TOS Battlestar Shuttle

LuvFemFigs · Post by **LuvFemFigs** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:20 pm

Hello everyone, this as you can see is my 1st posting and had to spend alot of time reading and understanding you guys and Ladies before I jumped in.
Anyhow, Friday I purchased 2 of TOS Colonial Vipers Studio kits, and recieved them today! KILLER SERVICE, and thanks a million to Linda and John that were more than willing to answer questions and general bablings of mine. The 2 questions that I must ask and plead and beg for help for are these. #1...I must now build to scale of the studio vipers, a Colonial Shuttle craft. I can't find ANY images of the front view directly HEAD ON! WHY??? I find a few pics here and there of the studio model, different angles and so forth. But NONE I repeat, NONE of the pics are centered on the front, back, top, and bottom or even side views directly. GOD this is so frustrating. And please tell me, any of you that have been around modeling these great kits for a while, why in heavens name is there not a shuttle kit? There should be. I'm not perfect at scratch building, and know nothing about resin models...(till a few months ago!! ) I could'nt make one good enough to mold, but it would be good enough for me. I can't buy all of the little parts from kits to add on the detail, but as an artist, I can damn sure sculpt them with ease. Please help direct me to photos.
#2 How can I hollow out the engine area of my vipers, without bursting them? I again, have never built a resin model, and do not have any knowledge of the structure strength. How thin can I get them before it gets too thin. What tools to use and how to approach this idea and make it happen? I've read almost all of your articles and all of you, I have learned from. I now, thanks to all of you, have much better modeling and scratch building skills as a result. I really wish that you all would help with this. Maybe if it's approved buy all, I'll send this shuttle to SSM, and let the cast the hull and interiors. Any areas that I'm unsure of, I'll leave smooth, so that all you accurate modelers out there can add their own accurate kit pieces.
And on the Viper engines, should I also post this tech question in the construction area? Please help.
Thanks,
Mike

woozle · Post by **woozle** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:02 pm

Ah, a model builder after my own heart (the fem-figs, that is, hur hur). welcome to the party!

For the Shuttles, the DVDs of the original series is really, your best source.

I really wouldn't try hollowing out those engines, without more experience. It's the sort of thing that if you where up to that sort of work, you wouldn't need to ask... HOWEVER, a dremel and grinder bit is your friend.

LuvFemFigs · Post by **LuvFemFigs** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 8:43 am

"I really wouldn't try hollowing out those engines, without more experience. It's the sort of thing that if you where up to that sort of work, you wouldn't need to ask... HOWEVER, a dremel and grinder bit is your friend."

Thanks for the advice, I am pretty good with my dremel tool and believe that I have the proper attachments. But, how thin is too thin?? Should I leave the walls about pretty thick?
Thanks again.

woozle · Post by **woozle** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:07 am

That resin is wonderfull stuff.. you can make it paper thin.. but you'll know when you have gone to far. Generally, it's fairly strong down to an eighth of an inch thick.

The only real way to know, is to try it and develope a feel for it, yourself.

musikman · Post by **musikman** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:06 am

I seem to recall seeing a GALACTICA shuttle model kit that was advertised some time ago. Unfortunately I don't remember where, but I want to think it was from SMT.....