Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi Klaus, good to have you back and to hear that you are recovering good. I'm very exited that you put the Athena back on your desk and yes, spotlights for the landing deck would definitly rock :-)

ah... klaus is back... that was a rather frightening silence on this thread of yours...

i hope your shoulder is soon back to what it should be... if indeed it is arthritis, then i wish you all the luck...! that is a big spanner into your gearbox!

seeing the ship going into the cabinet is not a sight i am eager to behold... but you spoil us soon enough with your big athena... an ho am i to argue against such a treat^^...

 Klaus, not Santa wrote:

The Athena is back on my desk

Best news I've heard in a long time!!!!

Oh, and the lava ship looks good too!

this is a wonderful news, klaus.......i have to admit it, i can't wit to see the Athena completed!

So, no over working yourself doing the stuff Klaus

Hope you get healed up Klaus! I prescribe airbrush therapy

Your blog is always fun to watch! Glad you are better.

Sorry to hear that, take care of yourself. I'm looking forward to whatever progress you can manage!

Thank you for your well wishes.
The hardest part of daily shots (pain reliver and steroids) INTO the joint are luckily over, so now it is daily progress with some limited exercise in the fitness studio. But an improvement by light-years

As mentioned yesterday, the ATHENA is back on my desk.
The first pieces I worked on were the two Manticore launchers.
The actual launch tubes were pretty much done, so all I had to do was to create a mount.


After the mount was completed I added details, such as rivets, lids for the launch tubes and some minor stuff.


Another open piece was the actual mount of the Earthshaker turret.
Quick and simple...


Of course rivets were needed too...



One item I am not sure about yet is another CIWS.
Do I need one?

What do you think? Is another turret needed for the right side, or will it make the deck too crowded?
Let me know what you think.

With the CIWS question undecided I wanted to improve the rear mural in preparation to adding lights.
For this I opened the rear wall and removed the mural (http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.de/p/stained-glass-windows-step-by-step.html)


Then I cut some clear plastic from an old keyboard packing and glued it into the mural frame.


Once this glue was cured I mounted the mural to the clear plastic.

Now it is protected and looks like a real mural on glass

And now the ATHENA is on its back, ready to receive the first light apparatuses...


not bad for the first hobby evening back
I hope you like this little update and I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.
Cheers
Klaus

Good lord Klaus, this is sheer awseome. Sad to see the lava boat being sidelined, but your Athena is amazing, the sheer amount of detailing is inspiring and a wonder to behold.

For your question on the deck being too crowded, my personal feeling is, for the sake of symmetry I would like to see another turret on the opposite side...

Keep up the good work and don't forget to keep that shoulder nicely oiled...

Haha, clearly you aren't giving in to the pain! Love the progress, watching and learning.

What do you think? Is another turret needed for the right side, or will it make the deck too crowded?
Let me know what you think

.

i am with ruglud on that issue... first: symetry is always the key
and second: the CIWS (i had to look that one up ) is a gatling -like device... i am all in favor of anything remotly next to a gatling... so definatly yes... and...not to make a much pressing point here... more dakka always wins the day

the murriel was definatly the right decision to be redone in that fashion! looks lovley!

also... the launcher system really shows again how you shine in making detailed works from the most basic shapes! looks very good!

and lastly... do you really mark the positions where you rivet? always? man... i envy you for your time management

and good to hear that your should is almost uphill again^^

I'd forgotten how extraordinary this is

It's just a pure work of Art Klaus! Yes, please add a second CIWS!

Klaus, so glad you and the ATHENA are back!! I've been waiting patiently for work to resume on that beaut!

Waited for this way too long!

Hope You get better soon... and give us some more amazing dioramas

Yes, you need another CIWS turret, otherwise the Athena is defenseless against missiles coming in from Starboard.

Another thread I must go back and read from the beginning. I've watched the last few builds, but the Athena I seemed to have missed that shall be corrected this weekend.

Damn, I suddenly want an aerial showdown between ATHENA and Wazoo 2000's Da Thundakraka. What an epic fight that would be...

Good morning

Thank you for your feedback and comments!

I think the common feedback is that I'll have to build another CIWS - Gatlings for the win

Well, yesterday evening I had arts class again, so hobby time was limited.
Here you can see the LED stuff layed out. It's pretty simple and I really like how this stuff works out.
They are from TSDS Inc.
http://www.tsdsinc.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TSDSMODELING#!/TSDSMODELING
Very easy to use.


I started with the lights for the two jump decks and the observation deck.


Sorry for the blurry images, but this was the best I could do last night.


Currently the individual LED still reflect in the windows.


So now I'm thinking about adding some framework around the LED's and also about adding some red clear plastic to the ones on the jump deck.

I think that would look cool, to have red lights in the jump deck. Don't you think?

Well, I hope you like today's little update and look forward to your comments, suggestions, and feedback
Cheers

Klaus

Klaus! that is all awesomeness!

Fantastic as always Klaus! Nice to see the Athena being worked on again!

And yes, chalk up one more vote for red lights in the jump deck, I think that would look ace!

Wow, I wasn't realizing the size until I saw the led picture, that baby is huge. Also only made it two pages into your thread before I was inspired to start building, nowhere near the skill level or detail, but having fun . I'll keep digging after the holiday (independence day here in the U.S.) family time and BBQ.

yes... red lights for the win... the blue lights surprised me a bit... i actually had thought you would go green or completely red to be frank...

and also this btings me to ask a question... have you already thought about a paintscheme for the athena?... the lights are later on a major aspect of the overall paintsheme ... i think the hue has to be "in line" with the rest of it... so if you go blue-ish with the lights it will in some way affect the scheme... am i right?

and yeah! more gatling power!!!!

That Athena is a real peice of beauty!

Klaus, I just went back and re-read your blog from the beginning as Theo suggested earlier . It was so worth the time doing this, inspiration aplenty is washing over me now. I was going through a dark hobby patch up to today as RL has been keeping me far too busy, but now my fingers are itching to play with Plasticard again... Thanks for the kick I needed

It's sooooo good to see Athena back and no words can describe the awesomeness of this project...
Have you ever thought about adding a little dio to the whole thing with one character kicking the other from the deck? Like shouting: "This is ATHENA!!!" I know it's a lame joke but the epicness is fitting

 storag wrote:
Have you ever thought about adding a little dio to the whole thing...

So... Athena is the diorama to which you can add a diorama to watch at diorama while you're watching at diorama... Well, THAT'S an epicness of enormous scale!

at storag...

Have you ever thought about adding a little dio to the whole thing with one character kicking the other from the deck? Like shouting: "This is ATHENA!!!"

brilliant idea!!!

Ok, just found you having seen you around some of the blogs, just flicked down through your first page, and I now feel completely inadequate. By the gods man.....your stuff redefines modelling.



Subbed. Duh!!