Moebius Models thrilled science-fiction fans when it released 1/32 scale Viper and Cylon Raider kits for the rebooted, gritty Battlestar Galactica on Syfy. Some of us hoped Moebius would somehow snag the license to release the original- series ships in constant scale. Guess what — it has!
The care that Frank Winspur and the Moebius crew took researching the Raider is apparent, from capturing the correct shape and proportions all the way down to the greeblies that were borrowed from other kits, such as tank tracks and gun barrels, to build the filming miniature.
For the first time in years, I felt like a kid while building a model. And it felt magnificent! Modeling the Raider was pure enjoyment, and I used Testors plastic cement in a tube in abundance. That isn’t to say that there wasn’t modeling work to be done.
There are four major steps to putting the spaceship together: the engines, main body, wings, and stand.
Molded in soft, beige plastic, the parts trees are thick, and the parts themselves are beefy, with deep panel lines and a lot of surface detail.
I began with the engines, cleaning some ejector-pin marks on the exhaust cones (parts No. 21) and mold lines on the exhaust vanes (parts 22 and 23). The engine back plates are clear, anticipating modelers who will want to add lighting. To get the vanes to fit, I widened the alignment notches with a hobby knife.
There are a couple of sink marks on the lower main body (Part 2), but nothing a little putty won’t fix. To get the engines to seat correctly, I opened up the connection points on the lower hull with a file.
I expanded the engine-intake-bulkhead attachment slots on the intake roofs (parts 17 and 19) before gluing them in place — and was glad that I did. When attaching the upper and lower hull halves, because of their size, complex shape, and multiple attachment points (14 in all, not counting the joining seam itself), everything has to fit all at once. Thick plastic cement and clamps were the answer.
Despite my best efforts, everything didn’t fit as it should. The port intake roof went askew on the intake bulkhead, leaving a gap. I recommend attaching the intake bulkheads first, then gluing the intake roofs atop the bulkheads before assembling the hull. That should take care of fiddly fit issues there. I fixed the gap with a wedge of .030" sheet styrene.
Adding the upper hull fittings was a blast and went quickly. The engine fairings (parts 13, 14) needed some minor cleanup. Eliminate the ridge in front of the fairings’ rear locator to allow the part to sit flush.
Make sure to apply plenty of glue to the amidships-housing (Part 11) locator pegs to help grease the way. I had to pry the part up, reapply glue and push it back into place. Set it aside and put a heavy book on it. Even so, you’ll still probably have to fill a seam along the upper hull after it’s dry.
The wings aren’t hard to locate or clamp, but keeping them flush is another story. I held mine in place by hand using a combination of Tamiya liquid cement and Testors tube glue. Even so, I had to add some sheet styrene to fill a couple of gaps. I hollowed the tips of the gun barrels with a hobby knife.
I base-coated with Vallejo gray primer (74.601), pre-shaded with black (73.602), and airbrushed pale gray blue (70.907) over the lot. Vallejo Model Wash blue gray (76.524) picked out the panel lines and surface details. I made masks for the wing stripes out of Tamiya tape using the pattern from the instructions. Black (3001) and track rust (3008) pigments from Ammo of Mig Jimenez gave the Raider just the battleworn appearance I desired. Finished in a little more than 15 hours, I’m ready to build another!
Note: A version of this review appeared in the November 2014 FineScale Modeler.