# Crows Nest Icarus kits



## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I thought I'd show y'all a couple pics of the completed kits.
I delivering these to Drew this weekend.

Now that I'm done, I have to tell you that these were a great load of fun to build. they are the perfect kits if you want to get a well rounded building experience. they are expertly cast, they look good if you light them or not (although, I can't imagine why you wouldn't. The custom lights are just beyond sweet) and you can "beat it up" to what ever degree you'd like.

You can gain experience with PE, tiny chip LEDs, resin, white metal, decals, painting masks, weathering, the whole enchelada in one kit. If you were ever leery of working with PE, this is a great "starter" kit as there are no complicated folds. 

the ship may have only been on screen for a few minutes, but it always stuck in my memory. and now, thanks to Drew and Crow's Nest Models, I can hold one in my "stinking paws" and you can too.


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Lou, those are just beautiful. Both versions are so well done! Thanks ver much for posting this!


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## Buc (Jan 20, 1999)

Nicely done, Lou!!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Looks great, Lou.

I'll second Lou's huzzah for the quality, accuracy and build-friendliness of these kits. I just started on the full POTA ship, and I'm having a blast (build thread coming soon).

As a devoted POTA fan, I've waited a loooong time for someone to produce "the ultimate" APES ship kit. Now Drew & Company have produced 2 of them, with figure kits to boot, and I couldn't be happier.

Thanks, Drew!


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## RMC (Aug 11, 2004)

Awesome lou ! :thumbsup:


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Excellent Sir!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Grrr, I need one of these.


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

So I saw my friend Lou Dalmaso this weekend and he delivered to me two awesome build ups! I can't tell you how fun it is to see the things all built up when all I have seen to date is parts and parts, and occasional test assemblies. Wow! These things are awesome! I'm finishing up instructions... too busy to post pics... but I will soon!

Happy New Year All!

Drew

THANKS AGAIN LOU!


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## gregsb (Jun 25, 2008)

Looks really amazing. Lou could you say what paint you used for the full version? Thanks. Lighting looks really fantastic as well.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

be happy to

the gold and white are Duplicolor auto paints (brilliant gold and artic white)
the green is Tamiya cockpit green.

all over Duplicolor white sandable primer

Engine bells are Metalizer "burnt metal"


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## gregsb (Jun 25, 2008)

Thanks very much Lou


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

I'm headed to the post office! Everybody that has already paid for an Icarus kit should get theirs in the next few days! Sorry for the delay... I'm just one guy with a 3 year old daughter running a "business" in the space the wife will let me use. 

These kits are all complete and correct!

To all those who got kits in that first round... I have discovered some parts errors... so you will all be getting another small package from me in a few days with a few replacement parts and new replacement photo etch. 

To all who ordered from Starship Modeler... I already sent those parts to John and when you get your kits they should already have the corrected parts in the boxes!

Phew... now I will get these instructions finished and posted ASAP... so many little details to ship one of these kits! I apologize for the confusion.

Drew
Crow's Nest Models


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

FIRST DRAFT of Full POTA Instructions are up at www.crowsnestmodels.com

Direct Link
http://www.crowsnestmodels.com/images/INSTRUCTIONS_ICARUS_FULL_POTA_V001b.pdf

I am waiting for some feedback from a few people, and still need to add some painting tips, credits, and a few other details, but it is complete for the most part and I know a few people are waiting for it... so got it up ASAP

Escape version Icarus Instructions coming soon also... as well as paperweight and Aponauts... but they are pretty much self explanatory

Sorry to be a bum and not get these up afte a darned month... since Christmas, my wife got laid off, got a new job, and started new job... leaving me to be full time daddy on half the week, and we have had school closings for weather and our three year old got the flu... so I am on extreme sleep deprivation... but I got them done... they are pretty good... but there are some important tips I still need to add!

Thanks for patience!
Drew

Also... in case any of you are confused... if you bought the kit and then got a package with some photo etch and some parts in it... they were replacements for bad parts in first shipment off kits... all new kits going out now are complete and correct. ...and if you have been waiting for Proteus kits to be offered again... I am packing them up this weekend! E-mail me direct if you want to order, or wait a bit and Starship Modeler will be all stocked up again soon!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Drew,
I think you've got it covered very well!
As you said, lighting and painting are another kettle of fish, but you've been very complete on the building side of things. The only thing that jumps out at first pass is that you need to stress that the wings are keyed for right and left to fit in the groove of the ceiling plate

If I spot anything else, I'll whistle


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

darn it... found a mistake... Assembly 2 - Main Control Panels should also show the clear rectangle part #49 installed...

Note that the Tape Deck parts should be installed, then the clear rectangle parts (#49) installed over them, then the photo etched top plates… and decals should be applied BEFORE the photo etched top plate is put in place.

Final version of Instructions should get posted in a few days.

Drew


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## rowdylex (Jan 19, 2010)

Hi Drew, PM sent regarding the light kits.

Alex


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

Rowdylex... check your messages

all others... Escape Version instructions will go up on Wednesday evening... Full POTA instructions have been up for a while... but I will post a revision on Wednesday.
Drew

Full POTA Light Kits will be $165... first batch going out in a few days.. all spoken for but second batch will be out in about a week or so... I will stock Starship Modeler ASAP, or as always you can e-mail me.


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## rowdylex (Jan 19, 2010)

Sorry Drew, reply sent. Have been a bit busy the past few days.

Thanks mate.


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

Instructions for Escape Version and revised POTA version Icarus are up at www.crownestmodels.com

http://www.crowsnestmodels.com/images/INSTRUCTIONS_ICARUS_FULL_POTA_V003.pdf

http://www.crowsnestmodels.com/images/INSTRUCTIONS_ICARUS_Escape_V003.pdf

First lighting kits are IN... but sold... second batch in a few days...

I still need to post Decal Placement Guides for both kits.


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

I have a question for you hot shots out there... I want to try putting some films over the windows on the POTA ship... smoked glass, mirrored glass, and any other interesting effects that might be available. I quickly found some basic window films at the Home Depot page but it occurred to me that I ought to check with the ambient genius that is readily available right here... any suggestions?
Drew


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## SprueUS (Mar 31, 2004)

*clear tinted window glazing....*

Hi Drew...

How about using the material that student report covers are made of. A trip to your local OfficeMax or Staples will yield a nice selection of those report covers that are made of various colored transparent plastic / acetate. It's thin, uniform in color, easy to cut and available in many varieties of tints and colors. My other hobby is model railroading and I've used them to simulate te green tinted windows on some commuter rail cars used on the Long Island Railroad. 

Just a thought.

Fernando


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Photographic gels would also work great (the real benefit here is that you can get these in virtually any tint you want).

The trick is figuring out a way to effectively mate the gel or acetate layer with the clear kit windows (unless you plan to toss the clear windows in lieu of the tinted replacement parts).

I suppose canopy glue carefully applied around the inside edges could be used to bond the clear window with an identically trimmed and shaped section of gel/ acetate (the melded edges would be hidden by the window frame), but you'd have to be very careful indeed.


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

hmmm.... well thanks for the input... I'm not planing on adding this to the kit... just exploring it for my own build or for others to see possibilities. I think the perfectly clear windows look a little strange, but we never see the un-burnt ship from the outside... so we can have creative license I would say. I am going to try these films applied to the kit parts... may not work at all... but I going to try it.

thanks again for input, though!
Drew


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

If you're trying to recreate the ship(s) seen in the films, then smoking & weathering the windows will go a long way toward recreating the proper effect. The "Escape" ship, in particular, is weathered to hell and back in the film (I'd forgotten just how beat up it was), and the windows are virtually opaque. 

I think my own approach will be to weather the "Escape" version pretty aggressively, windows included -- but maybe not quite as aggressively as the ship seen in the film (which, with apologies to Bill Creber, appears to be _made_ of grime and char, as opposed to _covered_ in grime and char).

For the POTA version, my plan is to weather the ship to suggest an "in-flight" (pre-re-entry) level of distress. It'll look "used," but not seriously thrashed. 

As for weathering the windows... I'll have to wait and see. Since I'll be foregoing the "removable ceiling" option, the only vantage of the beautifully detailed interior will be through either a) the removable aft bulkhead or b) the pilots' windows. Allowing for the fact that we never see the ship in space, prior to splashdown, I'll probably go with a lightly tinted gel for the windows with minimal weathering -- enough to suggest the greenish cast seen in POTA, but not so opaque as to completely prohibit viewing the interior.

Unless I change my mind.


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

I was actually referring to the showroom new looking POTA version.. Lou Dalmaso did a great build up for me... and as I finally got to see the model built up I felt... totally subjective... the the super clear windows just kind of looked wrong... probably because we have only seen the ship with the weathered post re-entry windows... but I decided it might look better with the windows not so clean and clear... I want them darkened a bit (smoked glass) o possibly the darkened mirror look (pilot's sunglasses) since we never got to see the exterior of the ship pre-re-rentry... I figure we are fully free to "accurately make it up"... then there's the cool look of metalized glass with the slight rainbow reflections you often see when looking at Airliner cockpit windows...
Drew


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

Try AB Tamiya Smoke over the clear plastic to the depth you want.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

look at the shuttle windows...I don't think that they are smoked or reflective.

you could use window tint from an auto store, but the scale is wrong. the window pieces aren't big enough to give the effect I think you're looking for.

if you could find a pair of sunglasses with a flat surface you could make a set of windows out of, you'd be close, but then you'd miss out on being able to see all of that sweet detail you put up by Taylor. even with the roof off, you can't see that.

for what you want to do, you'd be better off making the windows removable.


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

Lou is probably right... I've had roughly a zillion logical exchanges with him and I'm at a loss to remember one that I turned out to be right on.... BUT... I do think some darkening of the window would go a long way to giving the mopdel the look we are accustomed to, while still allowing to view the interior when the lihgts are on... just thinking... I'm too busty to actually build one anyway... I have to finish up the final versions of these intstructions and get all these kits boxed up and shipped out to Starship Modeler so folks can start building these.
Drew

if anyone tries anything bold and then doesn't like the results they get I will give them replacement windows! Be Bold! But check it out before you glue anything!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I've met Drew and while he is a stout fellow, I wouldn't call him "too busty"


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