Ok so its not n gauge, and its not even railway, but I have wanted one of these for a while and I think it is rather cool....



I thought, as I have not actually done any kit of any form for a good few years, it would be nice to chart the progress on the forum.

The main points / objectives to note are:

1) What are "fantasy" kits actually like? If this was a Harrier, Spitfire, A320, 737, JJA or 456 Italia, there would be ample reference pictures to look at, but with this I will need to break out the boxset?!

2) The box art shows the MKII it what would be a battle-warn "weathered" state, should I attempt this finish? I am torn between giving this a go (my first ever attempt at anything other than factory finish) or modelling it as shown in the pilot episode. Of course, as any fan of the show would know, to model it in that condition, it would need a certain tail number (as used by the "old man"), but it appears to have "Apollo" written on it 

3) Seeing as I don't actually have a "workbench", progress won't be rapid. Experience has shown that my "man cave" under the stairs is quite small and not ideal for working on models. Borrowed time in the office will mean I may well still be updating this thread this time next year! Still, no need to rush, and it will be good to do something other than the layout occasionally.

Will keep posted....

"Starbuck, wadda ya hear?"

"Nothing but the rain"



Skyline2uk 

Well that's something that I haven't seen for a long time.  I used to love watching Battlestar Galactica as a kid.   

Have you seen the re-booted series?

Hang on a tick, just a thought....THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS ON THIS THREAD!

lol, I know that there are many many chances to spoil this brilliant TV show as many secrets last right to the end. I have no intention of spoiling it for anybody so won't talk anything other than teccy / modelling on here 

Skyline2uk

I think that is a great idea you have 

Regular pictures of your progress as your Viper takes shape and the guys here will keep pestering you for updates  so you may find it does not take you as long as you think     

cheers John.

Hey all,

So I gathered all the required tools and readies myself for the Viper Build today. The last thing I needed was some spray on primer, which I got today.



Reading through the instructions, I decided to do something I have never actually done before on a kit such as this and actually follow the them 

On the first page it says "wash all parts in a mild detergent", which to me says "soapy water".

So, the first sortie of the Viper was into the kitchen sink!

Here are all the parts (minus canopy and transparent stand).



And then....we stop for the moment 

I was all ready to prime the first section of build, but looking out the window, I am afraid to say its very very grey. I don't have a spray booth yet, so I am the mercy of the weather.

If I get anywhere today, you guys will know.

Skyline2uk

Is it finished yet? 

Vipers, much better than X-wings!!

Hi

I have built that model myself but like you had trouble finding suitable photos so just painted it grey. Looking forward to seeing what you do.

Cheers

Paul

Crikey that thing reminds me of my childhood days reading Dan Dare in the Eagle, neat looking model and looking forward to seeing the finished project 

QuoteI have built that model myself but like you had trouble finding suitable photos so just painted it grey. Looking forward to seeing what you do.

Well if anything it gives me an excuse to watch the series again 

I am planning on following the instructions for paint scheme, with the possible exception of the red, which I don't have....NSE red Viper stripes  anyone?!

QuoteVipers, much better than X-wings!!

Ohhhh controversial!

We were watching "Return of the Jedi" today, so I can compare.....

Personally I like them both, but Lego do a rather fetching X-wing that is far easier to build....and as beloved has recently discovered....Ewoks too!

Skyline2uk

I do rather like the rebooted Vipers. If you're after "prototype" information, there are some lovely images of the original series renders here:

http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-2003-news/colonial-viper-mk-ii.html

Personally, I'd go for a very light grey as a basis - something like NSE silver grey (like on the 442s). The Vipers tended to look very beaten up in the series, so it should be a fun build!

Can't beat the new-look Cylon Raiders for sheer evil-ness though...

I guess that the finish is what counts. 

After your overall colour you should try masking off some of the panels and colouring them in a slightly different shade / finish.   Use PostIts for speed.  Also run very diluted colours into the panel lines to low light them. I guess the thing about this ship is that you wouldn't put steaks in the diection of the airflow when weathering as there is no airflow...  Any streaking would be downwards in the gavity of the hanger. 

Another thing - why do the engines have intakes?  I never could get the hang of this SciFi stuff...

***Uber Nerd Alert!!***

QuoteI guess the thing about this ship is that you wouldn't put steaks in the diection of the airflow when weathering as there is no airflow...  Any streaking would be downwards in the gavity of the hanger.

Another thing - why do the engines have intakes?  I never could get the hang of this SciFi stuff...

The thing about the Viper MkII is that it is also capable of flight in an atmosphere....   

Skyline2uk

Hello Skyline,

I built a Star Wars "Venator" star destroyer a few years ago with one of my kids.  It's mainly grey and maroon, a bit like your Viper.

To pain it, we gave it a caot of Halford's grey primer first.  Small areas were then masked off, and a lighter grey was sprayed over.  The light grey with darker panels looked good.  Then some raised areas were brush painted with another shade of grey.  All together it looked pretty good.

We also used a fine Rotring type pen to pick out panel lines and emphasise other fine details.

The thrusters were sprayed with Pewter metalcote from Homebase that can be polished.   And the whole thing was weathered with Tamiya blocks and powders, before coating with matt varnish.  The streaking was done as if the thing flew through an atmosphere, as it looked more realistic, even if it wasn't!

It turned out OK.

cheers

Ben A.

Evening all,

Well, primer spraying of first components has gone reasonably well, with the exception of a stray piece of somthing (plant, hair, grass) ending up on the side of the largest piece.

So, first couple of questions for the forum:

1) How do I prevent stray bits attaching themselves to the model when spraying outside?
2) If I let the primer fully dry, is the best approach to file down the effected area and re-spray?

Thanks for the brilliant advice (Captain, Greybeema and Ben A), certainly food for thought...

According to my research the standard livery for this Mark was in fact mostly white. Its certainly what the instructions suggest. I am really torn between doing a battle worn one or a factory fresh / restored one as presented to Cpt Adama in the pilot Episode.

The latter was my original plan, but I wonder if I should push myself modelling wise? Thing is I have never finished a kit yet (closest I came was a lovely Eurofighter Typhoon, which met its end via a duster  ), so a fully shiny one would sort of satisfy justice for me?!

Skyline2uk

QuoteAnother thing - why do the engines have intakes?  I never could get the hang of this SciFi stuff..

For a really nerdy response: They could be "Bussard Collectors" that gather free-roaming hydrogen atoms from space and convert them into fuel. It's the lit up dome at the front of the warp nacelles on a Federation Starship. I'm sure that Colonial technology could have evolved something similar, if more functional in appearance.

See here:

http://www.lcarscom.net/brs.htm