StarshipBuilder's Galactica Replica

[star-art]

I guess you could say this is the "father" of the Custom Replicas Galactica project.

Long story with this one. It all started when I met Jim Creveling in 1998 and saw his AMAZING build (not even yet completed at the time, but still jaw-dropping incredible to behold). I was inspired to start down the path that eventually led to my designing CR Galactica. I do have to say I am very proud of how that turned out. It took nearly 12 years to reach the end of that road.

Some details of my own build were posted on my site years ago before it was taken offline. Most of the pics being shared here in this thread have never been posted online before. Only a handful of people have seen them. Mike, I know you have asked to see these for years and I hope you won't be disappointed.

I decided to post here because you guys are really digging into this project and seem to be really enjoying it. I thought this might be encouraging to those just starting out. This is a VERY challenging subject to tackle and it can take a lot of time, money, and effort to succeed. All I can say is STAY AT IT and you will get there eventually.

This has been a really long journey. It was actually my first major scratchbuild so I was learning as I went along. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I took things slowly and worked at it over time (a LONG time), trying to perfect my skills as I went along.

Rather than just build it and get it done, I wanted to do it once and do it right. I spent years figuring the patterns out for this build (about 5 years altogether). Once construction started, I spent about another year getting it to the point you see here.

As I mentioned in another thread, I continued working on it until I made the decision to leave my full-time job back in '05. That was a tough time, as the business I was working for (that I helped get off the ground) was starting to blossom but they were taking advantage of me in a big way and I had to put a stop to it. Unfortunately, that move severely curtailed my income for some time. Shortly after that, I started my own publishing business. While all that was going on, my model got put on hold since I couldn't justify spending money on it.

After letting it sit untouched for years, the opportunity came about to start designing model projects for other people professionally. This led to my designing (and helping to actually build) the CR Galactica. I went back to the drawing board and started over, using my new 3D tools to take things to the next level.

Like I said, I am a bit of a perfectionist, so seeing an even better version took away any desire to keep working on my original model -- even though there is nothing at all wrong with it really. It's a very decent effort and has received a lot of nice compliments. But, I now have patterns for something even more refined, so it makes sense that I'd want to build that version for myself to take full advantage of the many years of work I've put into all this.

I offered this model for sale to a friend as-is in its uncompleted state. He agreed to buy it and finish it, but he has not yet taken delivery. Once he gets it, he'll probably want to post some pics of the finishing work. As you will see, the structure is nearly complete and the detailing has already been started. Overall, it looks pretty good so far, and it's actually very similar to the CR version unless you look really, really close.

---

This is what the model looks like now. It has not been worked on in some time. The reason I have hesitated posting all these images is I didn't really want the model to be seen until it was sufficiently completed. (I was really hoping to get it fully detailed and at least covered in primer first.) I just didn't feel it was presentable yet. Again, being a bit of a perfectionist, I wanted it to look good before I presented it to the world.

With that in mind, please know I am not a very good photographer, and these pictures were taken with a crappy digicam. Honestly, the model looks much better in person than it does in these pics.

[Wombat]

OMG!!

Charles,that is just awesome!!

Thank you for posting some pictures of it for us to see,enjoy,and for myself,add to the motivation of building something that will hopefully look something like that beautiful looking piece.Jeepers mate,she's stunning!!Even in the state she is she looks awesome!Damn,those refined plans must be something real special to not continue with this one,the lucky guy that has agreed to buy it from you has got one hell of a head start with it all,no question about that.To my eye she looks perfect,and i see some well thought out engineering has gone into it,right from the begining with the armature design.To say your work looks outstanding would be a huge understatement!I can only say i hope you can get stuck into your own CR Galactica pretty soon and not have to wait till you build the other one for someone else that you mentioned was about to begin.For all your hard work you really should be sitting back admiring one for yourself!The first one there looked just fine but i also understand wanting to have the revised one,who wouldn't afterall.Enjoy the building mate,just make sure theres a little for yourself as well as others.

Thanks again for posting her along with the motivating and encouraging words you speak in our threads.

[darkimmitator]

WOW !!!!!!!! What can be said ,that the wombat hasn't already mentioned ? Charles ,that is an incredible build .The only thing I guess left to say is Thank You .Thank you for the inspiration , and all the hard work and knowledge for all us other ss bsg builders and dreamers to attempt building something close to looking something like that masterpiece .

[star-art]

Actually, thank YOU guys for your enthusiasm and appreciation. I have been at this so long, I almost forgot how to enjoy it. For a while, the nasty politics (i.e. "the curse of Galactica") almost took away all the joy of the studio-scale modeling hobby for me. I got burned out on all of it and that was another reason I didn't work on this for so long.

With the CR project, I was able to put all that behind me once and for all and find the enjoyment again. I love working on this and I do hope to get going on one for myself again. In the meantime, like I said in another thread, I have some other projects to attend to first. I'm working on a TOS shuttle this summer. Plus, I have to build one of these beasts on commission. Actually, what I will be doing is building the base structure only. I won't be doing the detailing. I really enjoy the structural engineering and building and that is pretty fun for me. So, I don't mind doing that part for someone else. It will be up to them to take the completed "modules" and fully detail them out, paint, light, etc. That is something I intend to do only once (for my own build) as it is a LOT of work!

It's not cheap to hire out this kind of work, but I have built this thing three times already (mockups, my build, the CR project). This will be the fourth time, so I've had plenty of practice by now.

[JAWS]

Wow I woke up late & get this! Wicked Charles. The God Father of Galacticas has joined the crew with a whopping post. That is just simply beautiful Charles. The work you have done on the base structure is fantastic. Even without the parts & paint one can appreciate the structural dexterity of your design. I am honored you have posted this here with us Charles. You are & have been a massive influence & contributor to the studioscale & modeling communities in general over the years & am just so impressed you've joined our little team at studioscalemodelers. Thanks mate.

[star-art]

Thanks guys! Godfather, eh? LOL That's pretty funny.

Here we go again. A very large and heavy box of laser-cut parts arrived Friday with all the pieces needed to build the head section. (Last time I built one, the completed module packed in its shipping crate weighed 30 pounds!) It took me half the day yesterday just to sort through everything. A couple more days and I'll be building again. . .

[darkimmitator]

BOY ..........are we all looking forward to this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JAWS]

Hey Charles is that some T8 Plastruct you got at the back to hold the Lid in place?

[Wombat]

(07-19-2010, 06:13 AM)star-art Wrote: Thanks guys! Godfather, eh? LOL That's pretty funny.

Here we go again. A very large and heavy box of laser-cut parts arrived Friday with all the pieces needed to build the head section. (Last time I built one, the completed module packed in its shipping crate weighed 30 pounds!) It took me half the day yesterday just to sort through everything. A couple more days and I'll be building again. . .

Damn,they sent it to the wrong address! LOL

Cool stuff Charles,hope you enjoy building this sections up,I'm sure you will!
Any plans of posting the build up,might be handy for others in the future that decides to build up a CR Galactica.It'll be interesting to see how easily it all goes together,you're doing the hardest section straight up.Although perhaps the design has simplified it quite a lot?I'm curious about the curved side panels and how these are.Does the acrylic just flex over the bulkhead sides to get there shape?

Have fun!!!

[star-art]

Jason, do you mean the back of the engine lid? There is nothing there as it has not been trimmed out yet. The lid ends short of the rear plate and the large gap gets filled in by various strips of tiny Plastruct Tee. EDIT. I think you mean what's under the lid? That is 3/16 black Gatorboard. It's very dimensionally stable, more stable than plywood, yet it weighs almost nothing. I seem to be the only model maker doing these kinds of builds that uses it (though Jim C. did become a convert). I glued it under the lid to help keep the lid from warping. Even then, it has bowed ever so slightly over the years. As a result, I recommend thoroughly supporting both the main body and engine lids.

I plan to post progress on the new build. The CR Galactica head section will never be available as a kit though. We have an agreement that it will only be provided as a built piece. For one thing, the amount of work that went into designing it was just unreal. It is quite honestly too complicated for most people to tackle. Even for someone with a lot of experience, it is a very difficult build. This thing looks like a Swiss clock on the inside. . .

There were literally hundreds of parts in the first one. The second one is simplified somewhat, but still very complicated. I can't even imagine how hard it would be to make sure someone got all the parts and also any replacements needed if they screwed something up while building it. It was deemed too impractical to even consider.

As for the head skins, I quickly learned plex is not the way to go. It was a real b*tch to get the skins in place. Acrylic glues real strong face-to-face, but not so when edge-to-edge. With laser-cut parts, the edges have a slight bevel, making it even worse. After building this thing several times, I decided I would not do a head skinned in plex again. Thus, my revised patterns now feature styrene skins over an acrylic frame. Not only is this easier to build, it is also easier to detail, paint, and finish.

BTW, do you guys want me to start a separate thread on the other build, or tack it onto this thread?

[Wombat]

Hey there Charles,
Thanks for all that run down on the head section mate!
Ok,just for starters.I think you should start a new thread for the next buld,this one should be all about your old build.It's that impressive to look at that i feel it should be left open for people to comment about mate.Well thats me,but you can do what you like really.She deserves her own thread this older build though i say!

Ok,so thats real interesting that the head pieces will not be available to build up by someone for there own build.I dread to think what it would cost to have someone build even just this section but it appears to be the only way then.You make it sound a lil scary really desribing it like the inards of a swiss clock though.I guess well see what is involved once you start posting?Another small thing also.I take it then if you buy the kit from CR,then by what you are saying is the head is already completed in that price?

On the head panels,well that all makes sense to use styrene.It is how i intend to build my head section also,styrene over acrylic bulkheads.I was thinking acrylic would be just as you descibed and that the styrene is the best option in this section.I also thank you for that info on th estregths of gluing the acrylics.Some of my engine section side panels are just that,glued on end,with a beveled edge also.I actually was pretty messy with that glue,i even tried to just fill the valley behind where two panels meet with glue to give it some more structual strength.So far it's holding together alright.I still need to do to my lid some supporting.i'm seeing plenty of sagging in it but don't see it being too hard to support,i just havent got to that yet.

Anyway,looking forward to seeing the new build up,so have fun!!

[star-art]

I'm not sure how he's pricing it. If anyone is interested in getting a head section built up, just e-mail me (starshipbuilder at earthlink dot net).

RE: Gluing acrylic, there are some tricks to it, that's for sure. Get yourself plenty of 1/8" square (that's just over 3mm), 1/8" inch round, 1/16" round, and 1/4" square extruded clear plex rod. I go through it by the yard (that's meter for you guys LOL). Can never have too much of the stuff laying around. It's like welding rod for welders.

What you do is, butt your joints up to each other at 90 degrees, then glue the rod to the inside of the joint using water-thin solvent. I don't use the messy tube cement at all. I have the process down where I can get very clean, strong joints using the thin stuff (remember my warnings in the other thread about toxicity -- this is nasty stuff!).

The side of the rod provides face-to-face bonding for the acrylic on each side of the joint. You can get really strong joints that way -- so strong, you have to break the plex before the glue fails.

What you did, slathering the tube cement in there, actually creates a weak bond that is relatively easy to break. That stuff is just acrylic dust dissolved in thin solvent to thicken it up.

I reinforce every single joint with pieces of rod. Just take a hobby saw to it, start cutting about 1/4 the way through (just a deep score really) and then snap it. Wear eye protection as shards of acrylic go flying and can put your eyes out.

For joints that have odd angles, use the round stock instead of the square. You won't get as much bonding area (just a strip really), so you may need more than one rod. You can combine the round rods to get even more strength.

This adds time and weight to the build, but the strength gained is well worth it IMO. . .

[Wombat]

Thats some good advise Charles,i did something similar where i extended the end of the engine box in places.Thats not great news though in the way i've done it is not the greatest.Are there long term problems in the way i've done it that the joints will fail,or is it just things could have been stronger if done like you mentioned?I'd hate to have this thing just fall apart over time for no reason other than the way i've glued it!

I can't use the CR design with my armature as far as i know,but i'm curious still what it would cost to buy as a pre built section.I may drop you a line about that at some stage.I'm still waiting to hear how much the landing bay package may cost.Then i'll decide if i go for that or go with what i have files for already.If the pricing is close to what i can get em done for myself i'd go them instead as i'd know those awesome looking bay caps would fit perfectly.

I'll see what happens there and how the measure up length wise to what i need for this build.I did ask about that but haven't heard anything back about it,perhaps they can't disclose that either?

[LastBattlestar]

(07-17-2010, 06:37 PM)star-art Wrote: Mike, I know you have asked to see these for years and I hope you won't be disappointed.

Not at all! Mate, she was a lot further along than I thought. It's a shame you can't see it through to the end, but if I had the means to build a better one, I'd cancel the project too! It's great to finally see what you were working on.

I'm still processing all your pics, but it really is a sharp build. I'm working hard to refine mine (in a little slump again- working late most nights) to try and keep up with the rest of you guys. The little rollers for the bay interior module are really nice.

Is the new owner someone we know? I have an idea who it is.

Mike

[star-art]

Phil, your joints will probably be OK. It's just that they are not as strong as they could be. If stressed, they may fail. But, I can't see why they would be stressed to the point of breaking in this situation. As to the bay specs, you can e-mail me if you like.

Mike, thanks for the feedback. I don't want to jinx anything, so I won't say more about the pending sale. Fingers crossed!

I'm surprised no one else noticed those rollers. It's for a unique design element I came up with. My entire bay is a hollow tube for a full interior. The armature is cut away to make room as well. The rear end cap is attached to a long "tray" that slides all the way inside the bay, almost to the very front. This tray is the interior. The whole thing slides out so it can be built separately. The wiring plugs in up front, behind the front cap. To remove, pop off the front cap, unplug the harness, then slide the entire assembly out from behind. This way, I can take my time building an interior and it doesn't have to interfere with completing the rest of the ship.

[Wombat]

I seen them rollers as well,but didn't actually know what they were.OK,so they let the whole bay interior be removeable.Interesting idea that one!I am just planning on doing it with the painting like the original,but in both bays obviously rather than just the one.That was a good idea there Charles,one just the things you could do in there but also the fact as you mentioned it was something that could be done once the rest was built up.Good thinking on that!

Ok,just on my gluing again,i hope it holds together over time.Just want to clarify what i did.When joining the panels,i wet both contact areas with the solvent before joining em together.After it was together and being held in place by the glued edges i ran the glue down the back faces of the panels to fill in what i called the back valley between the panels.I think you understand what i'm saying?I didn't just run the glue down the back to join up the panels,they were bonded first on the edges themselves.Anyway,if it does fall apart i'll know why.Acrylic newbiee with no previous experince or knowledge!

[star-art]

I think you will be fine. It won't be quite as strong as if you had glued in the rod for extra bonding support, but it should be OK. No worries. . .

[Wombat]

I've got me fingers crossed now anyway,hopefully it'll be OK.

Anyway,sorry for getting this thread sidetracked,it's meant to be about the fantastic build you had been working on.

[427 Cobra]

(07-21-2010, 06:57 PM)Wombat Wrote: Ok,just on my gluing again,i hope it holds together over time.Just want to clarify what i did.When joining the panels,i wet both contact areas with the solvent before joining em together.After it was together and being held in place by the glued edges i ran the glue down the back faces of the panels to fill in what i called the back valley between the panels.I think you understand what i'm saying?I didn't just run the glue down the back to join up the panels,they were bonded first on the edges themselves.Anyway,if it does fall apart i'll know why.

I do the same thing when joining parts together that are long, and wide. This helps to create a strongly bonded seam. Also, you can cut strips out of styrene, and glue them all along the edges to help reinforce the joints.

~ Cobra Chris

[star-art]

I've seen people use styrene instead. I don't recommend it. While styrene bonds nicely to acrylic, you can snap it back off. Acrylic bonds very strongly to acrylic! I've had joints so strong, when I tried to take them back apart (to test the strength) the parts snapped before the joint would break. You won't get a stronger joint than that.

[dbhs]

This is a great thread and inspirational even though I'm not a G-builder.

Charles, I assume you're doing TOS shuttle from scratch and not doing the kit like the rest of us here are. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd love to see a build thread from you on that. Would be fun and educational to follow along.

I like this picture a lot. Very ghostly.
-Doug

[darkimmitator]

Kind of reminds me of the invisible man model .Ha , the invisible battlestar !!!

[427 Cobra]

That's super-cool! I love the invisibility factor. This makes it look more industrial, like the micronauts. There's just something about see-through models, and toys that appeals to me more than anything else! I'd just love to see an X-wing like this.

~ Cobra Chris

[JAWS]

It looks. SEXY!!!!

[star-art]

I've heard people call stuff like this "Geek porn" LOL!

Yes, the shuttle will be built from scratch, though since I'm juggling too many different projects right now I might not be able to get back to it for a while. . .

[JAWS]

Did you call me a 'Geek!' hahaha Lol probably am. Ive become obsessed with plastic in the last few years. i love it & that Galactica youve got on your bench is tough & sexy at the same time. Wish I had it....