# TOS Viper Squadron in the works.



## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm now working on a group of six Vipers from the Revell kits, at least one will be part of a diorama with a Cylon Raider...

Taking the ridge off the intakes:

















Just the beginning here, updates to follow for TOSBSG fans!
Estimated time to completion of first Viper: three weeks from today- we'll see if I can make it so.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Kewel. I look forward to seeing your progress.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

I'm ripping through the easy, crude stuff now (getting rid of the intake ridge is SO time consuming...).
The nose 'torpedo hole' has to go. On my last Viper, I cleaned it out & left if open. This time I'll add a greeble of some kind later. Some folks have put in a mesh, but I just don't see it on mine.









Gotta thrash the little triangles on the guns- not only are they too thin, they aren't hollow in their centers, & they are 90 degrees off. More on that later.









The greeble in the middle of the pipes is toast (I don't know where the sculptor got it from; it's not in any pic I've seen), as are the pipes themselves. They were totally toy-looking. Styrene tubes will replace them.

















I assembled the pilots (except their heads, the faces need some plastic surgery) but haven't glued them in yet- painting must ensue first.









This is going too slow... I need caffeine!:lol:


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

This is gonna be way kewel! 

A company called Fireball Models has very nicely done replacement lasers for your Vipers. I purchased two sets directly from him a couple years back for a Viper diorama I'd thought to build, but never got around to. They're not in stock right now, but they're for listed in the Starship Modeler Store: Colonial Viper Replacement Cannons.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

I carved on the exhausts.









Now, the wing-to-gun bits are too thin... attending to that here.

























I see putty-N-sand in my future...:freak:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Better now.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Are these gonna be blackstar squadron vipers


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

I'll be watching this closely. A friend from my SF model club gave me one at a model give-a-way at his house a few months ago. He had HUNDREDS of models, some _one of a kind resin figures_ and whatnot. The old Viper was new in the box, baby. Unbelievable. He's the guy that gave me the $130.00 Alien queen toy, that will go with my power loader. 

I did this Viper as a preteen, weathering it with my parents' cigarette ashes! Gross! What was I thinking? But I remember trashing the decals and painting the red lines with a brush and masking tape. I thought it was epic. 

Late 1970's Those were the days.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

idman said:


> Are these gonna be blackstar squadron vipers


You mean these?:










Sadly no, just plain old TV series ones.:thumbsup:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> I did this Viper as a preteen, weathering it with my parents' cigarette ashes! Gross! What was I thinking?


Question is: did it WORK?:hat:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Chrisisall said:


> Question is: did it WORK?:hat:


Yea, like smelly pastels.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Can someone elaborate on the black squadron thing? What's that all about?


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> Can someone elaborate on the black squadron thing? What's that all about?


Oh, it's a costuming group dedicated to TOSBSG, which I belong to- still workin' on my boots & jacket in between models- and they have their own squadron division.
See them here:
http://blackstarsquad.proboards.com/index.cgi

If it's a Galactica costume you need guidance or advice on, there is NO better place to go!!:thumbsup:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

I finished the wing mods on all of 'em, & I just got done drilling 180 tiny holes on all the little thingies on the side parts with an exacto knife I broke the very end off of for the job...

















Someone pass me n Advill...:freak:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Chrisisall said:


> Oh, it's a costuming group dedicated to TOSBSG, which I belong to- still workin' on my boots & jacket in between models- and they have their own squadron division.
> See them here:
> http://blackstarsquad.proboards.com/index.cgi
> 
> If it's a Galactica costume you need guidance or advice on, there is NO better place to go!!:thumbsup:


You guys are serious business. I like the Cylon Centurion with the base being his shadow. That is a unique idea. I REALLY like that.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> You guys are serious business. I like the Cylon Centurion with the base being his shadow. That is a unique idea. I REALLY like that.


*Bond Q voice*
Oh, an obvious little notion...

Galactica & Trek are my hobby obsessions.:thumbsup:

You obviously looked through that site! :freak:


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## enterprise_fan (May 23, 2004)

_(I assembled the pilots (except their heads, the faces need some plastic surgery) but haven't glued them in yet- painting must ensue first.)_


I have the orginal issue of the TOS Viper, which did not have a detailed cockpit. 

Was this kit a re-issue that included a see-thru canopy, cockpit and pilot? If not where can I get them? 

The only thing I can find is a two seater trainer.


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## DarthSideous (Mar 26, 2008)

these are the re-pop kits that came out about three years ago. I still prefer the millenia models cockpit, but these will do. By the way great work so far I have a similiar idea planned for my fleet of vipers.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

DarthSideous said:


> By the way great work so far I have a similiar idea planned for my fleet of vipers.


Thanks!
I hadda go back & reshape my wing addition bits- I keep comparing to reference & adjusting. Some concessions have to be made, but these will be my most accurate Vipers ever. The kit has a few angles & proportions wrong, but short of tossing it all out & going from scratch, it's what I'm working with. If I can hit a percentage of accuracy in the higher 90's, that'll be great.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

enterprise_fan said:


> Was this kit a re-issue that included a see-thru canopy, cockpit and pilot? If not where can I get them?


Yes, and, Ebay, where else?:dude: Be prepared to spend upwards of $50 for one now, though.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Chrisisall said:


> You mean these?:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


AHH well would have been cool tho


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

idman said:


> AHH well would have been cool tho


Hmmm... Spectre is probably doing his this way....^^


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Tedium watch: 48 (+2 in case) styrene rods of proper thickness cut & hairdryer-ed to 90 degree angles for installation on the cleared areas on the sides of the 6 Vipers. I averaged a minute per rod.









I must be nuts...[/QUOTE]


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I know from your previous work that these Vipers will be epic for sure Chris. By the way, do you take off your glasses when you're at the workbench? I thought I saw a pair of glasses in one picture. I'm nearsighted myself so it's the first thing I do when working on the small stuff.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Trekkriffic said:


> I know from your previous work that these Vipers will be epic for sure Chris. By the way, do you take off your glasses when you're at the workbench? I thought I saw a pair of glasses in one picture. I'm nearsighted myself so it's the first thing I do when working on the small stuff.


Thanks, and I'm farsighted, so the FIRST thing I do is pop on the magnifiers.
When I take pictures, I've usually just tossed them off, hence their ubiquitous presence in the photography...


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

48 side pipes fitted & attached. 48. Done for today....


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

I know I'm going slow on these, but if I work when inspired (as opposed to doing it just to do it) I find it comes out a whole lot better...

I just finished putting the 12 scratched greebles on the 6 exhausts, and the 48 pieces on the 12 guns.


























When all solid, I'll putty some & sand/file to the proper finished shape(s).


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Great job! You're getting a lot of details that I totally missed.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

I'm gonna so copy you! (on one) A good friend, who GAVE me the Alien queen toy, also GAVE me one of these!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> Great job! You're getting a lot of details that I totally missed.


Everyone has one thing they love above all else- for me (in models) it's the Viper. So I crawl along & keep researching pictures...
My aim to amaze myself (and I don't love everything I do). If I can amaze ME, I think others will like my final product.
PLUS, there were so many Vipers! Do I do the Hero model, the standard one, the black window one, the full size mock up one...?
THAT'S where my love of this thing chimes in! A perfect amalgam... an unreachable mix to best exemplify what we saw onscreen... 

Okay, esoteric rant over.

Where's my glue?
:tongue:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> A good friend, who GAVE me the Alien queen toy, also GAVE me one of these!


30th Anniversary one? With cockpit?
I have a few older ones, and I'm gonna HATE making the cockpits from scratch, but they'll be good if I have my way.
Making Art is torture; basking in it is divine.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Chrisisall said:


> 30th Anniversary one? With cockpit?
> I have a few older ones, and I'm gonna HATE making the cockpits from scratch, but they'll be good if I have my way.
> Making Art is torture; basking in it is divine.


I don't know which issue. But the box art is the same as the one I built back in the late 70's. And the canopy is a solid one-piece. No "glass". Doesn't cultman sell a clear canopy for this? 

Maybe he'll cut you a deal on a gross of 'um.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Chrisisall said:


> Making Art is torture; basking in it is divine.


Profound words Chris.

:thumbsup:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> Doesn't cultman sell a clear canopy for this?


As far as I know, not any more. I couldn't find any anywhere when I tried looking last month...


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

1st filing assault on the guns:










2nd & final go at them will be easier & more subtle. I'm good at subtle.:freak:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Chrisisall said:


> As far as I know, not any more. I couldn't find any anywhere when I tried looking last month...


You know, I was thinking of the paint masks. Sorry.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Better...


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Chrisisall said:


> Better...


Nice! You _know_ what to do!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Here's some new pix:


























Working on six at the same time slows progress some...


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Your squadron is coming along really nicely.

A couple of years ago, I started my own squadron, but got distracted once the Mk. II kit came out.

May I suggest you look at Federation Models and get their Viper Engine inserts.

I patterned these for my squadron, and if I may say, really make the engines look like a real engine. They are multi layered, so you look in the back and see fan blades deep in the engine.

Here are a few pics from my squadron.












Your work makes me want to get back to mine.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

ClubTepes said:


> May I suggest you look at Federation Models and get their Viper Engine inserts.


Thanks!
I've seen those before, and I think they look great, but I also like how mine are turning out- 









I kinda like how it doesn't resemble a conventional recognizable jet engine...


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Chrisisall said:


> Thanks!
> I've seen those before, and I think they look great, but I also like how mine are turning out-
> 
> 
> ...


Looking good.
Yep, different engines in the same airframe. Not unheard of in the real world.


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## BOXIE (Apr 5, 2011)

great work.Can't wait to see the finished squadron in flight


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

BOXIE said:


> great work.Can't wait to see the finished squadron in flight


Why thank you! :wave:
I'm considering these my masterpiece, so it's going slowly... every time I make a step, I check & re-check it against pictures of the various studio models, full size mock-up, & screen caps. I want you to look at these when they're done & instantly feel like "That's IT! That's what I remember from the show!"
So it's really hard to choose specific details to present... it'd be way easier to just pick a specific model that appeared & duplicate it line for line. 

Wow, I just went on & on there.:freak:

Tryin' to make 'em look good is all. There. That's the bottom line.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

> _I'm considering these my masterpiece_


Me, too.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

kdaracal said:


> Me, too.


Too kind, sir.

First test scribing: Each batch of Vipers is different- the no cockpit ones made in America have a more solid polystyrene that is easier to scribe- these are the 30th anniversary ones _with_ cockpits, made in China, and this polystyrene is a bit softer & more prone to 'flare' accumulating on the edges of the cut...








I scribe not with my scribing tool (not happy with the 'V' shape it cuts), but with an exacto knife with a broken tip- backwards. Straight edges with a metal ruler as a guide, curved surfaces with the Dynamo-tape-as-a-guide method.
This is the 'tinsel' produced after I cleaned up after initial scribing (using the same knife turned sideways & run through the scribed line *gently*):








Then I go through the lines with a cut edge of an emery board lightly to clean up the tiniest fragments...









This is a tedious process, but it ensures a clean panel line with no wonky flares on the edges. And I have to practice because every time I do these, months have passed since my last Viper(s) and I lose my comfort level with the technique.

Next- I scribe the lot of them.:freak:


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## Bradleyfett (Jan 22, 2003)

Chris- before you go any further, try looking at the different scribers they have at Home Depot and Lowes. I found one I was really happy with at one of those placed (I know what you mean about the V shape scriber). I

M


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Bradleyfett said:


> Chris- before you go any further, try looking at the different scribers they have at Home Depot and Lowes.


At THOSE places? Surely not intended for modeling purposes!? In what department?


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

At my Lowe's it in the tools/knives..it's overlooked by a piratical looking gent.
The ones I got are for working with Aspenwood planking..remember that?..and delicate woods like that

Amazing work on the squadron, how do you stay pumped up repeating all the builds?..

Steve


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## Bradleyfett (Jan 22, 2003)

Chrisisall said:


> At THOSE places? Surely not intended for modeling purposes!? In what department?


 
Misc. Tools dept. I got one that had different shaped tips!

Mark


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

steve123 said:


> At my Lowe's it in the tools/knives..


Thanks! I'll check it out- but the tool has to match my current scribe width...


> how do you stay pumped up repeating all the builds?..


Simple, I hear the freakin' Galactica music in my head!:freak: 
A year ago I did this with just three, and seeing three finished Vipers on my table was a _rush_. This time SIX, and six BETTER Vipers, will freak me no end. 
I sold all three of my first batch- this time I'm keeping AT LEAST _two_.
That's how I stay pumped. Eyes on the prize!! The more I make, the more I can KEEP.

Ummmm, it it too obvious that I love this fighter?:tongue:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Bradleyfett said:


> Misc. Tools dept. I got one that had different shaped tips!


Thanks Mark! We will see! I can do the do with what I got, but an easier way would be cool.:thumbsup:


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