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More Zvezda Star Destroyer

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  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
More Zvezda Star Destroyer
Posted by Real G on Monday, January 9, 2017 4:41 PM

Zvezda's Imperial Star Destroyer seems to have ignited build fever in the sci-fi modeling community, and I have been swept up in the excitement!  The second kit is for a friend, as I have no place to hangar two ISDs!

https://flic.kr/p/R1Dehv] [/url]ISD-Box Art by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I spent a fenzied Friday night putting the kit together, and after about six hours had most of it done.  There aren't all that many pieces to the kit despite the nearly 24" finished length.

https://flic.kr/p/QQdLy4] [/url]ISD-02 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I got way too excited and didn't test fit the first couple of sidewall panels on the superstructure.  I got some gaps at the corners, but caught on and test fit and fettled all subsequent panels with excellent gap free results.  The gaps were filled with stretched sprue from the kit.  You can see the gap at the top of the corner joint in this photo.  The lower levels have been filled and await some gentle scraping and sanding.

https://flic.kr/p/PQenHH] [/url]ISD-11 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Detail is quite nice and consistent overall.  You could add more, but what is there is good enough to my eyes.

https://flic.kr/p/PMuoWy] [/url]ISD-10 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/R1Fhhz] [/url]ISD-06 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The kit does not match any particular filming model in the little details (Star Wars, Empire, or Rogue I), but I will use the Force and not be swayed to endlessly modify it.  This is going to be a quick (for me), simple build without any heavy mods.  I am so jazzed that we finally have a good quality beeeg ISD in plastic!

 

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    August 2009
  • From: Bluegrass
Posted by robiwon on Monday, January 9, 2017 5:27 PM

Wow, that was a quick build! 

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Monday, January 9, 2017 5:51 PM

robiwon

Wow, that was a quick build! 

"I am with the force, the Force is with me.  I am with the force, the Force is with me..."  Cool

I'm not going to light my model, because you know, I'm with the Dark Side.  Stick out tongue

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Northeast WA State
Posted by armornut on Monday, January 9, 2017 6:32 PM

Can I be your friend RealG? I can PM my address to ya LOL. Nice looking build, keep stoking the fire boys, ol'armornut will convince his better half and the Russian Parliment to get mine.

we're modelers it's what we do

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Monday, January 9, 2017 6:49 PM

armornut

Can I be your friend RealG? I can PM my address to ya LOL. Nice looking build, keep stoking the fire boys, ol'armornut will convince his better half and the Russian Parliment to get mine.

Ha ha Armornut!  I didn't catch your meaning for a few seconds!  Revell Germany is bringing this kit to the West around April of this year, so hold tight and you may be able to buy one from your LHS at a decent price.

Darn Putin and his Cold War cronies, this is one awesome kit that all Star Wars fans should have!  I think everyone who buys it will at least at one time slowly pass it overhead while making that heavy humming noise - I already did.  Three times!  Stick out tongue  Heh heh, it brings back memories of a twelve year old kid sitting in a theater, completely disconnected from the world for two hours.  That was a long time ago, in a theater far, far away...

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Northeast WA State
Posted by armornut on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 1:20 PM

LOL Real G, as I have metioned before my stash really doesn't need anymore stock, b u t a HUGE Star Destroyer is just to cool to pass up. Totally get the galaxy far far away.... Thanks for the heads up on the possible future Revell Germany release. Would make things easier than igniting another cold war with our new soviet friends LOL. Keep up the good work sir.

we're modelers it's what we do

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 1:31 PM

Armornut, hopefully the RoG boxing will be close to the price in Russia (around $80).  It's still a lot of money, but I think it is worth it!

And now for a small update.  The only area that I think needs a little added detail are the sides of the notches in the perimeter trenches along the hull.  The kit has exposed joints in these areas and are bereft of any greeblies.

https://flic.kr/p/R7kjf6] [/url]ISD-15 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/R7kj8x] [/url]ISD-16 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/R7kj5X] [/url]ISD-17 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/R7kiXT] [/url]ISD-18 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I have the "Star Wars Chronicles" EP IV and Ep V books out, so I will be studying photos to determine what should go over these areas.

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 4:40 PM

I was really concerned that the two part hull halves would be a problem fitting flush and holding together once joined, but it wasn't a big deal.  The upper hull needed more scraping at the lapped joint to get a flush fit.  The lower hull only needed a little work.  The resulting joints are very strong.  Note the raised detail along the hull edges are mismatched at the joint lines.  This occurs on all four joints, but I'm leaving them be because I am a lazy butt.

Upper hull:

https://flic.kr/p/RjMrHP] [/url]ISD-26 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Lower hull:

https://flic.kr/p/RgjHQb] [/url]ISD-27 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I had a brain fart for the stand support structure, so I hastily started cutting sheet plastic and ended up with this:

https://flic.kr/p/R5uAGL] [/url]ISD-21 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

It was made up as I went, so it was unnecessarily complicated and inefficient.  A lot of the reinforcing would not have been needed if a really thick bottom plate was used.  I used 0.040" plate, but 0.080" would have been better.

The model will be supported by a single tubular pylon inserted into the space occupied by the reactor dome, so the dome had a mounting tube and rare earth magnets installed to allow it to be easily removed.  A loop of tape is needed to pluck out the dome from the hull, but attention was paid to arrive at the correct amount of Force Cool to extract it. 

https://flic.kr/p/R89uoK] [/url]ISD-25 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The tube going to the middle main engine provides a means to mount the model in a vertical attitude, for painting first and possibly photography with the reactor dome in place later.  Again magnets are used to hold the engine in place.  The magnets attached to the support tube were intentionally set a little farther forward than the matching magnets inside the short mounting tube, so the the engine gets "sucked" into place and stays there.

https://flic.kr/p/QJryff] [/url]ISD-22 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Workmanship is not very pretty, but no one will see any of this once the hull is closed.

 

 

 

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 12:27 PM

OK now I'm starting to fool around...

https://flic.kr/p/R9PKbM] [/url]ISD-28 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Even though the area over the removable reactor dome is out of sight, I could not help "greeblie-ing" it up just a little.  The bare area in the center is to provide a spot for the support tube to take the considerable weight of the model.

https://flic.kr/p/RgZwV7] [/url]ISD-29 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Very little can be seen, but it was fun doing it!  OK, time to settle down and move on.

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, January 20, 2017 11:23 AM

Really clever idea, if I ever get around to picking one up I might have to swipe it for myself. Wink

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

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