W.I.P. - Moebius 1/32 BSG Colonial Viper MKII

[Splashcoat]

Fuselage halves aligned and decals placed as templates for drilled-out RCS thrusters.

Moulded detail drilled/cut/sanded out in preperation for Paragraphix photoetched replacement detail.

Jig used to bend photoetch.

Photoetch in place.

 

[fubar]

Nice looking kit, i never saw the BSG remake but i do have the 'original' TV show still on VHS somewhere. ;D

Keep it going mate, she looks like she'll be a beaut once your finished with her.

TTFN Matt

 

[Quaralane]

Looks like you're off to an excellent start.
I like the decal to template idea

 

[schweinhund227]

I'm a Fan of both series! 1978 and 2005

I should have picked up some of those models Aions ago! But failed to do just that !

Will be following to get an idea of wht awaits me! If I take the plunge.

Good work !

 

[Grendels]

A nice start!

 

[Igard]

Looking good! Nice trick with the decal/template.

 

[Splashcoat]

Photoetched engine panel wiring installed.

Engine exhaust detail removed.

... and replaced with photoetched.

Cockpit photoetched panels installed.

 

[panzerace007]

Splash ,

Great start ! I'm a fan of both & I have this kit in My stash , so I'm watchin' this one intently !! I dig that P.E. set !!

 

[JohnSimmons]

That Photo etch looks great! Especially the cockpit!

 

[Grendels]

I have this kit and the photo etch set, great to see it going together! Nice work.

 

[Solander]

Same as Grendels. And always loved this design. Would follow this WIP with a great interest

 

[Splashcoat]

In my opinion, the Paragrafix photetched set is a must have for this kit. The cockpit details alone are worth the price of the set. It also comes with decal or clear acetate options for backlighting the cockpit displays and engines.

The next time I build one of these, however, I'm not going to use the etched engine plumbing. It looks a bit two-dimensional once installed so I added some thickness with a few thin layers of cyano glue. Next time around I'm just going to replicate the plumbing with wire and sprue.

 

[Splashcoat]

Cockpit Tub.

 

[TRM]

Wow, what a great build so far!!! I'm not a Sci-Fi builder (yet)...so, I completely forgot about the Viper!!! That is awesome..just brought me back to the olde childhood!!! Gonna have to follow along on this one!!

 

[Cave_Dweller]

The photo etched stuff really brings that model to life! Is there a pilot?

 

[Quaralane]

Beautiful work on that cockpit.

 

[Splashcoat]

The photo etched stuff really brings that model to life! Is there a pilot?

There is a resin seated pilot figure that comes with the kit.

I'm not planning on using the figure, though. If all goes according to plan I'm going to chop off the head, hollow it out, and just use the helmet as part of a small vignette.

 

[Grendels]

The photo etch does liven it up quite a bit, and is one of the reason I haven't started on mine. (Not to mention other projects have caught my eye....)

 

[Splashcoat]

The photo etch does liven it up quite a bit, and is one of the reason I haven't started on mine. (Not to mention other projects have caught my eye....)

The photo etch is pretty easy. The cockpit is simple, the engine exhausts are a bit harder, and the side panels are kind of fiddly. When you remove the side detail I suggest cutting straight through the fuselage, cutting out the plastic with a Dremell tool, filing the hole smooth, then backing the hole with some plastic card. You don't have to be quite so precise with the plastic backing and you'll never notice that the photo etch isn't prefectly fitted into the hole.

 

[Splashcoat]

Canopy!
Masked.

Painted aluminum.

Framed.

Cockpit Tub installed. Detailing added to intake above cockpit.