# My Mk II WIP and review



## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

( Originally posted on the www.aircraftresourcecenter.com forums)
So, I ordered myself 2 of the Moebius BSG Viper Mark II's, and I couldn't help myself. I had to dive right in. I'm doing a little detailing work right off the bat, and I'm also going to do a bit of a review of the kit. The review bit will point out a 2 different areas: The kit, and the "real thing." You should know that Moebius based their kit on the CGI models of the Viper, and they hit it spot on. However, there are some significant differences between the full-size prop ship and the CGI model, which I'll try to address here. By the way, "FSP = Full Size Prop"

The first modification I made. Having square corners on the instructions just seemed wrong for this kit.









Next, the cockpit: I thought Moebius did a pretty good job with this, but in 1/32 scale, I could have gone for more and crisper detail. That having been said, They did a great job making a solid plastic version of the CGI Model. The cockpit parts fit together well, and everything looks like it'll lock into place, making for a very solid model to whoosh around the room when it's done. I added some solid detail, using pics of the FSP Viper, to add to my cockpit. Moebius uses decals for all the gauges, and I wanted a little more texture than that in my ship.








You can see that I added some slices of plastic rod for altimeter, artificial horizon, etc gauges, as well as some little squares to represent the buttons around the big MFD in the middle. I'll use the clear glass panel and the DRADIS decal to fill in the screen details. Interesting note: The control stick in the Mk II is a Saitek F-15E computer joystick. (if you've got a spare Strike Eagle or Hornet stick laying around, you can use it here!) Also, if you see how the pilot figure sits in the seat, the stick would be in a really uncomfortable position.









I used some guitar string and thin plastic rod to add some piping detail to the engine. This detail is readily seen on the FSP ship, but isn't really obvious on the CG model. ( I really wish Moebius had molded the engine detail as a separate part.)








Here's a comparison with the original part.

The detail on the nose is pretty good, but I added some different detail from the FSP ship. 








You can see on the top fuselage half, that I replaced the square-cross-section detail with a half-round part, and I also drilled out the hole in the forward part. (The Paragraphix PE set has a piece for the half-round shape.) I'm a little befuddled as to why the thruster ports are all represented as decals, as is the circular maintenance hatch under the cockpit. I guess once you start making holes for thrusters, then you open up a real can of worms as to "how deep should they be, what do they look like inside, etc."









This next issue isn't Moebius's fault, it's ZOIC's ( the FX company for BSG, who designed the Viper.) The nose-landing gear bay is very shallow, really too shallow to hold all that nose gear. I'm leaving this one alone. Moebius didn't include the catapult hookup on the nose-gear either. Again, it's on the FSP, but not on the CGI model.


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

The gear on the model are very accurate to the CGI model, but not to the FSP. So I tried to spruce them up a bit.








Main LG: I reworked the "ankle" joint, and did some sanding. The halves of the legs don't fit perfectly, so there's a big step along the joint. Be more careful than I was when building these. The original leg is on the left, my modified one is on the right.









Nose gear: I added the catapult hook, and reworked the ankle joint. 








Close up of the catapult hookup.









I also worked on the control stick a little, to make it look more like an F-15E/F-18 stick.
So far, I'm really enjoying this build. It's really eye-opening to see the differences between the CGI model and the "real" FSP ship. If you're going by the straight CG ship, Moebius hit this one out of the park. As a kit, it's fitting together well, and should finish into a really tough, strong model, great for those 1/32 dogfights. I could stand to see the detail a little crisper on many of the parts, and I really wish Moebius had gone for a higher parts count on this kit. There's a lot of piping and wiring that are "half round" where a separate piece could have added some great depth. The same goes for the cockpit, where a separate seat would have been really nice, or the engines, where separate pieces for the exposed detail could have really made it pop. OF course, this is a gripe I have with almost every model I've ever built. 
If you're thinking of loading it with missiles, the external hardpoints were never shown on screen, but they attach at the "notches" in the wings. The Viper's missile armament is internal, and fires out from under the cockpit. IF you look head on, the little holes on either side of the long oval opening are the missile tubes. Yes, the missiles have to be really little. 

As for references, the best site I've found for pictures of the Viper is www.modelermagic.com. They've got a lot of great BSG stuff, as well as other Sci-Fi models/ships/artwork
The FSP ship The cockpit pictures that look like they have WAY too many switches and knobs and the F-4 side-stick aren't a Viper. Those are the Blackbird's cockpit. The Viper cockpit is remarkably barren.
The CGI Model that Moebius based their model on.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Hi

I've stuck with the decals in my cockpit and have just added the wire loops at the back of the seat. I've added some piping in the nose wheel bay and like you will be adding extra wiring to the open engine bays. Haven't made up my mind about any additional detailing.

Have you noticed you need to cut out the overhang from the front console in the cockpit if you are using the pilot figure, otherwise it's blocked by the pilot's legs from fitting fully into the slot in the cockpit tub.


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

Xeno

Do you have pictures of this stub? I've heard something similiar from the net and i'm abt to start on mine.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

I don't have photos of mine before I chopped it but if you look at REDHEADKEVINs second photo of the cockpit tub and look at the front dash there is a bit of an overhand above the holes where the pilot's legs go. I needed to cut it back to where the dash slops forward at 45 degrees. 

You notice the problem when you do a dry fit of all the cockpit items and have the pilot in his seat.

I also noticed the instructions tell you to cut off the head of the control stick if you are using the pilot. I found I then had to add an extension of some sprue so that there isn't a gap between the top of the stick and what's in the pilot's hands.


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

Hi Kevin, sorry for hijacking your thread. I did try to edit my post earlier but everytime I click submit .. it keeps going back to my original post. 

Just wanted you to know I am following your build up .. ok, literally. :wave: But I'll probably be using Paragraphix's PE set ... and maybe try to emulate a little of what you've done here and there

Xeno, ok, I think I know what you're referring to. Need to test fit the parts and see if chopping off that part will effect the PE instrument layout. Thanks


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

Don't forget to add a control column extension to the pilot. The stick in his hands is nowhere near the hole (heh heh.) Looking at where the stick mounts, the pilot would have to be leaning forward at a very uncomfortable angle while flying the Viper.


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

Little update before painting: 
I wanted to add some of the little details to the airframe, so I made up the little "rescue" latches under the canopy. It's 1/8" tube, bored out, some .080" 1/2 round, and some .040x.040" strip. They go right into some 1/8" holes drilled through the fuselage. 








I also didn't like the seat cushion. 1, it didnt' look anything like the FSP Viper's seat, and 2. It looked too flat and boring to me. SO, using some sidewalk sheet styrene (1/8"squares,) I made a new cushion. It'll just scab right on top of the old one.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

The rescue latch looks good. I have to admit the decal on it's own looks a little flat.


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

I agree, but again, it's dead-on to what the CGI model looks like.


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## CMANavy (Apr 17, 2010)

Looks awesome! On the FSP it's a foil sticker.


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

Man, you've got a way of killing the fantasy. Now, I understand that it's all just make-believe, but seeing plywood grain in the cockpit of a Viper killed me a little inside, lol.


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## CMANavy (Apr 17, 2010)

There were a few moments like that for me. But the detail level on other props comensated. Like on the morpha capules it has complete wading labels and says made in Picon city, Picon it's really cool.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Great job. This thread will be invaluable for us folks later...Thanks, sir!


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

Wow. This kit is really well-engineered. I dry-fitted some of the parts together, and everything snaps into place. I only have the forward fuselage parts glued together, and the cowling over the engine, and I threw everything together to see how it all fit. Now I can barely get it apart! I took the model, slapped together with NO GLUE, and I was able to shake it pretty vigorously with nothing falling apart! I was dumbfounded at the strength of the assembly.

Anyhow, I'm at a point where I can start putting things together in earnest, and getting it painted. How are folks addressing the seams on the intakes (both behind the pilot's head and in the nose,) and painting inside the intakes? The "turbine faces" are going to be tough to mask once everything's in place, and so is the "vent" in the nose. How are we masking things?

Also, the engine exhausts are hollow, and you can (barely) see into the empty fuselage through them. You might want to think about cutting some plastic disks to plug up the holes.


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## JeffG (May 10, 2004)

I'm nearly completed with mine. I used a coat of gray primer and about three coats of gloss white before adding the decals, dullcoating and weathering it. Once you get a coat or two of paint on it and the hull becomes more opaque, you won't see inside the openings in the engines. For the turbine faces, I simply brush painted them flat black then very carefully drybrushed them with a steel color.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

For the turbine intakes on the side I tried to fit pieces of masking tape with tweezers and then afterwards touched up any over spray. I actually painted the inside of the nose after spraying the body white. Then kept touching up white and red. I had problems with some of the red decals so ended up touching them up with Tamiya flat red. Settled the differences with a satin clear coat.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*Turbines to speed*

When i painted my "clean" version. I gave the kit a good grey primer coating then several light glos white coats. After they had cured, I painted the stripes.

When I was spraying the gloss white, I kept it away from going into the turbines. there was enough overspray to get inside the leading edges, but it left the grey primer coat on the "blades"

when all was said and done with decalling and whatnot (BTW, the "extra" firebirds and beware of blast decals were not properly backed in white so you need to trim the ones from the full stripes if you are going to paint the stripes. I alerted Frank and it will be fixed on future printings. Thanks, Frank!)

when that was all done, I sat the Viper up on it's engines and dripped in a bit of Tamiya "Smoke" (my all purpose aging solution) and let it fill in the lines of the fan blades.


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

Did I hear that Moebius was addressing the transparency of the Colonial emblems for the "painted on stripes" on the decal sheet? I 've heard that people have issues with them, and the painted red showing through the decal. If Moebius does fix this for future issues of the kit, is there any chance that people who already own it could get a hold of the decals? Maybe send in a proof-of-purchase for a new decal sheet?


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## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

I want to get a good screen capture of Starbuck and make a helmet decal!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

RedHeadKevin said:


> Did I hear that Moebius was addressing the transparency of the Colonial emblems for the "painted on stripes" on the decal sheet? I 've heard that people have issues with them, and the painted red showing through the decal. If Moebius does fix this for future issues of the kit, is there any chance that people who already own it could get a hold of the decals? Maybe send in a proof-of-purchase for a new decal sheet?


I did bring this to frank's attention and he said it will be corrected in the future printings.

don't know about any trade in, tho

what happened was that they should have been backed with white, and they weren't


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## wander1107 (Aug 12, 2006)

You know I had some transparency problems with the decals for the inside edge of the cockpit. You can't see the yellow stripes at all. They virtually disappeared into the paint.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Mitchellmania said:


> I want to get a good screen capture of Starbuck and make a helmet decal!


It really won't look very good - you'll only get one angle to view it from where it won't appear that compression failed and her face exploded onto the inside of the visor.


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## JeffG (May 10, 2004)

Paulbo said:


> It really won't look very good - you'll only get one angle to view it from where it won't appear that compression failed and her face exploded onto the inside of the visor.


That whole vacuum thing really sucks when you get a hole in your suit...literally!


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

I tried that. Got some good screen captures of Starbuck and Apollo, printed them out to scale with the visor. As mentioned it only works from one angle.

I did think about cutting into the helmet, hollowing it out. Sticking the image inside and then filling the hollow with something that dried transparent...There was just too much of a possibility of really stuffing up.

So I just painted the visor like everyone else (except mine if a sort of glowing pale blue, like the lighting inside the real prop.)



Mitchellmania said:


> I want to get a good screen capture of Starbuck and make a helmet decal!


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## RedHeadKevin (May 1, 2009)

Okay, here goes Viper Mark 2, uh, Mark 2. I wasn't super-excited with the first try on this kit, so I bought another one, and I'm liking my work on this one a lot better. I don't have any pics, but I also boxed in the MLG wells. First, I used some small punches (1/16" mostly) to punch out new instruments in the cockpit. I used the same punch on the instrument decals, so they'd fit. I wanted to represent a shut-down Viper, so the DRADIS graphic decals had to go. I used some pearlescent confetti for the main MFD, added some buttons, detailed up the sticks, and added new cushions on the seat. I also added ejection seat handles (visible when Starbuck ejects in season 1.)


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

I like your new, "busier" cockpit. Especially the ejection seat handles.


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## johnkenerson (Feb 9, 2017)

What are you guys using for the loops on the seat? Paper clip wire seems too thick.


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

RedHeadKevin said:


> Okay, here goes Viper Mark 2, uh, Mark 2. I wasn't super-excited with the first try on this kit, so I bought another one, and I'm liking my work on this one a lot better. I don't have any pics, but I also boxed in the MLG wells. First, I used some small punches (1/16" mostly) to punch out new instruments in the cockpit. I used the same punch on the instrument decals, so they'd fit. I wanted to represent a shut-down Viper, so the DRADIS graphic decals had to go. I used some pearlescent confetti for the main MFD, added some buttons, detailed up the sticks, and added new cushions on the seat. I also added ejection seat handles (visible when Starbuck ejects in season 1.)


I love your idea for getting around the seat cushion idea, brilliant !!!


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

RedHeadKevin said:


> Did I hear that Moebius was addressing the transparency of the Colonial emblems for the "painted on stripes" on the decal sheet? I 've heard that people have issues with them, and the painted red showing through the decal. If Moebius does fix this for future issues of the kit, is there any chance that people who already own it could get a hold of the decals? Maybe send in a proof-of-purchase for a new decal sheet?


I contacted Revell-Germany and asked for a replacement set of the decals thye used in their release of the Viper. I believe they are by Cartograf in Italy. Give them a try. I have attached an image form Britmodeller.com.


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

RedHeadKevin said:


> ( Originally posted on the ARC Air - An Online Magazine Devoted to Scale Aircraft Modelling forums)
> So, I ordered myself 2 of the Moebius BSG Viper Mark II's, and I couldn't help myself. I had to dive right in. I'm doing a little detailing work right off the bat, and I'm also going to do a bit of a review of the kit. The review bit will point out a 2 different areas: The kit, and the "real thing." You should know that Moebius based their kit on the CGI models of the Viper, and they hit it spot on. However, there are some significant differences between the full-size prop ship and the CGI model, which I'll try to address here. By the way, "FSP = Full Size Prop"
> 
> The first modification I made. Having square corners on the instructions just seemed wrong for this kit.
> ...


I found that there was an issue when I joined the fuselage halves together, It created a 'lip' on one side so I reinforced the weaker side with sprue from the kit and the lip disappeared.









I decided to box in the gaps on the nose and main gear areas,


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

johnkenerson said:


> What are you guys using for the loops on the seat? Paper clip wire seems too thick.


Loving your work.
If you mean the looped cable on the top of the seat, I used the clear coated wire you find in toys, the ones they use to secure the toy to the package. Another alternative is if you have a set of dead ear buds and use a section of the wire to make the loops. Hope this helps.


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## Warspite (Aug 3, 2013)

RedHeadKevin said:


> The gear on the model are very accurate to the CGI model, but not to the FSP. So I tried to spruce them up a bit.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The front landing gear on the filming model didn't have the cutouts on the facing and rear part of the strut, only on the sides. There shouldn't be a bar in the catapult lugs, the bar was on the catapult latch.


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## f1steph (Jan 9, 2003)

Nice work. It's well worth it to add lots of crispy details to a model. Keep up the good work...


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