Zvezda Avenger-Class ISD-II - WIP

INVAR

Sr Member
Part 1: Greeblies, Greeblies... Hangar Bays and Engine Section

Now that the Master Builders like Robiwon, Scarecrow Joe and others have shown us novices the incredible efforts they have made to their Zvezda builds (and I truly stand in awestruck wonder looking at the threads with all the WIPs) it's time for a novice like me to share my feeble efforts in the build.

This will only the the second kit I've ever lit, and I have purchased all the .25 MM & .5 MM fiber fiber and LEDs from model Train Software, along with the remote control and AA battery pack, as I intend to power this internally and hang it from spider wire from the ceiling. I will use magnets to hold the wedding cake lid section down so I can access the battery pack as needed.

This is the first kit I've ever attempted to do a WIP of the progress, and sometimes I have forgotten to catalogue the progress.

Because this is a Grail kit for me, and there is no news of a Bandai Perfect Grade Destroyer anytime soon, I am taking my sweet time trying to do this kit to the best of my abilities to approximate the things I like from the ILM 8 footer. That means a lot of greeblies and added details are needed which are not on this kit, but I am happy to add. I am not a rivet counter by any means, and approximate is the operative word.

I've been working on the following sections since May, and I am admittedly slow - but I'm juggling full time work, babysitting grandkids twice a week so I do not have a lot of dedicated time to apply myself to this in solid sets as other might. I did order Niart's shield generator domes and 308 Bits Garbage chute - but the rest of it I decided to carve myself out of styrene and bits and pieces of old, broken AMT/Revell star wars kits I built from years past along with some photo etch brass from an old WWII ship I had laying around.

Hangar Bays.

I really wanted these lit as they were depicted in Return of the Jedi - so the added details and carving out the recessed lighting needed to be done. Here is the ILM reference of the model:

XZ0Z95d.jpg

Here is the WIP:

9VxyM9g.jpg lvfq295.jpg4ouHt4k.jpg pxhmZXF.jpg vyqo6yZ.jpg

I have a strip of diffusing clear from an old keypad I will use inside the hangar bay windows, and will light them internally with 2 Pico cool white LEDs over the 'rooms' created inside the bays under an aluminum foil canopy surrounding the inner part of the bays to evenly distribute the light.
 

Attachments

  • puDQA7n.jpg
    puDQA7n.jpg
    197.9 KB · Views: 1,047
  • M1AwA7e.jpg
    M1AwA7e.jpg
    210.1 KB · Views: 1,093
  • RaRa0D7.jpg
    RaRa0D7.jpg
    141.5 KB · Views: 1,002
  • 5UOiKKA.jpg
    5UOiKKA.jpg
    210.7 KB · Views: 1,059
  • xsvTRTh.jpg
    xsvTRTh.jpg
    3.4 MB · Views: 1,073
  • 1U67TUz.jpg
    1U67TUz.jpg
    383.5 KB · Views: 1,050
Last edited:
Engine Section:

Reference of ILM 8 footer:

GrCVQDm.jpg

Had to custom cut and create a lot of the shapes and piping in areas to approximate all the kit-bashed parts on the ILM model.

Wip:

0mwLOpc.jpg HubSX83.jpg 85soCdM.jpg L9JdzUn.jpg o3F11Xg.jpg

That is what I have so far. I just started the trenches and will really spend time to detail those up to approximate the ILM model where I can. I am adding the the trench height by .060 mm because the kit seems too thin compared to the ESB model. This will afford me the ability to greenly the upper trench sections with pieces not on the kit that I can shape to come closer to the filming model.
 
Great detailing. Raising the trench by 0.060 mm? That would be the thickness of a human hair.

TazMan2000

My bad. The styrene square rods are .060" or 1.5mm. It raises the trench just enough to allow me to add some detailing and approximate the height of the ILM 8 footer a bit better.

The kit is fantastic but the side trenches are a way too bit thin for the 8 footer filming model I am attempting to approximate a little bit. However, I'm a bit unsure if doing 1.5mm all around is going to leave a troublesome gap when the back engine section goes in. I do recall someone adding height to the trenches but decreased the height of the trench extension from amidships back to the raw kit part at the rear of the ship so there was no gap when the engine section was glued together.
 
View attachment 752986

Perhaps you can accommodate the gap by adding styrene layering, much like in the above photo?

TazMan2000

As great as the Zvezda kit is, it is not as accurate in molding to the filming model as we get to enjoy with Bandai kits. I've had to cheat a bit to create some illusions in terms of piping and greeblies where shape sections did not exist, notably on the 4 bulk pylons the 4 smaller engines are inserted. The ILM model shows an entirely different shape and a steep recessed angle that is absent on the Zvezda. I'll obviously add some kind of filler to the gap if there is one. Chances are I will likely carve a steep angle styrene buffer along the top where this sections is glued to the hull if there is a gap due to the side trenches being raised 1.5mm.

Great pic. Not one I have seen before with that lighting. Was it part of the Identities exhibit?
 
Great pic. Not one I have seen before with that lighting. Was it part of the Identities exhibit?

It is from Identities. I'm sure there are tons of pics out there regarding this exhibition, but if you or anyone else would like me to post the photos I took, let me know.

TazMan2000
 
It is from Identities. I'm sure there are tons of pics out there regarding this exhibition, but if you or anyone else would like me to post the photos I took, let me know.

TazMan2000

If you had a huge set on oneDrive/Google drive online from the Toronto exhibit - I may have grabbed a few for reference before that set was taken down.
 
If you had a huge set on oneDrive/Google drive online from the Toronto exhibit - I may have grabbed a few for reference before that set was taken down.

It was the Edmonton one, so basically the same models I'm sure. I have a good back end shot that shows the angles and some close in shots of the rear detailing.

TazMan2000
 
Engine Section:

Had to custom cut and create a lot of the shapes and piping in areas to approximate all the kit-bashed parts on the ILM model.

What did you use for the piping? Did you modify something from an existing kit or did you create something from scratch?
 
What did you use for the piping? Did you modify something from an existing kit or did you create something from scratch?

All from scratch. I just looked at the ILM 8 footer and approximated a bit of the shapes and then heated and bent the styrene rods into the shapes I wanted. Carved up some styrene planks and scrap to create shapes that were glued together and then affixed to the model. The scale is too small for anything greater than a 1/1200 battleship for parts or some 1/700 photo etch. Looking at the rest of the reference model shots, I will likely need to continue to custom carve and create shapes for the trenches and the cake layers as well. I did carve up my old busted AMT B-wing model that has been ruined in several moves for some cool looking shape sections with greeblies in the piping sections of the engine wells.

Right now I am re-engineering the trench height and carving out the bottom inner side walls and creating 1.5 MM square lifters that the top walls of the upper hull will sit on to add 1.5MM in height around the sides. Also adding some scrap styrene guides that should keep the top hull in a tight proper proper position without sliding once it is glued and clamped once the fiber optics are set.

BcFpf5s.jpg5wpec2T.jpguwPVYaX.jpgtyeyEdS.jpg

Started drilling .030 holes in the forward side trench pieces of the kit for fiber. Will attach those to the bottom hull sides once all the holes are drilled. Then I will greeblie-up the trenches in the new space I will have on the top inner hull wall that will afford all kinds of shapes to be glued to it.
 
Updates on the customized greeblies for the trenches pics. Still have a lot of work to do yet. I'm a very slow builder because this is my grail kit as I get more build pics stacked up - I'll post updates as I finish sections and tasks. But, holes drilled for .25 fiber along the way.

Engine section & Trench start greeblies.jpgPort Side Trench greeblies2.jpgPort Side Trench greeblies.jpgIMG_1895.jpg

Engine section & Trench start greeblies.jpg


Port Side Trench greeblies2.jpg


Port Side Trench greeblies.jpg


IMG_1895.jpg


IMG_1898.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That is seriously outstanding work sir. Hat's off to you!

As for me, I'm still working on mine. Hyper-detailed the hanger and am currently collecting misc. greeblies so I can try my hand at recasting them in resin for multiple uses. I will update my thread soon.

PS: Don't know if you do the FB thing but there is a Zvezda/Revell ISD builder's group over there as well.
 
That is seriously outstanding work sir. Hat's off to you!

As for me, I'm still working on mine. Hyper-detailed the hanger and am currently collecting misc. greeblies so I can try my hand at recasting them in resin for multiple uses. I will update my thread soon.

My inspiration is from this ILM promo shot that I have loved ever since I laid eyes on it in 1980:

ilm_star_destroyer-sized.jpg

PS: Don't know if you do the FB thing but there is a Zvezda/Revell ISD builder's group over there as well.

Yes, I have been there.
 
Your first post here mentions "feeble attempt"...anything but feeble. I thought I was a decently talented modeler, far better than any of my friends growing up, and more so of an adult friend who still models on occasion...but I'll say right here and now, my skills pale to white next to yours. I have much to learn yet, and love seeing what you're doing.

..."feeble" huh... whatever
 

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top