Jases Battlestar Galactica

[star-art]

This is the first I've heard of it. I knew Tamiya had some unusual scale kits out in the '70s, really obscure stuff.

So, are there key parts from this kit used somewhere on the G? If so, where? Thanks!

[JAWS]

No this is not used on the G as far as I know. It is just a rare kit I found with the Otaki. It is used on many Martin Bower models I have been informed though am unaware of which studio models this or any of the other 1/21 kits have been used yet.

[JAWS]

Back to the build & 'Round 3'.... Yep this is what happens when you get cocky & don't keep total concentration on what your doing. So Making the ports went great the second time around other than gluing the suuport for the ridges in upside down. Now not a biggy but when you attach the ridges to the port housung & it slants in it doesn't sit flush cause the little ridges should have bits sticking out to compensate for the angle rather tha slop in as the picrures of my mistake clearly show. Now I did alter them by pulling them off & flipping the which worked but they weren't as neat as what I had them the second time so am now doing them for the 3rd time. Honestly I could do these with my eyes closed now & is not a big drama the 3rd time. Just a waste of time & styrene..... Back on track shortly

[JAWS]

So back on the Battlestar early this morning. Like 5:30 early after finishing my second job. Mad some good progress & should have these wrapped up in a short time so I can start detailing.

[JAWS]

Pushing on Ive got the other sides now done aswell. So things have come together quite well so far. Amazing what can be done when minds on the job. Probably gotta stop getting side tracked Its cooled down alot here probably only about 20o. Well I guess Ive either gotta buy another 5-6 Leopolds & Morsers or go & get some parts in rubber

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

Looks really good to me! I like how the center one turned out a lot! You will probably be better off putting the Leopold in rubber as the supply of them has been on the low side for a long time now. Not too expensive but everyone uses them for the many SS projects they were used for so there aren't a lot out there at any given time.

Richard

[JAWS]

Yeah funny that. These two kits must be the most 2 bought kits ever made. I wonder if they knoiw why? Anyway got these parts boxed in & am now going to mix some goo!

[JAWS]

These are just taped together so theyre not aligned. The rubber is in the box. I shall be casting my first pull of these parts this afternoon-evening

[JAWS]

hmmm that mould was just another waste of time & resources. Again wasn't concentrateing on the task. A lack of sleep & trying to do too much is not a positive way to work. Ive had a good day up to that so I'll cut my losses & come back to it tomorrow...

[JAWS]

Ok so yesterday finally got the ports constructed ready for detailing which was excellent. then made a mould of some parts that was not so great. Really wasn't concentrateing which is silly. So Its cooled down alot in the last couple of days as we come into winter so I forsee some problems regarding casting parts. yesterday I had something happen to my casts that I haven't seen before & am not sure exactly what it is. I think my resin may have got contaminated which is really really bad as theres about 2 1/2 - 3Gallons left. Thats about $400-$500 worth... Anyway I didn't make a good mould but here are some pictures of whats been done. You can see the bumps in the resin. Haven't had that before The parts worked sort of. Just can see where the mould ripped out when removing the parts from the undercuts. It leaves filled areas where they should be hollow. I'll do another one useing modelers clay & do it properly.

[LastBattlestar]

Are you using mould release spray, Jase? You can also use a very light dusting of talcum powder (check on that first). The imperfections look a little like moisture in the mould or something???

I've also heard that adding C02 gas into the vacant space of your resin containers helps to keep it nice (check on that also- not sure if C02 is heavier than air...). Also, it would pay to mix up the resin every now and then to stop any settlement.

Mike

[427 Cobra]

You might be experiencing moisture from the air in your resin. This is why a lot of garage kit makers don't do this in the winter. If you have a salamander (propane heater), you can heat the garage to whatever temperature you need. You'll have to make sure that the humidity is the right level for whatever resin you're using. This is why your experiencing this would my best guess.

I don't know how else to help you other than this. You'll need to buy a moisture guage to see how much of this is mixing into your resin. If you can't stop this from being so wet, then you'll probably have to stop until it gets warmer. You don't want to leave,or store your resin outside in the cold, or your silicone - even if they aren't mixed. The cold can introduce moisture, or condensation into them and it won't come back out once it gets in. All this means that you probably won't be able to do any casting until late spring/early summer.

~ Cobra Chris

[LastBattlestar]

Jase lives in sub-tropical Queensland which doesn't ever get really cold in winter (or hot in summer!), but it's the humidity which is the killer up there all year round. That's what is affecting the resin I'd guess. Us southerners can hardly breathe up there in summer! I think you should move down to Battlestar Central Adelaide, Jason. Perfect modelling environment for ya! When it's not 10 degrees by day in winter and 46 in summer.

BTW, is resin best stored in a fridge?

Mike

[Wombat]

Nice job on the port's Jase!!
They look like they are ready for detailing right now alright!
Bummer on the mould and castings there,if it is weather related then you and i could be in troubles then for a bit?
But that Leopold kit has hit the shelves again so for the money it's well spent on that particular kit.So if the moulds and castings aren't working right now you can always go with the kit's you have for part's and get a few more if needed.Whatever it takes,i'm sure you are gonna have some fun detailing them up.

[JAWS]

Thank mate. Well its time some real parts can start getting ready. The ol 88mm Flak has lots that are needed, especially on the engine section. everywhere.... I'll be needing a couple of these kits thats for sure. So starting to lay the parts out & get ready for assembly

[Wombat]

Sweet!!
The 88,and two Railway gun's in my book are all worth sacrificing.It's not like it's just a part or two needed outa those one's.You'll be putting a damn lot of the part's to very good use with the build.
Money well spent on those kit's for sure mate!

[LastBattlestar]

Heh, I've chewed up five of those 88mm kits, so I would definitely advise casting all you can!

Mike

[JAWS]

Well im going to now actually use as many kit parts as I can find or afford. Ive just discovered that the little hobbyshop across the raod from my kids school stocks Plastruct! Doesn't get any closer & convenient than that. he used to just sell model cars or dicast cars & now has moved into models & trains. Wicked casue I just rang him on the off chance he might have what I need in the T & C strips which he did! Business is going to pick up for this guy thats for sure.

[LastBattlestar]

I might just get you to a ton of that stuff for me. My local HS restocks Evergreen about once a decade. Not to mention butyrate piping which doesn't exist here since I bought the town out a couple of years ago. T-strip? Never even sen it here!

Mike

[JAWS]

That may just be a good possibillity as Ive spoken with him again on the phone today enquireing about him getting me kits ie:Hasegawa Leopold & Morser Karls. As I would want these in multiples he was very accommodating in getting some priceing for me. I told him the competitions price US & probable shipping charges. I said if he can come in under the $35-$40 I'd give him the business. He was pretty blown away & said he'd do whatever he could to get some fair business & look after a local. Im going there this afternoon & making sure he keeps his Plastruct stocked up cause Im going to clean him out.

[Wombat]

I did find plastruct Te in a LHS down here,not the sizing i was looking for and they only sold it per length.$2.50 per length mind you!Thats why i just order it by the pack from over there,it's only like $5 something for the pack.
Anyway,cut away mate!!

[427 Cobra]

Yes, cut away - cut away! Cast as much of this as you can, Jase. You don't know when someone else will want to build one of these, or when they will need parts for it.

~ Cobra Chris

[JAWS]

Cris Im just sacrificing kits that are still readilly available. Not rare kits. Phil thats a rip off at $2.50 a length. My supplier charged me 87cents & 95cents. Nothing over a dollar a length except for the larger scales. My wife printed me out the Plastruct catalogue at work & put it in a folder with a cover picture. Looks sweet & is now readilly available resource. Too kool. I post a picture of her contribution this afternoon.

[LastBattlestar]

Cool! It's funny to talk to hobby shop people when you arrive at the checkout with three or four of the same kit ain't it? They just have NO idea that studio scale modelling exists!

Mike

(05-20-2010, 01:24 PM)jasonwright.1972 Wrote: That may just be a good possibillity as Ive spoken with him again on the phone today enquireing about him getting me kits ie:Hasegawa Leopold & Morser Karls. As I would want these in multiples he was very accommodating in getting some priceing for me. I told him the competitions price US & probable shipping charges. I said if he can come in under the $35-$40 I'd give him the business. He was pretty blown away & said he'd do whatever he could to get some fair business & look after a local. Im going there this afternoon & making sure he keeps his Plastruct stocked up cause Im going to clean him out.

[darkimmitator]

(05-21-2010, 10:39 AM)LastBattlestar Wrote: Cool! It's funny to talk to hobby shop people when you arrive at the checkout with three or four of the same kit ain't it? They just have NO idea that studio scale modelling exists!

Mike

And then when you tell the hobby guy what you want all those kits for , he still has no Idea ! A Battlestar whatica ????? LOL

(05-20-2010, 01:24 PM)jasonwright.1972 Wrote: That may just be a good possibillity as Ive spoken with him again on the phone today enquireing about him getting me kits ie:Hasegawa Leopold & Morser Karls. As I would want these in multiples he was very accommodating in getting some priceing for me. I told him the competitions price US & probable shipping charges. I said if he can come in under the $35-$40 I'd give him the business. He was pretty blown away & said he'd do whatever he could to get some fair business & look after a local. Im going there this afternoon & making sure he keeps his Plastruct stocked up cause Im going to clean him out.

[JAWS]

Yeah thats true. This guys a car guy & you can tell by the vague look in their eyes their thinkin WTF... but also goin whatever mate Im just glad its bringin some bacon! Theres one guy at a Toys R Us up a couple of suburbs thats in the know. he has the largest model selection Ive seen anywhere. He's only just cleaned it up cause there were models just stacked up in the isles cause he had run out of shelveing. You could only just get down the isle & couldn't find anything as it was all mixed up & hiding behind other kits that had been stacked in front of it. Now(cause his wife pulled the reigns in) its all in sections & nothings in the isles so you can see all the Tamiyas with tamiyas etc etc. He's the head of the modelers association on the Coast & Brisbane 7 is in the know. So much so he stocks kits that are used in Scratch builds alot. Which is handy for me. Im actually really lucky that I have 5+ excellent hobby stores within an hours driving distance. Theres not much I should need to buy online other than rare kits......

[darkimmitator]

You are lucky there Jase .The only hobby store here , never had sci fi until I started asking for some kits about 3 years ago .Now I 'm sort of responsible for a bit of a BSG resurgence here in the valley .Now there is a resurgence of tamiya and hasegawa military happening ,again thanks to me !!! LOL.Even those have been hard to get as of late ,especially the leopolds .I bought the last 3 they had available.

[JAWS]

Its International Boat Show at Sanctuary Cove Queensaland Australia which is where I work 2 jobs. One 5 days a week & the Saturday & Sunday mornings early. Ive taken it off from both jobs to get some time out & catch up on some gardenning for a house inspection. Im a reneter & don't own my own house yet. nyway it was nice to sleep in for the first time in a long time. Well didn,t actually sleep in as I was awake at my usual 01:30hrs that I usually start my second job on the weekends but was nice not to have to get out of my warm bed. Anyway heres this kool folder my wife made me of the Pastruct catalogue. All 168 pages printed in color & put in a folder with a front page. Aint she nice. Heres a glimpse of my work area aswell. Gotta clean it up & sort more kits that are still packed...

[dbhs]

I can't believe you get so much done on your models and have 2 jobs. The plastruct catalog is fun to thumb through with all the stuff they have in there.

[JAWS]

Thanks Doug. Yeah, 2 jobs, 2 kids, 2 dogs & 1 wife...

[JAWS]

Ok so got stuck doing the gardens as Ive been slack lately which meant extra work than usual. So Ive got it out the way & then did some remodelling. No not modelling remodelling, room remodelling! It just didn't work & needed soem feng shway or something so hooked & did a clean up. Pretty happy with the resulet & now have room to move. So better get at it My damn armsw are sore from holding a stupid hedger up for hours & hacking into plants.....

[Wombat]

That looks so good having that much room to work in.

Now get to it then mate!!

[JAWS]

The sacrifice begins....

[Wombat]

Sacrifice,ah bugger em i say,let the fun begin mate!

[JAWS]

Yeah once you let go its just a massacre! There is a real sick satisfaction you get when cutting parts for donors to a scratch build...

[JAWS]

have some time to myself & the choirs are done. Thought I would get these Saturn V parts cut to size for the top & bottom engine decks. Gotta say that it wasn't fun. I tried 2 methods. First with ruler blue tacked to inside of rocket for stabillity whilst cutting a run line. That actually worked the best for me. The second was with the Dremel & a cutting tool. It worked pretty good also but I felt I had mor control with the knife so the knife it is. Ive taken a good even section off each side. About 10mm to start & the rest I'll bring in with the sand paper. I then went about cutting the dome in half for the rear sections. I used some electrical tape lined up through the centre & an exacto blade to run a score line. i then went over again & again & again until it started to seperate. I did have 1 small slip but recovered quickly & wont be seen.
QUESTION: Do the dome pieces have to be flush with the rocket houseing? A couple of pictures I saw a gap? Was it just the angle?

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

That looks about right. Now you have to glue the half dome flush with the top of the Sat V 1st stage and leave a slight gap all around the bottom

Richard

[JAWS]

Really? Crap... I just altered it to sit vertually flush... Does the bottom sit off the deck? Can you give me a reference image #

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

Look at GalRes676.jpg you can see the slight gap

Richard

[bwayne64]

Jase, lookin good man. I take it the new Sat 5's are good for the G. I was reading on the RI that they changed some parts. I guess those are just the upper stages, that we don't need. At least we can get all we need now, Here's a picture of that gap Rich mentioned. You can see it on Pappas pic # 301 and 676 also. Hope you don't mind me answering for you Richard, I was curious about the gap myself, I never noticed that before. I would have just slapped the domes right down on the deck, LOL. I would have been peeved at myself, being a perfectionist. Cheers,


Joe



PS LOL, we must have been posting at the same time. Oh well better late than never.

   

[JAWS]

Thanks fellas. I think ... Heres a section from GalRes 188. It clearly shows a 1-2mm gap. Not sure what to do? Sand the domes a little & be done with it or cut 2 new ones Ouch!

[Wombat]

Honestly,i think you are getting worried a bit much about nothing really perhaps?To me they probably intended em to sit on the deck flush,but they probably glued the body part's down first without checking the fit perhaps,and just didn't want to remove em again to make them the same height as the domes.Really,why would they have em sitting of the deck anyway?I'm lost really to why they would do that and had never even noticed it before myself.To me it would look betta sitting flush but then it's how accurate you want to build it that will determine what we all do.If you make it sit flush the obviously the Saturn first stage pieces will be sitting a little lower than they should be by the looks of it.I've still got some room with mine that i can still do that and have em sitting up just a little from memory.This build is just full of unwanted surprises isn't it?

Is there anything else i should have noticed but haven't so far??

[JAWS]

Im sure theres plenty mate & if I don't find them you or one of the others will. Hopefully before this sort of thing happens. thanks for the encouragement. Anyway i moved away from that & back to the ports. Thanks for the railings Phil. I picked em today from the post office. They were actually delivered Friday but I worked late & missed the mail man. They take deliveries back to the office as asked for no packages to get left on the doorstep. Just in case. Can you or the other guys tell me whats inthe corners/edges. Is it:

Traditional ABS Angle 0.8mm 0r 1.2mm
Fine Line Styrene Angle 0.8mm or 1.2mm
Traditional ABS T strip 1.2mm or 1.6mm
Fine Line styrene T strip 1.2mm or 1.6mm
Traditional ABS I Beams 1.6mm
Fine line styrene I Beams 1.6mm

Im thinking angle but it also looks like I Beam????

[Wombat]

Well we've just spoken about this and we'll see what response you get from people that actually know a thing or two about this build mate.As i said to you,i just used 2mm C channel,right or wrong it still looks OK to me.

[Richard_2001]

Jason,

those are c-channel in the rounded corners on the original.

Richard

[darkimmitator]

Jase , on both the Atlantia and the Galactica builds by Custom Replicas ,the fuel tank halfs are flush mounted to floor of the engine top plate ,and sit flush to the underside of the saturn v halfs. If the pic in the above post is taken before the restoration ,the glue may have become brittle ,and the domes may have seperated from the floor of the engine plate due to the heat created from those flood lights used to light the engines .I am going to glue mine flush to the floor ,like Phil said ,it doesn't make sense to be suspended like pic. when everything else sits flush to the plate ? But in the end it's your call dude .Just hopeing to help with some more insight .

[427 Cobra]

Not just the halves that you've sanded and glued to the Saturn V stages, but the ones for the engines in the pictures you just posted need the exess glue removed. I use a popcicle stick, or cut styrene sheet piece with 600 grit superglued to it. This will make a flat surface for the next set of parts to be glued.

~ Cobra Chris

[JAWS]

Thanks Phil, Richard & Ken. Ken Im going with you mate! That is music to my ears. Lost alot of sleep last night over that. Richard thanks for backing up what Phil told me. Im just going to triple check everything now. I feel very relieved today & will make some good progress tonight.

[Wombat]

Thats great news Jase!
WE look forward to seeing what you come up with there mate!

[darkimmitator]

Hey Jase ,P.M. sent !!!