Above the Karman Line GB Chat

[bianfuxia]

If you're reading this for the first time, it's a space and sci fi GB. The basic idea is anything real or fictional that operates more than 100km from the surface of the Earth is eligible. 

 

I feel like a lot of people maybe don't build space or sci fi kits for the same reason I often avoid armour - all that weathering and super detailing!

 

Well, there's two approaches I'd encourage you to consider.

 

One is the JFK Moonshot logic - we choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard!

 

The other is what I call the Bianfuxia approach - we choose NOT to do these things because it's just as much fun without PE!

 

If either mode applies to you, please join us with your Star Wars, Star Trek, NASA, Blake's 7, Aliens, Roscosmos...the list goes on!

 

Original pitch:

 

I've searched (not very hard) and it appears that we've never had a space group build? 

 

So how about it?

 

To give it wide scope, I thought it could embrace anything you'd find above the Karman Line - the broadly agreed definition of where space begins, 100km above mean sea level.

 

Such things could include:

 

. TIE fighters and X-Wings and B-Wings ...and snow-speeders and landspeeders because the planet they are speeding over are billions of LY from Earth and therefore well beyond the 100 km threshold.

. Space shuttles 

. starships (Enterprise, Liberator, Star Destroyers etc)

. Satellites, space probes 

. Apollo, Soyuz, Gemini, Mercury, Shenzhou, Vostok, etc 

. Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, Aliens drop ships

. Macross, Gundam, Mecha - all these things happen on another planet or up in space

. ICBMs and space rockets

. X-15s 

. TARDIS, Daleks, Cybermen 

. Any other subject, real or fictional - including the product of your own imagination! -  that did its thing in space or on a planet other than ours! 

 

Sign up for 2023!

 

T minus 30. @bianfuxia

29. @Marklo

28. @psdavidson

27. @Robert Stuart

26. @dnl42

25. @Corsairfoxfouruncle

24. @Jb65rams

23. @Dansk

22. @Ngantek

21. @Moggy

T minus 20. @helios16v

19. @zebra

18. @Bobby No Mac

17. @Dazzio

16. @sardaukar

15. @Uncle Monty

14. @Mike N

13. @Wings unlevel

12. @Hockeyboy76

11. @Phill318

T minus 10. @JTninja

9. @Bengalensis

8. @Thom216

7. @MARADER

6. @TallBlondJohn

5. @SleeperService

4. @FG2Si

3. @voozet

2. @Romeo Alpha Yankee        

1. @Dave_R

 

Lift off!

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by bianfuxia

[Marklo]

Well I’ve been threatening to build an Aliens drop ship for years and I do have a space shuttle/747 in the stash, I love Dr Who, Star Wars and Star Trek so count me in.

[psdavidson]

🌃 Count me in. It'll give me a reason to dig Galactica out of the stash 🌃

/P

[Robert Stuart]

Mmm, might be a few game related kits out there, Star Citizen certainly, Elite Dangerous ... maybe?
See what I can come up with if this becomes real 🚀

[dnl42]

I haven't been too active this year, but I know I'll have much more time when this comes to pass.

 

Known valid subjects from the stash include Revell's 1/110 Everything is Go!, Hasegawa's 1/48 Voyager, and Dragon's 1/148 LEM. I also have RoG's 1/144 SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, which is designed to exceed 100km, but hasn't yet; its SpaceShipOne predecessor did indeed exceed 100km on 3 flights.

 

Apropos of this GB, I've spent my precious little time this year on some Arduino-based astrophotography gadgets for my honey. 

[bianfuxia]

Excellent subjects all!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Star Wars, Maschinen Krieger, Space Battleship Yamato, or possibly Macross saga Mecha ?  

[bianfuxia]

6 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Star Wars, Maschinen Krieger, Space Battleship Yamato, or possibly Macross saga Mecha ?  

All welcome. I'll sign you up for one from each universe 🖖

[Jb65rams]

Sign me up please.
Looking at the stash, probably a Mercury Redstone and/or an Eagle Transporter (old tool).

[Dansk]

Awesome. I’m up for this.

[bianfuxia]

12 hours ago, Dansk said:

Awesome. I’m up for this.

Welcome to the Astronaut Corps.

[Ngantek]

On 09/04/2022 at 21:39, Robert Stuart said:

Mmm, might be a few game related kits out there, Star Citizen certainly, Elite Dangerous ... maybe?
See what I can come up with if this becomes real 🚀

The JRD+F kits for Star citizen are really nice. I have a freelancer that I've managed to mess up and is now getting stripped back. 

 

I'd love to jump in on this one if it happens. Former kit aside, there's various star wars gubbins under the sofa, I've always wanted to find a good Gemini kit and have my eye on that little 1/350 pan am clipper that moebius have teased for later in the year.

[Robert Stuart]

13 hours ago, Ngantek said:

JRD+F kits for Star citizen are really nice

Thanks, that's good to know
Their 1:200 Freelancer looks very tempting (I fly one in game), but not cheap ...

[bianfuxia]

On 4/14/2022 at 7:14 AM, Ngantek said:

The JRD+F kits for Star citizen are really nice. I have a freelancer that I've managed to mess up and is now getting stripped back. 

 

I'd love to jump in on this one if it happens. Former kit aside, there's various star wars gubbins under the sofa, I've always wanted to find a good Gemini kit and have my eye on that little 1/350 pan am clipper that moebius have teased for later in the year.

Welcome! A pan Am clipper and a Gemini would both be awesome.

[Moggy]

Time for my Starfleet build at last? 😎

 

A Reliant in 1/537 - lighted... all materials already in the stash 😜

 

Let's model where no modellers have modeled before

 

I'm in!

 

Cheers, Moggy (Star Trek nut)

[bianfuxia]

5 hours ago, Moggy said:

Time for my Starfleet build at last? 😎

 

A Reliant in 1/537 - lighted... all materials already in the stash 😜

 

Let's model where no modellers have modeled before

 

I'm in!

 

Cheers, Moggy (Star Trek nut)

Make it so! 

[bianfuxia]

So far we're holding at T minus 20 - we have ten bold astronauts, cosmonauts, taikonauts, rebels, starfleet crew, Imperial personnel and colonial marines signed up. No space tourists yet (phew). 

 

I was looking through my stash for ideas of what I might build if we get to "liftoff and the clock is running"...

 

Maybe this?

 

 

Or perhaps these are better for a warm-up?

 

 

 

If I get really focused I might be able to turn this resin mess into an actual model:

 

 

Or a quicky build of one of the smaller members of this set?

 

 

Or how about some 1/72 spacecraft?

 

 

 

You can never go wrong with a Hasegawa shuttle in 1/200 - small, fun, and if you buy direct from Japan, cheap! (Anyone else been getting the push from one large store to take advantage of the weakening yen?)

 

 

Maybe you're not super into space but would like to join? Something like this would be totally acceptable:

 

This is my nearly-finished NB-52 and X-15 in 1/200 from Dragon that's been stalled for, oh, a good 20 years. The B-52 didn't get anywhere near space but as long as you build it with an X-15 under the wing, it's good to go!

 

Or this:

 

Basically a Sea King, but as long as the spacecraft appears in the build, it's also good to go.

 

And now, my own commitment to the modelling world.

 

If this GB happens, I will build this:

 

 

I've been putting it off for years, but life isn't getting any longer. So, 2023 and this GB could be the year it happens!

[helios16v]

This could be a fun one.  You can go ahead and add me to the list.  

 

[bianfuxia]

3 hours ago, helios16v said:

This could be a fun one.  You can go ahead and add me to the list.  

 

We'll beam you up, sir!

[zebra]

Great idea, sign me up. Not my normal thing at all and there's nothing suitable in the stash but I'm interested and would probably find something and take part. Maybe a 747 SCA carrying the shuttle (or Atlant carrying Buran?), or a rocket (Mercury-Redstone perhaps, or a Soyuz, or Saturn V - with the Inspiral Carpets song as an ear worm throughout the build!). Or even something from Star Wars.

[Rob Sutto]

I've got an itching to revisit the AMT Trek kits of my youth, but seeing that this bad boy arrived in the post last week:

 

 

I'll say: Go! 🚀

[Dazzio]

Sign me up, I am sure I can find something in my stash for this.  Even more so now I have seen that Macross kits have been given the go-ahead

 

Kind regards,

 

Dazz

[bianfuxia]

On 5/1/2022 at 8:20 AM, zebra said:

Great idea, sign me up. Not my normal thing at all and there's nothing suitable in the stash but I'm interested and would probably find something and take part. Maybe a 747 SCA carrying the shuttle (or Atlant carrying Buran?), or a rocket (Mercury-Redstone perhaps, or a Soyuz, or Saturn V - with the Inspiral Carpets song as an ear worm throughout the build!). Or even something from Star Wars.

Excellent choices and welcome aboard!

 

On 5/3/2022 at 12:32 AM, Bobby No Mac said:

I've got an itching to revisit the AMT Trek kits of my youth, but seeing that this bad boy arrived in the post last week:

 

 

I'll say: Go! 🚀

This is my top priority build for this year, in time for the 50th anniversary. I have a milestone birthday at the same time (I bought the kit ten years ago for the previous milestone birthday). Yours will make an excellent contribution to the GB!

 

On 5/3/2022 at 6:02 AM, Dazzio said:

Sign me up, I am sure I can find something in my stash for this.  Even more so now I have seen that Macross kits have been given the go-ahead

 

Kind regards,

 

Dazz

Ah Roger that's affirm we are GO for Macross in the GB, GO for Macross! 😁

[Moggy]

On 02/05/2022 at 16:32, Bobby No Mac said:

I've got an itching to revisit the AMT Trek kits of my youth

 

Go Starfleet!

 

A Bird of Prey, a Constellation-class starship in 1/350 or USS Reliant in 1/537 will light up your modelling den like nothing else 😜

 

Cheers, Moggy (USS Smilodon)

[Rob Sutto]

5 hours ago, Moggy said:

 

Go Starfleet!

 

Let's make sure that history never forgets the name ... Enterprise