Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Time to start on my next project! :D And this time I thought I would include you guys in the progress. I feel I have missed out by not tapping the wide expanse of knowledge that exists on this forum. And with this next project I will be exploring new ground, so I will need all the help I can get!

This is going to be a mod based on the SciFi series, "Battlestar Galactica." I plan to mod my CM Stacker 830
in the style of the Galactica. I'm still in the design and conceptual phase, and I hope to get it drawn up in Sketchup soon.
I will post more detailed pics at that time.

I think this will be a fun one to do! I really enjoy the new BSG TV series, and it has many elements I can draw from for ideas.
And this case will be a huge canvas upon which to work, so there will be plenty of real estate to work with.

Not really sure how I will be able to work on this once my garage gets torn down, but I will figure something
out when the time comes. I'm just itchin' to start something new! :D

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Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Ok, some long-awaited pics. :D I messed around in Sketchup, and after many, many long late-night hours I came up with
a VERY rough mockup of what I'm planning for this Stacker case. I tried to retain alot of the original lines of the case,
so you could look at it and know this used to be a Stacker 830. Its lines match up so well with the Galactica, I think it adds
to the overall look (not to mention makes my job a lot easier!). So without further ado, here are the pics! (yeah, like you actually
read this whole thing before looking at them :P )







The top of the case will have the launch bay running through it from front to back, and the landing strip will be lit up on the inside.
The front will sport a 7" lcd monitor (A Boddaker first!), and the BSG insignia below it. I have special plans for that, and you
will have to wait and see (couldn't divulge all my plans first off, that just wouldn't be much fun :P )
The sides will have vertical ribbing to match the top launch bay, with the centers being the armor plating. (retaining the stacker's
side vent shape). There will be four engines, two on each side that will function as either fresh air intake, or exhaust. Haven't
decided yet. I apologize for the crudeness of the engines. Sketchup was not willing to cooperate with me when trying to create
complex curves (as evidenced from the top launch bay). So I cheated a bit and stole the engines off of an existing Galactica
model I found in Google's 3D Warehouse. But I think you get the idea.

I'm still hammering out the details, and don't have a clue what I will do with all that room on the inside. I do know that I am
going all out and doing a full-on watercooling setup! :D (Another Boddaker first) So all you l337 WC gurus be prepared
to answer a ton of questions!

So there ya go. As always I welcome all your comments and criticisms. I am now off to watch more BSG episodes (got all of season 2 the other day :) )

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Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Dam that is a cool Idea. I wish I could come up with something like that. Go for it!

Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Woah, nice job man, that is a killer sketchup!

Looking forward to the fabrication stage of your project!

Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

I thought of making a Cylon Baystar theme, but I'm at least a year away from concept.

Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Nice drawing. Looking forward to seeing some construction. I know how long you can sit and do drawings trust me. I have a complete construction drawing detailing everything I looked at and considered prior to going to construction.:)

Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Thanks guys, I hope to get started on it soon. Now comes the part where I have to figure out materials and construction procedures. I have an idea of how to easily get the rib effect without having to physically make them all individually. I'm thinking for the top launch bay, I can create the basic dome shape out of foam, then apply a thick coat of putty or sculpy or something, and use a notched trowel to form the ribs. I may have to make a trowel if I can't find a suitable one at the tile store. I will have to experiment with it to see if it will work or not.

Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

I actually managed to start on this today! :D Been doing most of the work on paper, trying to figure out the best way to build it,
especially the top landing bay, as it will be the most complex and detailed part of the case.

So what's the first thing that you gotta do when starting any case mod?
That's right- Disassemble the donor case!

After taking some measurements, I set off to what's left of my garage to cut a pattern for the foam out of 1/8" fiber board.

I made up a simple jig with a piece of alum flat bar. Traced my curved lines on both sides so they are symmetrical,

And cut out the pattern.

Set it on the case for fit,

And proceeded to cut the foam using the pattern and a long bladed knife.

Cut two pieces. These will be glued together, and glued onto the fiber board as well.

Sorry, that's all I got done tonight. But at least I started! After gluing, I will commence the cutting, shaving, trimming, and slicing
of the foam to the landing bay shape. Once the basic shape is attained, then I can coat it with resin or fiberglass.
Although I have been eyeballing this stuff called Plasti-Paste by Smooth-On. It's a trowelable fiber resin that cures into a durable
plastic in just 90 minutes. It would be ideal for making up the landing bay top, and all those ribs too. I would just have to work
in sections, what with its 10 minute pot life and all. :wink:

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Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod
 

Made a start?

Good lad.

Gonna be a good 'un.

Re: Battlestar Galactica Mod: Landing Bay
 

I hate it when work gets in the way of modding! :x

Well, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped this week, but I will post up what I did get done last weekend. I plan to get more done tomorrow to make up for it though. :)

Anyway, here are the carving pics. Snagging the electric turkey carver from the kitchen (shhh- dont tell Mrs. Boddaker! lol),
I started shaving the foam down to the landing bay shape.

Then I took the drywall sander and rounded the sides smooth. And yes, I was wearing a respirator the whole time.

Then I hacked off the ends, and marked the eventual openings.

Since that Plasti-Paste has just a 10minute pot life (length of time you have to work with the stuff before it sets up),
I cordoned off sections with strips of cardboard held in with brads.

The Plasti-Paste comes in two containers: One with the fiber reinforced paste, the other a liquid. Mix the two at a 3:1 ratio respectively.

I mis-judged the amount slightly for my first section, and had a bit left over. So I spread what was left over the other half.
You can almost watch the stuff set up. It changes color from the dark brown paste to the light yellow plastic within minutes.

Here you can really see the color difference between the first hardened section and the one I just laid down.

Completely cured and ready to sand smooth. I actually messed up and forgot to smooth it out more before it set up.
Now I have more sanding work to do. :x

Also because I didn't smooth it out adequately enough prior to it setting up, there are numerous divots that I will have
to fill in as well. I might just bring out the bondo for that, since the plastic is so hard to sand.
I plan to finish this layer tomorrow so I can move on to the fun part - the ribs!

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