# Started my Jupiter2, a ship of a different color...



## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Well, I have been planning this project since it was released, gathering aftermarket parts, and now I've started building it. I'm using a little bit of everything. I have the Paragrafix photoetch/decal set, as well as the TSDS decal and vinyl set. All nice products, I will be using a bit of each. I have 3 lighting kits from VoodooFx for it, one is custom made to make all of the computer boards flash intermitently. The reactor core light and dome funtion, and the interior will be fully lit. Here's a short video of what I'm doing.....
[ame=http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l35/Finktim/18%20Jupiter%202%20by%20Moebius/?action=view&current=MVI_1898.flv]







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It was my goal this weekend to get the lower part of the hull assembled, and standing on it's landing gear. After primer, I broke out my touch-up gun and the whole thing was painted with House of Kolors Orion Silver Microflake basecoat. I then cleared it with 4 coats of HOK Kosmic Klear with some rainbow microflake in the mix. I had used this same scheme for my 12" PL build, and it turned out well. In the sun, it just sparkles and shimmers. The downside of this process, was in attaching the landing leg assemblies, the paint thickness made it very hard to complete. I did with a bit of grunting and shoving though, and it stands nice. This kit is extremely well designed, I was impressed with the sturdy interlocking design for the landing legs. I had also made aluminum tubing covers for the upper part of the leg assemblies. I polished them with some mag polish, then cleared them with some lacquer. They are smooth and shiny and fit perfectly, and they were easy to make too. Well worth the minimal effort. I installed Henry's door decals inside the leg wells. Very nice. (Man, anyone else like the SMELL of these decals?!! LOL!) I decided to use the core housing with the flaps. I put the clear insert in my sandblast booth and frosted the inside of it, works great. I drilled out the holes for lighting in the wells and notched the tops of the stairwell for installation. (Inspiration from that Studio IS guy in Japan) I painted the basic floor and am working on the console, and that's it so far. I'm lovin' this thing! 

Here's a link to my Photobucket site for build progress shots...There's step-by-step photos. 

http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l35/Finktim/18 Jupiter 2 by Moebius/


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Basecoat of Orion Silver.....









Added some clear...I have always been of the opinion, that if you are going to fly thru space, your ship should be smooth as a baby's butt! This one is!









Finished landing gear wells....Note polished aluminum upper leg support.









Core fitting....Top of stairwells notched and drilled for LED lighting. 









5 volt power transformer, and the beginnings of "Alpha Control" box...


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Hi Tim
Great job so far. Realy nice!!!
Thanks for the detailed documentation of the process. :thumbsup:
I have just bookmarked this thread for future reference.
Please keep posting pics and videos.
Fernando

PS: what did you mean when you wrote "...to make all of the computer boards flash intermitently"? Are you gonna use fibers optics to make each light blinking?


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## skinnyonce (Dec 17, 2009)

Tim.
are you going to back light the little door/windows in the gear leg wells. as well as fiber op the open/ close buttons that I assume are there to open and close those doors,


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Yes, the main console and the wall computers will all be done in fiber optics. The custom board will power (9) ports I believe, enough to do several white and colored fiber bundles. The ports fire in random order, and by mixing the fibers from all these ports to the computer panels, it should put on a pretty good blinking show! 

No, I didn't cut out the window areas in the well for lighting. I used Henry's decals instead, as well as on the door lock panels. Between the door wall panel itself, and the well wall backing it, it's pretty thick. Not that it can't be done, just didn't see the need I guess. I did drill the holes out in the door control panel on the upper hull section though, and it will be lit. 

Anyone notice those little "pinholes" around the perimeter of the hull? Theres six or eight of them, slightly recessed. I had thought of drilling those out and putting some tiny fibers in those as "running lights". Are they actually something to do with the mold process, or were they in the actual model hull? Just speculating......might be kinda cool......


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## skinnyonce (Dec 17, 2009)

Tim Nolan said:


> .
> 
> Anyone notice those little "pinholes" around the perimeter of the hull? Theres six or eight of them, slightly recessed. I had thought of drilling those out and putting some tiny fibers in those as "running lights". Are they actually something to do with the mold process, or were they in the actual model hull? Just speculating......might be kinda cool......




the little pin holes are actually navigation thrusters that moebius felt should be there,, some people are using that area to secure the hulls together, or just fill them if no want to use


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Mmmm....that makes sense. Won't light them then.....Might be kinda cool if they were flashing some white light for trajectory adjustment though!  My landing gear is down though, so no need. I would like to do one of these in simulated space flight, with some asteroids nailing it!!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Tim,

I used those pin holes to sink the screws that are holding my hull together.

I'm curious about your paint choice. I saw those cans on the shelf when I picked up my color. I'm keen to see how yours turns out.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Lou,
I have been spraying House of Kolors enamels for about 20 years. I'm a car/bike guy, and the kandy colors they offer are way kool. These paints are multi-stage, requiring a basecoat and then a topcoat of colored toner for the kandy affect. These microflake basecoats, like the Orion Silver I used on the 
J2, have an incredible microscopic sparkle to them. (Kinda' like a macro-bass boat finish! LOL) I use an automotive touch-up gun to apply them. The rainbow-flake in the top coat of Kosmic Klear is kind of one of my trademarks. I used it on my 12" J2 from Polar Lights, and I liked it so much I decided to go for it once again. 

Nothing against anyones else's J2 builds, because I haven't seen one piece of work on here that isn't marvelous, but I have a strong desire not to follow all the rules when it comes to building most anything!!! Granted, most of the rest of this thing will be just like everyone else's or close to it, but I always like to do something to set my work apart from the masses. I also don't loose much sleep over not having an EXACT replica of the ship from the show. Things can always be improved as far as I'm concerned!! Onward!!


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

I've seen babies' butts. They're not shiny. Usually.

But I agree saucers should be shiny if only to make spacewalks more slapstick.

It looks like one of your other projects stained the patio. watchit!


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Tim, it looks amazing, I still like reading the other thread where you touched on taking the road less traveled. 

I still plan on doing my J2 exterior in a pearl white, but I may have to adapt that a bit, based on what I want to invest in equipment and/or what is available or what I can achieve with available materials. 

I'm smitten with that automotive finish, though.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Tim, 
Looks great. I love the mirror finish. I'd love to see how far you could "read a ruler" into the reflection! Looks like John and Don got Smith out there with some turtle wax and a buffer---under threat of a laser rifle, of course!

"oh the pain, the pain!":tongue:


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

I still plan on doing my J2 exterior in a pearl white, but I may have to adapt that a bit, based on what I want to invest in equipment and/or what is available or what I can achieve with available materials. 

I'm smitten with that automotive finish, though.[/QUOTE]

I'd love to do one in white on the launch platform! It would be cool to do the entire build in "grayscale", using only black and white and shades of grey like it was originally shown on TV!


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## mmmmp (Jan 15, 2010)

Looks great so far. Keep them pix coming. 

Mark


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## spocks beard (Mar 21, 2007)

Looks very nice there! The hi gloss really does make the hull look like real metal:thumbsup:


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

*Update 4/27/10*

Here's an update on my build. Short video on landing gear well lights.

[ame=http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l35/Finktim/18%20Jupiter%202%20by%20Moebius/?action=view&current=MVI_1910.flv]







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And a few stills.....They work great! Onward!

































Lot's more wires to go!!


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## WmTodd (Feb 11, 2010)

Tim Nolan said:


> It would be cool to do the entire build in "grayscale", using only black and white and shades of grey like it was originally shown on TV!






I've pretty much decided that I am staying monochromatic, if not grayscale.... I'm not going to paint the floor brown and sand, and want to keep the saturation of the wall pieces and ribs subdued as well, and apart from decals and color in some lights, fiber optics, the backlighting in the magna panels, the colors are going to be kept minimal...maybe an accent here or there, but we'll see. I do already have the fire extinguishers painted silver and red, but the red is a dark, unobtrusive enamel, not flashy at all. 

(...keeping all the lights white and controls in grayscale WOULD be an awesome effect, and the b/w look of the first season IS a very rich look.)

One rule we kept hammering into each other's noggins when I worked with designers and painters was that "Less is More"! :freak:

In fact I've had an overlay for the floor in place for a couple weeks here, I traced the floor piece using an X-acto knife a piece of very satin-glossy, graphite colored card stock that I found in the designer paper section of the art supply store. After being cut into the floor shape (extra utility room next to the ladder included) with the appropriate holes also sliced open), it fits tightly in place, even tightening all the other (wall, astrogator and chairs) parts that fasten to the floor.

What you did for the landing-gear well lights is fantastic! I seriously need to get moving in learning some basic LED wiring, I'm moving in that direction in its own due time, I suppose.

From reading these threads, I decided to take Skinnyonce's idea of threading fiber optics into the control panel to the right of each of the landing gear doors. Pin Vise went through both layers of plastic like buttah.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Good to hear you managed to drill out those holes with no problems. If I hadn't already put Henry's decals in there, I might be tempted to do it. Those are really tiny, .25 mm for sure, so your not going to see too much, but it is great to see you guys "one-upping" the bar on these builds. As much as we all love a "correct" J2 build, how many "exact" replicas are we all going to look at and still say "ooh and aah"?!! LOL. It's the little things like this that can seperate your build from everyone else's. I'm looking for some alternative things in my own build too. Start gluin'!!!


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