Revell Colonial Viper Build-up

[Joseph Osborn]

Thanks for the positive comments! Elend, the details on the cannon were made with little rings of fine solder. You wrap the solder around the brass tube several times and then you remove the "spring" of solder and slice it with a blade to make a bunch of little rings.

Major progress today. I soldered up the LED's into packages and installed them in the appropriate places:

The power supply will be four "AAA" batteries. I got a little battery holder at Radio Shack and I'll route out a cavity in the display base to add the battery back, the same way I did with this base I made for a model last year:

Closed up the forward fuselage, too:

When it sets good and solid, I'll fill the seams and scribe the panel lines and start the painting.

I primed my pilot figure (I call her "Dagny" because I'm reading Atlas Shrugged again) with Tamiya fine white primer:

I have been neglecting another very important build while I've been fooling around with this Viper, so I'll spend a few days on that other model. There aren't any lights in that one though

Cheers,
Joseph

 

[starwarsgeek]

Wow, this is coming along great! I admit I'm not much of a BSG fan although I did watch the more recent SciFi show and liked it... but this build is great. I'd love to start playing around with lighting for some of my stuff, I have a small Sandcrawler diorama that I built a while back... well, it's still not finished, but one thing I always wanted to include were the overhanging lights on that one... maybe someday.

 

[elend]

Very nice work. The pilot looks very professional.
I am not sure, if I understood that solder stuff correctly but I'll play around with it. ??? Let's see what I'll come up with.

 

[79 Daytona]

WOW!!! Outstanding work can't wait to see it all lighted up.

 

[Gary]

Holy smokes! Now I am inspired again to start yet another model. I have a new release Viper in the stash but somehow... I just donèt think it'll be any where near close.

 

[Gary]

You know... if you're making molds of things, would you consider selling copies?

 

[Ohm]

I just found this thread. Great work on this build. Thanks for sharing the SBS pics and text.

 

[Joseph Osborn]

You know... if you're making molds of things, would you consider selling copies?

You mean copies of these?

I'm considering it-- just to recoup a little of the cost of the building the kit I already have the infrastructure in place to sell them, it would just be a matter of making a bunch of them.

 

[the Baron]

...I call her "Dagny" because I'm reading Atlas Shrugged again...

Again?! Even more impressive than your build! I'm reading it now, too, and I'm almost finished (Dagny has just returned from the valley, and is about to go on the radio). I was eager to read the book, because I agree with much of Rand's philosophy about the individual versus the state (we part company on God), but I was apprehensive, because I had once read "The Fountainhead" about 9/10's of the way through, before I got tired of her endless exposition. I find myself saying aloud, "Jeez, get on with it!" A character explodes in a tirade at a cocktail party, and it goes on for 10 pages. No one talks that much! And for "Atlas Shrugged", I started out by jotting down notes, to keep the characters straight. But it actually is a pretty compelling book. Rand can be forgiven for writing the equivalent of a Russian novel in English, when she describes so presciently what's happening in our world today.

 

[incrediblefruit]

Great work Joseph and good timing for me too as i've been looking around for a decent build diary of a viper as i've just got hold of one and want to do it justice and just can't bear to do it oob so it's accurizing and lighting for me. Good job sir ;D

 

[Joseph Osborn]

Okay, guys; it's been a while since I worked on this Viper and it's already way past due. I picked it up again last night and rescribed the forward fuselage and added some details from Evergreen stock:

It's real close to final assembly and then the painting can start!

 

[79 Daytona]

Looking GOOD!!! Can't wait to see some paint on her.

 

[Joseph Osborn]

Just a quick note-- I am now offering a set of two resin laser cannons as seen in my earlier post. $6 delivered in the US. Check out the details on my website, http://www.fireballmodels.info

 

[Gary]

For the Viper Cannon, how much to Canada?

 

[Joseph Osborn]

For the Viper Cannon, how much to Canada?

Gary, I just sent you a PM. Thanks

 

[Joseph Osborn]

The display base is finished:

I painted the pilot, too. Still need to do some touchups and clearcoats:

When the pilot is 100% complete, I'll put her in the cockpit and assemble the rest of the model. Then on to the paint!

 

[79 Daytona]

WOW!!! Outstanding work on the pilot and the base.

 

[the Baron]

I'm with Daytona--WOW! The pilot came out really nice! That's a fantastic job, both sculpting the details and painting them.

Really, really great!

Brad

 

[Kitty]

That is some great work there Joseph.
I realy like your "Dagny"
Nice sculpting and paintjob, that pilot looks real good.

As for the lighted helmet: why not make a mold and cast a clear copy (epoxy is best for that) with the led in the head instead of drilling a hole and glueing 1 in, it will allow you to position it so the light shines forward and still have the wires come out of the neck.
I've done a few 2.3 cm long runabouts that way(only he LED with the rim and the lense removed, with tiny wires soldered to it cast inside the clear epoxy) it works.
You could sell a few of those i bet.

 

[Joseph Osborn]

That is some great work there Joseph.
I realy like your "Dagny"
Nice sculpting and paintjob, that pilot looks real good.

As for the lighted helmet: why not make a mold and cast a clear copy (epoxy is best for that) with the led in the head instead of drilling a hole and glueing 1 in, it will allow you to position it so the light shines forward and still have the wires come out of the neck.
I've done a few 2.3 cm long runabouts that way(only he LED with the rim and the lense removed, with tiny wires soldered to it cast inside the clear epoxy) it works.
You could sell a few of those i bet.

Hi Kitty, thanks very much for your kind and thoughtful comments. I actually did try using the clear head/helmet and was fairly optimistic about my results:

The standard head that came with the kit was more suitable for this approach than the female head, though. The kit's head is very cartoonish and fills out the front of the helmet in a most unnatural way-- I was afraid there would not be enough light bouncing around inside a modified helmet to look right.

Joseph