BBTS-Cowboy

[Joseph C. Brown]

This is my attempt at Cowboy's ship from Battle Beyond The Stars.

I'm a fairly slow builder, and have a teeny-tiny budget. That means I may be substituting parts, and scratch-building other parts. If that means this build has to go to the 'General' category, I'm fine with it being moved.

The sheer number of Lunar Lander command sections (12!) means I'll be making copies of those. I've already discovered that the 4 engines at the ends of the landing legs are not the NERVA reactor parts from the Pilgrim Observer kit: insufficient threads engraved, and the NERVA engraving is nice but too coarse.

And part#71 from the Leopold. Four of those - at least - on the aft cargo section.

[LeeS]

Always great to see a 'new' SS model being made! Can I ask where you found the reference images?

[Joseph C. Brown]

(08-13-2013, 04:04 AM)LeeS Wrote: Always great to see a 'new' SS model being made! Can I ask where you found the reference images?

Screencap from the Shout!Factory dvd release, enlarged via Adobe to match known parts:

[cireskul]

Joe

You beat me to it, I was collecting these parts too, looks like you are farther along. I love the ships in this movie.

[JAWS]

This is a fresh piece to work on.
Thanks for posting.
Look forward to the updates.

[LeeS]

I used to have a huge supply of those old Lunar Lander kit, this would have been a great place for them!
I'm guessing that's a Space Shuttle External Tank at the top/bottom of the rear section.

[Joseph C. Brown]

(08-16-2013, 01:13 AM)LeeS Wrote: I used to have a huge supply of those old Lunar Lander kit, this would have been a great place for them!
I'm guessing that's a Space Shuttle External Tank at the top/bottom of the rear section.

Correct, sir!
On both, that is. I have not matched exactly which Shuttle ET that was, and, parts from the Stombecker/Lindberg/Glencoe Lunar Lander are on several of the other models that I have looked at as well.

Including the Leopold, of course.

[cireskul]

I have an old kit of the shuttle I found at a flea market, its an old kit it looks like an early 80s release, perhaps I can bring it to WF and we can see if it fits. Looking at it now, the taper of the large tanks upper and lower do not match. Perhaps they just used sections of the ET. I have the bridge section, which is 2 Quads I am sure you know that.

[LeeS]

I think I may have to join you in making one of these, I do like to odd-ball stuff :-)

[cireskul]

I wonder if anyone cataloged the kit parts to make the BBTS ships, like what was done for SW and BSG. I am sure the same methods were used, probably cheaper knowing Roger Corman.

[LeeS]

I'm not aware of any replicas to date. Thus I doubt anyone has make a kit list beyond the QuadGun

[JAWS]

Would be kool to see someone start up some research threads on Battle Beyond The Stars.

[LeeS]

Based on the 'ribbed section' that top/bottom piece could also be from the old Wostok kit (not Vostok)
Anyone have the Bluray? I just did a bunch of screen caps from the DVD, but obviously the BD would be better.
I live in Thailand so I can't just go out and get a copy, well I can get a copy :-D

[Joseph C. Brown]

No Bluray here... just the cleaned-up dvd from Shout! Factory. Clearer screengrabs would be nice, oh yes!

I've got various Shuttle external tanks and none of them are an exact match. I'm fairly certain that the top and bottoms of the tank halves were trimmed off and parts #4 & #5 from the Stromberg / Lindberg Lunar Lander were glued on.

As far as I can tell - and I am no expert - the predominate kits kits used on Cowboy's Ship, Hauler and freight/cargo:

Tamiya Quad (2) Obviously, the bodies were were used to make the majority of the 'cab' of Cowboy's ship.

Stromberg / Lindberg Lunar Lander (parts #1 & #2, qty. of 12 required!) Glencoe was not making kits in 1979-1980 that I am aware of. But I have been wrong before... On the lower bow of the Cowboy's ship, part #14 sticks out.

The Lunar Lander also contributes various parts which are all over Cayman's ship, and again for the Akir weather satellite. And St. Exmin's ship has 2 of the girders (part #19, qty. of 2), as does the Malmori Drone fighter (part #17, qty. of 2. And parts #1 & #2).

Hasegawa Leopold - part #B71. I've id'd at least 8 of part #B71 on Cowboy's freighter (4 Port, aft, lower. And 4 Starboard, aft, top) and a minimum of 3 so far on the Akir weather satellite.

I'm also digging through my old Starlog collection, and Starburst, and Future/Future Life magazines, hunting for *anything* on BBTS. There might be some gems of data buried in there...

[cireskul]

Joe

Perhaps the folks that contributed to the "Making of " section of the dvd could be contacted. I suppose Jim Cameron is out of reach though.

[LeeS]

There's Leopold pieces all over the place and I'm fairly sure a Saturn V Engine piece is on the cockpit.

[Wombat]

Looking at things the big tank may not be a shuttle ET you guys should be looking at but perhaps the first stage from a Saturn V. It may even be two whole first stages laying next to each other, not too sure of the configoration of this craft. That domed end doesn't look like a shuttle ET end so perhaps it's Saturn V with a domed end added. I do also see what looks to be a cut engine piece from the same kit on the cockpit which is probably the same one as Lee mentioned.

[Joseph C. Brown]

Yes on the Saturn V part! Those are the guns that Cowboy uses right before his demise.

[Wombat]

Well the main part of the big tank also does appear to me at least to be from the same kit. The fourth screencap Lee posted sure looks like just that. Whats used for the ends is another story but the main body looks like Saturn V.

[Joseph C. Brown]

(08-22-2013, 04:44 PM)Wombat Wrote: Well the main part of the big tank also does appear to me at least to be from the same kit. The fourth screencap Lee posted sure looks like just that. Whats used for the ends is another story but the main body looks like Saturn V.

I'm certainly inclined to agree!

The only Saturn V kit that I have is the 1/144 Monogram release, and I've posed a few pics of the parts on my sideview of the ship. It's not an exact match, but it's closer than the Shuttle External Tank.

[Joseph C. Brown]

And if you watch the ship scenes enough times, you start to notice things... these shots are actually during the Jacker battle - but - they are of the ventral / underside of the ship, and reversed! The 'tell' is the two stacks of discs (road wheels, stacked?) that should be on the lower starboard side view.

[Joseph C. Brown]

And from a few frames later, pretty much the same thing:

[LeeS]

Ahhh good spot, I need to flip my pics to avoid confusion :-)

[LeeS]

I also noticed that the head-on shots with the explosion behind needs to be flopped left/right

[J D]

In the first shot Lee posted there's at least one part from the Airfix SRN-4 Hovercraft on the cab, above the Confederate flag.

[LeeS]

Ahhh I have one of those sitting quietly under the bed. Time to dig it out :-)

[LeeS]

Do you think the tanks on the legs are from the 'Convair Manned Observation Satellite'?

[Joseph C. Brown]

(09-06-2013, 03:24 PM)LeeS Wrote: Do you think the tanks on the legs are from the 'Convair Manned Observation Satellite'?

I'll fetch out my copy of that kit and post pics - I have the Glencoe re-issue with the odd yellow plastic!

The 4 end-of-the-legs engines are really puzzling (to me). A friend suggested that I consider looking at the Revell 1/12 BAJA HUSKY 400cc Husqvarna Desert Racer Dirt Bike for it's engine cylinder. I really hope that's not the needed kit...

[Joseph C. Brown]

The Sealab tank cylinders are wrong...

[Joseph C. Brown]

The Revell Flash Gordon air tanks are wrong:

[Joseph C. Brown]

The Convair Manned Observation Satellite parts are... not quite right. The end caps are virtually a perfect match; the cylinder sections would have to be trimmed down to the correct length. But it's closer than anything else so far...

[Joseph C. Brown]

Here's an image I played with for the lighting:

[Joseph C. Brown]

And the starboard / underside portion of the ship, from the behind the scenes material on the Shout! Factory dvd release:

[LeeS]

Thanks Joe!
These are nice and clear. I've ordered up the BluRay, hopefully it'll make some good stills. Will take a few weeks to make it to Thailand though

[Wombat]

Couple of more parts.

This one looks to be a part from the Tamiya 88mm Gun Flak

   

and this one looks to be from Tamiya Gepard.

   

[LeeS]

Nice spot on the Gepard, strangely I don't see it on the other side even though the kit has the mirror piece.
Did notice the 88mm was used. On the rear section the 'good old ammo boxes' are there.
Need someone to visit a model railway shop with a good selection of Faller kits. I'm betting the windows come from one of their HO house kits.

[Joseph C. Brown]

The 4 engine/landing pads seem to be close in appearance to the Renwal/Revell Visible V-8 pistons. The groove count looks to be correct allowing for the tops and bottoms.

[LeeS]

I'm betting if that's where they are from then plenty more pieces will be used from there too.

[Joseph C. Brown]

(09-19-2013, 01:29 AM)LeeS Wrote: I'm betting if that's where they are from then plenty more pieces will be used from there too.

... unless they all got used up over on Sador's Battlewagon.

[cireskul]

This is very cool, keep up the great work Joe.

[LeeS]

Well look what's getting another reissue:
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=30708

[Joseph C. Brown]

(10-05-2013, 02:53 AM)LeeS Wrote: Well look what's getting another reissue:
http://culttvman.com/main/?p=30708

You beat me to it, Lee!

I regret to report that for the engine/landings, the Visible V-8 cylinder heads are NOT the correct part. Darn. But, it's still a pretty cool model - just not what we need to ID those parts...

[LeeS]

Hey all,
My BluRay of BBTS finally arrived and it actually looks sharp!
Now to my problem, I can't seem to make screen grabs with the HD player my drive came with (PowerDVD)
Anyone have any good pointer/tricks to making BD screen grabs?

L

[LeeS]

Well I'm still having a hassle getting screen caps from the BluRay, but I got one so far from the making of. As you can see it's fairly clean and shows lots of details. I also made a higher contrast black and white of it.

[LeeS]

Got a few more :-)



One thing I noticed are all the Colors!

I've also added these and a few more to my Flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lee_stringe...150719043/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lee_stringe...otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lee_stringe...otostream/

[Wombat]

Nice work Lee!

Will look at these more and the also ones on your flickr page a bit later but looking quickly now there appears to be parts from the Matilda used in this picture.

   

[LastBattlestar]

I can see Tamiya Gepard and 88mm Parts on the cockpit section.

Mike

[Tsophika]

(10-13-2013, 01:38 PM)LeeS Wrote: Hey all,
My BluRay of BBTS finally arrived and it actually looks sharp!
Now to my problem, I can't seem to make screen grabs with the HD player my drive came with (PowerDVD)
Anyone have any good pointer/tricks to making BD screen grabs?

L

It's the AACS protection. The easiest way is to rip the disc with AnyDVD and then open the video files in your player of choice.

[LeeS]

Yep that's what I had to do, royal pain in the a$$ :-) I used Handbrake, but the same result.

[Mr. Wabac]

Those shots are amazing from the Blu Ray - might someone be able to do the same for the 35th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Blu Ray released this past summer ?

PS: Look like there is an F-14 decal on the Cowboy ship - the three rectangles to the right in one of the photos looks like EL formation lights.