Moebius 2001 XD-1 DISCOVERY - Polystyrene - 1/144 - Yves Vidal - Finished

[yvesvidal]

Working on the paint of the propulsion block and on the exhaust of the thrusters. All the pods are painted German Grey as a sub-layer in preparation for the white veil. By the way, if you do not have an airbrush, please don't buy this kit. Impossible to paint otherwise. 

First veil has been applied. There are significant gaps between the exhaust bulkheads and the enclosure and I am using some white glue to fill up the tiny cracks. It is quite surprising to find issues, as this kit is very well put together. Some tests of the thrusters: 

The egress ports will be painted black.

 

In the middle of space, far from Earth....

Yves 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

The rear section is now complete. I am quite happy with the white veil, as it remains subtle and allows some of the grayish color underneath to reveal the many details of the pods and propulsion unit: 

The thrusters are also painted and the inside of the egress ports has been painted flat black:

Hmmm... I may have to do very small touch-ups with white on the nozzles....

 

Yves

[Katuna]

Looking really good. That darker gray gives it a good amount of shading. Are you going to put a light wash on it to bring the details out? I know you weren't going to weather it much.

[CapnMac82]

When they made the sequel, one of the big issues was that A, Kubrick had all the studio models destroyed (so they'd not show back up in cheap scifi)., and B, Kubrick only ever intended to use the ship[ in some long, specific shots.  Which is why the thing is long and linear and repetitive, yet has little detail.  It was a narrative placemarker, not an actual part of the narrative.  Especially as it was the internal nature of the ship, the ship as a character, that was the production intent.

 

So, for 2010, they actually rebuilt Discovery from scratch.

[hof00]

Looking Awesome!!

 

I have the Movie on DVD and 2010.

 

At 42 inches long, it's "Long...." How are you intending to mount this? (Maybe with an asteroid spinning/tumbling silently through the void?)

(The thing with the Kubrick film that stands out is the absolute silence of space)

 

Cheers....HOF.

 

[yvesvidal]

With the rear spine completed, it is now time, of course, to start working on the front spine: 

The forward rod is put in place in the central module and inserted all the way into the brass tube. Fitting is perfect and very tight. Then, the PODs holder modules are placed and carefully glued. Finally the forward spine is removed from the Central module and the rear section left aside. It is simply not practical to work on the entire vessel as it is far too long and too fragile.

 

It is then time to start assembling the anchor of the living spaces, the main sphere and unique landmark of this vessel: 

And this is where we stand: 

The whole vessel is starting to come together: it is really long and so skinny...

Seeing a picture of Discovery or watching the movie is one thing. Holding that skeleton of model is another.... It is quite unique.

 

The electrical wires are driven through the spine and the positive side of the circuit will be connected to the second side holder. The holder is a 3 mm special brass nut designed to be inserted with pressure into wood or plastic. It will then be glued and secured to the front anchor of the living space. 

Yellow and green wires will be sent to the sphere for the main deck lights. The rear of the sphere is also receiving a piece of that brass tube to make the alignment of the sphere perfect with the spine and to prevent any sagging. The sphere is going to be heavy with the PE decks and lights. Besides, it is a massive piece of polystyrene.

Here is what it will look like: 

For the time being, I want to be able to dissociate the sphere from the spine. This is done to work more easily on the background and holder and to allow me more flexibility with the inside building and painting of the sphere. Again, I am using my miniature rare earth magnets and their terrific sticking power to secure the rear section of the sphere with the spine: 

That section (below) will be tied to the spine, whereas the section (above) is the rear section of the sphere.

Yves

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2020 by yvesvidal

[Javlin]

Cool Yves!! I do a black base at times usually larger scales like the B-25 build up light coats of paint makes the recess darker/shadow. Kevin

Edited January 13, 2020 by Javlin

[yvesvidal]

Still working on the forward spine. First, some Primer (Vallejo): 

Details of the anchor and electrical feed. The device is glued with epoxy two components for extra strength. Once the lid (right) is closed, it will not be possible to access the wires and anchor nut: 

I just finished assembling the some 30 PODs required for the front spine.... Slightly boring, but not too bad overall. In this picture, you can see the difference between the plain molded white of the parts and the base coat in dark gray, oversprayed with white. It is worth the extra efforts, for sure. 

All the PODs are in place and glued to the spine:

A heavy coat of dark gray (German Grey) to finalize the whole Kebab: 

Yves

 

[RichardG]

6 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

In this picture, you can see the difference between the plain molded white of the parts and the base coat in dark gray, oversprayed with white. It is worth the extra efforts, for sure. 

Wow, the difference is amazing. Definitely worth the effort.

 

Looking forward to seeing the finished model (although it'll need a really wide monitor to see it in it's full glory!)

 

All the best,

Richard.

 

[lmagna]

Great build!

wouldn't it have been stronger if you had used the center tube/spine as a mounting for the anchor/electrical feed using a Y or T mounting?

[yvesvidal]

6 hours ago, lmagna said:

Great build!

wouldn't it have been stronger if you had used the center tube/spine as a mounting for the anchor/electrical feed using a Y or T mounting?

No, that would not make it: front and rear would be sagging.... These tubes, although made of steel, are somewhat flexible.

Yves

[popeye the sailor]

awesome so far Yves!  I do wonder about the magnets though,  since it will be suspended on a stand base.   are you going to cement it all together,  or are you going to have parts of it undocked from the station?

[yvesvidal]

38 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

awesome so far Yves!  I do wonder about the magnets though,  since it will be suspended on a stand base.   are you going to cement it all together,  or are you going to have parts of it undocked from the station?

Popeye, 

 

the sphere will be unglued from the rest of the vessel. The ship will rest horizontal, and with the magnets, the tight fit of the copper tube on the steel rod and the three little plastic prongs, the Sphere/Living spaces should hold decently. In addition, there will be electrical wires....so I am pretty confident, it will stay in place.

 

Yves

[popeye the sailor]

interesting!  I ask because at work,   we have been fitting new GPS units on our trailers,  and they use magnets to keep them in an inactive state until they are installed.  the magnets are 1/2 in in diameter and 1/8 of an inch thick  they look like what your using,  although yours do look smaller.   they are strong little buggers...I will say that  

 

superb job on the model so far.......I really like the way your going to anchor the model to the stand.

[yvesvidal]

58 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

isuperb job on the model so far.......I really like the way your going to anchor the model to the stand.

Thank you Popeye. I hope that my whole anchoring idea is going to work.... 3 mm times two, should do the trick.... crossing my fingers.

 

Yves

[RichardG]

K&J Magnetics, which is where I've purchased Neodymium magnets, gives the pull strength for each of their magnets. So for example an N52 1/8" dia, 3/8" long cylinder has a pull of just over 1lb. (3.2mm x 9.5mm, .45kg). They are amazing for their size. They even have a 4"x4"x1" block with a 580lb pull (and a price to match)! If you're in the US, I would recommend them. They have no minimum order and have a wide selection of sizes and shapes. They also have lots of fun and useful information about these magnets on the site.

 

Richard.

 

 

[yvesvidal]

A major milestone has been attained: front and rear spines have been connected to each other: 

It does not sag too much. Obviously, this brass piece of tube, helps tremendously. I can actually hold the ship from the propulsion block without much noticeable sagging. Of course, once the living quarters (Sphere) will be in place, it will be another story:

I am now going to start working on the frame, used to display the model, and will try to finish the front electrical connections, so that I can close the lid on the front section.

 

Yves

 

[Katuna]

Why, that's almost as long as a U-Boat! So I'm guessing that when you choose a model, it's based on length? 

 

That is going to look so cool when it's finished. Fantastic work thus far!

[popeye the sailor]

time will be a factor as well.........are you going to suspend it by two or three attachment points?   looks awesome!   from my constant browsing on the old model kits site,  I've noticed an increase of missile and rocket models.   they just received one of the older Mercury kits

it even comes with the Mercury and Gemini detail sets

 

[yvesvidal]

Connections sealed: 

Yves

[thibaultron]

And, in twist of plot, the space ship and crew, are attacked by the Giant Claws Of Death!

[mtaylor]

3 hours ago, thibaultron said:

And, in twist of plot, the space ship and crew, are attacked by the Giant Claws Of Death!

Nice observation, Ron.   

[Old Collingwood]

One year I might get round to getting one of these to build  as you have inspired me.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Yves

You're doing a marvelous job on the Discovery. The kit itself far exceeds my expectations of what was inside. A very interesting model to say the least.

[Katuna]

Dubz - Ooh, that's real purdy! Always wanted to build an Eagle. That may just push me into it. Can't wait to see what the aftermarket comes up with to enhance it.

[lmagna]

6 hours ago, Dubz said:

You should get the new one:

How does that compare to the 1/48th Eagle that came out a few years ago?

 

My personal favorite from 2001, (And hardest to get) is the Aries moon shuttle. I always thought that outside of the Discovery it was the most practical of the ships in the movie. I was able to get a small one of about 5 or 6" in resin a few years ago. I also think the Moebius Moon Bus was kind of neat. A little like an RV with rockets! 

Edited January 17, 2020 by lmagna

[CapnMac82]

Don't forget to double check the AE-35 unit before installing it. [:)]

[Old Collingwood]

On 1/17/2020 at 9:22 AM, Dubz said:

You should get the new one:

 

https://www.culttvmanshop.com/Space-1999-Eagle-NEW-KIT--172-scale-from-MPCRound-2-_p_4762.html

 

I have 3 Eagles on my build list 🙂

 

Dirk

 

Thanks Dirk.👍

 

OC.

[yvesvidal]

In parallel to the building of the frame to display the model, I am starting the antennae module, containing the infamous AE-35 device that is the reason HAL 9000 invokes to terminate the astronauts aboard the Discovery: 

The parts are very delicate and the main cross was broken in my box. A coat of German Grey before applying the white color on top.

Below is a picture of Stanley Kubrick, inspecting the original antennae prop built for the 2001 Movie: 

Yves

 

Edited January 22, 2020 by yvesvidal

[mtaylor]

Well, let's hope the AE-35 doesn't run amok and try to kill you.    Looking great.