Battlestar Galactica
The "Ragtag Fleet"
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It's important to remember that when viewing the pictures shown here, you remind yourself of the diminutive size of the models. They are actually quite small, and therefore any slight flaws seem magnified by these closeup pictures. Nevertheless, the detail of these kits should satisfy any Galactica fan. I will tell you emphatically that the detail far surpasses that evident on any of the official Galactica model kits originally released by Monogram. In the photos shown here, the models' engine exhausts had fluorescent paint applied and were shot using Black Light to make the engines appear lit up. Only colour correction (from the main tungsten lighting) and contrast levels were adjusted and unwanted background clutter (dust on the velvet background, prop rods etc.) were removed. The overall look of the models themselves were not altered. They exist in real life as you see them here. Are they accurate? Well, have a look at the pictures on this page, examine your DVD's of Battlestar Galactica and determine for yourself. If you want my opinion, they are the best examples of such models that are available anywhere at the time of this writing. I highly recommend them. I understand that Timeslip Creations is currently working on further models of the Ragtag Fleet, also to scale with these kits. If I get a chance to build them , they will be added to this page, so if you are interested, check out this page from time to time or go to Timeslip Creations web site. --------------- The first model shown below is the "Livery Ship" which is a multi-piece kit, the most complex and largest of the three and measures only 7-3/4 inches long. The model was painted with Krylon paints and tinted to give it the tanned and weathered look. (The model looks a lot less tinted in the show footage due to degredation of blue-screen photography, lighting and optical film compositing of the time, but the studio model was actually painted a medium tan or buff colour as shown in these photos.) Pencil was used for panel lines on the top of the three discs.   ------------------- The next model up is the "Rising Star". This tiny craft is less than 3-1/4 inches long, and the photographs therefore magnify and betray flaws not apparent when the model is viewed in person. I painted and stripped this model five times, as I found it difficult to arrive at a suitable paint job. What you see below is the final result, which I think captures the look of the original miniature, considerably larger than the finished kit shown here. Again, studio filming makes the ship look more monotone gray on screen, but the original model had a fairly complex paint job with my interpretation replicated here. I admit to a bit of artistic license to make the model work for display. These closeup shots of the extremely small model enhances it's miniscule imperfections. Remember this model is only about the size of your index finger!   ----------------------------- The last one in this group is the "Prison Barge". This is the simplest of the three with a basic white and weathered-with-a-wash paint job and (included with the kit) decals applied. As with the others, fluorescent paint was applied to the engine exhausts to give the lit-up appearance with the help of black light. The model measures a mere 4-3/4 inches in length.    |