U.S.S. Discovery XD-1 - not quite a sub but similar

[DrSchmidt]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to report about the build of a display model again, which is not a sub, but something somewhat similar, as it is a vessel that hosts a crew in very limited space for a very long time and that travels in an almost endless hostile environment. Only technology there to protect you from immediate and certain death, and if something goes wrong, there is nobody to help you but yourself and your crew mates. It's a spaceship, and I guess because of these similarities I've always been a fan of both: Submarines and spaceships.

So I'm going to report about the build of one of the most famous spaceships in Sci Fi history, the U.S.S. Discovery XD-1 known from the movies 2001 and 2010. It's a unique and very realistic design and there is an excellent 1:144 scale kit by Moebius Models (Proteus, Skipjack....). I got the kit from my loved ones Christmas two years ago together with the enhancement packages for the hangar bay, the EVA pods, the Cockpit and exterior details by Greenstrawberry. I'm going to build a display that will serve as an over 1 meter long book nook. I hope that'll work out.



I kick off with the hangar bay. The Greenstrawberry kit contains excellently molded resin parts together with PE and decals. I started with the base plate on which I placed the support structures for the extractable pod platforms. The supports are then strengthened with Y-shaped folded PE parts and finally with 12 folded PE struts. Looks quite nice.











Finally I put the hangar floor on top of the assembly...a very well fitting resin part as well.

[DrSchmidt]

ON the port side of the hangar is a wall panel with the access to the air lock and a passage way to the upper decks. Latter is octagonal and made of three resin parts. As I want to illuminate the hangar, I have to think about positioning the LEDs. In the movie the passage way is lit by a series of wall panels. With the thick resin parts that's hardly feasible. So I decided to install a light source in the ceiling and therefore milled a rectangular slit in the respective resin part.







The wall panel with the air lock access is made of three well fitting resin parts. Just the seam on the front side has to be filled and then this will look quite nice.

[DrSchmidt]

The starboard wall panel consist of a window and a door leading to the hangar control room. The control room is made of six well fitting resin parts and some PE conrol panels. Again the question of lighting the room and again I decided to put the light source into the ceilimng. Consequently I milled another rectangular slit into the ceiling:







Then I filled all the slits for ceiling illumination with a transparent casting resin that is used for sealing LEDs. Ideal for the task but takes 48 hours to cure....more when this is done.

[trout]

This will be fun.

[QuarterMaster]

Looking forward to this as I have one myself slated for retirement. Big BIG fan.

I also have a very personal attachment 2001:ASO, slim as it might be.....(Note the post date)

That movie represented so many things during a significant period of our history.








I like to think this was the future we had once promised ourselves, but unfortunately like anything else, we got in our own way.

Elon will change that.


Again, looking forward to the build.

[DrSchmidt]

That's a grate memory to have!! Love it.

I continued with the build of the hangar. There is a great youtube walk through the Discovery that makes aa perfect reference for the build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xhXWCx29Y8

From this video I learned, that what I thought is a passage way is the the equipment storage. In the kit it's made of three resin parts that get clad with PE panels. I primed them with gray Tamiya primer (rattle can), air brushed it with Vallejo flat white, then gave it a gloss clear coat (for the decals) and then applied hints of gray line wash and the Decals. Again sealed under gloss coat the parts were glued together and attached to the port wall panel. Looks nice. The putty on the backside of the parts is to seal the seams to prevent possible light leaks.

[DrSchmidt]

Continued working on the hangar bay. Painted the starboard, back, and port wall panels and assembled the the hangar control room (forgot to take detail pictures). Then I glued a set of PE panels to the flor of the hangar and primed and painted this base plate. Then I started to assemble the full structure by fitting and gluing the port wall with control room into its position. Then followed the back wall. For the starboard wall I had to make some bigger adjustments, basically by removing about 0,5 mm of the starboard wall. Then it was fitting well, too, and I glued it into position as well. Starts to look like something.







##

https://youtu.be/R-AFkdKRQ6w

[DrSchmidt]

Today it's ben decals, allot of decals. If one can say anything negative about the Greenstrawberry hangar kit, it's about the decals. Thin, brittle and not the best print quality. But with a bit of patience and some black touch ups it looks decent. Sealed everything using satin varnish by Vallejo. Then the HAL 9000 console got its stickers, was put into place, and with a test fitting of the roof one can get an idea where this is going. Nice....

[DrSchmidt]

Behind the HAL9000 console are three poles that hot the three space suits of the command crew. Here I deviated form the kit and replaced the folded PE poles by 0,5 mm spring steel rods. Much more stable and better to handle. The space suits are tiny resin parts that I painted as good as I can. I'm actually happy with the result. Then they are put into place with the folded PE brackets from the kit. Worked better than expected. I decided to put two of the three suits on the rods.





Then I worked on the EVA pod platforms. Here I deviated from the kit again. The push rods that extract or pull in the platforms are made of flimsy resin. To brittle and soft for me. So I replaced the rods by 1 mm diameter brass tube that glides in 1,2 mm brass tubes. Some nice PE panels on the resin platform and we have some nice looking parts, In the hangar I also glued 1,2 mm brass tubes to slide in the platforms. The middle pod will be displayed extracted and lit, so I soldered two wires to the middle guide tubes. Worked well.

[DrSchmidt]

Well, I'm waiting for some parts and meanwhile I put together this little boat, a 1:350 scale HMS Conqueror by the Ukrainian Company Mikro Mir. Nice little kit, new tooling, not the quality level of big companies but if you know how to use files and putty, you easily get a very nice little boat. As I didn't want an all black sub, I decided to try Davids tooth paste weatheing on a small boat, Worked out quite nicely. Waiting for the wood for the base and then this will go into the display case.....

[DrSchmidt]

Worked on the EVA pods. Again, Greenstrawberry has an excellent ad-on kit with three resin pods, PR arms and decals, that can easiyl be transferred into nicely looking EVA pods. I'll include two pods: One in the starbord hangar position and one illuminated on the extended middle platform. The port position will be left free to allow a good sight into the bay.

https://youtu.be/NLwWV0X1vhI

The starboard pod has ben glued into its final position in the hngar. Looks very good there.....

[DrSchmidt]

Again a little bit of progress. Been waiting for LEDs.....

I installed the ceiling illumination. 20 mA white LEDs for each light and connected them in series. Groups of 3 LEDs are then connected a constant current source, respectively. The current sources will then be connected in parallel and fed with 24 V. Then I sealed the LEDs under clear resin. The ladder shaft to the control room got a little dome to seal it off. The hole in its ceiling will again be home for a LED.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I would break up things a bit. Reflectivity can be as varied as color. Flatten the suits (leave the lens gloss), and pod black 'exhaust shields', and all white structures varied from gloss to semi-gloss.

Examples:

[DrSchmidt]

Good point. That's a technique that I employ too, but not that extensively on the Discovery yet, But e.g. on the XXIII build I played allot with gloss level to emphasize texture or to simulate dirt. Also on my Molch build, I made the regions, on which someone would walk, much more matt with a sponge tapping technique. Same color, different appearance.

[DrSchmidt]

Got the wiring of the LEDs for the hangar deck done.....lights on:

https://youtu.be/2SRsLdDKaIA

https://youtu.be/DXK5BUdv9o0