Just got my Complete Battlestar Galactica DVD Box Set

Collected my complete Battlestar Galactica DVD Box Set today - Finally. Had to wait nearly 7 months for these to come in since I had wanted only the originals, and almost gave up on her. The long wait was due to Tower Records' unreliable old distributor, though they are pretty good with helping me get some pretty rare classic TV series from the yesteryear's. Anyway I was informed that their old distributor had went out of business a few months ago, leaving them in dire straights as numerous orders went unfulfilled. So they had to go look for these through a new distributor, or so I was told. Nevertheless, it was worth the wait.

Of course I expected a few DVD box casings when I was told the set comes with 37 Discs, but I didn't expect them to be packaged together in one huge and heavy behemoth box. And I must be really either crazy or obsessed with BSG. My back hasn't completely healed (Yeah, threw my back out on Wednesday and am still on pain killers) and I was adamant on collecting her.

The set itself was sealed and very nice though, but pity it didn't come with little souvenirs like the other box sets. Took me a while to figure out how to open her too, since I didn't want to damage the Set's packaging.

Inside, both the old and re-imagined series were packaged into two cardboard boxes, the old in one and the new in the other, and in order too.

The old series consisted of the complete classic Battlestar Galactica series from 1978 - 1980 as follows:

Battlestar Galactica - The Movie

Mission Galactica - The Cylon Attack

BSG Complete Original Series

A bonus disc - no idea what's in this one yet

And then the dreaded Galactica 1980.

I wasn't particularly fond of Galactica 1980 and had always associated her with Star Trek V The Final Frontier - yeah, it never happened. But I guess being a fan, its good to have a complete set of these. I don't mind watching them all over again, despite the crappy story lines.

And then inside the re-imagined series box set, we have the following:

Battlestar Galactica Mini Series

BSG Season 1

BSG Season 2

BSG Season 3

BSG Season 4 Part 1 and includes BSG Razor (TV Movie)

BSG Season 4 Part 2

Bonus Disk - again no idea yet what's inside this one

BSG - The Plan (TV Movie)

And yes, no surprises here, the moment I got home, did all my house chores and began watching BSG from the beginning again. Already finished the classic movie and Mission Galactica, still have all those TV episodes to go. I plan to screen capture lots of images later as the copies are quite clear.

So if you notice me missing for a while, I'm probably in front of the TV. Thank Goodness for the long holiday next week, all that time to relieve my childhood fave TV series. Oh Frak yeah!

Talking about BSG Hangar Bay Dios, What Others Have Done ....

As you know, since Moebius released the MKII Viper, there had been quite a few Hangar Bay dioramas done up throughout the months. Some was comprehensively highlighted in this blog, with the first being from this guy. I didn't save the link, and when I was searching for new BSG accessories, I actually came across his eBay page selling his diorama. Actually I'm not even sure if its the same guy but I took note on some similarities on the figures.

The bid have since ended a long time ago but I finally managed to get his nick and saw that he made more improvements to his diorama piece. Nice work there Craftylandj. His complete hangar bay diorama now consist of two MKII Vipers but missing are the back wall of the hangar bay.

I'll highlight more of that masterpiece later. In the meantime, the most comprehensive hangar bay diorama I have seen to date ... well, without any doubt, the award goes to all those talented modelers from The Science Fiction and Fantasy Modellers UK Club with their group effort showpiece. It was here when the Moebius MKVII was first seen.

And then throughout the course of time, numerous other dioramas surfaced. I'm not sure who built these, but they're quite innovative. I don't think those are Moebius 1/32 Viper kits, most probably 1/72 resin kits, and the tow vehicle do look like a paper model.

Suffice to say, none of these dioramas were able to capture an accurate representation of Galactica's hangar bay and some of these settled for parts of the bay, which is not a bad thing since its not easy trying to replicate that - until now.  

Follow up on Yeti Forge Models BSG Hangar Bay Diorama

Wow, I didn't expect so many enquiries coming my way (and a few to Jason already) though I did expect a few feedbacks. My email inbox was innuendoed with FB notifications as well as quite a few questions pertaining to this Diorama kit, abet some of them are asking the same thing. So instead of answering every single one with the same details, I'm listing most of them here in a general manner (I will notify all of you to look here once this post is complete) for everyone's benefit.

BSG HANGAR BAY DIO KIT F.A.Q.

*Note: Yeti Forge Models is owned by Jason Fraser, so please don't get confused when I use the name "Jason" intermittently here and there. 

1. How come your blog won't let me post any comments?

I have listed a special page on this. I do not really know why, but from what I have read from the net, I am guessing Google is trying to steer away from Internet Explorer. I myself cannot reply any comments using IE or Mozilla Firefox, but I can when I use Google Chrome. Try using Google Chrome if you still cannot add any comments

2. Will this kit come with other accessories like the Viper's ladder, workstations, tools and other furnishings?

At the current moment, there are talks (between Jason and me) about developing some of the accessories seen on the show, but we will probably not touch anything that has already been done elsewhere. I will create another blog post later on to recap on what's out there and where you can get them.

3. Will there be any figures included in 1/32 scale?

At the moment, no. I'm afraid we're still going to need to modify existing 1/32 or 1/35 scale figures for our dios.

4. Will there be a diorama for this Hangar Bay in 1/48 and 1/72 scale?

I'm sure Jason can help you there since he already have the design layout done in 1/32 scale. Do email him at tundrayeti1@yahoo.com I'm sure he is willing to help you.

5. Does the kit come with lighting accessories?

The kit will have all the access points available for lighting as far as I know. Best to ask Jason himself if he provides the lighting set as I am doing my own.

6. Will the entire set be made of ABS plastic? Which parts are resin and which part plastic?

Jason has clarified that the kit is made from PVC sheets, while the railings will be in ABS plastic. I'm not sure which parts are resin but I will highlight more on this once I have the kit in hand. 

7. How much will a section cost?

Each section is going to be different. There is that large Hangar Bay section, then the smaller ones with and without a wall ladder, etc. While a price list have been listed at Yeti Forge Model's website, it is best you write to Jason to enquire.

8. Does Yeti Forge Models ship to Japan/Germany/Australia?

I live in Malaysia, that's somewhere in South East Asia. If he can ship to me here, I believe he is able to cater to your own respective countries. Write to him first about the shipping charges since I don't have any information on this.

9. You mentioned a Control Room and Launch Bay. Where is that located and how does it look like?

Good question. You can see the control room and launch bay HERE while the location on the kit is per the diagram below.

Just for everyone's info so you won't mistake the Launch Bay with the Launch Tube, the launch bay is where the Vipers are hooked to the catapult system just like on an Aircraft Carrier, and its side by side with the control room, accessible via a window.

The launch tube is the area where the Vipers are already launching off Galactica. There is a kit of the Launch Tube created by Chris (E=MC2) and highlighted HERE.

10. How is the kit's quality? Are they fragile?

Good questions. I'll let you know once I have the kit in hand.

I'll update this section when I get more new questions, so I hope in the meantime the above is helpful.  

You want an Accurate New BSG Hangar Bay Diorama? You're going to need Yeti Forge Models

I do believe a lot of BSG fans out there have more than one unit of Moebius Mark II and Mark VII Vipers out there. How do I know? ... OK, so I have more than ten units each, but judging from what I have observed (buying patterns), some of you have more than me. Others, well, at least two of each.

So what do you plan to do with your extra kits? I know a lot of you have this desire to recreate a Hangar Bay diorama, but are not up to scratch building the set pieces yourselves. Then there are the accessories that needs to be present to make the diorama complete, not to mention getting the figures. I don't blame you as I too am guilty of this. Just check out the amount of work you need to do when you see how the actual Hangar Bay look like HERE.

Fret not, as this does not mean you can't achieve your dream dio. A very accurate representation of the new Galactica's Hangar Bay is actually available, right under all our noses, and I am now committed to re-create one very complete section.

The Hangar Bay Dio set was first seen in a recent Wonderfest of which Moebius himself (from what I was told but I'm not sure if its Dave Metzner) complimented on the set. When I first saw it, my jaw dropped - literally. I had seen numerous attempts at recreating the hangar bay, and none so far has been as accurate as these.

Allow me to introduce the man responsible for making this possible, Jason Fraser of Yeti Forge Models. I have been in close dialogue with Jason after commissioning him to rework the design seen above to re-create a more detailed section to the diorama, extending it all the way toward the launch bays. The launch bay section and its control room will be worked on later, but so far, we have agreed on the following design for mine.

Check out how the Hangar Bay is going to look like after the jump

New Battlestar Galactica Colonial One Resin Kit Reissued by Fantastic Plastic

Due to popular demand, the Colonial One resin kit from Fantastic Plastic have been reissued. Please note that this is not the same kit as Starcraft Model's 1/200 scale resin kit that's long out of production, but rather a smaller version of the Presidential craft based on the new TV series. Fantastic Plastic's Colonial One is scaled at 1/350, giving her a length of 10 inches long.

Unlike its earlier release, this version will now have a rotocast body (hollow) to allow lighting.

The Fantastic Plastic's Colonial One kit's specification are as follows:

• Scale : 1/350
• Material : Resin (Solid Cast)
• Number of Pieces : 19 resin parts
• Display Stand : Optional
• Decals included
• Master by Alfred Wong
• Casting by Mana Studios

Fantastic Plastic do deliver very good quality kits, and by offering the Colonial One again, the appetite of many fans of this design should be satiated, based on the number of interest this ship generated from my blog. Priced reasonable for a 1/350 scaled model, my only fear is that by the time I get her, she may be out of stock. Yeah, my priority right now are for the Avatar movie vehicles of which 'm still waiting on the C21 Dragon to be made available.

Here's keeping my fingers crossed.

Battlestar Galactica Titanium Series

The funny thing about die cast metal kits are that they're mostly simple and inaccurate, especially when you place a set side by side and find they're not exactly in scale. Well, die cast are usually kept small since having a metal kit that's big is really going to add to its weight, not to mention, price. And yet many collectors still adore and collect them. Being mostly metal also help to ensure their durability. I know, I have quite a few Star Wars die cast Titanium collection.

Case in point - the Battlestar Galactica Titanium Series Collection. Both the Galactica and Pegasus are not in scale but whoa, they're quite detailed. Then there is that problem where a extravagant colour scheme pops out of nowhere. Guess if you're anything like me, a complete set wouldn't be complete without these.

When I first knew these were available, it was already too late to collect the complete set. I saw bits here and there with the Colonial One, The Pegasus and new Cylon Raider being displayed in a toy shop (Graffiti Toys, Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur) and the Mark II (variant dark blue colour) still in its original package, and for some reason I decided not to get them for the simple reason they were not a complete set. I eventually directed another friend who is a BSG fan there, and he promptly bought them.

So what is the complete set. To be honest, I really don't know. Suffice to say I never got to see a complete set put together or being sold anywhere. So when someone offered it for sale at the Market Place at the Starship Modeler Forum, naturally it was an opportunity I couldn't refuse, so I grabbed them. They no longer had their original boxes and they were also a little dusty from being displayed by their original owner. I didn't mind that at all. A little cleaning and a nice display area should do the trick. Hence if anyone wants to know what's out there in terms of the BSG Titanium Series, well hopefully these are the complete set.

 

The Battlestar Pegasus and Galactica

 

The other ships in the Titanium Series. Note the variant colours for he Mark II and VII at the right side of the image



Here's a touch of nostalgia, the Mark I



The Classic Cylon Raider. Details on this one is interesting



The Presidential Ship, The Colonial One



The new Cylon Raiders with variant colours



The Mark II and VII Vipers alongside the Raptor





And of course the Raptor. I'm kind of biased toward the Raptor, hence I have more images of her

It would have been nice if this series included the classic Galactica along with the Basestar. Oh well ...

You can also see some dust on some of them. Ok, I was so eager to highlight them here I didn't think of cleaning them first, but they'll be nicely cleaned up before finding their place in my showcase. Its amazing really when I think about it, just when I had given up finding them, they pop up right in front of me. Ahhhhhh .... keeping fingers crossed do work ... sometimes.

UPDATE: Just found out the set is not complete. There are still the classic Battlestar Galactica and Basestar somewhere out there. Thanks to Kevin Pantony for highlighting this to me

Paragrafix Battlestar Galactica Hull Inserts are now Available

That's right. For those who were eagerly awaiting for this set, its now available at Paragrafix. Click on the link to get your orders in. Its strictly first come first serve. Here's the image of the completed PE set.

• Add the missing hull cut out detail to the Moebius Models Battlestar Galactica kit.
• Includes 12 precisely sized pieces to add the cutouts and access panels in the original.
• Designed in cooperation with Acreation Models to work with their second-generation decal set.

Please note: This photoetch set requires some minor warping and rolling and is not suitable for novice photoetch modelers. For those who is wondering where these pieces go, they're for the garage/recess area where the flight pods retract into. More info HERE