By David Miller
Hello, in this Blog I will be documenting the build-up of Titan Find’s Liberator DSV-2 model kit from the Blake’s 7 TV series. Several years ago, my friend Rick Schaffer and I built the Comet Miniatures Liberator model and it made the Reader’s Gallery of Fine Scale Modeler (May, 1997, p. 47). The Comet kit is a great little kit but it really is little. We ended up deleting most of the photo etched parts and made the weapons out of fine wire. Some of the photo etch was so small we didn’t even try to use it. Since then, I have tried to obtain another model of the Liberator, but no luck until I discovered the Titan Find kit.
Small Parts Clean Up: April 6, 2006
After examining the model parts, I was impressed with the overall quality of the kit. The initial clean up of the small parts only took about an hour. There will be some sanding and fill work that will take some care but over all it was pretty straightforward.
I also test fitted some of the engine parts to see how it all goes together.
Drilling Holes: April 8, 2006
I used hand drill as suggested and used bits nos. 68 and 76 to drill holes to a depth of ¼ inch. I did not get the holes exactly plumb, so will have to adjust some wires once they are glued in.
Pod Struts: April 11, 2006
Here are some photos I took while putting the struts on the pods. I used Elmer’s carpenter’s wood filler to fill the seam. I started to use wood filler a few months ago because I am getting increasingly sensitive to CA glues and I did not want to use CA as filler. The wood filler is water based, and it sticks well, especially for small seams like these. It also dries rapidly when used in small amounts.
The Elmers wood filler holes up well. I put down a bit of primer into the gaps or seams I am going to fill. After it dries, I use the Elmers, finish it, and then use another coat of primer over the Elmers. Sounds a bit fiddly, but all of the materials dry quickly and you spend about the same amount of time as with other methods.
The Elmers does not mar bare plastic, so overfill can be scraped away with a wood stick, which is handy when filling around canopies. Models from three years ago show no signs of cracking or peeling.
Starting the Engine: April 13, 2006
Today I washed the hemispheres and engine collars in cool, soapy water to remove any mold release agent residue.
The hemispheres look real good. I polished them with micromesh pads and then dipped them in Future floor polish. They have been set aside to cure until tomorrow afternoon, and then I will add the striping tape.
I painted the collars with Rust-Oleum white primer as recommended in the assembly guide. That is a nice, flat white.
Looking it over, and after some test fitting, I am inclined to think that the engine assembly will be the most difficult part of the build. I can hardly wait to get at it!
This afternoon I put the stripes on the hemispheres. Looking at photos of the Blake’s-7 studio model, it had 11 rows of white stripes! Also, on the studio model, the white stripes and the green spaces between them appear to be of equal width. I used ⅛” auto striping tape and put 9 stripes on the model, which look about right. In order to do 11 stripes, I would need to cut the tape down to 3/32”. I hope there are no stripe counters out there!
Next, I plan to rub down the hemispheres to remove any fingerprints, and then dip them in Future again.
Putting the Engine Together Engine Together: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
After the second coat of Future dried about 14 hours, I inserted the hemispheres into the engine collars. Careful attention was given to aligning the stripes properly with respect to each engine collar and to the opposite hemisphere. To make sure the engine collars had no twist in them, I pressed each hemisphere and collar down on the tabletop of my bench saw. This helped to make sure the engine collar was flat and the hemisphere was fully pressed into the collar. I used a small amount of thin CA on the inside seam between the hemisphere and engine collar, and let it cure overnight.
The seams of the engine halves were sanded flat. Sanding, drilling or sawing resin produces a remarkable amount of dust. The sanding was done outside and I also wore a dust mask to limit my exposure to the resin dust. I used a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper that was tack-glued to a sanding board made of a Formica sink cutout. Sanding was done in different directions and the piece was turned regularly so that the sanding would be uniform.
The engine halves were glued together with a thin layer of clear 6-minute epoxy. This allowed ample time to align tip and the base of the engine. The side seams were a bit uneven, but a small amount of acrylic wood filler took care of this. The base of the engine was sanded flat on the sanding board.
Now I have to decide whether I want to add lighting to the Liberator.
The Engine is Done! Thursday, April 20, 2006
I decided to go for the lighting option. I turned a collar from plastic pipe that fits into the Liberator’s main hull. I quit turning while the piece still fit snuggly into the hull. Hopefully, this will provide enough friction so that the engine will remain in a fixed position when the model is displayed, but will allow disassembly for installation of the Glo Toob light.
By now the epoxy joining the engine halves had cured for over 72 hours and the access hole could be drilled into the base of the engine. I used a ¾ inch Forstner bit in my battery powered hand drill. The drill operates at a relatively low rpm, which is ideal for drilling plastics and resins. Still, I was worried that I might split the engine apart while drilling
I used a Forstner bit because they can drill very clean holes, and because they can be more easily held plumb while drilling. Forstner bits are also VERY SHARP, so I wore gloves and held the engine in an old bath towel. I located the center of the engine base, and taking care to keep the bit plumb, carefully drilled the hole into the engine. I paused and checked the progress of the hole about every ⅛ of an inch. There was some resistance when the bit began to cut into the green resin of the hemispheres, but since I was working slowly, and only applying gentle pressure on the drill, the hole was soon completed without mishap. At this point I started breathing again, and took my dog for a walk.
I epoxied the collar into place, taking care that the engine pod and main hull were in good alignment.
Adding the Big Guns: Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Now it is time to attach the weapons pods to the main hull. Attachment points are molded into the hull. I also made a cardboard gage and drew an alignment figure on the sink cut-out. The plan is to use these to ensure that the pods are at 120 degree angles from each other and aligned with the main axis of the model. I used the dividers to locate the holes in the hull that accept the pylon support wire. Funny me! I drilled the first hole into the hull in the wrong direction. Good thing I did a test fit before I drilled the other two holes. Fortunately, I was able to correct the mistake by drilling back in the other direction.
After test fitting, I used six minute epoxy to fasten each pylon to the hull. This epoxy is fast enough that I was able to hold a pylon in position until the epoxy set. I took care to hold the joining edges squarely together and to sight along the hull so that the pod was aligned with the main axis of the model.
My plan was to make final adjustment to the spacing and alignment after I fastened the third pylon to the hull. The epoxy should have allowed me to make small adjustments because it was not fully cured. When I used the gage and placed the Liberator on the alignment figure, the pods were spot on, and no further adjustment was necessary.
I still have a little work to do on the fit of the engine collar, but it will soon be time to start the detail work.
Liberator Vanes and Panels: Friday, May 12, 2006
I took some time away from the Liberator because spring has arrived in western Illinois. Of course, there is always time to do something on a model, so I did spend some time working on seams and blemishes with filler and fine sandpaper.
The other evening I attached the vanes to the main hull and the pods. The registration marks ensured accurate alignment and spacing of the vanes. Five or six of the vanes on the pods required dipping in hot water to straighten them. I did use thick CA to glue on the vanes. When the rear section of the pod vanes were aligned with the registration mark, the tips of many vanes were lifted about 1/32 off the front section of the pod. This see-saw created a gap problem. To avoid this, I glued the rear section of the pod vanes first, and after the CA set, I pressed each tip down to the pod and glued it. I used CA accelerator here, too. Still, only took about an hour to glue on all the vanes with minimal gaps. A bit of primer, and they should look great.
Each of the panels that encircle the pod has a rough edge from the molding process. I took a few minutes to build a jig from some scrap wood with which to hold each panel for sanding. This little jig and a sanding block (220 grit) made short work of this task. Careful attention to the dimensions of the jig ensured that the rough edge was smoothed nicely and its width matches the opposite edge of the panel. Also, each panel is the same width. I have not glued the panels to the pods yet.
Time Distort 8! Saturday, July 15, 2006
It’s been a while since the last update but other things took precedence over modeling. However, the Glo Toob arrived last week and I am very pleased with it. It only took a few minutes to program the GT into the pulse mode. The tube fit snuggly into the Liberator engine. There is no further need for additional fasteners to hold the engine in place. I got a lucky photo that shows how nicely the GT illuminates the engine.
It is time to think about a display stand for the Liberator. This effort is made from a scrap of locally harvested catalpa wood, which looks a lot like white oak. I do not know if I am going to stain the stand, as this wood looks great with just a clear coat. Also, the lighter color will accentuate the model. However, a darker stand might create an interesting contrast.
Making a Stand: Saturday, October 21, 2006
I decided to dye the catalpa wood a medium brown color. I have been using aniline dyes in my woodworking for the past few years. I prefer them to the pigment stains in that the dye has excellent coverage of sharp edges and end grains. The dye also seems to bring out the grain in the wood better. It is also easier to apply. The stand was finished with a coat of Danish oil (other oils work well, too) and a couple of coats of past wax.
Brass rod was used to make cradles for the model. I drilled holes in the neck of the stand, inserted the rods, and then carefully bent a curve in them to accommodate the diameter of the Liberator’s hull. The rods still rotate within the holes drilled for them so they can be adjusted to fit the model. The model sits solidly on the stand. The proportions of the stand and model seem about right. I plan to fasten a Blake’s 7 logo on the stand.
Now I am ready to add the panels and other fine details, and do decals and finishing. The fun begins!
Liberator Foil and Decals: Friday, December 22, 2006
Gold Bare-Metal Foil was used to highlight the central hull panels. It was not necessary to use the Bare-Metal burnishing tool because the foil conformed nicely when rubbed down with a soft flannel cloth.
I began by coating the printed areas of the decals with Badger Modelflex liquid decal film (16-803) (other liquid decal films or “decal savers” will work also). I did this because the Liberator decals are printed on a single sheet of decal paper like most aftermarket and custom decals. Each decal has to be cut apart separately from its neighbor leaving only a small border of clear carrier film. Most of the decals on the Liberator are stripes – long and thin! The Modelflex gives strength to these delicate strips, and helps to keeps them from breaking during application. When placed in water the decals curl up. I take them out of the water and let them set for a few minutes. When they relax, they should be ready to apply.
Long thin decals can double back on themselves, sometimes ruining the decal. To avoid this problem, I applied each stripe decal in segments, rather than trying to apply the entire stripe at once. Small gaps and misalignments can be corrected with permanent markers and careful trimming after the decals dry.
I worked slowly on this decal job, allowing most of the decals at least a half-hour drying time before moving on to the next decal. Having too many wet decals on a model at one time can result in accidentally ruining a soft decal when you pick up the model.
Using care, the decals went on well and look great. I still need to tidy them up here and there. I started to do some shading and weathering. The pod panels are next, and then the weapons.
Liberator is Done: Saturday, December 23, 2006
Final touches.
I attached the thirty panels to the pods. For contrast, the panel color is a very light shade of gray, or off-white. The red pods were attached to the main hull. I also used the dry brush technique to apply Rub-and-Buff antique copper as weathering at various locations on the model. I also dry brushed light gray acrylic paint for weathering.
The final touch was adding the rods to the pods and main hull. I glued a glass seed bead near the end of each rod to add interest. The rods were glued into the pilot holes with CA. After they were dry, I primed the rods using a paint brush. Then I finished them with white and black acrylics. When I get new cartridges for my ink-jet printer, I plan to make a Blakes 7 decal for the stand.
Conclusions.
This spring I was quite excited to discover the Titan Find website and the Liberator model. John Archdeacon graciously answered all my questions before I purchased the kit. Later, John suggested doing a blog for the building of the Model, and I thought it sounded like fun, and it was! I started the model back in early April, and finished it on December 19. I spent about 60 hours on the model and stand. Most of the work was done in the spring and since Thanksgiving. I did not work on the Liberator, or any other models, during the summer because of our D.I.Y. home remodeling project that also included packing up my workshop.
The Titan Find Liberator is a great model. I was very satisfied with the quality of the castings, the fit, and the basic engineering of the kit. It is certainly well done for a limited run model. The kit instructions are complete and easy to follow. The website also offers useful photos and information for anyone building the Liberator. I installed a green Glo-Tube and it makes a very attractive display.
I would certainly recommend this model to any fan of Blakes 7 with moderate modeling skills. For those modelers who may have never heard of Blakes 7, this is a very interesting and attractive subject for any model collection.
