Let's Build The 2001 Moon Bus Model (Making A Moonscape Display Base)

In this video I show you how I made a moonscape display base from scratch for the finished Moon Bus model.

[@johnblack9885]

Now that’s an award-winning model right there! 👏

[@michaelfisher9760]

About 25 years ago I was freelancing at an advertising agency in Henley. There was a lovely old boy there doing the same. We got talking and it turned out he’d helped build the models on 2001. They were behind schedule and had to bring in extra help. He brought in some B&W photos he’d taken of the models to show me. They looked amazing. He was so modest about it and was surprised I was so interested. I’d forgotten all about it until this video reminded me of him.

[@TrekWorks]

Great story! If the pictures he had are different than the very few that have ever been published, they would be highly sought after today.

[@mr.modern4419]

I love this build and diorama so much!!!!! It is like bring the movie to life in miniature!!! WOW!!!!

[@thebobloblawshow8832]

The light really brings this one to life.

[@michaelkovach7973]

Great tutorial on making a moon surface diorama Boyd. As a model builder we wear many “hats”. This reminds me of a chef putting ingredients together and pouring it on a cookie sheet. This project came out great. Looking forward to the spindrift.

[@jeanmalo7173]

looking forward to the spindrift...great job!...stay safe!

[@ShawnMcClureModeler]

This is awesome Boyd. Thank you for showing how you can detach this.

[@sprueVerse]

Another tutorial I will be saving for future builds! Cheers!! Phil

[@grantfryer1]

I work with plaster every day, including easy sand and silver set. It will be very fragile if used this way. I would recommend a permanent border wall around the base and perhaps a screen mesh imbedded halfway up.

[@OzScalemodeling]

Looks great. the ground surface is perfect.. Looking forward to the Spindrift next. Cheers 👍

[@Ghost_That_Walks]

Nice job, Boyd. A lot of people shy away from doing diorama bases for their projects. You've shown everyone just how easy it can be to create an effective base that really enhances the model build. Very interested to see what you've got planned for the Spindrift. Thanks!

[@TrekWorks]

Thanks :)

[@perrygarner785]

That diorama looks magnificent. Fantastic work. Thanks for the video!

[@thecaptainoj3]

That's fantastic Boyd!!! Really excellent work!!!

[@TrekWorks]

Thanks :)

[@paulvanthomme3209]

Very nice, Boyd. The moon surface looks great. That makes a nice display.

[@p.j.c.2.0]

I do the same thing with Fine Modeling Sand for my Diorama's and it works out alright I Glue the Sand down to the Base I'm using let it dry overnight if it looks good I'll Paint it put on Rocks or Trees or whatever then put the Model on after all the work is done everything seems to turn out Good .

[@ricardoortiz-wn6ff]

Great job Boyd came out amazing......I did the spindrift last summer it came out great with the craft acrylic paints ...the decals for the model are way better than the aurora kit I was very happy with it 😀

[@tech42long35]

Man..!.. Turned out awesome.! really.. The base looks incredible as well.. great stuff.. nice vid.

[@TrekWorks]

Thanks :)

[@outsider238]

That turned out fantastic! The whole thing really came together. I think it can be just as fun (or even more fun!) to build the dioramas as building the kits themselves. Another excellent build!

[@TrekWorks]

I agree, building the diorama is very fun because you are starting from a completely blank slate.

[@rottiehood3872]

Nice as usual Boyd! Grout cement also works and might be stronger.

[@petermerz2704]

Looks great Boyd! Can’t wait to see the next build!

[@fubarmodelyard1392]

Looks fantastic. Looking forward to the next one cause LOTG was a very cool concept

[@MrDravenLee]

I don't recall ever seeing this tv show but love what you did here and the diorama looks great. Can't wait for the spindrift build. Love land of the giants and my favourite show is lost in space (the original series) I was actually looking for land of the giants on blu ray about 10mins before you mentioned building the ship. Have a great day Boyd!

[@TrekWorks]

2001 A Space Odyessey was a feature film made in 1968. Many consider it the best Scifi movie ever made. Many of the model makers that worked on that film went on to building the models for Star Wars.

[@MrDravenLee]

@@TrekWorks Thanks for the info Boyd. I may have to make some time to see this movie.

[@Ripplenator]

I grew up watching Irwin Allen's Sci-Fi adventure shows. Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and later, Land of the Giants, were terrific. Unfortunately, they never had conclusions. I always wondered if Will Robinson and his family ever made it to Alpha Centauri.

[@MrDravenLee]

@@Ripplenator Apparently they were going to do an episode or film where they get back to earth. Unfortunately it never happened due to the passing of Jonathan Harris. They were going to start filming I believe after Jonathan got out of hospital. He never did. A great loss when he passed away.

[@MrDravenLee]

@@Ripplenator I'm not sure how they would of got round Guy Williams character because he had already passed away years before. I'm not even sure if any of the other cast members would of been in it. There was a documentary called lost in space forever. Jonathan Bill Mumy and the robot were on the Jupiter 2. It only lasted about 10mins.

[@DKwiatkowski]

Flippin' awesome! The model itself is fantastic. 1 small critique? The scorch marks are a great touch, but given the thrust there'd also be striations radiating out. Either way, looks terrific!

[@michaelhintzmikesminiature1812]

This is Awesome Boyd!!! I'll be watching

[@chrischeshire6528]

When I built the Moon bus I used grounded charcoal on the base. It's great because you can make small and large rocks down to fine sand.

[@wraith20072007]

Super job Boyd, I would however put several long and short lines coming out from the blasting spots around the edges cause as you know that would be an awful lot of power landing and blasting off...like a sun burst effect that would really look more realistic other than that it looks super Bro.

[@markfergerson2145]

Since the Moon landings we have a pretty good idea what its surface looks like and I think you nailed it. Nice trick with the embedded electrical contacts BTW. I see from the box that the Spindrift model is 1/64th scale. Too bad- according to the Wikipedia article things on the Giants' planet were 12 times the size of similar things on Earth. If it were 1/12th scale you could display it with normal-sized objects like say an old-fashioned dial phone from the show's period (late 60s) but then, AIUI the shooting miniature was three and a half feet long! I suppose typical scale shrubbery will have to do. ;>)

[@ErnieShown]

Very cool

[@hangerbird]

Great job on this kit! I've just learned of a product called FloraCraft Smooth Finish Paintable Foam. You thin it with water and it dries over night. My understanding is it's lighter than plaster, so the display base won't be as heavy like what you would get with plaster. Regarding the LOTG ship, you saying that this is bigger than the original issue? I thought that there were two versions of this kit.... the scale that you have now and a smaller version. Maybe you were referring to the smaller version?

[@speeta]

Inspired by the body plan of a grasshopper, or so Brian Johnson claimed - of the Eagle Transporter he designed for Space: 1999. I have always seen the roots of the Eagle in the Moon Bus, which looks more like a grasshopper.

[@2000spqr]

very nice!

[@butchsbasementbuilds6828]

Very cool.....

[@davidjames1389]

Amazing work! So any plans to build the EVA Pod as well? I picked up the kit but it's a pretty daunting one to think about...

[@TrekWorks]

I have the kit and the aftermarket photo etch stuff for it. Hope to get around to it one day.

[@BradyMcG]

Any suggestions for lighting with onboard 9v battery? Where would you mount the battery? I'm considering the kit form voodoofx. It's missing the headlights but I think the battery would handle adding a couple LED's for that.

[@plasticbuzzardmodelshop9715]

👍👍

[@WarrenFahyAuthor]

Nice.

[@nickbrough8335]

Boyd - the finished article looks great and realistic to what we expect to see, although I'd have added the odd small crater as well (me being picky). In real life the moons surface is actually very dark grey (the colour of basalt lava give or take), whereas the surface looks lighter than that (or is that a camera effect ?).

[@AvengerII]

The light perceived color of the Moon's surface is probably a result of the intense sunlight. The Moon doesn't have any significant atmosphere to filter out the sunlight. Any material left on the Moon after decades has had its color bleached out. The pigments in paints and fabric will not survive the extreme changes in temperature and the beating of the sunlight. The American flags left behind are white, and the gold foil on the descent stages of the lunar modules and has likely dimmed to a metallic/aluminum finish. What a camera snaps an image of is always off from what we see. The artificially captured image is never going to be the same as what we see in real time.

[@nickbrough8335]

@@AvengerII The light colour we see from Earth is due to the unimpeded large surface area reflecting sunlight, although the surface colour is actually mostly a range of dark to very dark greys. The way we see colours is largely due to how the brain processes the optical data, which is actually partially dependent on how bright the surfaces are and the range of colours present. In addition, I believe its individual and that we dont actually see exactly the same colour when looking at the same images. The US flag has probably lost it colour due to ultra-violet light from the sun breaking down the chemical colouring dyed into the material. There will also be a light coating of fine lunar dust, which was disturbed by the lunar model ascent engine.

[@christopherh4653]

If you're building, I'm watching. :)

[@DocHorror666]

Fantastic looking model. Any update on the Titanic build?

[@TrekWorks]

The problem with the Titanic kit is they keep producing more and more really cool stuff for it that I don't want to miss out on because I'll only ever build one of them. I think I'm going to start for sure in March of this year on the anniversary date of when her Keel was first laid.

[@DocHorror666]

@@TrekWorks That sounds great. Fully understand wanting all the accessories , when you're doing a once in a lifetime build you want options!

[@fourmula4812]

they make a wireless led kit that the leds light up uzing no wires on to a L shape black base that the electricity comes from so you can mount a object if you want up in the air anchored to the wall of the L shape....you should get a kit !

[@fourmula4812]

ya Lumable wireless light

[@p.j.c.2.0]

Do you Remember what the Base was Originally Called before you started working on it Boyd ?

[@konamanstudio2447]

If you do a diarama you know I have a footprint What it landed on