Frak! Just when I was having the most fun with this build, it came to an end. Among other projects we are simultaneously working on, this build took me a sectar to complete. It has been a long sectar filled with new building and painting techniques, styrene and resin surgery and troubleshooting. As you probably know by now, this is a low parts count model kit (but detail was not sacrificed.) Having said that, the 1/32 scale Cyon Raider from Moebius can be what you want it to be. A more detailed oriented prop replica model (the size is already in the box ;)) or simply a model kit you can almost build during a weekend.
Built Review Moebius 1/32 Cylon Raider
That could be the case if you are a fan that wants to own a big Cylon Raider hanging from the ceiling because you are not willing to display the tiny die-cast version from Hotwheels on your desk. But when you have an appreciation for the great work that goes to create a prop miniature to be used on screen either small or big, then perhaps you will look at the Moebius Cylon Raider with a different pair of eyes.
This Cylon Raider has 3 attachment points for photography. Top, bottom and front as seen on the pictures below. The lighting came from the folks at VoodoFX and although the soldering was something I could have achieved myself (ehem!), I decided to leave that task to our own contributor Jeannette Valle who happens to be multi certified on electronic soldering of various levels including under the microscope. The lighting set for the Cylon Raider from VoodooFX provides 2 optional LED’s to be used as ”search lights”.
These lights are not seen during the TV series entirely but with a sharp eye you can pause the action and you can see these lights working on some flybys during the attack of Caprica scene. From the circuit board we chose the 1.5K Ohm resistor instead of the 220 Ohm so the LED’s on the ”search lights” wouldn’t be too bright. These LED’s are mounted on ‘conical shaped’ mounts and I must warn that these are not included with the VoodooFX lighting kit.
After studying a few of the not too many reference pictures, I came to the conclusion that I could mimic the look with 2 HO lamp posts from Model Power (#501). Â 3 HO lamp posts come in a pack for some $8.99 at my local hobby shop. I slight drilling to open the holes to accomodate the LED’s provided by VoodooFX is required which we did with a pin vise. Finally the ON/OFF Switch was hidden under the Housing Center of the model kit part #11. This part was not permanently cemented to the rest of the fuselage.
Resin Cockpit for Moebius Cylon Raider
The resin cockpit was something I decided to add at the last minute. With the photo etched louvers I could have had the area painted in a dark gray. But why not adding 3 Cylons to add more interest? There is plenty of sanding and shaving to make this cockpit fit. The cockpit has to be cemented at least 1/2” so it could be ‘flush” with part 10 of the model kit. Still, a great deal of the bottom must be sanded down in order to have the upper and lower fuselage of the ship fit without problems. It is also recommended to sand near a light source like a window so you don’t ruin the cockpit’s floor.
One thing I noticed was that the 3 Cylons including the commander were at the same height. To overcome this, I took a small piece from a worn out sanding stick and placed it under the commander figure so it could look higher than the other 2. Some loose greeblies I came across with were also added as details. At least on my copy of the cockpit, there was a significant amount of air bubbles. I could have cleaned them but frankly, who is going to see that in there?
Even with all the extra goodies like the Paragrafix Louvers and Resin Cockpit, this model kit is a bargain to those you will find from garage casts in resin. One has to appreciate this model for what it truly is, a Studio Scale replica and not just as a ”larger than the Monogram model kit.” And now while I work on some other models a bit behind on the building queue, I will also build a display case to keep this model because models don’t collect dust, dust collect models 😉
I want to express my sincere thanks to the following individual that made this model possible.
–Moebius Models for sending in this model kit last year when it was released. It took a while to be finished but this is how I envisioned the model since I opened the box for the first time.
Moebius Models
PO Box 229372
Glenwood, FL 32722
(386) 734-3599 phone
(877)-267-0051 fax
customerservice@moebiusmodels.com
-Paul Bodensiek from Paragrafix for kindly sending in the review sample of the photo etched louvers.
ParaGrafix
148 Rocklawn Ave
Attleboro MA 02703 USA
+1 508.431.9800
General Inquiries:Â pgms@paragrafix.biz
-Randy Neubert from VoodooFX. When I talked to Randy about this project, he was more than happy to jump on board. His first reply included the tracking number for the lighting set. Thanks Randy!
Randy Neubert
1-650-568-3400
fxshop@yahoo.com
–Niel Jensen from the ToyShack on eBay for kindly delivering his resin cockpit in record time from Canada. Thanks Niel, very grateful with your gesture.
