUT I did NOT chisel the access away, rather scraped it away layer by layer, this takes a bit more time but aside from the fact that you get a much more even surface, you have much more control and you do not have to worry about gouging out a chunk of plastic that is more than you wanted to.
Then I sanded the upper floor of the middle section so that it had about the same height as all other floors. This was probably the most difficult step of the whole process making sure that all sides are evenly sanded down. If you are going to light your kit you should pay extra attention to this, as if it fits unevenly, there will likely be light leaking out and due to the underside detail of the piece that fits on top of it, it will be all but impossible to fill from the outside.
Next step, chiseled out a bit from the slot where the locking knob is supposed to fit into and I also removed a bit from the inside of the rounded outer hull on the lower body half, to allow the lower head half to sit deeper. Make sure you do this step slowly and test fit the lower part of the head often... if you take out too much it will be much more difficult to get the armor plates aligned.
Lastly, I cut a notch out of the bottom of the upper head section so that it now sits evenly with the "shelf" on the front of the body section. My cut line is perfectly even with the first rib and I did have to shave a notch out of the two round things on either side to allow for clearence....
the dry fit: The head section is now even with the body section...
Yeah, I saw those gun pads in one of your threads. They look really awsome.
UPDATE:
One of the known problems with the moebius kit is that the head section fits offset to the body (sits slightly higher). Believe it or not, fixing this was actually quite easy. Much of the access that a guy has to remove to correct this is bordered by a mold line or the like, to the point where you have to wonder if it is really a coincidence. Not many WIPs that I found go into detail on this and some that do did a couple things differently, but I was very happy with the ease and end result of my steps and wanted to share this step by step for anyone else who would like to do the same.
At any rate, here is how I fixed the height difference problem with the head section where it connects to the body. (Thanks to Prof. Coffee over at hobbytalk for the picture).
First I made both slots about 2 cm higher and then removed a portion of the bottom up to the horizontal supports that go accross the whole piece. Then I shaved back the raised detail to accommodate a lower position. this and in most all other steps, I used my chisel tool, BUT I did NOT chisel the access away, rather scraped it away layer by layer, this takes a bit more time but aside from the fact that you get a much more even surface, you have much more control and you do not have to worry about gouging out a chunk of plastic that is more than you wanted to.
Then I sanded the upper floor of the middle section so that it had about the same height as all other floors. This was probably the most difficult step of the whole process making sure that all sides are evenly sanded down. If you are going to light your kit you should pay extra attention to this, as if it fits unevenly, there will likely be light leaking out and due to the underside detail of the piece that fits on top of it, it will be all but impossible to fill from the outside.
Next step, chiseled out a bit from the slot where the locking knob is supposed to fit into and I also removed a bit from the inside of the rounded outer hull on the lower body half, to allow the lower head half to sit deeper. Make sure you do this step slowly and test fit the lower part of the head often... if you take out too much it will be much more difficult to get the armor plates aligned.
Lastly, I cut a notch out of the bottom of the upper head section so that it now sits evenly with the "shelf" on the front of the body section. My cut line is perfectly even with the first rib and I did have to shave a notch out of the two round things on either side to allow for clearence....
the dry fit: The head section is now even with the body section...
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opal1970
Well-Known Member
Update:
I began work on detailing the head section today. First I mapped out where I needed detail, the green lines are to be scribed and the black will be surface mounted detail and red will be chiseled out....
Unfortunatly, I could have saved myself the effort with the black markings, after scribing I did a wash with cement to get rid of any access, which of course smugged up all the remaining markings. Nevertheless, after a coat of primer it is looking halfway decent. The paint is not glossy, just a bit wet...
Next step will be to do the glue on detail and then on to the next area. Although it is fun, this does get very monotone at times.
Thanks for stopping by and by all means, do not be afraid to comment on anything. Any improvement suggestions are welcome.
I began work on detailing the head section today. First I mapped out where I needed detail, the green lines are to be scribed and the black will be surface mounted detail and red will be chiseled out....
Unfortunatly, I could have saved myself the effort with the black markings, after scribing I did a wash with cement to get rid of any access, which of course smugged up all the remaining markings. Nevertheless, after a coat of primer it is looking halfway decent. The paint is not glossy, just a bit wet...
Next step will be to do the glue on detail and then on to the next area. Although it is fun, this does get very monotone at times.
Thanks for stopping by and by all means, do not be afraid to comment on anything. Any improvement suggestions are welcome.
opal1970
Well-Known Member
Update:
Picking up where I left off, I added more detail to the center area of the head. I really like how this step just makes the surface come alive and yet does not bust the scale. The pictures really do not do it justice, but here they are just the same:
I tried to do a frontal shot on that last picture, but my camera can only focus on one area at a time. Sorry about that, but I hope this next one with a coat of primer makes up for it:
Below is a picture of the backside not yet primed. and yes... those are the slanting support ribs going down from module in the middle. It is not screen correct, but the various modules on the model do not quite match the ribbing like they should (and I was not ready to undergo the work that would be required to correct it), therefore, I added the slants to the neighboring "building".
I want to let those slant supports set over-night to make sure they are dried before I chance puting primer on it. At about the size of a needle head, it was a pain getting them on and even more so keeping them evenly spaced, so I do not want to break anything due to lack of patience.
Picking up where I left off, I added more detail to the center area of the head. I really like how this step just makes the surface come alive and yet does not bust the scale. The pictures really do not do it justice, but here they are just the same:
I tried to do a frontal shot on that last picture, but my camera can only focus on one area at a time. Sorry about that, but I hope this next one with a coat of primer makes up for it:
Below is a picture of the backside not yet primed. and yes... those are the slanting support ribs going down from module in the middle. It is not screen correct, but the various modules on the model do not quite match the ribbing like they should (and I was not ready to undergo the work that would be required to correct it), therefore, I added the slants to the neighboring "building".
I want to let those slant supports set over-night to make sure they are dried before I chance puting primer on it. At about the size of a needle head, it was a pain getting them on and even more so keeping them evenly spaced, so I do not want to break anything due to lack of patience.
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opal1970
Well-Known Member
Update:
And the beat goes on. Here is the layout for the armor panels on the head section. Again the color coding is as follows:
And the beat goes on. Here is the layout for the armor panels on the head section. Again the color coding is as follows:
Green is scribed lines,
Black is glued on detail, and
Red will be filed down a millimeter or two. (this is still armor plating, it is just not as thick as the plates around it)
Black is glued on detail, and
Red will be filed down a millimeter or two. (this is still armor plating, it is just not as thick as the plates around it)
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opal1970
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I have not got a lot done since the last post, my "hobby room" is not a nice place to hang out in during the winter. At any rate, I spent some time drawing up a plan how I want to light up the hanger bays.
the red runway lights will be a chaser and I would like to have the runway markings lit up, but I am not sure if or how good that will be seen through the bay openings. I also plan on lighting up and perhaps even with a chaser effect to the cross-hairs on the bay entrance.
Unless someone can tell me which episode has a good view of the runway and the chaser lights, I will have to go back and see if I can find an episode where i can see the lights and how fast they go.
Well as always, thanks for tuning in.
I have not got a lot done since the last post, my "hobby room" is not a nice place to hang out in during the winter.
At any rate, I spent some time drawing up a plan how I want to light up the hanger bays.the red runway lights will be a chaser and I would like to have the runway markings lit up, but I am not sure if or how good that will be seen through the bay openings. I also plan on lighting up and perhaps even with a chaser effect to the cross-hairs on the bay entrance.
Unless someone can tell me which episode has a good view of the runway and the chaser lights, I will have to go back and see if I can find an episode where i can see the lights and how fast they go.
Well as always, thanks for tuning in.
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opal1970
Well-Known Member
I am having difficulties finding any scenes that give you a good view of the bay runway lights. In the S02E08 "Final Cut" there is a brief instant where Cat is trying to land her viper stoned, but that is all that I could find.
Failing finding any better material, my plan is to create a chaser of 12 white LEDs along both sides of the runway. I would also like to light up the cross hairs (that you see below the bay entrance in the picture in my last post). I do not know if they are "moving" lights or not, but I have more or less decided to light them constant but dim in the following pattern:
Then I will have a chaser that goes from Red to Green making each step a bit brighter.
Failing finding any better material, my plan is to create a chaser of 12 white LEDs along both sides of the runway. I would also like to light up the cross hairs (that you see below the bay entrance in the picture in my last post). I do not know if they are "moving" lights or not, but I have more or less decided to light them constant but dim in the following pattern:
Red
Orange
Orange
Yellow
Red - Orange - Yellow GREEN Yellow - Orange - Red
Yellow
Orange
Red
Then I will have a chaser that goes from Red to Green making each step a bit brighter.
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opal1970
Well-Known Member
Hi GF, Thanks!
I couldn't agree with you more about an inch or two more, I remember when I first pulled her out of the box and was astonished at the size... everything is so tiny as compared to the TOS version. I have quite a bit electrical that I want to put in her and even working at a SMD level as much as possible, it is not easy to fit everything in. Nevertheless, I am quite happy with the kit. even out-of-the-box you can make a very nice model with it.
I couldn't agree with you more about an inch or two more, I remember when I first pulled her out of the box and was astonished at the size... everything is so tiny as compared to the TOS version. I have quite a bit electrical that I want to put in her and even working at a SMD level as much as possible, it is not easy to fit everything in. Nevertheless, I am quite happy with the kit. even out-of-the-box you can make a very nice model with it.
opal1970
Well-Known Member
Well Ladies and Gentlemen,
I just invested in a two car Garage that will be my new Hobby room. It might take a bit until I am ready to get the ball rolling again, I am in the process of pulling everything out of the ex-Hobby room in the attic and getting it set up in the Garage. I was really lucky, it has every Thing in it... power, running water, and enough room to Play Basketball if I get the Notion LOL.
I will post a couple before/after pics as soon as I get a Chance.
I just invested in a two car Garage that will be my new Hobby room. It might take a bit until I am ready to get the ball rolling again, I am in the process of pulling everything out of the ex-Hobby room in the attic and getting it set up in the Garage. I was really lucky, it has every Thing in it... power, running water, and enough room to Play Basketball if I get the Notion LOL.
I will post a couple before/after pics as soon as I get a Chance.
Grumpy Popeye
Sr Member
Ooh yes! Secret lair pics are always good!
opal1970
Well-Known Member
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you my new hobby room [drum roll in the background]...
It beats the heck out of the attic, where I have been working since, up there it was ice cold in the winter (no insulation) and an oven in the summer... ever try molding and casting at 40° C? I still have a bit of work to do to set everything up but now I have enough room to space everything out, airbrush station, sodering station, etc.
This is also doubling as a computer/server room, so I will likely end up getting a rack enclosure to keep all the delicate stuff free from dust and so on.
It beats the heck out of the attic, where I have been working since, up there it was ice cold in the winter (no insulation) and an oven in the summer... ever try molding and casting at 40° C? I still have a bit of work to do to set everything up but now I have enough room to space everything out, airbrush station, sodering station, etc.
This is also doubling as a computer/server room, so I will likely end up getting a rack enclosure to keep all the delicate stuff free from dust and so on.
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yup, i can relate to that. It's no fun hey. And I've tried airbrushing in the same heat and that didn't work either! Came out all powdery and dry...
opal1970
Well-Known Member
yeah, it is a pain at times. But on the other side, once you get used to it a guy can use it to his advantage... when you are waiting for silicone to cure, sometimes it is nice to have it solid in 30 minutes as opposed to a couple hours... LOL but your 3 minute resin turns into a 60 second resin.
yeah, it is a pain at times. But on the other side, once you get used to it a guy can use it to his advantage... when you are waiting for silicone to cure, sometimes it is nice to have it solid in 30 minutes as opposed to a couple hours... LOL but your 3 minute resin turns into a 60 second resin.
I bought a huge batch of resin from the US last year and it had a pot life of 2 minutes on the label. Once mixed it was curing within 20 seconds! I was thinking what the hell is going on here?! I realised it didn't really help working in 39-41c heat lol
opal1970
Well-Known Member
While I am still getting settled in to my new lair, I couldnt resist picking up the pieces. I did not want to do any more hull detail, I really needed a break from that, so I decided to work elsewhere.
I spent some time working on the landing bays as well as the garage area. I decided to work on the right side landing bay, because this will be closed up with museum windows anyway and I wanted to test run a couple ideas to see if they work before implementing them in the more visible left landing bay.
As mentioned previously, I want to have a lighted runway sequence, unfortunately, the runway chaser needs to start much farther out as the hollow will allow.Furthermore I want to have a couple lights on the entry. To correct this, I needed to dig some channels where I will be placing some fiber optic. Once I have the FO where I want them to be I will fill the channels in and smooth everything out. The rectangular hole that you see more towards the middle of the landing bay is an elevator platform that is lowered.
I did quite a bit of modification on the two garages so that the Landing bays could actually fit retracted. It might have been easier and better fit if I would have just created them from scratch, but I can go that way later if I need to. At any rate, first I made a template of where I want to have detail, and drew it onto the garage surface. For reference I used the set from Paragrafix that I bought a while back. Although I do like the set, I just wanted a bit more depth to the detail. The recesses in the garage floor, I cut out of the garage itself. As is, it is a bit too deep, but once I add bits of styrene detail, the cut-outs will be much more shallow. For the back wall I used a fairly thick peice of Styrene.
It is the wrong arm but you get the idea...
Thanks for tuning in.
I spent some time working on the landing bays as well as the garage area. I decided to work on the right side landing bay, because this will be closed up with museum windows anyway and I wanted to test run a couple ideas to see if they work before implementing them in the more visible left landing bay.
As mentioned previously, I want to have a lighted runway sequence, unfortunately, the runway chaser needs to start much farther out as the hollow will allow.Furthermore I want to have a couple lights on the entry. To correct this, I needed to dig some channels where I will be placing some fiber optic. Once I have the FO where I want them to be I will fill the channels in and smooth everything out. The rectangular hole that you see more towards the middle of the landing bay is an elevator platform that is lowered.
I did quite a bit of modification on the two garages so that the Landing bays could actually fit retracted. It might have been easier and better fit if I would have just created them from scratch, but I can go that way later if I need to. At any rate, first I made a template of where I want to have detail, and drew it onto the garage surface. For reference I used the set from Paragrafix that I bought a while back. Although I do like the set, I just wanted a bit more depth to the detail. The recesses in the garage floor, I cut out of the garage itself. As is, it is a bit too deep, but once I add bits of styrene detail, the cut-outs will be much more shallow. For the back wall I used a fairly thick peice of Styrene.
It is the wrong arm but you get the idea...
Thanks for tuning in.
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