BATTLESTAR VIPER

We actually missed the show on network TV, but the boxset inspired us to buy the Viper in kit form. Released by Moebius Models in 2009, the series hooked us enough to fall for this 1:32nd scale model.

Part of the attraction was not only the novelty of this new release, but the appealing look of the machine itself. It was always enjoyable seeing the compact Viper taking the fight to the enemy & fulfilling its role of “Space Superiority Fighter”! The kit designers too do a good job of selling the model, with some fetching box art that’s hard to resist.

Inside the box are six white plastic sprues, a clear Perspex canopy, a colour instruction leaflet & a large sheet of really nicely printed decals.

The moulding isn’t bad, but some of the unassembled flight surfaces & fuselage components seem a bit bland & featureless. However, close inspection of the CGI Vipers, shows them as being designed that way – hey that’s sci-fi technology for you!

Once built up, it will be up to the modeller to add life to these surfaces with some heavy weathering. The box art & framegrabs from the TV series show the Vipers as pretty heavily used – so you will have free reign.

Generally, the parts do have the look & feel of a short run model, with a small number of parts, relatively simple construction process & adequate levels of detail.

It is a bit surprising the kit is designated as having a skill level of 3 “advanced” though – but maybe because the target market is children they have been a bit more cautious.

Either way, there are some nice touches though that show effort has gone into this model. For example, there’s a resin pilot figure & the instructions show in-progress shots to help with the build. These photos reassure us by showing us that despite all the comments above, the photos of the finished model show an awesome-looking machine.

So if you fancy a slice of the 1:32nd Viper, we reckon you shouldn’t be disappointed & although we haven’t built it yet, this model should be well within the capabilities of most beginners too. So give it a go. The only thing holding us back is that we want to finish that massive DVD boxset first!