# New Battlestar Galactica model?



## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

Hi all,

Anyone heard word or know if one of the modeling companies is going to produce a model of the new Battlestar Galactica from the new Sci-Fi Channel series?

If so, I hope it's good sized, like the Polar Lights Enterprise Refit coming out.

NEURO


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

If they do, I hope it has retractable landing bays.


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

I agree with the landing bays...and dozens of teeny-tiny Vipers that will take us months to paint under a magnifying glass...LOL

Regarding the BSG:

I've noted just how closely the ship was patterned after present day aircraft carriers, which is very interesting. It lends a foothold in reality, but I think the creators should have diversified more and made her more futuristic than basing so much on present day warships.

Some things about the Galactica that make me go "Hmmmm":

1) Why in that future age are the Vipers using large caliber ammo rounds like current jet fighters, when it seems the hand pistols are some sort of energy discharge device?

2) Same question regarding the Galactica's main guns.

3) Why do the Vipers and Galactica use what seems to be some fuel that they're always worried about replenishing. In our present day, carriers are nuclear powered and are good for at least 20 years between pit stops? Shouldn't BSG be at least somewhat beyond that?

There's other questions...just can't think of them now. It just seems a clash the way they're mixing advanced technologies, such as Hyperspace jumps, etc. with stuff that seems directly lifted from our time era.

Neuro


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

It does clash on a multitude of levels, but I think they're actually attempts to show that the Colonials are not _that_ different from us.

I also found it odd that the weapons are all projectile type. One would think that they'd run out of ammo eventually which would not be the case if partical beam weapons were utilized ... Especially considering all the ammo Galactica used against the Base ships at Ragnar and in the first episode.

It Could be possible that the Galactica _is_ their version of a nuclear powered ship, Even the Vipers have some sort of reactor on board as cited by Chief Tyrol in the miniseries. It's also possible that the Raptors and civilian ships are the ones that require all of the Tylium ... however it's all a guess on my part.

BTW ... You move awfully fast ... From Chesapeke, Va to Las Vegas, Nv in a matter of minutes ... Wow!


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Someone is working on a 1/2500 scale _Galactica_ kit from the new series. It appears from the plans I've seen that it'll be highly accurate. He's sticking to no time-table and so we'll see it when it's finished.


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

Mac...it's my FTL Drive


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

Griff,

I believe the Galactica is considered about a mile long, though there are those that say shorter/longer. Is this model maker considering that in his scale version so we don't end up with a G that's too small?


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

CAPTNEURO said:


> Mac...it's my FTL Drive


 Good One :lol: And I thought I had a kindred spirit near-by!! 



Griffworks said:


> Someone is working on a 1/2500 scale Galactica kit from the new series. It appears from the plans I've seen that it'll be highly accurate. He's sticking to no time-table and so we'll see it when it's finished.


 I've see that too Griff. He's posted a couple of pics of the forward section over on Cult's Board. I don't know if he's gonna go into mass production or not, but it looks pretty good so far!


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

I just went to Cult's site but can't find this BG model you're talking about...point me where


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## Leet (Dec 1, 2000)

This site has measurements of many of the ships, including _Galactica_.

Regarding the weapons used, they're apparently some sort of mass driver (both on the battlestars and the Vipers), and a similar one is used in their personal weapons. For example, Helo's pistol not only has a mass driver, but there's a second barrel for firing small guided missiles (I'm thinking of the gun from Runaway here). He used that function at least once, nailing the guy who tried to climb onto Boomer's ascending Raptor in the miniseries.


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## FoxTrot (Jan 27, 2000)

mactrek said:


> I also found it odd that the weapons are all projectile type. One would think that they'd run out of ammo eventually which would not be the case if partical beam weapons were utilized ... Especially considering all the ammo Galactica used against the Base ships at Ragnar and in the first episode.


If you have a look at the BSG official website, the 'bullet' type weapons were a deliberate choice in order to a) steer away from the Star Wars scenario, b) bullet weapons make the dog-fighting more realistic, and c) it was considered that laser type weapons would require hugh (and thus unrealistic) energy sources. I agree on all counts ... Cheers, Fox.


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## Epsilon (Apr 3, 2004)

Captnuero, I was under the impression that the hand guns were some type of slug thrower, a-la Blade Runner... rather than an energy weapon. 

Look to Boomer's excuse of "leaving a round in the chamber while cleaning her gun"...


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

Fox, I understand your point ... but isn't this *SCIENCE fiction? * But, If you wish to look at the realistic side of it, we can do that too.

Your average everyday bullet can not be seen between the point where it leaves the barrel and the point of impact. That means that if we're seeing them as we do on screen they must be using some sort of tracers as well. Tracers are usually spaced among the regular bullets at normal intervals (as a guess I would say at the most, every other bullet fired is a tracer ). That would mean that they're using even _more_ ammunition than we actually see.

The amount of bullets that the Galactica alone throws at the Cylon Base Ships at Ragnar is ... astronomical (no pun intended). She did a similar barrage again in "33". Add in the number of bullets fired by an individual Viper during any given engagement and multiply that by at least 20 for the major engagements and you find yourself with empty magazines in a relatively short time, and no way to replenish them. From a logistics standpoint alone, they're screwed! (Which admittedly may be the point ... and a future plot line).

Where are they gonna get the bullets for season two?? (The obvious answer would be "From the Cylons, of course".)

On the other side of the coin, Particle beam weapon generators (especially coming from a civilization advanced enough to have FTL capabilities) should take up less space than all of those bullets. They would weigh less (which would increase the efficiency of the Vipers in atmospheric flight) and won't run out of ammo. The bad part to that is that they are electrical in nature and as such are susceptible to jamming from the Cylons. However, some sort of physical shielding could protect them, which shouldn't be too difficult, as the Cylons haven't been able to jam the other electrical systems on the MkII Vipers.

Realistically speaking, I can see projectile weapons for side arms ... but on the ships, It just doesn't seem right to me. (Perhaps all the other science fiction shows have limited my point of view.)

I do love the new series and as such watch it religiously. The characters, acting, stories and FX are riveting. However, I'm beginning to find the technical aspect alone somewhat lacking (probably from years of Star Trek Techno-babble).

CAPTNEURO, you have a private message.


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## Tholian (Oct 3, 2004)

Just so you guys know, I went to the NNL East this year, and while I was walking around looking for some certain types of Cars, (Yes, I build other plastic stuff too), I met a gentleman from Revell/Monogram. He was a rep for the company and was at the show that day with his official shirt on and all. Don’t ask me his name, because I can’t remember who it was.

But I posed the same question. I asked if they were going to re-pop the BattleStar Gallactica line again since the new show is showing more popularity. I also asked about a new line of ships to go along with the new series.

He told me an almost flat out No. He said that Revell/Monogram has not done well with Science Fiction in the past. So he doesn’t expect to see any of that stuff on the market. He did tell me that he knows that Polar Lights is doing well with their Sci-Fi line, but doubts Revell/Monogram will do a re-pop. After chatting for awhile with him, I got the impression they base their selling point mostly on 1/25 cars.

But Even though he came out with a Flat No, He did come out with a “Ya never know” at the end of our conversation. So all I can say is don’t get your hopes up.

Sorry


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## tripdeer (Mar 7, 2004)

Hmmm... I guess ol' RM didn't sell enough of their Kazon Torpedoes, huh? :freak:

Dan


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

CAPTNEURO said:


> Griff,
> 
> I believe the Galactica is considered about a mile long, though there are those that say shorter/longer. Is this model maker considering that in his scale version so we don't end up with a G that's too small?


Yes, he is. At least, according to what he's indicated thus far. He's building up a CGI rendering first and then plans to "build" the parts in a CND machine - rapid prototyping, if that helps. 



mactrek said:


> I've see that too Griff. He's posted a couple of pics of the forward section over on Cult's Board. I don't know if he's gonna go into mass production or not, but it looks pretty good so far!


I wouldn't know about those forums, as I don't go there. He has posted pics at Starship Modeler, tho. However, the only pics he's posted at SM thus far are for the 6" model he's building as a study model for when he gets started on the much larger 22" model (I think). HIs plan is indeed to mass produce the 1/2500 scale kit, but don't recall him mentioning anything similar about the 6" kit.


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

Now that's odd that Revell/Monogram would say "No" to a BSG line because they don't do well with their lines of sci-fi ships. 

They just released the old 1/96 Saturn V model, as well as their 1/400 Queen Mary II model. I got both, but I have to wonder...just how much of a market is there for a Queen Mary II model that costs around 90-100 bux.

And PL is going hot with their releases of the Trek line, such as the 1/350 Enterprise NX-01 and A-Refit, not to mention the other Trek models they're popping out.

Either someone at Revell is clueless or they're keeping tight lipped about a BSG model line release.

Neuro


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## Tholian (Oct 3, 2004)

CAPTNEURO said:


> Now that's odd that Revell/Monogram would say "No" to a BSG line because they don't do well with their lines of sci-fi ships.
> 
> They just released the old 1/96 Saturn V model, as well as their 1/400 Queen Mary II model. I got both, but I have to wonder...just how much of a market is there for a Queen Mary II model that costs around 90-100 bux.
> 
> ...


Like I said, he said they don't do well with the Sci-Fi line. Are the Saturn V and the Queen Mary Sci-Fi? I guess if you throw on a couple of Warp nacelles to the QM, she could pass for Sci-Fi. LOL

And you never know, the guy I was talking to may be in charge of the Car line, hence he was at an all Car show. So maybe he doesn't know what he is talking about. But I thought I would just reply the message of what I was told.


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

I just meant that I would think a sci-fi line has a helleva larger fan base to buy models than something like the QM2 or Saturn V. That's why I contrasted it with Polar Lights having success with their science fiction models.


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## Tholian (Oct 3, 2004)

CAPTNEURO said:


> I just meant that I would think a sci-fi line has a helleva larger fan base to buy models than something like the QM2 or Saturn V. That's why I contrasted it with Polar Lights having success with their science fiction models.


Hope you don't think I was offended, and I hope I didn't offend. Just the way you wrote it, it kind of looked like you were saying they were Sci-Fi models. Just thought it was humorous.

You’re right, like with any model industry, most of the time Sci-Fi is put on the back burner to give more way to cars and Armor. And I think it may be because of the times. Where war has been going on for eons, and Cars started in the early 1900, Sci-Fi, meaning the kind of Sci-fi that made legends, really started around the time of Forbidden Planet. So it has only been around for a good 40 years. And a lot of Modelers that are in the older generation still like those Tanks and cars because the Sci-fi Space ship just isn't a real thing to them.

And don't get me wrong, I like Cars and armor and ships as well. If you have seen my Web Site, I have a variety of stuff I have done over the years except that my Main interest is the Sci-fi area. And that is mostly because with Science Fiction, you can do almost anything at all!

So hopefully some of the Modeling companies will follow suit with Polar Lights and open a big area of Science Fiction Models to bring the younger generation into the hobby.

And By the way, I am 40, so you could call me one of the old timers. LOL
:wave:


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## FoxTrot (Jan 27, 2000)

mactrek said:


> Fox, I understand your point ... but isn't this *SCIENCE fiction? * But, If you wish to look at the realistic side of it, we can do that too....
> 
> I do love the new series and as such watch it religiously. The characters, acting, stories and FX are riveting. However, I'm beginning to find the technical aspect alone somewhat lacking (probably from years of Star Trek Techno-babble).
> 
> CAPTNEURO, you have a private message.


I consent to all your good points, at the end of the day, it is Sci-Fi. I do prefer the non-laser type weaponry though, it just seems more in-keeping with the military atmosphere they have created. IMHO it is the best sci-fi series I have ever watched, and I do hope it continues for many years to come - I have become highly addicted to it like yourself!

I whole-heartedly also wish for some good New-BSG styrene kits, they are begging to be done!!! Fox


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

FoxTrot said:


> I whole-heartedly also wish for some good New-BSG styrene kits, they are begging to be done!!! Fox


I couldn't agree more!! :wave:


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

Tholian said:


> ...a lot of Modelers that are in the older generation still like those Tanks and cars because the Sci-fi Space ship just isn't a real thing to them.


WTH...sci-fi ships aren't real? 

I think they're real...or at least hope so...it's my only chance to get off this rock and find intelligent life-forms. LOL

I'm 36 myself, so I'm in the same ballpark as you when it comes to models. A lot of the models I see out there today are so goofball, insignificant, or don't have the same verve as models when we were tots. And you're right about most models today being either cars (NASCAR) or armour. Just about the only sci-fi or real space models today are re-releases or continuing issues of models that were blown into molds 25-40 years ago.

Anyway, here's hoping modeling companies see the light and produce more sci-fi and real space models. 

Neuro


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## CAPTNEURO (Apr 7, 2004)

I agree...BSG is a helleva show.

I think the major stroke of genius was casting Olmos as Adama. It seemed an odd miscast at first, but his sheer presence, dour demeanor, and facial expressions carried over from his other flics, like "American Me", really work here. In the last episode, as he's laying there unconsious bleeding to death, he still had that upside down frown going on. I couldn't help but LOL at that...pure Olmos Adama.

Regarding the ammo: I agree with what Mac said earlier about the astronomical number of rounds the BSG and Vipers must throw in just one engagement. Energy weapons would have been more in line with the technology of the show. As they get farther out in space, they're not just going to find new ammo. The only solutions I can see are raiding Cylon bases for ammo (if we want to believe Cylons use the same ammo/caliber/etc.) or the BSG and/or some of the other ships have ore refining and ammo producing shops.

Neuro


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## norge71 (Apr 13, 2004)

From what little I know about the weapons, in reality they're called Kinetic-Kill Weapons. Ammo can be litterally anything small enough to fit in the launcher. From an actual bullet to a piece of aluminum foil. 

The navy's latest destroyer (the DDX project) is expected to use a rail gun of sorts similar for its main gun and I read in a recent issue of Seapower that it can cause more damage than a regular gun of similar size, mainly due to the speed (and energy) of the projectile. To see this kind of effect in space, there was an excellent pic at NASA a few years ago of a paint chip embedded in the front windscreen of the shuttle (wish I could find that for ya).

As ships are travelling at speeds in the thousands of mph, add to that the speed of the projectile and really anything will tear anything apart. So in that aspect ammo is cheap since they can use any resource to make the "bullets".


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## X15-A2 (Jan 21, 2004)

Another point about projectile weapons concerns their use, when a pilot is engaged in air-to-air combat with guns, he or she is trained to only fire when the target is in the sights. This seems obvious but it means that bursts are short and rounds are conserved. A WWII fighter may only have had 14 seconds of gun time before reloading but that was more than enough for some pilots to get 5 kills in one mission. Of course the results and methods would vary with the individual skill of the pilot but generally speaking, you would not use the "spray & pray" method. The killing time needed for these engagements actually fairly short (even on this TV show the combat is brief) so the ammo load does not need to be massive. Anyone here who is interested in getting first-hand experience with this subject should try out one of the many excellent combat flight sims available. My favorite is a WWII sim which can be downloaded for free off the Internet which is called "Warbirds". It will allow you experience most of the elements of actual air-to-air gun fighting in a pretty realistic environment and it is available at my favorite price; free. 

I don't remember just off-hand how it has been depicted on screen but if they are showing muzzle flashes on the Viper, then they are not using rail-gun technology. Muzzle flashes only occurr when the projectile is propelled by explosive expanding gases.


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

In part I of "Kobol's last gleaming", Starbuck was loading what I estimate to be 30mm rounds into the Cylon Raider, and she said something about seeing if the Raider could fire using our (Colonial) ammo.

There's no way to know (yet) if this is the same ammo used in the Viper, but at this point it's probably a good bet. 

When any gun (Viper, Raider, hand gun, or "rail gun" on the Galactica herself) is fired it looks like there's a muzzel flash to me ... but then again, it could just be the tracers.

Here's a question ... Would tracers actually work in the vacuum of space?

Granted it does provide a stunning visual effect and makes the dog fight scenes look cool, but they were able to do relatively the same rapid fire sequences with the lasers used on the TOS MK-I Vipers as well.


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## F91 (Mar 3, 2002)

If there is oxygen in the tracer rounds to burn, I guess they could glow. Just a guess. Subjectively, I love the projectiles over energy weapons. Moore states that the vipers guns are rail-type technology.


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## Tholian (Oct 3, 2004)

mactrek said:


> Here's a question ... Would tracers actually work in the vacuum of space?


I assume you could if they were made too, You can Weld under Water! :thumbsup:


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

The Enterprise had AntiMatter engines, but Scotty was always running out of power.

Sci-Fi models? Anyone knows sci-fi is CGI!


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## X15-A2 (Jan 21, 2004)

Tracers should work in a vacuume, it I remember correctly they are made of magnesium which is self-oxidizing. Same stuff underwater flares are made of.


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