Man, that Raider is looking good! Taking the time to really mask things perfectly is something I need to work on. And the War of the Worlds kit looks really slick – I’d like to do that one someday. Very nice finished example from an Amazon customer: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qNebGJxEL.jpg 

I just got my first airbrush ever, so I’ll have to do a couple of <$20 practice models before I dive into my Aliens APC build. Don’t want to ruin it!

First Airbrush, eh? You`ve entered a whole new world!! Good idea on some practice, it`ll come quick!!

Hi Kafzeil.

When I started practicing with my new airbrush I used something even cheaper than $20 kits, used plastic water/soft drink bottles.  I still keep a few near my spray booth to check on how well my paint is going to behave when I use it.  I cannot remember where I got the tip from but I thought I would pass it along.

Very nice work Rob, epic feat of masking there!

Kafziel: Good luck! A little practice and you'll be used to the thing in no time!

Here's the top and bottom of the hull with the first spray of gray:

Here's the top with light gray post-shade (ran out of paint for bottom LOL):

The Cyclon Raider is coming along quite well. As it's a beast, it's sucking up my gray paint supply!! I'm heading out today to try to get some more paint and then I'll be able to do the entire thing in a clear coat of Future, pin washing and then final oil weathering. I suspect this will be finished sooner than I expected for such a massive kit.

Your Raider is looking very sharp Rob.  I am really impressed at how well the details are showing up, even before any washes.  I have yet to screw up enough courage to try pre-/post- shading anything with my airbrush, mostly out of fear that courage isn't what will wind up screwed up!  

Rob H....Due to the massive scale of this beasty, it's really not difficult at all. There's so much room, you can't really go wrong. I'll be hosing it down with a ton'o clear later and more detail will 'pop'.

waynec

i really like working with artist oils. the DOOG got me started on using them last year.

picked up the 1/32  T-2 HKT (Hunter Killer Tank) to go with the T-2 AHK. better price at LHS before ipms 15% discount than i've seen on line. guess i best rent the movie to see these in action, eh. and learn to paint ALCAD.

You lucky dog! You have both! But I wonder why they associated this with T2 and not the original film. You only see them in the opening sequence of T2 briefly, while in the original "Terminator" movie had several sequences featuring the HKs.

LOVE Terminator swag!!

Here's the big beast with Future layed on. I will let that set up for a few hours then hit the bottom:

Took some 'artistic licence' and added some striping for visual interest on the back deck:

thanks. will have to get the original again from the library. the tank is HUGE. i can envision a dio parked next to a 1/35 something. maybe a figure with an RPG or a molotov cocktail. seems of late everything i buy has me thinking vignette or diorama. i have enough trouble staying focused on a build and now i have gotten in to 1/72 armor.

great work on the Raider. I have that kit and you really set a high bar for me. Well I got the Alpha jet cleaned up and ready for primer and paint. Going to do it up in a blue and white scheme and the Beta fighter I was planning on a red and white scheme.

Looking great so for Rob!

I was hoping to get it done today, but, I had to work. Anyway, time for the oil wash to set up anyway. Will crack back at it tomorrow as I'm off for the day and I pretty much think I'll sum her up...I hope.

She is looking sharp! You done a fine job on that shading. I'm still in the spay painting mode on my WOW kit,  having to do multiple coats and experimenting with sanding between coats.

shivinigh

great work on the Raider. I have that kit and you really set a high bar for me. Well I got the Alpha jet cleaned up and ready for primer and paint. Going to do it up in a blue and white scheme and the Beta fighter I was planning on a red and white scheme.

Shiv...were you also taken aback by the size of this Moebius Raider?? I'm going to admit, out loud, had I known that this was soooo massive, I probably would have passed on it. I like the results I'm getting so far, but, really, I don't know where I'm going to put this thing .

Great progress thus far on the jets...how big are they?? They seem small..any idea the scale?

ya the size of the raider was unreal. I also have the viper Mk 1 kit of the same scale. It is as long as the raider is round.

The scale for the alpha beta jets are 1/72 but they seem more like 1/100. Haven't had a chance to do any measurements but I have the monogram leader 1 kit which is an alpha fighter. It is also in 1/72 scale but is larger in size. The model is 5 1/4 inches long.

Thanks for that. Yeah, imagine the Colonials squaring off against these things. The original series NEVER gave any illusion of the size. Now, I get it, there are 3 Cylons in the cockpit with the pilots sitting side by side, but, sheesh..she's big!! When I'm done, I'll pose my already done Moebius Viper beside it (mostly to scare the bejeezus outta 'ole Starbuck, LOL).

Rob: The Raider is looking fantastic! I love how you've made an all grey ship there interesting and vibrant. Guess I'd never really thought about it but I guess the raider is a all-around fighter, anti-ship, and ground attack craft as compared to the Viper as a mainly space superiority fighter so it makes some sense.

Shiv: Looks good!

Gamera

Rob: The Raider is looking fantastic! I love how you've made an all grey ship there interesting and vibrant. Guess I'd never really thought about it but I guess the raider is a all-around fighter, anti-ship, and ground attack craft as compared to the Viper as a mainly space superiority fighter so it makes some sense.

Shiv: Looks good!

Funny, it's a question some people tried to explain on a site I used to read a lot of:

1). The current Raider was actually 'inherited' from the original reptilian true Cylons. Apparently the mechanical Cylons can't really invent anything on their own and keep using the old equipment of their creators. Not sure why the reptilian Cylons needed a crew of three though esp the guy in the middle that just sits there and issues orders.

2). Centurions aren't  very bright. The gold command Centurions and IL series might get an over-clocked quad-core four gigahertz brain but the regular Centurions have to make do with a single-core one gig Celeron processor.

3). Three crew give them more 'man'-power for boarding actions and ground assaults.

4). Because the FX department thought it looked cool!!!

One of the few things I like about the new show is the idea- why not just put the friggin' computer INSIDE the fighter instead of having a robot fly it?!?! This oddly was one the things that the new show kept from the Tom de Santo continuation movie/series that Sci-Fi gave the axe and threw out about 95% of it.

Sorry Wayne- didn't mean to go THAT far off subject!!!  

Why thank you Gam, your 'geek' is strong!!! 

And on that note, I'm calling this 1/32 Moebius Cylon Raider as DONE!! First off, forgive my photography. I just have a phone cam, and, this thing was too big to 'stage' like I'd normally do with a 'normal' size plane.

Here's it 'taking up my whole bench' from the top:

Straight on:

An interesting reaction took place when I over-sprayed the entire surface with Testors Dull lacquer. The artist oil weathering broke up. Now, as this is a SciFi kit, I like it!! I hope the photo shows the neat detail and texture to the surface:

Underside: