# Moebius Battlestar Galactica Plastic Model



## toymaker101 (Jan 20, 2010)

Does anyone here know if the kit is good or not.


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

Good in terms of what? Fittings? Panel lines? Will it get you a girlfirend? :tongue:

Hint ... its selling like hot cakes .... end of hint


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## holt32 (Nov 5, 2009)

I can't tell you if this kits any good as I don't have mine yet but the test pictures look great and I've herd nothing but good things about Moebius models.And in truth if you want a model of the Galactica you can get a resin one for a lot more or go with the plastic one for about 40 bucks I know which one I'm getting.:thumbsup:


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## Marco Scheloske (May 16, 2000)

I love it! It is very well engineered, with clever location of the seamlines which are mostly hidden by other parts. Detail is fine, and the part fit is very well, too.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Ditto what Marco said.


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## justinleighty (Jan 13, 2003)

Yeah, it's pretty darned awesome. The fit is good, the details are good, the assembly is well-thought-out (more so than the Viper Mark II). The big G has a solid, not flimsy, feel when assembled, too.


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## SJF (Dec 3, 1999)

The Moebius Galactica is a superb model kit. Highly recommended. :thumbsup:

Sean


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Other than being TO DAMN small...its cute.


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## Marco Scheloske (May 16, 2000)

fluke said:


> Other than being TO DAMN small...its cute.


Yes, 50% larger would have been cool. Not in scale with the old TOS kit from Monogramm, but the same physical size.

But I like it nevertheless. I really enjoy the build!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

There's a Moebius forum right next door where you could ask this.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Mine should be here, today! :wave:


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Got it! Looks great for the scale!

The only thing I don't like are the panels on the bow port and starboard sides with the extra plastic underneath to prevent having an undercut in the mold. These panels should have been done separately.

Otherwise, I don't see anything that really stands out as bad. Would have been nice to have more details inside the landing bays but that's not a biggie.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

This is another very fine job done my Moebius and I hope it sells so well that we might see one three feet or longer in the future......:thumbsup: There is much one could do with a larger kit, I'm just talking out loud........
This is a fine kit, nice work guys.........:wave:


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## Magesblood (May 12, 2008)

ya mean like with the seaview? One's wee and the other is friggin' huge?


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Magesblood said:


> ya mean like with the seaview? One's wee and the other is friggin' huge?


Works for me......


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## Seashark (Mar 28, 2006)

I'm pretty happy with the kit, nicely detailed, I'm happy with the size, this is what I've got done thus far...

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm301/falcon_rk/Galactica001.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm301/falcon_rk/Galactica004.jpg

The colors I chose are a bit too contrast-y, more-so than I had intended; oh well.


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## Magesblood (May 12, 2008)

Seashark said:


> The colors I chose are a bit too contrast-y, more-so than I had intended; oh well.



Looks great from what I saw.


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## Seashark (Mar 28, 2006)

^
Tanks mon!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Seashark said:


> The colors I chose are a bit too contrast-y, more-so than I had intended; oh well.


Nahhh, it'll be fine once you weather it a bit.


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## Seashark (Mar 28, 2006)

Should make a nice display piece, should anyone out there still be on the fence. 

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm301/falcon_rk/Galactica006.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm301/falcon_rk/Galactica009.jpg


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## James Tiberius (Oct 23, 2007)

Looks good,

I plan on weathering the S#*! out of mine.


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

Seashark said:


> Should make a nice display piece, should anyone out there still be on the fence.
> 
> http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm301/falcon_rk/Galactica006.jpg
> 
> http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm301/falcon_rk/Galactica009.jpg



Nice .... I like


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

I've had a lot of problems making the forward section fit to the rest of the ship. I may have not put the section together well but not sure how I messed it up since everything seemed to interlock so nicely.

I've been filing a lot and cutting some little bits out where applicable in order to make it fit and am just about there. I'm using the ZOIC orthos to check the alignment.


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## Marco Scheloske (May 16, 2000)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> I've had a lot of problems making the forward section fit to the rest of the ship.


I realized while building mine that you should NOT build the complete head and then attach it to the bow, because this will lead to problems. The fit is perfect when you first attach the "underjaw" to the bow, align it straight, and then add the rest of the bow ("teeth" and "upper jaw", to stay with that comparison).


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Marco Scheloske said:


> I realized while building mine that you should NOT build the complete head and then attach it to the bow, because this will lead to problems. The fit is perfect when you first attach the "underjaw" to the bow, align it straight, and then add the rest of the bow ("teeth" and "upper jaw", to stay with that comparison).


Does that make the lower rib section line up exactly with the rest of the ship's ribs? The insert connection down there seems to make it offset (head a little too high) which it should not.

I've had to alter the insert connection at the top of the head as well (base of the "skull" if you will) since it seemed to sit too high there as well.

I've got it lined up now so that it fits at the bottom and also fits as it should at the top according to the ZOIC orthos.


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## Marco Scheloske (May 16, 2000)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> Does that make the lower rib section line up exactly with the rest of the ship's ribs? The insert connection down there seems to make it offset (head a little too high) which it should not.


Ah, I thought this problem occured on mine because it was an early testshot. No, this doesn`t solve this issue, it only helps to get the underjaw straight aligned to the main hull. I had to sand a bit from the connectors away to get the ribs lining up, too.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Marco Scheloske said:


> No, this doesn`t solve this issue, it only helps to get the underjaw straight aligned to the main hull. I had to sand a bit from the connectors away to get the ribs lining up, too.


Okay, it appears we have a flaw here. 

I think the head itself builds up correctly (or very, very close). It's just the alignment at the bottom and top that are not correct (offset upwards where it should be in line). It seems the offset at the top is about the same as the offset at the bottom which is good. It is therefore just a matter of lining the head up so that the ribs are lined up correctly at the bottom. The top should then be just right as well. 

Unfortunately, getting the head lined up means sanding off the alignment tabs at top rear and the alignment insert at bottom rear. Without these guides, you have to, in addition, be careful to get the lateral alignment correct.

Here are the orthographic views mentioned: http://media.battlestarwiki.org/images/4/4a/BSG_Ortho_Front,_Back_&_Starboard.jpg


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## cbear (Aug 15, 2000)

Perfesser and Marco

Yeah, I'm having the same problem. I've been sanding and tweaking the mounting surfaces too, and just about have it where I can live with it. 

Chuck


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## cozmo (Nov 29, 2004)

Now that some of us have one, how long is it?


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## jaws62666 (Mar 25, 2009)

About 14 inches. I started a WIP thread on it
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=310613


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

cozmo said:


> Now that some of us have one, how long is it?





Monty Python said:


> That's a rather personal question.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

cbear said:


> Perfesser and Marco
> 
> Yeah, I'm having the same problem. I've been sanding and tweaking the mounting surfaces too, and just about have it where I can live with it.
> 
> Chuck


Well, that definitely decreases the chance that we're ALL messing up. 

If it had all fit together with ease, however, even offset, I would not have bothered to look up that detail to see what was going on and just assumed that section of the ship was offset. It is so close to being dead on--shame about this one flaw. 

On the panels on the port and starboard bow ("head") section that I complained about earlier, I had very good luck simply sanding them down and rescribing to make the edges distinct again. The detail on the panels is sanded off but some I can rescribe and I can use paint or decals to add the detail back.


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## Nektu (Aug 15, 2001)

I guess I'm not clear on what you're talking about, exactly. The alignment where? Can you show some images?

KK


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

We're talking about the neck area that connects to the main head of the ship. If you look at all the images and orthos, the connection is smooth and parallel. The head is not higher than the neck


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)




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## Magesblood (May 12, 2008)

it _is_ an easy fix though, yes?


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## WarpCore Breach (Apr 27, 2005)

That's a very useful picture! I'll be sending that one on to my local modeling buddies who are all waiting on the model's arrival as well!


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## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

The middle piece, the section with all the windows, appears to be too high.


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## linesiders (Apr 25, 2009)

BlackbirdCD said:


> The middle piece, the section with all the windows, appears to be too high.



The whole section is high. I've been filing down to get it to fit right, taking off from the bottom chin piece and the alignment section from the main body.


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## John O (Mar 8, 2000)

Yup. I had the same problem mating the head and main body. Yook a little cutting/trimming, but it's good now. Moebius really ought to address this, because otherwise the kit is very good ...other than the issues with molding the side panels with ramps instead of undercuts, or molding the side panels seperately.

John O.


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## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

John O said:


> Yup. I had the same problem mating the head and main body. Yook a little cutting/trimming, but it's good now. Moebius really ought to address this, because otherwise the kit is very good ...other than the issues with molding the side panels with ramps instead of undercuts, or molding the side panels seperately.
> 
> John O.


Those side panels are frustrating. Clearly they used a mold gate for the front of the nose, and the top. But the side panels on that head piece are awful. The head assembly alignment issue here is just annoying. But, it's a cheap kit so have fun correcting it, folks!


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## modelsj (May 12, 2004)

I'm just happy there are still kits coming out; besides this adds a little skill and challenge to the project.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Magesblood said:


> it _is_ an easy fix though, yes?


I used sprue shears to snip off the alignment pieces and then, using a fairly fine metal file, it took me maybe an hour total all told (hard to say since I was messing with it while watching TV and spread the work over a couple of days) to get it just right. I removed a little plastic and test fitted repeatedly all along which also added some time to the process.

Last night I finished the last little bit of adjustment and then glued the head to the body.

Easy? Technically, not too bad. It required getting rid of a lot of plastic though. 

Time-wise? A little more than I was wanting to spend. 

Overall? Not too bad but not super simple. One key fix was to file away a wee bit at the back top of the head where the molded on greeblies outline the fit onto the "neck." Using that for alignment put the head too high in relationship to the body. Removing a little of greeblie areas--about 1/8" on either side at the top inside (the tips of the pincer shaped areas of greeblies) took care of that and allowed it to fit flush.




John O said:


> Yup. I had the same problem mating the head and main body. Took a little cutting/trimming, but it's good now. Moebius really ought to address this, because otherwise the kit is very good ...other than the issues with molding the side panels with ramps instead of undercuts, or molding the side panels separately.
> 
> John O.


That's my other complaint. They sanded down easily enough but should have been avoided all together.

This kit is really great in that it gets the overall shape, many details for the scale, and mostly fits together in a way that hides seams. It allows for some lighting (at this scale, if I light it, it will be just the landing pods and the engines) with clear pieces. My two complaints do not negate my overall highly favorable impression of this kit. Compared to the old AMT 18" 1701, for example, this kit is much superior in getting the overall shape and the finer details correct. There are far more fixes required in other kits so I'm not wanting to discourage anyone from getting this one. As usual, if you want a more accurate finished product, it takes a little extra work.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

linesiders said:


> The whole section is high.


That is how it appears to me as well. After fitting it, the head section, built as a separate section, aligns well with the body.


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## Nektu (Aug 15, 2001)

So, after some scrutiny I'm still not sure about how to really fix this problem. The window section seems too high, but after looking more at the orthos I am still not sure. Should it be more recessed into the top part of the head? If you cut out the bottom plate of the head where the window section attaches, and then add thick sheet plastic inside you can lower the top portion tothe correct height. Any thoughts? 

KK


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## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

That seems like more work than necessary, Nektu. Just sanding that window section and modifying the connection for the other two head pieces is really sufficient for this fix.


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## Seashark (Mar 28, 2006)

I think it's pretty clear I'm not well versed with the In's and outs of the new Galactica, I didn't even notice the 'head' being too high. I wish I had held off and read this thread before I did final assembly; the head on mine is not only too high but also angled up slightly relative to the rest of the hull.


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## Marco Scheloske (May 16, 2000)

Seashark said:


> the head on mine is not only too high but also angled up slightly relative to the rest of the hull.


This happens when you assemble the head completely and attach it as one build group. It is better to attach only the "under jaw" first to the main hull, alligning it properly, then add the "teeth" and "upper jaw" as one group.


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## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

Marco Scheloske said:


> This happens when you assemble the head completely and attach it as one build group. It is better to attach only the "under jaw" first to the main hull, alligning it properly, then add the "teeth" and "upper jaw" as one group.


You may still need to put some brute force on the lower jaw, to get the alignment of the upper head assembly to fit properly - without an upward bend. I went so far as to shim the back of the upper head assembly, and sand/file the remaining surfaces until it got close to looking okay. 

Have fun


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## Marco Scheloske (May 16, 2000)

BlackbirdCD said:


> You may still need to put some brute force on the lower jaw, to get the alignment of the upper head assembly to fit properly - without an upward bend.


No, that was no problem. The upper part simply slipped in place.


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

I tested mine (besides the alligator head section being a tad high), mine doesn't bend upward either.


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## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

It easily could've been my error in attaching the lower jaw. Just something to watch out for, and pay attention to, as you build up the front.


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## Seashark (Mar 28, 2006)

Marco Scheloske said:


> This happens when you assemble the head completely and attach it as one build group. -snip-


I didn't build mine that way...


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