B5 Space Station - 16 Dec (Done)

[RLFoster]

So, after shooting some primer on my current build this morning, I pulled out the next project.  This one has been sitting on my shelf for literally 10+ years.  It's the first retooled (and oldest from 1997) Revell kit of the Babylon 5 Space Station in 1:26100 Scale...or so they claim.

The thing is, I really have no interest in building this kit as a replica of the station from the TV series.  I want to build it as a replica of the PROP station as seen on-screen in the actual show.

You see, many years ago, I was rewatching the entire B5 series on DVD (yes, I still own them) and noticed that both the Revell station and the Revell Starfury model kits had been built and used, on-air, as props inside Captain John Sheridan's office.  After subscribing to HBO Max last year, I discovered that B5 was available for streaming and worked my way through the series once again.  It was really my seeing the prop on screen this time that moved the build up on the schedule and got me looking for reference photos online.

For those of you who might be completely lost at this point, here is what I'm talking about.  First, I located a screen shot from the episode entitled "Fall of Night" where you can just make out the kit, built as a bronze replica, sitting on a pedestal in the far left of this image:

Not a very good photo, but it spurred me on and later that day I found another screen shot, this time from the episode "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum".  In this one, the model is more easily seen between Bruce Boxleitner and Jerry Doyle:

However, it wasn't until the next day when I found the Holy Grail...the model in all it's glory, front and center in this screen shot from "Divided Loyalties":

As you can see in this image, the art department did not use the solid plastic kit base and instead created a simple clear acrylic stand, presumably to allow the light mounted in the pedestal below to illuminate the model from below on set.  Since I'm not worried about lighting the model and really think the base provided in the kit will build up nicely, I'll likely be using it.  However, the station itself will be built as a "desk replica" in this simulated brass/bronze finish.

Anyway, I'm jumping the gun just a bit since the current build in still in-work, but I might tinker around with this one if I need to wait on paint to dry with the current build.

Until next time...

[RLFoster]

Well, while waiting for the paint to dry on my armor model, I opened up this kit, reviewed the instructions, and started gluing plastic together. It didn't take long - like 5 minutes - to identify the first problem with my plans and shake my head with the way the kit is designed. Here's an example:



These two parts are the vertical supports that hold the space station above the base...one at the front and one at the rear. No biggie, right? Wrong!

The circular sections of these supports are NOT just the supports, but are actually portions of the space station itself, being thin sections where larger elements are tied together. This means that if the kit is build as designed, the station and the base are permanently attached together through these parts. Unless I paint the components BEFORE assembly, I would need to do a bunch of masking afterward in order to paint things properly. Additionally, and this might just be a personal thing, this configuration will not look very "professional" and certainly not like a nice desk display model would be manufactured in 2359.

So, now I'm exploring my options. I'm already pretty much resigned to cutting the circular portions off these parts, but after that I'm still debating. I could reshape the upper part of the supports into simple half-moons and rest the station on those. I could also abandon these parts completely and mount the station on one or two simple brass posts that I'd need to buy.

However, these are questions for another day.

Until next time...

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

[bravo1jon]

Awesome. I didn't know this kit even existed. Looking forward to watching you build this one.

[Steve Ski]

Nice change, gonna watch this one

[JCON]

[JED]

I'm not a fan of sci-fi stuff but I do like the look of the various vehicles etc people come up with. I'm looking forward to watching the build.

[Dukemaddog]

Wow, what a fantastic idea and project Robert! I built one of those as well, only in the original show configuration. Right now mine is sitting on the shelf of doom since the six solar panels are broken off. I need to find one and then get them all reinstalled. My suggestion: add some metal rod inside the joins for those to keep them in place.


I'm sure you'll have the stand part figured out soon. Take your time getting it done.

[RLFoster]

Nov 8, 2021 15:19:50 GMT -6 Dukemaddog said:

I built one of those as well, only in the original show configuration. Right now mine is sitting on the shelf of doom since the six solar panels are broken off. I need to find one and then get them all reinstalled. My suggestion: add some metal rod inside the joins for those to keep them in place.

Thanks for the warning, Mark.

I'll be sure to watch out for those parts when the time comes.

[RLFoster]

Another week done...

While waiting for other steps on my armor build to dry or cure, I managed to get a few plastic pieces on this build put together.

The front section of the station is made up of just 4 parts and if it weren't for the forward "globe" seam needing some filling, it would have gone together in minutes. Even accounting for puttying, drying, and sanding, the parts went together easily:



Then I cleaned up the last forward piece (essentially, the forward most command section) and set it in place to show the engineering I mentioned in my earlier post. In this photo you can see the part dry fit in place. The smaller diameter gap is where the front station support (the left of the two in my earlier photo) would go and NOT be glued. These parts would slide through the support opening, be glued to each other, and allow the station to rotate in the support. It's a "cute" design for a 14 year old fan of the show, but for a model builder, it's a pain!



Anyway, that's all the progress I've made on this while I focus on my other build.

Until next time...

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

It's interesting to see how these go together.

[RLFoster]

Not a lot of progress on this one for the week. I did spend a day cutting the sections of the station away from the supports on which they were molded:



This took a fair about of effort as there was a bit of extraneous plastic that had to be ground and filed away. Here's a companion shot to the one in the last update that shows the smaller station section dry-fit in place behind the command section:



Still working diligently on my other model. Progress on this one will continue to be slow until that one is done.

Until next time...

[JCON]

Nice clean work so far... keep it going!

[RLFoster]

Simple update today...

I didn't take many photos of the build because honestly, the kit pretty much fell together. There was a little putty work, but nothing major.

Anyway, construction is done and both primer and clearcoat have been applied:



Now I just need a couple free days to get the painting done - something that's getting harder and harder as Christmas approaches.

Until next time...

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

You can do it, Rob!

[Dukemaddog]

Robert I know how you feel. Yeah, I need to get some painting done as well. This already looks fabulous in black, I like it!

[RLFoster]

Well, five weeks from starting and this build is done. It was exactly what I wanted it to be, a quick end-of-the-year build to cleanse the pallet before the new year.

Here's a quick recap of the painting steps:

With the base painted black, the first thing I did was mask off the areas to remain black:



Then, using a variety of colors, I painted a somewhat colorful, nebula-like background:



After that, I masked off everything except the 5:



Using the traditional color for the original series, I painted the 5 a deep yellow:



Once that was done, I painted the over-sprayed letters with black so the backgrounds would all be uniform for final painting:



The last steps on the base were to add color and outlines to the letters, some black dust clouds, random stars in white, blue, yellow, and red, some bright edging to the clouds, and finally some white highlights to the colorful nebula:



And with that the build was done. Oh, wait...what about the station itself? Well, that was simply sprayed with Model Master Brass Metalizer, allowed to dry, and then just set on the original base pieces - in a slightly different position:



And with that, it's done. More photos coming in the completed thread.

Until next time...

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Way Cool!!

[Dukemaddog]

Oh man that ROCKS Robert! Brilliant work! Wow that is so phenomenal!

[RLFoster]

Thank you both, Bruce and Mark!