Missing Thread

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Any chance of doing a 2 foot version? 3 feet is a littl big for my beign able to display... at 2 feet I'd buy for sure!

Jedi Dade

The license holder is doing a 2ft MOVIE version. So you will get your wish.

I'm doing just a small run of the SERIES starship.
I hope there won't be a conflict of intrest.
Or I'll start a secret Firefly club.

250 is certainly a fair goal.

I have new information coming in, and hope to put all into the project.
I need plans, and am hoping someone has a set. Or I will draw my own.
I'm going to design the retracting landing gear myself anyway, with folding toes on the feet.
Sincerely,
Ron

 

[Styrofoam_Guy]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

I will help in any way I can. I have spent so much time on my model that I think I know every inch of the thing.

For my rotating ring light I programmed a PICAXE to drive 24 Super white 3mm LEDs. That is about the maximum I can install into my model. 8 LEDs are lit at any one time and I have played with the timing so it does look like a rotating unit. I like this method as it has no moving parts that might eventually wear out or break down.

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

I will help in any way I can. I have spent so much time on my model that I think I know every inch of the thing.

For my rotating ring light I programmed a PICAXE to drive 24 Super white 3mm LEDs. That is about the maximum I can install into my model. 8 LEDs are lit at any one time and I have played with the timing so it does look like a rotating unit. I like this method as it has no moving parts that might eventually wear out or break down.

Good to hear from you Alex,
That is a good idea. Which version is your scale model?
You did a fantastic job building it. I remember it well.

Watching the episodes tonight, we saw in "Safe" the ship landing when the local is skinning the animal, and it looked like the gear doors are the bottom of the feet, rectangles, not 4 toes like the movie ship's feet... can you varify this?
Also in "Train Job" just before when Mal kicks the bad guy into the side engine, you can see the lit up fans are very thin, lots of them spinning.
Also,
It seems in the series the gear legs are aluminum tubing, and in the movie, the legs are tapered box sections. Is this correct?
I'm trying to figure out the differences, and how the ship works.
Thanks for helping me gather info.
The plan phase is the part I dislike the most, the uncertainty..the worry, the details.
Once I have plans, I love building.
You did an amazing job on your paper model.

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Firefly Update;

I made a deal with a gentleman for some pictures which I received last night.
We can now move on to the plan phase, and directly to the master development.

Thanks

 

[Jedi Dade]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

I hadn't heard a thing about there being a liscense holder to build a firefly molde replica statue or anything... Not to hijack your thread but who's the liscense holder and do you have a link? is it a kit of a prebuilt thingy...

 

[Styrofoam_Guy]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Good to hear from you Alex,
That is a good idea. Which version is your scale model?
You did a fantastic job building it. I remember it well.

Watching the episodes tonight, we saw in "Safe" the ship landing when the local is skinning the animal, and it looked like the gear doors are the bottom of the feet, rectangles, not 4 toes like the movie ship's feet... can you varify this?
Also in "Train Job" just before when Mal kicks the bad guy into the side engine, you can see the lit up fans are very thin, lots of them spinning.
Also,
It seems in the series the gear legs are aluminum tubing, and in the movie, the legs are tapered box sections. Is this correct?
I'm trying to figure out the differences, and how the ship works.
Thanks for helping me gather info.
The plan phase is the part I dislike the most, the uncertainty..the worry, the details.
Once I have plans, I love building.
You did an amazing job on your paper model.

My model is the TV version and is entirely scratch built from styrene and resin. It is 13 inches long when finished

Yes the landing feet is exposed and not really a door. It just drops down when deployed. They made it a lot more fancy for the movie with things retracting and folding while the TV version is more basic and a rod just drops the feet down.

The fans look like thin turbine blades.

The other major difference is on the side engines. The front shape is different. The TV version looks like stretched fabric over a frame similar to WWII fighter planes where you see the stringers. The movie version is smooter with recessed lines. Also the movie version has all these small flaps near the front of the side engines that go all the way around.

QMX has the license to make Serenity stuff and they once promised a 24 inch finished model but that has been removed from their web site and there has been no updates.

 

[omallie970]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Hello RShanko,
I would be very interested. I would be very curious on how much a fine work of artistic expression like mentioned, would cost. Please elaborate further so that I might be able to evaluate my financial standing and determine whether I would be able to take on this task. Thanks.
Sincerely,
omallie970

Scale model kits available soon

This is my new project.
I'm making a 1/2 studio scale size, at 36 inches, accurate and affordable shell kits for builders.
Like my phasers and 66 inch TOS starship, this will be a shell kit, reccomended for experienced builders.
I am developing the masters right now, and I expect to be building light weight fiberglass Firefly class starships in a couple months.
They will have the rotating main engine and the side engines will work also, as will the shuttles and landing gear, cargo bay, ect..
They will weigh only about 8 lbs.
Anyone interested?
Thanks,
Ron

 

[TazVader]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Interested. Hope I can afford it when the time comes LOL Be my first studio/non/studio build

Regards
TAZ

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

At 36 inches, it is pretty small looking at my plans, but 2 Ft would look tiny next to it, anyway, shipping would be fairly inexpensive even to Austrailiam so keep the faith.
It is really happening.

Firefly Update;
I cut out one of my plan side veiws and traced it onto the center two sheets to create a left and right side. Tommorrow, I'll get back to it after I finish a phaser project I've been working on, and cut those two center profiles out and start gluing on formers to give it shape.
You guys are going to love this.
I designed the center core to rotate, and it'll be simple for every kit to have the real rotating core. The shells are designed for it.
Under the large curving core shield aft of the cargo bay, forward of the bulbous rear end, I made the body wasp waisted, so the rotating ring rotates around the center.
The shell tube is 4" in diameter under the ring, and that section is 1 1/4" long so the core can be scale at a 1" wide lighted ring slowly spinning around.
Once the ring is wired up using slip rings or brushes to transfer power, it'll get the large curving core shield over top of it.
You'll see how I did it once I get some progress pix.
I'm not sure if the gear motor will be in frot of the ring or behind, but putting the motor in the bulbous rear with the yellow lights might be best to open up the cargo bay for a scale appearance when the cargo door is down.
Retracting landing gear is also standard in this model.
I can't wait to post some pix for you guys.
Thanks

 

[REL]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Sounds like it's going to be the ultimate Firefly.

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Hello buddy!

Yes, sir, I get these big kits done and shipped.

 

[timeslip]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

I'm looking foreward to seeing your progress. I would recommend you try some different meathods of making fiber glass copies though. Having held one of your Enterprise kits, I do feel that the fiber glass lay up work is a bit amatuerish. Hopefully you have refined your meathods over time. You may want to look into having someone else do it for you.
G

 

[judgedredd]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

count me interested price dependant of course

 

[omallie970]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Hello RShanko,
Yes sir, I would also be interested in acquiring a craft such as this for my personal collection as well. Please put me down for interest, too. THanks.

Sincerely,
omallie970:cool

 

[trvann]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Please add me to your list!



Tom

 

[DARKSIDE72]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Just currious... But whay are so many of you so eager to "get on a list" when you haven't even seen a picture of the product? :confused

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

"Hopefully you have refined your meathods over time."


The way I created the masters for the 66 inch starships using heavy paper to make the "steel plates" left surface imperfections you are refering to, requiring sanding.
The steelplate effect was worth the extra effort however, in my opinion.
The fiberglass work I do is good quality, and I'm known for doing very accurate replicas, so the problem with the surface detail on the 6ft starships is being avoided with different methods on this model.
I am going to put on all surface detail, except the pipes around the bulbous rear, those will look great added by the builder since this is a large model, and molding them in will look fake. Real piping will add that extra detail.
Some things will be left off the Firefly hull because the shape will lock it into the molds, like some of the louvers, but, I will add everything I can still pull out of the mold.
I might use silicone for the molds after all, the reasons are, the model master is looking really good and now it is looking bigger to me as I have the two sides tacked together building up the body, the cargo bay and core center and rear section being built up, it's still just about the size of a secondary (engineering hull )of my larger ship, so the glass work will be easy, but being a larger scale I can do the plating on the hull more convincingly.
So, I'm investing more into the project as the ship takes shape.
It is a good size, and I will mold some for you guys.
Thanks for the positive input, this ship has been fun for me from the start, as building your kit will be for you especially since I've learned lessons over the years and I care about getting the details right.
The rotating lighted core is all worked out without cutting the hull apart, the spinning part doesn't effect the integrety of the ship.
More to come, and pix soon.
Fiberglass models this summer.

Thanks,
Ron

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Oh,
I just wanted to add,
..the shuttles are about 4 inchs long!
So the starboard one theoreticly could have red velvet curtains in the windows.
Ect...
And I'm having the decals done by Alex Walker Studios again.

 

[leplante]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

Just currious... But whay are so many of you so eager to "get on a list" when you haven't even seen a picture of the product? :confused

I believe the thread was meant to calculate interest. As far as I know everyone that is on the list at this point is a potential customer if the build meets each persons personal expectations. Also I believe a large number of people have been waiting for this. Seems like a great way for a builder to decide if a project like this one is worth taking on.

 

[RShanko]

Re: 3 Ft Fiberglass Firefly

True,
.. and it can evolve into a "how to build it thread", once we have the ships in our hands.
I will offer them to guys who are interested, #1 and #2 are spoken for already.
So by posting your interested, I'll go back in the order posted and PM that member when their ship number is ready.
If they pass, then the next guy gets it.
This is not a sales thread, just a intrest/ project thread.
More about the ship and the project is coming up.
And, I have to admit, since watching the DVD, I've wanted one of these.