Building Moebius Models' Battlestar Galactica (1978)

Building the original Battlestar Galactica (1978) from Moebius Models. This video covers the construction and painting.
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[@modelchili]

Moebius Battlestar Galactica model kit: amzn.to/3enR3LY

[@starsiegeplayer]

Link doesn't work anymore :(

[@AAAZZZ-f3i]

That is a different kit . What I got is the REVELL VERSION uts something like 40 years old

[@paulanderson1614]

What a Beast of a ship. Great build.

[@modelchili]

Thank you!

[@dannysinclair1028]

You are still an amazing model maker the Galactica looks so good blessings from Martinsville Indiana

[@modelchili]

Thank you! Hope you're staying warm.

[@paulcoddington664]

Have not been modelling since teen years in 1980's. Not in a position to start up again (living space, limited budget due to being stuck on invalid pension at the moment), but really grateful for these videos which feel almost as good as being able to build the kits for myself. As for the weathering, a ship on the scale of Galactica would have staining that would very tiny on a scale model of this size. There would be a danger of making it attractive but accidentally shrinking it to an apparent size of something much much smaller if it were done too heavily. So, I think it was good to play it safe.

[@owenrichards1418]

I had the original and it was moulded in silver plastic. I loved these kits.

[@stltrekmodels.4157]

this model is so much more detailed than the ones that I bought in 1980. I still have them.

[@anthonylowder6687]

Wow…..nice detailed model, sure is a lot better than the old Monogram model that came out in 1978

[@modelchili]

Yeah it's a great looking kit.

[@buildplay2302]

Great work! And you stayed faithful in not weathering it. I still have the old model that I put together when I was younger. It didn't have the detail of this kit though.

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@massmike11]

I still think it doesn’t need weathering some shading to bring up the detail wouldn’t hurt

[@anselford3753]

I was lucky enough to have built 4 of these Battlestars.

[@anselford9565]

Looking for more Battlestars and Colonial Vipers.

[@jonathanniccolls1592]

Well done! Nice to see your attention to detail and the new details that the manufacturer has made to the model. A big change from the old Monogram Silver Battlestar Galactica that was a gamble, because it would be crapshoot if the body pieces were warped or not!

[@grimjimc]

I had absolutely no interest in building this kit until I saw this video. Now I want one! Nice build, and a clear and informative video as always. Thanks!

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@RarelyReplies]

You look at the Galactica precisely the way I look at the Galactica.

[@sonnyd.6777]

I love the sound of creaking and snapping plastic. great subject and great build.

[@modelchili]

Thanks 👍

[@nicolairex6769]

Took your warning about the decals to heart. In regards to decals 11 &12.. I plan to cut and apply them in 7 sections.

[@dk5468]

Great build. Looks awesome as it is, without any damage or weathering. True to the show is the way i reckon. This kit is definitely on my list

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@jsidaho1957]

Thanks for the build and paint review, what an awesome ship!

[@modelchili]

Thanks for watching!

[@cyberleaderandy1]

Great model. Always loved the original series and met many of the cast when they came to the NEC years ago. Nice job.

[@2150dalek]

That is perfect just the way it is...Looks YUGE. So much detail for the size. Great job 😎👌

[@modelchili]

Thank you!

[@JustVentus02]

AYO LETS GO! I love Battlestar Galactica!

[@victoriasmith8229]

Nice build! And thanks for the info on the different types of glue.

[@modelchili]

Thanks Vaughan!

[@Stansman63]

I would have given just about anything to have got my hands on this kit back in 1980.

[@bjrnhalfhand2258]

Classic ship and a nice model. You always make it all look so easy :) It does look great but all those details just scream for weathering.

[@modelchili]

Thanks Bjørn! They do, but then it wouldn't look right. :)

[@lordlorenzo5835]

Excellent build, I have wanted this kit for a while, but never pulled the trigger. It’s going to be my next buy. Thanks again and keep up the good work👍

[@modelchili]

Thank you! I hope you get it, it's a fun build. 👍

[@tygrtrax9273]

Catching up.on your builds, good stuff yet again 👍 Thank you for chronicling and sharing.

[@modelchili]

Thanks for watching!

[@paulgertsch7105]

Great job 👍

[@der-Troet]

the original is my favorite. Outstanding

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@stevethefishdotnet]

Very relaxing and informative video. I really do not care for the BSG reboot and I'm a TOS purist. I started building this kit myself with the intention of lighting it up, but I ended up shelving it to focus on other stuff. This is making me want to get back to it. Thanks for this.

[@modelchili]

Thanks for watching!

[@CushionRide]

i just got finished today with the revell version, actually it looks like it puts together very similar and im fairly sure its the same size, but this one you did has way more detail. i added lighting to mine. very nice

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@LoderMike]

Nice. Thanks for sharing

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@MrTeufelweich]

Perfect timing! Just began to build my one.

[@modelchili]

Sweet!

[@jojorapful]

Can't wait for that, be looking forward to the next .

[@VonDrinkoften]

This was awesome. I was looking for a build/assembly review, and this was pretty much what I was after. Very nicely done. 👍

[@modelchili]

Thanks, I hope it helps!

[@Martini_Mcfly]

Another fantastic build! Regarding weathering, I completely agree it should be faithful to the show and unweathered. However, due to scale differences, I would have lightly airbrushed in some slightly darker grey (a very slight shade from base) into recesses and edges to get a bit more detail "pop". Can't wait to see the other Battlestar models coming!

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@gunplanut]

Much better details then the MPC kit.

[@JDsHouseofHobbies]

Reminds me of the Galatica that I saw on TV.

[@modelchili]

Then my job is done. :)

[@sticky170]

Awesome model. I think i would have painted the entire inside of the model black.

[@modelchili]

Cheers!

[@jojorapful]

Nice details, can't wait to see the final result of the build, thanks for the upload! Would look awesome with led lights especially the engine exhaust .

[@modelchili]

Thanks! This is 100% finished though, onto the next project!

[@outsider238]

I'm just about finished with this. I must say I couldn't for the life of me get the landing bays to connect to the support struts without horrible gaps. The spine piece that connects to the bottom that also connects to the landing bays was also really stubborn. Really irritating. I ended up filling the gaps with Gorilla Glue gel and I'll just repaint those areas and then give them a light weathering to help blend them in. I think the spine piece on the bottom may be a bit warped though.

[@davidtexmex1616]

I’m gonna relax watching this build later with a cuppa & some roasted cheese ☕️

[@modelchili]

Hope you enjoy!

[@wraith20072007]

Came out great mate, nice that you problem solve some of the situations like a pro. Happy Days mate.

[@johnblack9885]

I have the pre-built model from Moebius and you painted yours almost exactly like they did. They even lightly dusted patchy areas a pale blue grey over the off white base for detail and toned down the decals with a blending coat. A shame that you couldn’t see the landing bays unless you light the kit.

[@obsidiansands]

I'll be honest here; this is by far my favorite version of the Galatica - more so than the remake version. It still holds up visually despite being "dated" - at least to me. It looked like it could really facetank through some Cylon beatdowns more so than the remake version.

[@ARod-br2ui]

Great job! 👍

[@outsider238]

I think the way you painted this was perfect. Not much weathering like the original model. It was a tv show after all and most of the detail would never show up on our 25" screens which is why they probably didn't bother with it for the filming model. I've also come to the conclusion that lighting models (at least for me anyhow) is a bit of a waste of effort and money. I rarely if ever go back and turn the lights on my past builds that have them. Plus I forget that the batteries are in there and by the time I remember, they've corroded inside. This looks like a basic kit like the original one that I built back in the late 70s I'm guessing. Not much in the way of painting on that one either. Mostly all the same color. This one has better decals though and even though you can't really see them, I like that cardboard insert in the landing bays. I've passed on this kit whenever I saw it but looking at your build of this, I'm probably going to get it now. Once again, very nice job!

[@modelchili]

Thank you! Inspiring others to make these kits is the main reason I do this, so I'm happy to hear that! 😃 And yeah I'm pretty much the same when it comes to lighting, the few that I've done I hardly ever light up. If I was to do a custom light job it it'd have to be plugged into the mains for a semi-permanent display, and that's a bit beyond my skills and tools unfortunately.

[@allgood6760]

Awesome mate! 👍🇳🇿

[@modelchili]

Cheers!

[@frac]

Looks really good. I'm not sure I would have paid the slightest attention to painting instructions that didn't please me. Screw that noise! I'm sure every time they took it off-roading they didn't rush out an paint it again. On with the weathering!

[@modelchili]

Thanks! It wouldn't look right with weathering, I can't find any photos of it with any significant weathering, so yeah I followed the instructions, but it was a good reference. :)

[@ALEXDUPONTEL13]

Cosmos 99 pour les Français , une vieille série très cool , thx man for the revue, very nice model !!!

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@Armaron06]

As I watched this, I hummed the Battlestar Galactica Anthem Theme. XD The reason for no weathering (in canon), was because the Galactica had a massive dedicated army of Space Janitors. Would have been cool if you could have lit the engines and pod bays with some basic LEDs.

[@modelchili]

Yeah would look cool, I mainly just build out of the box though, I'm sure someone would light it far better than me!

[@anthonyreed3682]

Great job. After the trouble you had with the decals would you recommend just painting all of the red areas?

[@modelchili]

Thanks! Not all of them no, the circle one for example would be tricky to paint. My advice would be to cut the long decals into smaller parts to minimise breakage, and then if they break up then you can touch up with some paint.

[@hankmessaros1835]

I still have one in box from 80s plus cylons fighter and viper. Great job really look is nice

[@modelchili]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@slushosaur]

Its a great build and truly a beautiful ship. however I think the "painting instructions" do it a bit of a disservice. It's describing how they painted the actual filming model and then used bright lights to show the detail of the vessel. This is great and all but considering the "model" they're talking about was over 5 and a half foot long, the scale difference really doesn't translate to using the same technique for this size. You should have gone with your gut and used show reference images and translated them to show the Galactica as we saw her in the space shots, much like you did with the Falcon, weathering and all. As is she's a little on the flat side, despite being covered in mechanical detailing. At the end of the day though she is your model to paint as you see fit and while I may disagree with you on that side you do have impeccable build quality mate, really cant fault you on that one! Can't wait to see whats next!

[@modelchili]

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I did take all that into consideration. I've gone over a lot of screenshots and to be honest they all look pretty flat to me. There's no trace of wash, no shading, hardly any panel detail, it's all just shadows and lighting. I think if I attempted to do any more it might turn out to be a more interesting model, but it wouldn't look like the TV version to my eye and It'd probably eat away at me lol. But as you say, each to their own, I certainly wouldn't say it's the only way to make it look good.

[@slushosaur]

@@modelchili maybe we've all got Star Wars eyes for that era of spaceship design, seeing detail and weathering with our nostalgia goggles that just isn't there on the actual vessel XD

[@modelchili]

Yeah I think that's what it is. It looks like it should be weathered like a Star Wars ship. It even has all the same model part greeblies they used all over the Falcon.

[@BigBillLucas]

With soo much sexy details on this kit it's a sin not to be allowed to at least wash all the greables and panel lines etc. Moebius Models was totally wrong to suggest not bringing out details. I think i speak for most fans here when i say that we would love to see a "revisited makeover" with full wash and weathering. PS. can't wait for the Bandai Star Destroyer

[@bapussbagpuss1282]

@@BigBillLucas yep, given the ship has seven shades of doo doo beaten out of it during the life of the show by cylons, they must have had a whole crew dedicated to painting (like the intro to Red Dwarf) :)

[@lukealmighty8828]

Right good stuff that putty! Got me though some tough situations! Great ship 👌👍

[@modelchili]

Cheers!

[@MrBMBuilder]

Look good mate not over done!! I think a heavy wash would show up how much more is missing detail wise due to size/scale than enhance it. So I think you choice to not go over the top was the right one 😀

[@modelchili]

Thank you!

[@cyberleaderandy1]

Agree. The ship was supposed to be covered with laser turrets and missile launchers and I bet those are missing in this scale.

[@clarencecausey7473]

Great modeling work, have watched this vid several times now prepping for my build; another tidbit about the decal sheet with the various battlestar names; in the original BG novel, the battlestar Solaria is also mentioned. In another of the novels, Col. Tigh is said to have served on the battlestar Bellerophon.....

[@modelchili]

Awesome, hope yours goes well!

[@danabe3220]

The Galactica always reminded me of a salamander. Nice build.

[@cadengrace5466]

The designer was inspired by an alligator.

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@JoannaHammond]

That is one thing I bypassed very quickly. The overly priced glues. I made my own. Combinations of acetone and butyl acetate and thickening agents to repicate what they do for nearly 100 times less cost. After all, these are not glues, they are solvents. All you have to do is control the evaporation time.

[@sdmproductions2949]

Nice work two thumbs up.

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@sci-fimodeler1701]

Very nice

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@paulkevinkoehler9490]

Love these vids... keep 'em coming!

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@paulkevinkoehler9490]

@@modelchili I too had the old Galactica model when I was a kid (which I slapped together in about ten minutes and couldn't be bothered to paint). Needless to say, you've done a much better job here 😁

[@andrewdrabble8939]

I had the exact same problem with the red decals so with the exception of the engine pod striped, I ended up painting them all in

[@tonyperez4791]

Great Video ! I got mine on the shelf waiting to be built ( got the Shapeways add ons for it) . Maybe now I got the bug to build it ! Hope you and your family have a great holiday season ! Cheers, Tony

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@williamclarke8835]

Another great build, thanks - Now, how bout trying a 1/700 Battleship? IJN of course.

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@douglasmitchell5033]

Clear coating older decals helps big time. I put 2 light coats on about an hour apart. then a medium coat the next day.

[@wjsj69]

Love your build and you've captured the original look by following their instruction but you should build another one to scratch everyone's itch for a battle-worn version! You know you want to! : )

[@modelchili]

Thank you!

[@OneofInfinity.]

Got flashbacks to building my (Airfix) space 1999 eagle transporter in the 80's, same color plastic, so reminiscent of the 70's for younger me.

[@blackc1479]

Huh. Good to know I'm not the only one. I got the mobieus 1:72 viper and raider kits. The builds were all good, but when I got to the viper decals, they were a wreck. Started on one, and they split so bad I backed away and put um on the "when I get better" shelf. Eventually I'm going to do that one as an extremely beat up one, with the other as a wingman. Assuming I can camouflage my screw up on no 1.

[@cjfedler327]

It's Quite a Coincidence that you uploaded this video on the same day that i'm Building my Own model of the 2004 Galactica. And You did a Fantastic job with This one! I can't wait to finish Mine and compare the two

[@modelchili]

Thank you!

[@BuzzBoi315]

I would love to see your take on the newer version.

[@modelchili]

I have it lined up for a future build!

[@shinnidan]

I had an idea to make the destruction of Atlantia being blown apart. 🤔 could be an interesting build?

[@modelchili]

Certainly could be!

[@shinnidan]

@@modelchili only problem...finding the kit...😅

[@Stepchild06]

watching this as im reliving my childhood and really getting back into SCifi models, that and Fantastic plastics just rereleased a limited run of the SAAB SA43 hammerhead, figured i would research my technique before the kit arrives and while im working on my Seaquest DSV kit. PS as always, love your videos.

[@rubytheater6330]

Beautiful

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@nightrider6599]

Really nice building + proffesional video (good camera!) ,thx! An interesting kit of the BattleStar Galactica(1978). Greetings from Hämburg,the home-harbour of the battleship Bismarck.^^ ;)

[@bonecos_do_maninho1971]

Excelente

[@ellbowski]

Looks great but would go with previous comments-some weathering and battle damage would look better..even a little bit of lighting for a kit so large. I dislike kits overdone but, aww dood I don't want to criticise a great build and paint, fine job, was a pleasure to watch.

[@get2rog]

Wish I had kept mine. I bought it when it was originally released. The plastic was grey in the original production. Bought tons of other kits from dinos to Star Wars. If I knew what they would be worth now I would have kept them. Hindsight can be a B. lol

[@CharlieChalk9790]

Awesome as usual, mate!

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@dragdragon23]

I really F up the connection between the landing bays and the pylons, A real big spacing at the connection points!

[@clonefox80]

How did you manage not to put weathering on it, you must be a monk, to resist that temptation.. Also, on mobius kits, I've only built one of their kits, and I found the plastic quite thick, but quite soft too,,almost like they were designed to be mass produced toys, but instead of going on to final assembly, they threw all the parts in a box, and you have a model kit. But it's BSG, so it's a small price to pay. Love your vids

[@modelchili]

Thanks! Funny you should say that, I think they did release these as completed models.

[@matthiasbonnici5266]

If you want to battle damage to the Galactica, you should do one of the model kits from the 2004 series, that ship had a ton of damage done to it

[@ericverpeten4249]

Great job.

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@keithwhisman]

I built this model when I was a kid.

[@Mr74145]

Maybe do a nother one as the pegases with all the battle damage.

[@clarencecausey7473]

Just got this model so this video was a great help; just curious about others thoughts on the purpose of the red decals in a "real" Galactica universe. Were they group markings or maybe for recognition purposes? It's my understanding that US Pacific Fleet battleships during WWII often painted the tops of their main gun turrets various colors for aerial identification....

[@jedi69outcast]

What clickbait. I’m quite sure the name of the Ship is The Southern Sun😂😂😂. Great Job . MSTK fans should get that

[@velveetaslingshot]

Big McLargehuge!

[@jedi69outcast]

velveetaslingshot 😂😂😂👍🏻🥂

[@Serenityindailylife]

This is one of the first pegasus models by Moebius, its interesting to see that they went with the cheaper pellets for molding this one. I would have spec'd out a nicer material. This looks a lot like 90's AMT because of the pellets they used and the softer details. Kinda disappointing what they are doing with the company that Frank built.

[@rmellersh]

This build would have been so much more exciting if you had added lighting to the interior (there are plenty of photos on line) and built the landing strips instead of those photos. Hey ho we all learn by watching other peoples ways. If I have the time in between all my other projects I might do this one too.

[@GaddisGaming]

I would have done tester dull coat on the decals

[@lurkerrekrul]

Sometimes the decisions by the model designers leave me scratching my head. They mold the sections of the body in large pieces, but then break up the recessed areas on the front of the ship into four small pieces each. They mold side pieces, but leave off little fiddly bits. It's like they made them separate not because of the complexity of molding them, or to facilitate easier painting or assembly, but rather just to inflate the part count so people would feel they were getting a more complex kit than it would otherwise be. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice looking model, but they could have probably reduced the parts by at least half or more and still made a model that looks exactly the same.

[@heavymetal19610]

Awesome! Do you ever go back and change a paint job?

[@modelchili]

Thanks! Not very often.

[@lurkerrekrul]

You're a lot more trusting toward parts alignment than I would be. You glue parts together and just trust that they'll line up with the additional parts that get attached to them. I've never built any Moebius Models kits, so maybe they're a much higher standard. I know when I built models from companies like Revell and Monogram the parts rarely lined up like they were supposed to. There's no way I'd glue the side pieces to the bottom half of a piece and just trust that they were going to line up properly when I put the top half on.

[@fmadgs]

I think looks nice, I would of like to see you weather it

[@anunnaki8964]

Great Job Dude ^_^

[@modelchili]

Thanks!

[@ModernClassic]

I think it looks great as it is. If anything, the actual ship on the show was less weathered - it's almost pure white. I'm glad you didn't go over the top with weathering, and I think it turned out really nice. Save the weathering for the reboot Galactica!

[@modelchili]

Thank you!

[@clarencecausey7473]

Modern Classic: I agree that in the TV show the Galactica appeared almost pure white. A few years ago I bought a vintage issue of "The Official Battlestar Galactica Poster Magazine" from ebay, and in the very large poster she looked flat gray, but going to take into account how ModelChili painted his to appear....

[@ssgtslick]

I went ahead and painted the stripes, didn't even mess with the decals except for ship name. Also went ahead with panel lines, spent a lot more time on that than the whole rest of the ship put together. Overall, I was disappointed his one. Unlike New Series Galactica and BSG fighters, this one was little better than an ancient Monogram kit.

[@skywatcher4732]

Would like to see a custom cammander fives how to video an awesome video builds

[@keithwhisman]

I remember the old model cement took a while to set and your model building seems to be going pretty quick, how fast do modern model cement set?

[@modelchili]

Depends how much glue you use. I use Tamiya Extra Thin which sets very quickly.

[@kaleu6]

I've never used the Tamiya white cap cement, only the green, light green and orange cap cements. Is the white cap a thicker cement?

[@modelchili]

I'd say the white cap stuff is just baseline plastic cement, which is thicker. The other colours are specialised products.

[@benarispe6113]

how do you get your paitbrushes to hold a tip like that? are they special brushes or what?

[@danielesteve8359]

Did Moebius design the original Galactica?!

[@modelchili]

No just made this kit.

[@oculusangelicus8978]

Getting close to Bandai? I would say that Moebius is every bit as good as Bandai. Moebius might be a relatively new company but they are created by modelers for modelers, with an eye for detail that will satisfy the know-it-all need who knows everything there is to know about the subject, why? Because they are that focused on the smallest detail. For their automobile kits they consult the company who made the vehicle and provide all the painting options that were available for that model year. Moebius is good enough for the most stickler for details that way you can be certain the data they are giving you will be accurate!