Building a full scale Battlestar Galactica Viper ship #BattlestarGalactica #SoSayWeAll
Baz Builds on Facebook is building a full scale replica of a Battlestar Galactica Mk.II Viper fighter ship. Frakkin’ awesome. From Baz’ FAQ:
I welcome and encourage questions and am thrilled to have you all along for the journey. This build log is long, so folks often miss the questions that have been answered several times.
Here are some FAQs to help save both your time and mine.
I’ve been at this for years and have thought it through carefully. Safety is my key concern. Where strength/stability issues are of concern, I have over-engineered to be sure. I have a long background with freight , (road, air and sea) and construction of all kinds.
Please note, this is the 2003 version, MkII colonial Viper. It is NOT the 1978 version, MkI. It does not have lasers, turbo-boost, nor motor bikes in the belly.
Q – Why are you building some parts movie-accurate, while other things seem to have a lot of creative licence?
A – I am taking some artistic licence with the engines. An X-Wing fighter on display at a local shopping centre, made me realise that static displays can be boring. Its size was imposing and it looked great from a distance, but up close it was a bit basic. My engines and the entire ship will be multi-layered with light, sound and motion. That’s the way I want it.
Q – What is it made of?
A – The frame is steel under plywood formers, spaced apart to give shape and proportion.
The shell is recycled polystyrene, sanded and shaped to support the fibreglass skin. The resin is polystyrene-friendly.
Q – How are you going to fit it out of your shed?
A – On 3X heavy-duty steel framed dollys, each rated at 800kg SWS.
The wings and tail are removable making it only 2.4 metres wide. The roller door is 4 metres wide, so there’s plenty of room to get it out of the workshop and onto a trailer.
Q – How much does it weigh?
As of 02 March 2022, 755kg. When complete it will be nearly 1000kg.
Q – That sounds heavy. Won’t it be difficult to move?
A – No. Employment of tools such as ropes, chains, winches, chocks, block and tackle are but a few at my disposal.
Q – How many hours have you spent on the Viper?
A – I don’t keep a log. I started in April 2017 after a false start on a cardboard attempt in 2015. As of October 2023, it’s days away from finishing.
Q – How do you do it? You seem to have so much time on your hands.
A – I get this a lot. I have a job and three kids. I have little spare time. But what is spare time? It’s any time that you could use productively, that you are likely not using as best you could. Playing a PC game? Watching a TV show? Sleeping more than you need to? I wait until everyone else has gone to bed, then go to my shed and create.
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