# The Discovery XD-1 by Moebius



## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Here’s my take on this awesome kit. 

Having some free time over the long holiday weekend, I began work on the Discovery. I decided to keep things simple and build it pretty much straight out of the box, but I may install minimal lighting to the command sphere just to add some interest.

I’m focusing on the final stages of assembly, since detailed builds of this model have already been covered, and most excellently so, by Marty S https://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/99-science-fiction-modeling/593075-moebius-discovery-xd-1-a.html on this site. 

Mat Irvine in Scale Model News (Scale Model News: BUILDING THE SPACESHIP 'DISCOVERY' FROM 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) provides a straight forward approach for a first-rate out of the box build. 

There's also this one from Fine Scale Modeler (http://www.finescale.com/product-in...w-moebius-discovery-from-2001-a-space-odyssey).

Given the incredible number of parts, this kit appears daunting but it is well engineered, with excellent instructions, and it goes together with very little difficulty. It’s complex, but not complicated. There are a lot of small sub-assemblies with numerous parts. They’re easy to build …. but there’s just so many of them.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

With ten “spine” segments and the sixty “cargo modules”, both comprised of five separate parts, building this kit can seem more like working on an assembly line than constructing a model. To break up the monotony, I alternated between building the smaller sub-assemblies and the larger ones. I built the spine and then moved onto to the engines.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Then I built one set of cargo modules followed by the “reactor module”.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Another set of cargo modules .....


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

.... followed by the dish antenna module.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

I continued like this, moving from aft to bow, until all sub-assembled were completed.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

The "collar".


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

The Command Sphere.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Everything was sprayed with Krylon primer and then selected areas were masked off. Next, I sprayed on a coat of Krylon paver grey and masked off more areas. For the main color, Tamiya flat white was applied with an airbrush. All masks have been removed and a final coat of Tamiya flat white will be misted over these areas to simulate panels. After that, I’ll highlight some more details with pastels. Hopefully, I’ll be finished before Christmas.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

For those interested in building this kit with all the after-market add-ons, check out these extraordinary builds by Lou Dalmaso 



 and Ken Spriggs.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Looks great so far, looking forward to seeing the final product.

When I decided on the panels to paint in I watched the flyby scenes off the 4K blu-ray a few times and just went with the ones that stood out. Thought about freeze framing and going with more but after all the decades of watching this movie and not really seeing those panels very well I went with what I was used to seeing.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

MartyS said:


> Looks great so far, looking forward to seeing the final product.
> 
> When I decided on the panels to paint in I watched the flyby scenes off the 4K blu-ray a few times and just went with the ones that stood out. Thought about freeze framing and going with more but after all the decades of watching this movie and not really seeing those panels very well I went with what I was used to seeing.


I did the same thing and quickly realized there are a lot panels and they're fairly subtle. I figured I'd drive myself nuts trying to faithfully reproduce what I saw on screen. Plus, I didn't want to get bogged down in the details, so I just winged it. Once I airbrush on the final coat, I think it'll look pretty good .... not screen accurate, but good enough. 

I really liked your approach to this kit.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

I know the box states that it's 41 inches in length ..... so, I shouldn't be surprised. But, this is thing is long .... really, really long. Finding an ideal place to properly display it is definitely going to be an issue.


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## StarCruiser (Sep 28, 1999)

I believe several folks have resorted to the classic model airplane solution...hang it up!


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

StarCruiser said:


> I believe several folks have resorted to the classic model airplane solution...hang it up!


I considered that, but I'm adding lights, so I'll need to access the switch and the batteries. I wanted to display it with my other kits in my home office, but I don't have the shelf space. It'll have to sit by itself on the fireplace mantel in my living room ... or there's this option.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

That is hilarious, looks like a modern video game type ship, cool looking but still horrible as a real world design.

When I thought about lighting the cockpit on mine I was still going to hang it up. I was going to use long thin wire to a power supply on the floor or get a remote control switch and use batteries. Mine is only about 6 feet off the floor and on loops of string so easy to take down if needed.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

I decided to add lighting but I wanted to do it as simply, quickly and cheaply as possible. I found this set of ten LED’s lights at Michael’s for only $7.00. The whole unit will be contained within the command sphere and the top portion will be left unsecured so that I can access the switch and the batteries. I built a small light box out of sheet styrene and taped the LED’s together into two rows of five. A piece of frosted clear plastic and some cotton was used to diffuse the light.


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## Phillip1 (Jul 24, 2009)

pob63-This is nice work. I am looking forward to seeing it completely finished.

Phillip1


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Phillip1 said:


> pob63-This is nice work. I am looking forward to seeing it completely finished.
> 
> Phillip1


Thanks. I'm at the final stages. I just have to finish and install the light box and then the whole thing gets a light mist of flat white. If all goes well, I should be done by the weekend.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

Coming along nicely - sounds like you are enjoying yourself. That's what its all about!!


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

scooke123 said:


> Coming along nicely - sounds like you are enjoying yourself. That's what its all about!!


Thanks. This model was a pleasure to build. There were a few issues, but they were easily fixed. Overall, it was very well designed. Modeler's with basic skills can get very satisfactory results with a straight out-of-the-box build.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Did you ever finish it?


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

MartyS said:


> Did you ever finish it?


It's about 95% complete. I'll be uploading final images of the completed kit soon. Here are a few in-progress test shots. The camera revealed a few trouble spots that needed attention. I wasn't satisfied with the shading because it wasn't subtle enough for me, so I misted on another light coat of the base color to tone down the darker shades. Since I went with a real simple lighting scheme and need access to the batteries, I can't glue the hemisphere halves together, which were painted black on the inside to prevent light leaks. Unfortunately, this left a very noticeable seem line. I resolved this by painting the base coat over the light- block coat. The only thing left to do are are the engines. The dual exhaust ports need to be masked off and engines rears need to be misted with some light grey paint. Finally, the back drop is way too light and the lighting needs some improvement.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

What are you using for your lighting set up? You can post a photo that includes the set up if that makes it easier than trying to explain.

A solid black table cloth my also work for your back drop.

?


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Looking good so far, you could mount some magnets to pull the 2 halves of the sphere together and eliminate that seam.

A dark background can help with setting the exposure correct for bright white models, but some cameras that won't do spot exposure will need lots of negative compensation. Also this ship was made for a dark background, the spine has all those openings to make it more interesting looking when it's against a black background.

As mine has aged several months the pre-shading undercoat has become slightly more visible, that is what I hoped would happen but wasn't sure since it was a flat white I hadn't used before.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> What are you using for your lighting set up? You can post a photo that includes the set up if that makes it easier than trying to explain.
> 
> A solid black table cloth my also work for your back drop.
> 
> ?


Thanks for the input.

Since this was just a quick test shot to help me spot any flaws, which it did, and to give me an idea of my camera angles, the lighting set up was real basic .... the ceiling lights in my kitchen. The back drop was just a bed sheet that I grabbed out of the dryer. It looked much darker to the naked eye. For my final shots, I'll be using a dark midnight blue blanket for the backdrop and three light stands for illumination.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

MartyS said:


> Looking good so far, you could mount some magnets to pull the 2 halves of the sphere together and eliminate that seam.
> 
> A dark background can help with setting the exposure correct for bright white models, but some cameras that won't do spot exposure will need lots of negative compensation. Also this ship was made for a dark background, the spine has all those openings to make it more interesting looking when it's against a black background.
> 
> As mine has aged several months the pre-shading undercoat has become slightly more visible, that is what I hoped would happen but wasn't sure since it was a flat white I hadn't used before.


Thanks for the advice.

The seam was exaggerated by the black light-block coat that was applied to the interior of the hemispheres. I mitigated it by painting the white base coat over the black light block coat. Depending how this looks to the camera, I may have to go with magnets.

For my final shots, I'll be using a a much darker back drop.


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## Bruces (Sep 24, 2019)

We can see that this is a very delicate work.I look forward to seeing the power on when the battery is inserted.But what kind of battery is used, alkaline batteries,NiMH battery, or lipo batteries?


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Bruces said:


> We can see that this is a very delicate work.I look forward to seeing the power on when the battery is inserted.But what kind of battery is used, alkaline batteries,NiMH battery, or lipo batteries?


The power is on in these pictures. The LED's aren't overly bright.















I found a cheap set of ten LED lights at craft store. It's powered by three AA batteries. The whole unit is contained within the command sphere. The top portion is left unsecured so that I can access the switch and the batteries. I built a small light box out of sheet styrene and used a piece of frosted clear plastic and some cotton to diffuse the light.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Gotta love those craft store lights. She looks good.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

My initial test shots revealed flaws in both my build and my choice of backdrop. Corrections were made and, with the exception of one minor repair, the Discovery XD-1 by Moebius is finished. The improvements gained by adding the lighting was worth the extra effort.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

These images were taken with an iPhone 8. Ceiling lights and a few desk lamps provided the illumination. I used a dark blue fleece blanket for the backdrop, which really helped this kit stand out.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

The kit supplied support rods were installed in a base that was made from a scrap piece of ¾ inch thick oak plank. I used Rust-Oleum primer and then spray painted it with Rust-Oleum satin black.


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Spine detail and a few before and after shots.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Nice build of course, but I love the 'ebonized' oak plank even more!


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

It came out great, and very nice display stand.


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## Phillip1 (Jul 24, 2009)

pob63-Your finished model looks good and you should be proud with it. Your "finished" model photos look good too. Congratulations!

Phillip1


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Phillip1 said:


> pob63-Your finished model looks good and you should be proud with it. Your "finished" model photos look good too. Congratulations!
> 
> Phillip1


Thank you very much.


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## NTRPRZ (Feb 23, 1999)

Has anyone considered giving it the aged look it had in 2010?


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Great work on this! Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Dr. Brad said:


> Great work on this! Thanks for sharing the pics!


Thank you.


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