Adam Savage's Guide to Model Spaceship Paneling!

[@JamesStrior]

Watching the process of building a "Star Wars" ship panel in real-time, by someone who actually worked on real Star Wars models gives me chills. Adam, your enthusiasm is contagious!

[@aureaphilos]

Another peak behind the curtain from one of the masters, himself.

[@kalakaarkunal3194]

I feel so lucky just to be able to watch this on my phone sitting in my room

[@amtracktrack4963]

Prequels hardly count.

[@brianblessing8369]

i agree ,i'd laso like to see Adam Savage build 3 1/8th or biggest plastic model car scale availiable of ,Knight Automated Roving Robot ,and Knight Industries Two Thousand from the original tv show i enjoyed back in the day called Knight Rider,and last,but not least,a 1/8th or biggest scale plastic model of Stephen King's movie car a 1958 Plymouth Fury/Belvedere ,Christine,to me that would be awesome sauce to see happen in real time

[@Michael-oy2ng]

@@amtracktrack4963 I don't like the prequels either, but Adam is a student of the people who did the original trilogy and other great movies. So, it's still a great view into the process.

[@jdmillspa]

I would love a series on building a model from scratch, start to finish. From conception to final paint touches.

[@jjkim7949]

Not a series, but Adam did build a model from scratch before, kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJfZpXqonb6eZqs

[@Arosebud0]

Adam’s friend and colleague Fon Davis did exactly that with a great “soup-to-nuts” DVD (“Introduction to Professional Model Making”). The only disappointment was that it breezed over the greebling in time-lapse. Adam’s clip here closes that gap! Thanks!

[@corporaterobotslave400]

I am working on a video like that. Please subscribe at Space Monster Pictures. kzbin.infovideos

[@zsigmondkara]

@@Arosebud0 Do you know, where I could buy those DVDs? I was looking everywhere (I'm based in europe), but couldn't find anything...

[@alienproductions9948]

Yes yes yes ues

[@CNSFX]

This is a trip down memory lane for me too. I did the same thing for DS9, STV and others. One thing that Adam didn't cover because its a deep dive is scale and how to create it within the same process he demonstrated. Great stuff to learn and understand and there should be more of this content to help model makers and dreamers build cool things.

[@ReedCBowman]

Sounds like you could contact Tested and go do a collab to talk about that and show us all how to do it.

[@CNSFX]

@@ReedCBowman That would be fun! I’m game to do that if they are. If you, the fans, ask for it then it’s more likely to happen.

[@gr4ndv1ll3]

@@CNSFX yes please! 90s Trek is what that universe looks like overall in my head.

[@wiesejay]

Lol, I was wondering how you would apply the same design aesthetic to both a star destroyer and a tie fighter without them looking wildly out of scale

[@CNSFX]

@@gr4ndv1ll3 that’s interesting because we had a very distinct style compared to Star Wars. Ours was very slick and smooth on Federation ships while most of SW ships are very layered and detailed. We did borrow from the older SW models because it worked and looked good on camera. They did invent greebles after all!

[@devrossik]

One thing that can be useful is some variable lighting while you work. Having directional lights that you can shine at different angles across the work gives you a feel for how the various parts are coming together to create the surface texture.

[@rougnashi]

I just have to nerd out for a minute here. My fiancee and I just got our first 3d printer. It just arrived. I'm excited to print a lot of things but watching this video I'm thinking most about my childhood love of Z.O.I.D.s and all things animal shaped mechs and how that love really never died but never had the chance to flourish either. Now my brain is running a hundred miles a minute building custom ani-mech projects, and I just want to thank you Adam for throwing kindling on the spark of passion I had left. Thank you for being the grandpa nerd to us all.

[@Youcannotfalter]

All the Nostromo ships built are some of the most impressive ship builds ever in my opinion. Fantastic work.

[@RFC-3514]

Weldon-3 (as most acrylic "glues") is basically methylene chloride (a.k.a. dichloromethane). *Instead of wide cup and a brush, you should just use a small syringe* (with a blunt dispensing needle) for two main reasons (which are really the same): 1. It won't evaporate, so you save glue. 2. It won't evaporate, so it won't get into your lungs (as organic solvents go, it's not the worst, but it's still biotoxic and will slowly burn your lungs from the inside, if you're not in a well ventilated place). Also, it's easier to make sure you only apply glue to the right places, instead of brushing over the _front_ face of the panels. Don't use a "bottle" type applicator, as it will still evaporate inside it, and you need to squeeze harder as it gets emptier. A syringe will always dispense the same amount for the same pressure, and gives much better control. Note that (unless you use a glass+teflon syringe) the solvent will slowly eat through the syringe itself, so don't leave it "primed" for several days, or it might start leaking; always empty the syringe when you're done, and switch to a new syringe after a couple of days' use. Also, note that there isn't much point in wearing a mask, because dichloromethane goes through pretty much any filter. Just make sure as little as possible of it is exposed to the air, and make sure there's ventilation. Use butyl rubber or neoprene gloves when handling large amounts, and don't bother wearing gloves when handling small amounts (a few drops will evaporate off your skin in seconds; don't use latex or nitrile gloves, because it will melt them and stay on your skin longer, which can cause chemical burns).

[@jimmyparker4335]

I think Adam's technique definitely reveals his roots. Imagine being on a team trying to crank out several hundred models as quickly as possible. The time saved using his method would really add up after placing 20,000-30,000 greeblies.

[@RFC-3514]

@@jimmyparker4335 - I'm not sure how using a brush (which you have to constantly re-dip) is faster than using a syringe (which you can just keep in your hand). Also, I definitely wouldn't want to have have a bowl of methylene chloride evaporating 10 cm away from my face all day long.

[@FireAngelOfLondon]

Yeah I was slightly concerned when he did not take any care around breathing the solvent and didn't give any warnings about how toxic it is. The syringe method is also faster, not just safer and more economical.

[@mpetersen6]

Well you can also use MEK (Mythol Ethyl Ketone). Available in hardware and big box home improvement stores. Either way any of these solvents have the potentail to nasty long term. And every time I use or see a plastic cement being used I immediately think of Lloyd Bridges

[@jimmyparker4335]

@@RFC-3514 He wasn't using a brush for the greeblies. His dip method was super fast.

[@notreallydavid]

Superb - and what a likeable, articulate demonstrator. It's great to see Adam generating something in what's become the Star Wars house style without raising a sweat.

[@TheWilbott]

I can listen to Adam babble excitedly about anything and everything for hours. In fact I have and will continue to do so!

[@UntrackedEndorphins]

Adam was not lying about painting it being a magic trick, it felt weirdly satisfying to see everything coming together

[@adamjones-ps]

It is odd and amazing how you took just a simple piece of styrene sheet, attached a second layer minus some cuts, then a third of just pieces and transformed it into a real wing panel of a spaceship. Right in front of our eyes. I'm sure after the painting and weathering process it will look even more spectacular. I could absolutely visualize that on a starship model and then filmed to make it appear larger than it really is. Thanks for sharing.

[@tachi98lep]

Beautiful watching you build! I wish you would make a spaceship from start to finish and then detail and finish it!

[@GRAYR189]

Thank you for showing us your miscalculations and mistakes, Adam! It makes the processes snd techniques you demonstrate more relatable to us non-pro modelers because we WILL goof thing up. It also makes YOU more relatable and personable because (at least to ME) it doesn't feel that I'm being talked down to by a know-it-all who has no patience with people less skilled, or that you're showing off because you're better than we are. And it's inspiring because unlike some other YT modelers, you aren't using cuts that have the effect of showing you doing only perfect work which we cannot match. And your enthusiasm and love for the craft comes through loud and clear!

[@John-pn3mw]

Thankyou adam, for a childhood full of knowledge and excitement i didnt think i needed.

[@pactrarc]

Silent running... One of my fave Sci Fi films. Cool video, thanks.

[@ufaceu]

It's a privilege getting to sit in on highly skilled craftsmen perform their magic. These videos are the reason I follow this channel.

[@andersdenkend]

You can absolutely see the enthusiasm Adam brings to this, it's absolutely contagious. I can wholeheartedly recommend you pick up scale modelling / scratch building if you find this video interesting. Not only is the process of doing it tons of fun, but having something real in your hands afterwards is pretty rewarding as well.

[@stephengardiner9867]

That stainless steel straightedge is identical to one that I used for 40 years as a Cartographer. I still have it (and most of my t-squares, set-squares, steel scales, x-acto knives, circle and ellipse templates. Staedtler nd Koh-i-noor mechanical pencils and a really nice K&E drawing set with all of the various compasses, dividers, ruling pens etc) AND a light table. Now that I am retired, they grace my home office. I even still have my original SLIDE-RULE! As I do build the occasional (!) scale model, much of this has proven to be quite useful.

[@benlee3117]

This is exactly like watching a performance by a master jazz musician on-stage, riffing and improvising to his hearts delight. What a show! What a joy to watch! The great thing about this kind of improv is that there's a story going on in the background; why is this greebly here? What was the design? I've done a little something like this myself, and the little story you tell yourself in the back of your head is a huge part of the fun.

[@Popsaircraftdetail]

My hero there. I’ve been building models for years. I’ve always looked up to Adam

[@hori_ink82]

I’ve been scratch building lately using recycling bottles and plastics and was purely inspired by Adam Savages video what a legend 👍

[@CEOHankScorpio]

Very cool! As someone working in 3D on star wars-themed stuff it's interesting how much of the aesthetic is determined by the tools and materials, especially what is easy or fast to do. Things like the notcher make repeated steps easy for styrene but are actually slower in 3D! Not by much, but it's still enough that most 3D artists might choose a different detail that's faster to repeat. For people wanting to recreate physical models in 3D it's worth knowing the techniqes. Maybe what I need to do is make myself a rapid notching script in Maya? Like how John Knoll started building a 3D greeblie kit for ILM before Rogue One.

[@beaker_guy]

Man, I'm just gonna start watching Adam and then I can skip my morning coffee! Love the enthusiasm!! !

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

That looks amazing. You can absolutely see Adam's work and experience make this sick panel look effortless. I would love to see more of this kind of content. Man is that inspiring!

[@garyburke6156]

its amazing to me how much of the aesthetic of star wars is determined by specific modelmaking tools and practices and greebles, like, a model designer in Japan in the 1960s laying out a sprue in a particular way, is why X-wing engines look like they do. and this notching tool is why the panels look like that, so every wall and wing in star wars has that feel

[@alienproductions9948]

Check out Silent Running, 5-years prior. Exact same method. Love this video.

[@ObeyWannTK6960]

Wow. Thank you for this master class in paneling. This is absolute gold for the costuming and prop making community, especially the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club (MMCC) that does a lot of custom blasters, armor, gauntlets, etc.

[@doncarlton4858]

I've been using this method for decades in model railroading for buildings, train cars and more. I use upended shot glasses for glue fonts for styrene solvent, ACC, and carpenter's glue. When I place a bit of styrene, I use a quarter twist of the xacto knife to release the piece.

[@bullitt_eightyseven]

Being a model maker myself this definitely gives me a new look on scratch building a few things whilst being home from work travels and tapping into some old engineering skills I had back in college that got me through scale building for architecture and 3D rendering set pieces, now I want to try and build a sail boat that has been retrofitted to transport in space

[@yonstenger]

I’m currently scratch building some crew ships, cargo haulers, and habitation/hydroponic pods for the table top miniature war game Stargrave. This is the perfect background whilst I glue away.

[@ybab-j]

so generous with the process. showing us the actual model you get your favorite parts from is akin to a beat maker revealing their sample sources.

[@CB-fd4xu]

My only experience with this is obsessing over these details on toys and models I owned as a kid. As an adult I really appreciate your revealing this subjective yet logical creative process that helped shape the adjunct reality of my youth 🙂

[@mikehext]

The breaking over the vice is my favorite part you did.

[@carlosbovia6813]

So satisfaying to see the Maestro at work in his happy place... Your vids are always uplifting and helpful, just love them and I watch them everyday... thanks for all the sharing that you do and the joy you bring without even trying... México loves Adam Savage...

[@tested]

For 50% off your first month of any subscription crate from KiwiCo (available in 40 countries!) go to kiwico.com/tested Adam's favorite flush cutters: amzn.to/3IdVszF

[@Celebmacil]

It's okay to not know where you're going, but it's really good to know when you've gotten where you want to be.

[@sir_soap9576]

I love the fact that recently i started building miniature models like star wars(not only) and now i discovered that my childhood "hero" from mythbusters is making things like that Its just mindblowing

[@pellesomethingsomething]

To me this is the best kind of Adam Savage content. Useful, fun and enjoyable. ♥

[@Chudders1982]

By far my favourite video of yours Adam! Hope you do more videos like this, so educational.

[@New2Ukulele]

Adam you are looking more and more like a mad scientist! Love it.

[@christophermitchellsr9492]

a great video i had to pass this along to some facebook groups that deal with scratch building and diorama building . its a great video that helps new comers to model building see how that by just using simple out of the box thinking you can build some great looking models

[@benquirobiequiratman4646]

This man i can feel the force flow through him uncommon Jedi Engineering a ship .

[@jefferytapp1612]

Thank you, your channel has kept me going this last couple of years. I have been using this technique for years, now I feel awesome, great minds and fools rarely differ.

[@brianartillery]

A favourite greeblying technique of mine, is to make a stack of about eight Panther tank roadwheels, and cut that stack vertically, so you get two half stacks. Each can be cemented to the panels. It creates a novel 'thing' that most people could not work out the origin of. I've done it with small LEGO dishes, too. Looks great when painted and weathered. I'm also fond of using an old hole punch to create circular plates from thin styrene sheet. I use my old Tamiya riveting tool on some of those, as well.

[@johnhanley5546]

The opening sequence on Star Wars a New Hope was playing in my head as I watched that (almost) triangle of super detailed plastic on the big screen! Very informative and enjoyable

[@DanielGBenesScienceShows]

Uhg, Adam. Do you have to be so darn inspiring? I’m in the middle of restoring a piece of furniture that must be finished tonight. But now you’ve got me contemplating abandoning ship, pulling out my styrene and greeble supplies, and building ships!

[@SaturnCanuck]

I loved your enthusiasm. I can imagine the ILMers in 1976 having a field day with this. Thanks. Can't wait to see the painting episode.

[@stinkyham9050]

It's crazy when you see how long one little thing takes for a movie prop. Then think about all the props, wardrobe, lights, cameras, etc needed for a movie. Hundreds of thousands of man hours just to get 120 minutes of film. It's mind blowing.

[@MRED003]

Love this easy to see tutorial. You actually make it look like fun. Would love to see more. Thank you

[@HunterJE]

Doing a special-occasion kit model build with the concept of "decommissioned military mech converted to civilian use as a cargo hauler" and need a shipping container and cargo sledge for it to pull around and I think it's finally time to take the dive in to styrene scratch-building! Real excited to try this stuff out myself.

[@ILSRWY4]

Very VERY cool Adam! Having been a model builder for 40 years now I have never seen such a technique. Thanks for sharing

[@constpegasus]

Adam’s talent is wonderful to watch for ideas and inspiration.

[@OrginalDravas]

3D printing changed the greeble game - so many good shapes and patterns to be found and one sla print later bam greebles for days.

[@ferryester3187]

Not the point of this video :)

[@jsunn6791]

Love this! The Bob Ross of model building, "Happy little greeblies here!"

[@dolphin64575]

I suddenly know what I'm making my best friend for Christmas, thank you Adam!

[@GreenJeep1998]

Decided to sit down and make brake drums for a snap together ‘34 Ford Highboy today since changed the wheels and tires from box stock, needed to hide the axle posts and found this video to watch while doing so. Happen to be using Evergreen .040” sheet, 1/2” rod, and .060” 1/2 round, as well as .030” rod to fab them up!

[@markgordon4368]

Love those cutting sounds from those hand cutters, used to make models as a kid I always kept the sprues, I used to scan Sci fi ships for parts I recognised ❤❤❤

[@timparsons3565]

I am totally digging this return to fully produced videos. The feel of the video is much more polished and --dare i say-- cinematic with the addition of lights and manned second camera(s).

[@mattknell6741]

Now that is a THING OF BEAUTY! Such a great demo video Adam, I had pleasure watching it and watching your enjoyment of the process! Cant wait to try it myself.

[@eEdselEdsel]

That looks like such a fun way to get into the flow of building! I'm going to do some of this for some Stargrave terrain later this summer.

[@DanMowry]

Did we ever get video of the painting of this piece and the other styrene build? This was absolutely golden!

[@Maker76]

Never knew about the notches,immediately bought one from Amazon, brilliant

[@Lee1978R]

I loved watching this, Adam’s enthusiasm and excitement is contagious 👍🏻👍🏻❤️

[@mussnasir8587]

You keep me going the amount of work & detail behind the builds is contagious to watch😎🇦🇺👍

[@KevinJ42]

That's so cool! I always think that stuff that's built for movies and TV is built and designed very purposely, and then I see you doing this how you do it. That it's more done by feel is really neat. And slapping the paint on does the "*gasp* I SEE IT NOW!" moment for me. It's magic.

[@jakobeiring4281]

This was deeply satisfying to watch. Thank you Adam

[@eligebrown8998]

If classes were as physically educational as much as they are book wise like your vidros i wouldve been a straight A student. Im not going to lie. Savage always looks like a mad scientist thats close to a major break through but still manages to bring us all these great videos. Ive seen 3 A.I. generated space ships and im going to try building one. 5ft long space ship

[@rael5469]

I love this guy. Such a down to Earth guy and so totally entertaining. What a treasure.

[@Ayelmar]

A technique I learned from an old modeler back when I was a kid nearly 4 decades ago, is to NOT use a shap X-acto blade to score sheet styrene. Instead, use the back of a *broken* X-acto blade to carve out a groove, then snap the sheet. Surprisingly, it leaves a really clean, square edge most of the time. But the tutorial is great! I'm going to have to see if I can adapt some of the basic concepts to greebling my 3D modesl for my amateur CGI work....

[@tonyl7418]

Hey Dude, you’re getting old, just like me, enjoy! We’re never to old to learn new tricks! Learned a lot in this one. 72 this year sometime. Still having fun! Keep it up! Models are great!

[@briangilbert3884]

Looking forward to the painting segment!

[@f1matt]

I know Adam has done a simple scratch built styrene ship previously. But would be incredible if eventually he did an in depth multipart scratchbuild of a studio scale ship.

[@beckhaver]

I make spaceships in a video game and found this to be very helpful Adam. I can relate to the enjoyment element of seeing a simple shape come together. Thank you for your efforts :)

[@matta2939]

Man when you sprayed that with primer, I get it! gave me chills. Love building but paint scares me. Thank you for the video!

[@DorsetSaferRoads]

Watching Adam work make me really jealous of being short sighted. I'm long sighted, varifocal glasses and even then when I'm doing intricate soldering or small stuff I need lots of light and preferably a magnifying light Adam just looks over his glasses!

[@RalDien26]

I'm enjoying this series so much! thank you!!

[@charlesspringer4709]

I want the Nostromo shirt. I bought the ball cap when the movie came out - we checked the back seat of the car very carefully when we left!

[@CraigH999]

Really fun to watch the joy exhibited by Adam. Makes me want to go out and buy styrene just to make panels.

[@Valisk]

That Nostromo uniform is getting some nice natural weathering. Looks awesome!

[@herbaden]

Great video! I like the passion and joy Adam is having for the subjetc! Can't wait for the painting video.

[@GarlandLym]

So awesome. This episode covered key design things I’ve been searching for in this past year. Thank you

[@tinkmarshino]

Damn that was as impressive as you said it was... To take two flat objects and with a little cutting you produced something that doesn't look at all like what you started with.. But it does looks exactly like the wing of some space ship. Bravo Adam that made me smile to watch..

[@nathanwood5977]

I love this and this is exactly how I work (not that I have time or produce anywhere near the same standard as Adam). My favourite time is as Adam points out, is unifying the greeblies and the base area with paint. Even its a brushed on brown or grey.

[@therealcrisis8439]

I was just thinking how Adam might be the Bob Ross of Modelmaking and in that exact moment he mentions him! Mind = blown!

[@qontoh2s872]

I get my styrene free. Most stores use styrene signage in one form or another. A lot are only useful for a limited time then get tossed in the trash. Try asking local places, I've found that most will give you the old ones. I used this method when I scratch built the Valley Forge from Silent Running.

[@shaundavies314]

I always love doing this when I’m converting Games Workshop tanks for my imperial guard. Layering different thicknesses of styrene for variety, making hatches and hinges, then rooting through boxes of bits for that one part you know you have… somewhere! I bought a couple of scraping tools that radius the edges of the styrene really nicely and the score panel lines, add rivets etc… endlessly entertaining 😁

[@jeffmarsh9445]

Love all of your videos, Adam. This one is really inspiring for those of us who've dabbled and needed some tips and pointers on how 'simple' it can be to just jump in and create something - even with no formal plans or detailed measurements. I feel renewed motivation to break out the years of 'bits' that have been piling up, just waiting for a creative home. Question for you: you mentioned the TAP styrene sheets for $1 - where do you find them that cheap, and what size expectation should we have per sheet at that price? The TAP website is a tad confusing to figure out what to order. Thanks, and keep doing what you do!

[@RCUKScaleModels]

awesome work Adam thank you for showing how to do it I am part of a group of modellers we are going to build some scratch models as a group build soon

[@keithreay]

Adam channels some Bob Ross in this vid and I LOVE IT.

[@trecruel3516]

I really love the lighting in this video! It's very atmospheric 😍

[@emrybennett8809]

After the magic trick, I was like "Whao!!!!!!" God watching this made me feel so good.

[@jimbobtheimpaler8403]

Mr.Savage. Thank you for sharing this. Very awesome vid indeed. Love this type of stuff.

[@Wild-Dad]

This is a demonstration I would have paid almost anything for if I had the chance to visit ILM back in their modelling heydays! 👍👍👍👏👏👏🖖🖖🖖😀😀😀

[@knotid]

THIS IS FUCKING MESMERIZING!!! I had studied Industrial Design so we used styrene sheets for modeling and it was fun, nice material to work with. But seeing Adam's work so fluid, it's just amazing!!!

[@Vickie-Bligh]

I thought Bob Ross moments before you said it, Adam. 🤣 I honestly get such pleasure watching you create like this. Your typical ODBs and shop infrastructure builds are very enjoyable, but seeing you in your happy place is such a joy. Thanks, Adam for doing this. Thanks, Norm for such great filming & editing. Thank you Tested for brightening my day.

[@paulybassman7311]

Hey Adam, since watching this one , I bought 12lbs of styrene off cuts for £25. Every size white and black. Mainly to panel the 40" spaceship I'm building, but it seems I have enough to do my house 🤣🤣. Thanks soo much for the inspiration to kick my bot back into my build. Thou doth Procrastinate too much.🙄 Best Wishes 🇬🇧

[@kevinmaloney2391]

Adam you've got to do a video building a craft utilizing that piece you constructed. Also the Tamiya 35th scale Gepard anti-aircraft tank is a good source of greeblies and any tank kit with an interior are also great sources for example the T-34 by Hobbyboss in 48th the Miniart version in 35th and the trumpeter in 16th scale all the same parts but three different scales. Again GREAT VIDEO your enthusiasm for making comes through and is contagious!

[@Sarados1980]

I'm a 3D hard surface artist and currently working on some mid-poly hard surface environment and a lot of the basic ideas you speak about in this video really resonate in my digital work as well (using "greeble decal sheets", blocking out the shapes, layring the panels etc.). I really have to do some physical custom builds in the near future, it looks so much fun (I normally only build Gunpla modelkits^^).

[@markzambelli]

Right after I watched this I put 2001: A Space Osyssey on to check a few details for a TMA-1 homage I'm doing and I was very pleasantly surprised to see those notches and rectangular greebles all over everything (the Station, Floyds Moon Bus, the Aries Earth-Moon Shuttle, Clavius Base, The Discovery One)... amazing!😀, thanks Adam.

[@BPCustomCreations]

What a coincidence! I was just searching for info on scribing panel lines the other day! I'm looking to make my scratch builds even better 👍👍

[@BPCustomCreations]

Aww man I was hoping for some scribing!

[@timries4916]

Adam even after 50+ years of model building it is enjoyable to just watching something come together. On a side note can buy the track bed from your spares parts you used? I need one. Thanks for the content.