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

Studio Model Reference - The Y-Wing Fighter

Now where would the X-Wing be without the Y-Wing? Known more as a fighter bomber, the Y-Wing's unique shape help define her name, and despite her sleek design and attractiveness (well, she is a fine looking starfighter), numerous jokes has it that any pilot assigned to the Y-Wing squadron is ultimately doomed. Why - well, this starfighter is a magnet for laser fires, and she's always get shot down. I learned that lesson well playing "Star Wars Empires At War" and to knock off a Star Destroyer's laser cannon, I would need at least 5 squadrons to destroy at least 2 of the cannons before they themselves become Bantha fodder. Don't stock up too many Y-Wings. They're sitting ducks.

So I am guessing in the strategy of war, the Y-Wings serves more as a decoy while the X-Wing go on with the kill.

And for some reason, I kept on thinking the Y-Wing was a 2 man fighter bomber due to the large cockpit section when I first saw Star Wars. Thanks to the Internet and various model kits made available, I was set on the straight path. Here are some screen caps of the Y-Wing in Star Wars.

In terms of scale model kits (styrene plastic) that was made available for the Y-Wing, unfortunately there isn't many. I only know of two manufacturers that have churned out kits, MPC (and later Revell but using the same mold), and Fine Molds in 1/72 scale.

MPC/Revell's kit has a lot of inaccurate and missing detail parts, but an out of the box build up do result in a fancy Y-Wing fighter, once some modification, scratch building and aftermarket parts are applied.

The best kit so far in my book would be Fine Mold's 1/72 scale kit. There are a few aftermarket PE parts made for her, and an out of the box build up do yield a pretty impressive kit.

Of course no matter what details was included in any of the kits, the actual studio model have a lot more greebles on them. So if that is the direction you want to take, have a look at SMT's Resin kit of the Y-Wing Fighter. Not sure if this kit is still in production, but the level of details on her .. WOW!!

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter - The Other Squardrons

Here are the other X-Wing Squadrons that saw action over the Death Star for your reference. There aren't many images made available for these so you're going to need to squint your eyes to see if there are differences in markings on these

X-Wing Fighter Red 6

X-Wing Fighter Blue 12

X-Wing Fighter Blue 4

More Studio Model References at :

The X-Wing Fighter, and ART-2 Models New Offering

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 1

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 2

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 3 Part 1

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 3 Part 2

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 3 Part 3

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 3 Part 4

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 3 Part 5

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Red 5

Studio Model Reference X-Wing Fighter Other Squadrons Red 6 and Blue 4 and 12