Gathering the Fleet

[DreamKnight]

OK I got my first set of ships in, mainly just to check the scale.  I think I can pull it off:

So I'll be doing the "Battle of Sector 001" from First Contact at 1/2500 scale.

This is the scene from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrancN6_yYA

Initial plans...

Massing the Fleet
So for I got those ship above (USS Enterprise E, USS Defiant and a Oberth Class ship).  Doing some research I have a selection I can get from Starshipmodeler. I have on order (just put in tonite) for a Sabre class ship. I plan to get another Oberth Class (People counted 3 in that scene, one destroyed) and maybe 2 more Sabre class (people counted 5 in that whole scene). These are pretty cheap around $15 each and pretty small ships so the make good "fighter" fillers in space.

For medium/bigger ships, this is where it's gonna get a little hairy.  This has already cost over $100 for me so I'll have to see.  I wouldn't mind having an Akira and a Norway class (Counted 3 in the scene for both class) running around.  Both a little under $50 and I found a Nebula Class ship at this scale for $60. Those are my options of ships I can get that was in the battle.  I can get a Nova class but the one in the Alpha Quad wasn't in the battle at the time and the other one was destroyed in the Delta Quad when Voyager met up with them. So I may end up just getting 2 of the 3 I have available to choose from.

I can't find any Steamrunners and Miranda class ships at this scale  I MIGHT be able to try and convert a Sabre to a Steamrunner.  The sizes of the ships are the same pretty much (give or take 10 meters).  Just a little mod to the front of the saucer section and major mods to the rear end of the ship with how the nacels are designed. And it's the cheaper of the models.

Sabre Class
Steamrunner Class

I was REALLY hoping to find a Miranda class ship at 1/2500 so I can convert it into a Soyuz class to depict the USS Bozeman.  Love that ship from one of my favorite TNG episodes. I was WONDERING why the USS Bozeman was there but apparently it got refitted and put back into action since the Federation need ships after Wolf 359 and the Dominion War getting heated up.  Love researching a build. LOL


Space Junk
I also ordered an Enterprise C tonight that I am going to scrap as flotsam from a few destroyed ships. The saucer I can make to look like one from a Nebula Class Starship and the Nacels can be from a couple of different ships.  I might buy another one and scratch build the rest.


The Borg Ship
This is the fun part (I think).  Definitely going to be scratch built.  The Enterprise E sits at 680m and the borg cube is at 3036m.  The Enterprise E at 1/2500 is 10.75 inches.  Do some math and the borg cube is going to be about 47.95in, a little under 4ft or 1.12meters.

I DEFINITELY can't do the whole cube.  I might be able to make it within a year but I don't have a place to put it! lol So it'll have to be somewhat the wall of one side (or a 1/4 of the ship) of the diorama.


Lighting
I REALLY want to hit all the areas of modeling I haven't done or weak in for this build.  One is scratch building which I will have to do, the second is lighting.  The enterprise and the borg ship can be lighted but can someone tell me how the heck you light resin kits?  I can probably get away from not lighting the smaller ships.  Use gloss coat to play off some reflection from other light sources, but when I get a Nebula, Akira or Norway resin kit, is it even possible to light them?  That's not a rhetorical question, I'm hoping someone here knows! lol


Depiction
I'm thinking about three choices:

1) The scene where the Enterprise intercepts the Borg cube from the Defiant when Worf ordered the suicide run. So the diorama base would be at about a 3 feet out, 4 or 5 feet long.  The Enterprise and Defiant being in the front view of the model with ships blasting at the Borg ship in the back.

2) The attack run where all the ships fire on the coordinates that Picard ordered to shoot at.  This would make the base long 2-3ftx4-5ft.  Would look like a bowling lane. lol

3) This is what I'm leaning towards but trying to figure out if I can pull it off.  The scene depicting the cube exploding, the sphere escaping out and all the ships starting their turn out of the firing attack run.  One of the federation ships in the middle of being shredded by the cube's explosion.  This would probably be a good rectangle base around 3' by 4'.

Anyways, that's what I'm planning to do. Anyone have any suggestions, let me know...

OH! does anyone have a huge bag of sprues they want to get rid of? lol Gonna need a huge pile for the borg ship! Name your price! LOL

[Quaralane]

Going to be an ambitious build

[Grendels]

After watching The Last Starfighter again,  I've decided to make the scene near the end where the gunstar has landed on a platform on Rilos and everyone is addressing the crowed below. I'll light up the spotlights and everything (watch the movie!)

I was going to do the gunstar landing at the trailer park but I like the other idea better.  Plus I think it makes a perfect diorama as it's a tidy fixed size.

of course, it really comes down to being able to afford the $175 gunstar model...

Look on Ebay, here is a link:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Last-Starfighter-Gunstar-Model-Kit-3-long-/290456295100?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a08b56bc#ht_500wt_1154

It is small, but the cost isn't $170, and at 3 inches, you could still make a dio out of it.

[Grendels]

Dreamknight:

First watch ebay for you missing models, here is a link to get you started:
http://toys.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=1/2500&_sacat=49211&_odkw=&_osacat=49211&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313


There is an Akira and Miranda on that page, and I know that there is listings for the steamrunner, and nova classes as well in the scale you are looking for.

Another place to look is federation models.  They have a lot of different ships in the scale you are looking for, but it will take time to search through all of their listings.  They have a lot posted.

As for lighting.  Resin models usually are solid core.  (I have a few that are not solid, but those are rare.)  Lighting them will be very difficult.  You would have to cut the model in half, scoop out the inside, and then glue it back together.  But here is a thought I had with my current build.  Use Black lighting and florescent paints.  You will have to be very careful, because dust will glow with Black lighting, but you could get a lighted effect where there isn't lights.  I almost built a glow in the dark model for the contest.  I was going to light it up with UV leds.  It might be possible to spot light each model with a few LED's with the size of this thing you want to build.

Sorry no spur here, I use them for experiments with paint, and other techniques....

[DreamKnight]

Dreamknight:

First watch ebay for you missing models, here is a link to get you started:

There is an Akira and Miranda on that page, and I know that there is listings for the steamrunner, and nova classes as well in the scale you are looking for.

Another place to look is federation models.  They have a lot of different ships in the scale you are looking for, but it will take time to search through all of their listings.  They have a lot posted.

Ebay... ummmm yeh... I try not to go there. I never leave without leaving my bank account intact.   I'll look though, just for these ships... yeh... JUST for these ships.

I did look at Federation Models, that's where I found the Nebula class I just don't like how their website is developed so I never took and chance and ordered from them.  I expect people who sell legit on the web to spend money for professional coding or a more professional application.  Not make something out of Frontpage.  Sorry, when I see websites like that it puts up a red flag.  Anyone order from them? They legit?  I also checked out starfleet-models.com too.

Akira I can get from StarshipModeler.com.  I'll check out the miranda on ebay and see if I can find any steamrunners.  I know they make them.  By a company named Jupiter something! Thanks!

[Grendels]

I have ordered from Federation models twice now and received my order within two weeks each time.  I am still waiting on some decals though.....

I am going to send them a reminder about that.

[DreamKnight]

I have ordered from Federation models twice now and received my order within two weeks each time.  I am still waiting on some decals though.....

I am going to send them a reminder about that.

Hmmmm ok thanks. If I decide to get the Nebula class, I'll have to order from them. I can't find it anywhere else right now. Says they have it in stock.

Also got the Reliant on ebay you pointed out. The model is prefect.  I just don't put on the row bar and scratch a "tail" section with magic sculpt and waaalaaa! USS Bozeman Soyuz Class! One thing for sure, this diorama is really going to show off the scales between ships.  I'm seeing it now.  It's pretty cool.

[JMac]

@ DK - WOW, pull that build off, and it will be awesome. Huge and awesome. All the ideas here sound epic, I'm so pumped for this build to start.

[DreamKnight]

Going to be an ambitious build

@ DK - WOW, pull that build off, and it will be awesome. Huge and awesome. All the ideas here sound epic, I'm so pumped for this build to start.

Haha yeh. I might be getting over my head here but worth a try!

[Noddy4000]

Go for it! This will be a fantastic project to see coming together and you'll learn loads from doing it, so worth the try just for that! But definitely the finished piece is going to be a hit at any show you display it at. Wow, can't wait to see this start either.

If you do light the Borg cube could you use coloured acrylic tubes illuminated with powerful LEDs at their bases to simulate laser beams; might be a way to mount the smaller Federation ship models off of it?

http://www.ema-models.co.uk/catalogue/0122-fluorescent-acrylic-rods.html

Possibility? Not sure as I've never tried such an effect. Looking forward anyway to seeing what you do and how  .

[java]

I echo the others,go for it!

[DreamKnight]

If you do light the Borg cube could you use coloured acrylic tubes illuminated with powerful LEDs at their bases to simulate laser beams; might be a way to mount the smaller Federation ship models off of it?

I won't be using rods.  The whole side of the dio will be a sheet of acrylic at an angle and the cube be built on that.  Five or six green light source under or between the model and sheet and the rest of the sheet will glow enough giving it a green under glow.  I'd say there's be about 2 to 3 inches at some places of platform of the Borg ship of random stepped platforms so the lights glows through.  In other words, the ship will be built outwards through random "piping" and various plates of platform and not just one flat 2 dimension surface. That's my original plan any ways.

Suspension of the flying ships... I have a grand scheme.  I just don't know if it'll work but I'm going thing more on it.  Build a system of frames on top of the model so I can suspend the ships with fishing wire.  I just don't know how "invisible" it'll be.

You know, I'm going to write out some quick dirty schemas.

[JMac]

Lighting
I REALLY want to hit all the areas of modeling I haven't done or weak in for this build.  One is scratch building which I will have to do, the second is lighting.  The enterprise and the borg ship can be lighted but can someone tell me how the heck you light resin kits?  I can probably get away from not lighting the smaller ships.  Use gloss coat to play off some reflection from other light sources, but when I get a Nebula, Akira or Norway resin kit, is it even possible to light them?  That's not a rhetorical question, I'm hoping someone here knows! lol

I was travelling the interweb this morning and came across this idea (using reflective safety tape as an alternative to actual wired and powered lighting);
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/wireless.htm
This might be a good "lighting" option - at least for the smaller ships...Could combine it with some ships lit up with LEDs and the like.

[DreamKnight]

I was travelling the interweb this morning and came across this idea (using reflective safety tape as an alternative to actual wired and powered lighting);
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/wireless.htm
This might be a good "lighting" option - at least for the smaller ships...Could combine it with some ships lit up with LEDs and the like.

Jmac! YOU ROCK!  That's something I can expand on!

[DreamKnight]

I have an idea but it's a bit of a departure...

Have you thought about modelling the battle from the viewpoint of the cube?

Build a box diorama (cube shaped of course) with an open side modelled on the borg viewscreen and mount the Federation ships flying towards the screen. You can mount ships from the rear of the box or on acrylic rods to simulate phaser fire coming towards the screen.

You could even design the outside of the box diorama as a big borg cube with open gaps along the sides to see more details of the ships and battle. It would be a giant model of the cube with a built in diorama.

Jingles.

That would be a trip to do!But I'm leaning on exploding the cube. lol

Here's the layouts I spec'd.  The first image (a) is for the two scenes of either the intercepting fire from the Defiant by the Enterprise and the second is the attack run.

The second image (b) is the cube exploding after the attack run with ships turn out to escape while the sphere is coming out of the exploding cube.

I like the exploding cube option.  Trying to make layered stepping platform and have it look like a flat platform is gonna suck for me.  But if it exploding... that's gonna be fun.  The sphere would be easier to make for me.  And the lighting would be really fun to make here.