Jases Battlestar Galactica

[JAWS]

Thanks Cris & Richard. I think Ive got the Centurion slope quite good. I will fix the plough strip this afternoon. Didn't get any sleep thinking about this last night. Is going to be a long day & night. This sections getting completed this weekend.

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

Your welcome mate, the goal is a sexy looking Battlestar and it is coming along nicely!

Richard

[JAWS]

Well I gotta say working with straight angles is alot easier than curves & circles. Im confident this section will be completed by tomorrow which will be another relief.

[darkimmitator]

Make sure to get your rest Jase,exhaustion will lead to mistakes .You will find with rest ,you will think clearer and progress will increase .Doing a bang up job so far man .Keep it up !!!!!

[Battlestar1563]

Looking great jason!! Makes me inspired..keep up the great work. And I promise I do have a battlestar..LOL pics coming..later Ron

[Wombat]

Hey Jase,
That is looking good there mate,and i know it can be a hard area to try and get right,hell mine aint but thats looking pretty good there.The only thing is what Richard has already mentioned with that plow panel needing to be rectangular.Bar that you're on the right track there!!

Shit,that backplate is a mess,you are right,a new one needs to be made really seeing it in that many pieces.
Least ya got all the bad luck outa the way on that one hopefully?

Look forward to seeing the next update in this epic voyage!

[JAWS]

Ok so both sides are different at the waist by some. Do I straighten it out or make it studio accurate. Im pretty happy with this look but need to add a mm or two here & there to straighten the top panel out. Ok so do the Roco Ploughs overhang the waist line a mm or 2?? One side I believe? The waist top & slope need to straighten out a bit so some mm addige is required here & there to correct. Should start cutting the actual walls to secure a bit later today.

[427 Cobra]

You've come this far, Jase. If you want the ultimate replica - don't stop at one thing, go all the way. Make it accurate. I have to do it for the sake of lineage, I don't see why not.

[dbhs]

Check how the greeblies will fit. Probably needs to be asymetrical to match the studio model for an accurate fit.

[JAWS]

[/b]Thanks Cris & Doug. Did as suggested & laid out some parts to do so checking. Didn't want to play around with parts yet but really wanna get this right. It quickly posses you into deep analysses. I really need a Centurion Deck to cut so need to cast one up formyself. Its a bit of a cool day & hope the thin hull cures ok. After that lined up I'll cut the pieces to secure the waist.

[Wombat]

Wow Jase,you are starting to get there with it mate.It's not as easy as some would think to get all those panels to work out.Hell i struggled my arse off and still don't have it perfect.Now as for Symetrical or Asymertical,thats really your call dude,but to me building it Asymetrical will infact be harder to get right than having both sides the same.Still,if you want super accurate then yes,you build it Asymetrical mate.You are right,the starboard panels must be shorter than the port side because of the parts overhang on that side compared to the other.My belief is the port side plows fit that panel pretty much perfectly so thats what i used for my length to start with regarding how that all went together.As we both are learning,a mm here or there can make all the difference.Keep at it though,it's one of the harder bit's you'll face with the build,and it's very satisfying once you get this area together there mate.

[JAWS]

Thanks mate. My Grill is ready from the pot. A quick reference check & cut. Is not perfect but close. Just add a couple of mm here & there & I'll start the actual sheeting of the waist.

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

That is looking GREAT now!!!!!!! The Roco 257 blades can overhang by 1/3 of one blade and still be accurate yours look very good on there not too much overhang, looks about 3-5mm, so is not too bad at all!

the only real worry is how the centurion deck fits. you should cast the whole part and cut the castings up instead of the original easier to correct mistakes that way!

That is a nice job so far, I am impressed with your work!

Richard

[JAWS]

Thanks I think we were typeing at the same time. New photos with cast Centurion deck. Whata ya rekon Richard?

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

I think you are right we were typing at the same time :-)

On the other hand I must say that that looks brilliant in execution! I like it a lot and think that you have done a great job with a very difficult section!

the deck fits well there and it will do nicely!

Edit: and turn those bottom 215's the correct way around they are upside down!

keep up the good work!

Richard

[Wombat]

You are seriously getting this sussed up there Jase.It's all looking good although myself,i'm a little unsure about that plow overhang,least by that amount on the port side.The starboard side though that'd be about the right amount in my book if going for the Asymetrical build.Again,this just my opinion and i understand you are still tweaking it here and there as you go.All in all though it's good seeing you get this all worked out there,it wont be long and it'll be joined up to become one section.
Keep the updates coming mate and yeah,turn up those bloody Rocos the right way there!! LOL

[JAWS]

Thanks mate. The mock was looking good except for one major point & that was the angle of the slope. Its supposed to be an even line from top of engine to waist & mine has a 10mm dip... So rip tear & made some wedges to plum up the top to straighten out the line. Worked wuite well & beats me how I thought of the wedges to make the job as easy as it was. The hardest part is cutting the 3mm styrene It was a big rise which is obviously goingto change angles elswhere. This will be interesting So also braced the waist for when arthritis kicks in down the track & everything gets a bit brittle Have now started fixing the waist walls & adjusting as I go. Building with 1.5mm changes the 0,5mm I mocked up in drastically. I have bevelled all the joining edges aswell

[Wombat]

OK,progress and working any small issues seems to be going alright up there.Thats all you need to do,think it through and then work it to be about right.
Now that angle you fixed up and made straight,i actually thought they were at two different angles infact and not straight.I built mine this way and now i hope it's right?A bit of input from people who know will help,but i'm bloody curious now that you have done that with yours.Richard??

Anyway,perhaps hold off doing any more,just till we get an answer?I know Charles plan shows them at a slightly different angle and i'd hate for you to glue this all up and then have to tear it down again.Trust me,i've done enough of that already for both of us mate.

[427 Cobra]

That's the way to do it, Jase! Make it slow, but steady to the end. Shim up any irregularites that keep sides, or other parts from lining up correctly. Unless it's something that you're trying to recreate - keep these sides as congruent, or in line with each other as much as possible.

Most of these guys think that you can't reproduce asymmetry correctly -B.S.! Sure you can. It's a lot harder if you think about it intentionally, but not if you study where all the lines meet. Make a paper model, and work your way from the straighest point. This will allow you to make adjustments to correct any irregularities that you introduce until you get the basic shape, then tweak it. It may not be super perfect, but the original one wasn't either!

This looks great so far! I'd just use recast versions of the Roco tanks. Also, any other parts that you don't want to use the original models for that you'll need to make multiple copies of. This way, you'll have them when you need them. You never know when you'll see these on something else you might want to build.

[Richard_2001]

(04-04-2010, 10:42 PM)Wombat Wrote: OK,progress and working any small issues seems to be going alright up there.Thats all you need to do,think it through and then work it to be about right.
Now that angle you fixed up and made straight,i actually thought they were at two different angles infact and not straight.I built mine this way and now i hope it's right?A bit of input from people who know will help,but i'm bloody curious now that you have done that with yours.Richard??

Phil,

From what I can see from looking at all the the pics there are two slightly different slope angles there: about 6-7 degrees of difference. I would estimate by Jason's shims that they should be about half that tall at the rear end to get the proper angle.

It was looking pretty good, but Jason was correct in the angle was too steep, I can see that now that he tore it apart for a rebuild.

Richard

[dbhs]

Looks great, Jase. You're cruising right along.

[JAWS]

I don't know about cruising Doug. Richard & Phil I agree its a little steep & will correct that this afternoon. The F16 hull sits flat on the slope & the only way to get that look is to 'nearly' straighten that angle out. I wanted to keep working it last night but had to work today... Heres a picture where you can see the slight angle, but it is slight. The F16 hull is cut on that join to allow for the angle just so slightly.

[Wombat]

(04-05-2010, 04:14 AM)Richard_2001 Wrote:

(04-04-2010, 10:42 PM)Wombat Wrote: OK,progress and working any small issues seems to be going alright up there.Thats all you need to do,think it through and then work it to be about right.
Now that angle you fixed up and made straight,i actually thought they were at two different angles infact and not straight.I built mine this way and now i hope it's right?A bit of input from people who know will help,but i'm bloody curious now that you have done that with yours.Richard??

Phil,

From what I can see from looking at all the the pics there are two slightly different slope angles there: about 6-7 degrees of difference. I would estimate by Jason's shims that they should be about half that tall at the rear end to get the proper angle.

It was looking pretty good, but Jason was correct in the angle was too steep, I can see that now that he tore it apart for a rebuild.

Richard

Thanks there Richard!
Thats how i was seeing it and when i did mine i had to do the same thing and shim up the back of the waist a little to reduce the amount of angle.I think you are pretty spot on there with reducing the shim by about half of what Jase has done there.
For mine Jase,i went for 4mm of spacing on that back edge mate and you really do have your head around it all i feel.You are correct as far as i know in that the F-16 is cut so it still sits flat on the two slightly different angled panels.
Just remember that this is one of the trickier areas,it's not gonna all be as complicated as this bit thankfully.You'll nail it,it just takes a little working to get something that works mate.

Keep at it bud!!

[Richard_2001]

Guys,

yes the F-16 body is cut because the slope is not continuous but has an angle in there you can see this on the Pappas restoration photos like GalRes312 and GalRes329

Jason Keep the faith that you are making progress even if it seems like you are not. Like everyone says this is the real tricky area!!!

Phil,

your welcome mate!

Richard

[Wombat]

Richard,

Jase and I both appreciate all your help bud!
Hopefully we'll get to see you get stuck into your build properly real soon,i'd think you must be very close to doing the build after all the workings you've done in the planning of this beastie?
It's very good having so many Battlestar builders st the one place,hopefully between us all we can keep each other inspired and motivated during the build when things aren't going quite as good for any of us.
We just gotta keep an eye on the prize and remember that it's all worth it in the end!

[Richard_2001]

(04-05-2010, 11:31 AM)Wombat Wrote: Richard,

Jase and I both appreciate all your help bud!
Hopefully we'll get to see you get stuck into your build properly real soon,i'd think you must be very close to doing the build after all the workings you've done in the planning of this beastie?
It's very good having so many Battlestar builders st the one place,hopefully between us all we can keep each other inspired and motivated during the build when things aren't going quite as good for any of us.
We just gotta keep an eye on the prize and remember that it's all worth it in the end!

Phil,

Yes I am close. I have stockpiled some materials and supplies for armature and structure work just need good weather - as you go into winter I am coming into summer so in the next couple months I will be welding up my armature and building the substructure for my Battlestar. hopefully I can get the skinning done before the weather turns cold again.

I promise pictures maybe not as many as Jason but enough to show off my meager skills... ;-)

You and Jason have really motivated me to get on the ball ;-) your builds are great!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are both most welcome for any assistance I can provide

Richard

[Wombat]

^
Cheers mate!!

We do appreciate any and all help we get on this build.I said to Jase before,myself giving views on this subject isn't that great an idea really.It's sorta like the blind leading the blind.I have very little knowledge on the model but am up to learning,(as i already have about some things)what is required to put one of these beasties together.Perhaps i should of done the homework first but this is still fun even if it does require reworkings as i go.
I hope everything goes to plan over there for you also,it'd be nice to have you finally make a start and put all that hard work into the build and start to see that it's all been worth it.

I have questions about it already,nothing big more so curiosity,but we'll wait till kick off a thread and not get Jase's sidetracked here.

Hopefully we'll be seeing it here pretty soon!!

[427 Cobra]

It's not so much as the blind leading the blind, but rather a step towards learning more about this iconic model. There are books devoted to all kinds of things, but there aren't any really devoted to sci-fi modeling, or the behind the scenes stories being shared on a wide basis. This would be nice, but unless one of us writes a book chroniclling all the details, and sources of information, all the rest of these vehicles, and their reason for being will be lost to history forever!

You can only do what the rest of us do on these forums, share what you know, and ask questions. Sometimes the right question asked the right way might get you further than you think. Someone might have the answer you're looking for, or provide it when you come to a fork in the road without realising it. All you have to do is ask, Phil. There's a lot of information all across these boards, and some of the members may know someone, or somewhere you can get the information you seek. I guess you'll have to ask, or keep plugging away at this beast until you conquer it.

[JAWS]

Thanks fellas. Wouldn't get this done if it wasn't for you all bein there. Richard get you Battlestar in the dock mate. You know exactly what needed & can do it. Ive seen your mock ups & theyre beautiful. You can build one of these mate. So straight back to it this afternoon. Im on holidays with the kids for a week so need to give them as much time as my Battlestar if not more Ripped it apart again & fixed the slope. Got the waist walls up & just need to cut the waist under plate attache the strip under the waist & thats another completed section. I mad a couple of adjustments to fit the 'plows' in better but am satisfied for now until I get your feedback???? Once that Grill section is cut right I think that shoulder is pretty good?

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

That is looking just about perfect now, as long as the Centurion Deck fits nice and the Roco blades don't stick out too far it should look as good as the original. The slopes look good to my eye and the waist looks just about the same as mine there in the 3d mock-up!

I am headed up to the Seattle IPMS show on the 17th will meet with Charles and swap progress I might even get to see some new goodies who knows but all actual model work must wait till after the show as my energies are pretty much absorbed by fixing to get there at the moment.

Richard

[JAWS]

Hey thanks Richard. I chucked some parts on again to get a looksee & Im happy with it. I will now putty up the seams & little gaps & give her a rub down to sharpen her up. That trip to the IPS would be great. Make sure you take lot of photos to share with us! Gonna go & have a look at these engine ports now. This should be fun

[Wombat]

WTFG there mate!!!

Damn,that looks fantastic to me,really impressive work dude.I actually think as i said it would,that it's turned out betta than what i managed.You must be happy up there with how it's all come together now.The little set backs just make it that much sweeter when you see something like that.Excellent stuff there my friend.
I think i'll be following your lead from here on end,you seem to know what you're doing up there betta than what i seem to be doing down here.Well done bud!!

[JAWS]

Or shiiit mate thanks. I really appreciate your words as with everyone elses aswell. Even though its been alot of crackn & snapn Ive really been havin fun with this build. Its good to have that time out to think about whats comin next then when I get home 'BAM!' straight at it. We're doing a good job mate & going to have a couple of mean Aussie Battlestars on the block! Im followin your lead mate. I may catch up over my holiday but that will be good as those engine ports have alot of styrene in them aswell to cut up.... Ok so Ive got the waist belly plate on. YEEEEEHAAARRR!!!!! I am a happy little bugger as the feedback you guys have given has been positive. Just some fillin & sanding & can start on the ports.

[LastBattlestar]

Looks good Jase. The engine slope does have a slight dip in the middle. I found that the F16 body will flex enough to glue right down without cutting it if that's any help?

Just remember that the top and bottom panels (floor and ceiling) of the engine trenches remain horizontal, right along where it angles in to the front edge of the entire engine box section. Does that make sense?

Mike

[Wombat]

^
What you are saying is the trench wall is the same height the whole length for one end to the other right?

Jase i'm so happy for ya bud,i know it felt good this end getting where you are now with it.Looks good my friend you've done well there mate.

Now don't go getting too bloody far ahead of me now!!

[LastBattlestar]

(04-05-2010, 10:49 PM)Wombat Wrote: ^
What you are saying is the trench wall is the same height the whole length for one end to the other right?

Exactly dude.

All this building has me wanting to correct the slight droop on the starboard side of my engine section. Phil knows what I'm talking about!

Mike

[darkimmitator]

I am glad you guys cleared up the angles thing on the front engine slope .I always wondered if it was a straight angle top to bottom or if it sloped upward again in the middle from bottom to top .I split the f16 in half to allow it to mate to bothe surfaces flat .I have a few commisions to finnish up and hope to post some pics within the next week ,and finally get back at this thing .Jase ,You are nailing this project dude .! Keep it up .Even though these are fresh new project experiences for you and Phil ,you both still inspire ! I myself am very impressed ,and inspired with both of your ability and progress .Two very big thumbs up !!!!

Ken

[bwayne64]

I second and third all that, Very sweet. I love to see the parts going on, even if just for a looksie. I'm always amazed at the level of detail the ole girl has. Just layers upon layer. The earth is going to rotate to Australian side, from the weight of all these replicas. Maybe the Aztecs were right about the axis shift in 2012, LOL. You guys make me feel like even more of a procrastinator, Oh well, I started a mock up on this thing back in '86, whats a few more years. It's a good time to be building one of these beasts. It's a reference overload. Cheers,

Joe

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

That looks sweet!!!! You have come far pretty fast! Both You and Phil have a right to be proud of your skills and someday in the distant future you will look back on this and say I built that with my own hands!

Mike,

The waist trench does remain almost parallel but it slopes downward as it goes forward both Charles and Bill pointed this out to me a while back when I was having so much trouble with this section. It is not by much about 2 - 3mm lower in the front than the rear but it is definitely there.
(see GalRes459.jpg)

Richard

[JAWS]

I agree. I think if the angles on the top shoulders are correct it will automatically happen as you go down. In all honesty thats what happenned with me. It just happenned. Thank the modelling gods!!! The waist wall also needs to have those angles correct which really comes down to the measurements. Gotta go to the beach, bike riding & skooter/skateboarding with the kids today all whilst contemplating my next assault on this baby. Thanks for everyones words it helps motivation & productivity so much to have all you crew around. The wealth of knowlege is invaluable to a beginner like myself.

[JAWS]

Well day started ok & has ended up just a waste of time... These engine ports are seriously stupid & I just can't get a grip on getting something to work. Phil got through this the easiest of all so far but they are killin me. Thought Id photo copy Charles's plans, enlarge them 200% & just modify the pieces to fit the measurements of my engine ports. So I did that & cut templates from them. That was just stupid Just a waste of time. The angles & stuff were ok but just messy & unsecure... I thought Id check me buddies out & so how hell he did his so nicely. I saw he made large base section to fit the smaller riges ontop. Kool. Looked easy enough & getting the straight shape was easy & yippy kiyay..... I was saved Not have tried now for like 2 hours to get the angled / pointed side mocked up & can't for the life of me get it right. Im really sick of bloody 'origarmi' right now & have really got the crappers with these stupid things. Haven't done 1 let alone do 4

[LastBattlestar]

When I built my cones, I used a single piece of styrene for the floor and ceiling of both ports on each side. Get it? It was easier to line things up, but they are still a VERY tricky shape to build. Did I mention I've built my entire exhaust panel and ports FOUR times over the course of the build as new reference trickled in over the years....

Mike

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

If you have the patience to wait a day or so I will see if I can draw up a jig to help you out, something that you can use to position your parts for each panel so it has a support.

These are tough to get built from individual parts. The original had these ports Vacuum formed. When I build my mock-up I used a rough jig to line up the panels it helps a lot.

Richard

[JAWS]

Thanks Mike. Richard thats a good idea. I can probably make one up with some spare styrene. It was my first attempt & just getting my head around the shapes & inclines was a task. I'll give it another go this afternoon once Ive worn the kids out. Oh & vaccuformed ay????? That sounds like a very good option. I may look at that more also. Make a master out of wood or clay, take to plastic supplier & get 4 moulded! Sounds tops to me!

[JAWS]

Ok an early start at the skate park has worn the kids out for a little while so jumped in the shop to have another crack. Using Richards idea for a template & traced the engine shape & cut a piece of styrene. I will use the outside edge to line up the walls of the engine port as they will be at the right size around the edge of the template to fit in snug right behind the engine plate.
Things have gone much better for this part & am a little relieved. Im also thinking of doing one master & then moulding & casting another 4. Its an idea not a plan yet but I really don't wanna build 4 of these
My sons building a Base Star to blow up my Battlestar .

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

that looks pretty good there! It seems you are getting a handle on it!

Richard

[JAWS]

Motivated by small success I decided to use this as a template & cut up another 3 sets to give me the required 4. So really scavangeing bits big enough now & making the most of all my scraps which I keep. So taped a new cut set up & we're looking good. Wasn't so hard after all but its the invaluable advice & motivation I get from you guys. Thanks.

   
   
   
   
   
   

[JAWS]

These are only stuck together with packing tape but the general idea is shown. Am so relieved to have a 'handle' on these buggers. Thanks everyone. A little sanding to get a smooth join & I guess the ridges are next.....

[star-art]

Definitely one of the more challenging parts of the ship to build. (But, if you think this is hard, just wait until you get to the head section. . .)

I went way overboard on my build. I designed laser-cut plex frames that supported the shells from the back side. Those were mounted on a large, flat plate. This gave me the "skeleton" of the openings.

Then, I made paper templates and folded it all into shape right on the model. This was tweaked over and over again until it fit. After that, I cut the parts out of paper-thin styrene and folded/glued them in. It was a real challenge to be sure.

In hindsight, I really wish I had made the entire end plate removable as Mike suggested. This is highly advisable. Also, don't forget to paint the backside of the engine ports silver to block out the light from transmitting through the plastic. I somehow forgot this little step. . .

[JAWS]

Haywow thanks Charles for popping in. Your design really helped I just had to adjust some measurements for my plate. Thanks for the insight. These are really tricky & what Phil did seems to be the'easiest' way to square up. Really glad to have your input. This build is really fun inbetween the little stresses on the brain. Got alot of support & knowlege being shared which definately helps. Thanks again.