"2001: A Space Odyssey" Discovery Build

Okay, I've got some news on the dish assembly.

The man who modeled this entire ship has graciously uploaded an alternate file to Thingiverse that features the dish assembly broken into pieces that look like they will print with no supports. Printing them vertically causes a few issues with my slicer software, primarily with the very thin edges of the dish. To deal with this I've adjusted the size of the dishes along that axis by 10%, which eliminates the issue. The dishes don't look very different, either...I mean, the small ones are like 4mm "deep" to begin with, now they will be 4.4mm...not enough difference to even be noticed.

I'm going to try printing it this evening to see how it turns out. I'll keep you guys updated.
 
The different model setup of the dish assembly didn't work out...for some reason it printed with lots of artifacts...so for now the one I've used the filler on remains the best option so far. That said, my piece from Shapeways is being printed right now, so onviously they saw no problems with the model. Right now I'm leaning towards using the one with the filler, but I'll have to see the part from Shapeways first.

Im currently printing the last set of cargo pods. Tomorrow I will print the last two parts for the dish assembly, and then it's just the nuts that are left to print.

Also, I mixed up a bit of paint. Once it dries, I will post some pictures. I'd like you guys to help me pick out a good overall color for the model.
 
Alright, the last piece other than the nuts is printing right now!!

Here are the paint colors I've mixed.

B43E3541-4500-46C9-B289-D30B15E9E64C_zpsddk35yfj.jpg


The top is just gray, the middle is 1:1 gray/white, and the bottom is 1:2 gray/white.

Im leaning towards using the 1:2 mix, but I'm open to suggestions. Should it be even lighter?
 
Difficult to be definitive given the vagaries of photos and monitors, so go with what looks right to you. Just keep the variations small, using a limited range palette.

I recall reading that the original models were painted with spray paints from the Montana Gold range, but also that some anti reflective paint was used, but the base colours were subdued with light weathering. Joberg may (probably does!) know more.

Even knowing and using the original colour of the "real thing" doesn't help replicate the look of the original, if the original is a large craft, because of the effect of "scale colour". A 1/24th scale car model may look authentic if painted in the real car's actual colour , but a 1/600th scale ship will look toy like if the same approach is used. It's an interesting topic, much beloved of ship modellers, but basically, viewing a 1/600th ship model from a distance of 3 feet away is like viewing the real thing from 1800 feet away and at that distance all colours tend towards greyness. So go with what looks right to you compared to the references you're working with.
 
Difficult to be definitive given the vagaries of photos and monitors, so go with what looks right to you. Just keep the variations small, using a limited range palette.

I recall reading that the original models were painted with spray paints from the Montana Gold range, but also that some anti reflective paint was used, but the base colours were subdued with light weathering. Joberg may (probably does!) know more.

Even knowing and using the original colour of the "real thing" doesn't help replicate the look of the original, if the original is a large craft, because of the effect of "scale colour". A 1/24th scale car model may look authentic if painted in the real car's actual colour , but a 1/600th scale ship will look toy like if the same approach is used. It's an interesting topic, much beloved of ship modellers, but basically, viewing a 1/600th ship model from a distance of 3 feet away is like viewing the real thing from 1800 feet away and at that distance all colours tend towards greyness. So go with what looks right to you compared to the references you're working with.

Thanks JHY. :)

That "scale colour" topic is interesting...it's completely accurate...whenever you see anything from a long ways away it ends up looking quite a bit more washed out than it does up close...

From what I've read, and from what joberg has mentioned, the studio model was painted a light gray color because if it were white it would have washed out a lot of the details of the greeblies. The reference images online seem to reflect a very light gray color, with almost exactly the appearance that the scale colour input would be taking into account...it LOOKS to me like the ship was designed to be white in color, but with it being out in space and images of it being from a "distance" the gray does seem to kind of take over.

I have put a bit of the lightest gray on a couple of the interior parts of the model, and I like the way that it appears with that color on it...so I think I'll end up doing it primarily in that color. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing for detailing...I've seen that other modelers have used a darker wash over the entire thing to fill in some of the areas that are laying a bit lower, then going back and dry brushing the raised areas with the main color with a tad bit more white added in in order to really make the details pop. I'll have to see how I feel about those types of things after I get the thing fully painted.
 
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I printed the final parts tonight.

I then started assembling the cargo pods. I think that's going to be a pretty long process. I'm going to use epoxy to assemble them, and I'll be painting the undersides of them as I go...that will allow me to airbrush the outside of them after it's assembled, which will paint the spine tube as I go.

This part has me fairly anxious...it seems a bit daunting.
 
Light gray seems to be o.k. As for the filming of the models in 2001, don't forget that the lens was shut down to the size of a pin and one pass would take many seconds to do to make sure that all of the details were captured on film. Despite that, the grey and the weathering really added depth to all of the greeblies seen on the models.
I mean, you're not going to take pics to post here with a long time exposure and a 1000 watts light;)
 
I have a printer and love 2001: A Space Odyssey and I was curious if you will be posting your 3-D models for others to use?
 
I have a printer and love 2001: A Space Odyssey and I was curious if you will be posting your 3-D models for others to use?


I didnt make the 3D models, a kind and patient person on the 'verse did. You can find the files here:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:950664

I did have to adjust the sizes of a few of the parts to get them to fit correctly, primarily the pieces inside the drive unit and the panels on the top and bottom of that unit.
 
The last of the five triple pod cargo pods are currently epoxied to the nuts, so that's the last of them that need to be set up. There is only one pod epoxied to each set of nuts, because it's impossible to do all three at once.

One of thr pod sets I made last night seems a bit off center, so I'll be printing another pod and three more nuts and doing it again. That's the cool part about this being printed...if something seems off, I can just pitch it and print again.

My dish assembly from Shapeways shipped today, too, so that should be here in a couple of days.
 
I mixed up a 3:1 white:gray mix, and I think that's a much better option for the entire model. The 2:1 mix will be good for the darker gray panels that are on the ship.

I think ill end up remaking two of the pod sets. One certainly needs it, and one is probably okay but I'll print a replacement just in case.
 
I'm going to go ahead and use the replacement pods for both the sets that I'm printing again. I'd prefer to get the whole model as nice as possible.

Building the pods has had been a bit of a pain...but I've got eight of the ten built with two pods on each. I put two on so that I can get the whole ship assembled and painted, including the support rod, and have the final step be gluing the last set of cargo pods to the entire thing. It also allowed me to have each one epoxied to the nuts that hold them on the rod, then to reinforce the joints with another head of epoxy. This should allow me to slide the pod assemblies onto the rod without having to worry about any of the joints breaking loose.
 
Hi everyone.

Update for today.

Let me start by saying...airbrushing??? Holy awesome. I thought I had used one before, but I think it may have just been one of those Testors ones that essentially turns their normal paint into spray paint...the cheap one with the propellant can that attaches to it...but this thing?? Wow...it's just amazing. I've never used one like this before and with just a few minutes of practice I was spraying it pretty well...it's just so...natural...I guess. It feels like an extension of your hand. Really cool.

Anyway, I started by painting one of the pieces that will mount to the back of the collar piece. It turned out pretty well.

E2C2E74D-DD4C-4ADA-B01F-52CB180CEAE5_zpshbeegyng.jpg


That tape underneath it was to hold it in place while I used the airbrush. It's a very lightweight piece, and I didn't really want it flying around the painting box I set up. That was just my first go at it...I'll give it another coat to finish filling in the little areas where not much paint ended up.

Next up I started on the control module. I wanted to do this just to see how it would look...the control module connects with the collar piece with glue on the INSIDE of the whole thing, so painting the outside will make no difference in how it attaches to the spine tube or the rest of the model.

CFC329D2-D5D0-4143-825A-E02FBE64E8A2_zpsvmjgvkxk.jpg


It was at this point that I realized I was going to need more paint...so I'll be ordering more of that this evening...probably quite a bit more. The color came out exactly how I hoped it would...very light gray. It's a 3:1 mix of that Tamiya acrylic, so it's easy to get it mixed up in correct amounts.

The nature of the 3D printed parts means that I have to paint from two angles...almost like you were painting a staircase...one pass for the vertical boards, and one for the horizontal boards. The print lines make this necessary, and I didn't realize it at first. Once I started painting from the top down as well as from the side, the color really started to pop. What's really cool is that with the paint on it, from just a few feet away, the lines virtually disappear...so for my purposes, and the fact that I'm happy that I've been able to get this far with this model, I'm going to not worry at all about the print lines.

This is the final cargo pod assembly. You can see here how I got them all lined up. I would put the three nuts on the rod, then get them the correct distance apart. I'd then place epoxy on the side that connects to the cargo pod, and then I'd set the pod on top of the whole thing. The rod through the nuts is a good way of making sure that the piece will slide on and off of the rod. I haven't had any issues sliding anything onto or off of the tube that will be getting used as the spine.

9389FE77-FF64-4ABB-B667-C1152807C915_zps9xqz8p90.jpg


Finally, here is my collection of cargo pods...all nine of them that were done, while the last one was on the rod curing. They're numbered because they'll be going on in a specific order.

5E2294BE-A3D8-42F6-9610-6865F295274E_zps0o797xts.jpg


One thing that I've noticed is that the reference material shows one side of the Discovery having almost no different pods. They are all the ones that have a separation, but with one very small piece. It's also odd that this side of the ship is the hardest side to find any reference material for. It's almost as if they just threw the same parts on that side because it wasn't going to be regularly shown. Typically the ship seems to be shown from the starboard side, and the port side is much more difficult to find reference photos for. For this reason, I'll be using my own artistic license to pick cargo pods that would match the rest of the ship, instead of just using the same ones over and over again.

Finally, I did a really rough mock up of the pods with the couplings, and from my just eyeballing it, everything looks like it's pretty straight. Soon I'll be starting the process of trying to get everything onto the spine rod and straight...that should be...fun.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of pictures the last few days...I'd been printing and reprinting the cargo pods it seemed over and over again. Now I'm at a point where there's not too much I can do until I get the paint for the airbrush again.

***EDIT***

I ordered a lot more paint tonight. I ended up ordering from a different seller, so it might take a bit longer, but it was about half the price. I'm hoping that it will be enough to finish the model.
 
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You're right about Discovery; while Kubrick wanted all of the models used in the movie to be hero models (that is dressed in all sides) the Discovery was an odd one.
You had a hard time "flipping" the ship because of the emergency door located on the right hand-side of the command module. Since there was no other door on the left, the "flipping" of the ship could only be done if you didn't shot the command module. Also, Kubrick forbade anyone to take casual shots of Discovery, so yes, not a lot of pictures for that side.
 
Paints look like they'll arrive tomorrow. Looks like my dish assembly from Shapeways should get here, too.

I probably wont get to do any more painting until Monday, though. I do, however, plan to mock everything up to get a sense of what it will look like. I also may go ahead and attach the drive to the tube support sothat I can go ahead and put the final two pieces on the drive unit, then fill any gaps with Green Stuff. Then I can paint the rear drive at the same time I paint everything else.
 
Paint arrived. All 12 bottles of it. :)

Shapeways dish assembly should be here tomorrow.

I still havent gotten around to any more work on the model...I've been too tired after getting home from work the last few days. Truth be told I'm also nervous that once I epoxy the spine into the drive unit that I'm going to somehow manage to bend the rod. Would be just my luck.
 
This Is one of my dream models to have. I think your doing fantastic thus far. and I have faith that It will come together and look awesome at the end. :thumbsup
 
The Shapeways dish assembly arrived today. I'm just blown away by the quality. You can still see minimal print lines, so I think I'll be using this piece with my model. I don't see anything wrong with this...it was a part that my printer struggled with, so I see no issues using a purchased piece in this one spot.

3D1B591A-5BD5-452C-8120-724446666822_zps3lsvlrks.jpg





EC36DD37-2D20-4F0B-BAFB-8AF86E507CE7_zpsthndwkc4.jpg
 
Okay...

...mocked up, not glued, yardstick for size reference...

8D99B9BE-DEBD-4502-82E8-F17BA13C10B5_zpsrrmwyteb.jpg



Just a couple shots of the pods.


058A4D66-EA42-41AA-BA54-A0CF3A005E86_zpsemzzrzhm.jpg



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I'll be remaking ONE more set of pods. Looking at it alone it looks fine, but on the spine with the others it's off JUST A HAIR. I doubt anyone else would ever notice, but I feel like it's all that I will ever see when looking at it.

I think the the hardest part is going to be making sure the control module and the collar are completely straight. In this mockup the collar is nowhere near straight...I will have to figure out a way to make sure it's straight.
 
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