"Battlewings" model miniatures

[Stingray]

Battlewings is an entirely miniature-orientated film project of mine. Familiar with shows like Thunderbirds? Well, this is a sort of homage to that style. The story is actually very brony in nature, so be warned that MLP is involved. However, I doubt it would even matter given that this is mostly a film to demonstrate my model effects. 

The year is 2241. The Earth and its neighboring Solar planets have been destroyed, forcing outland humans to search for a new homeworld in the depths of alien space. They found one...

For years us humans and an intelligent pony species have coexisted and shared our technological knowledge. But some of us sought total conquest of the planet, planning to eliminate the species so that we can be the dominant species of the planet and space itself.

A special unit was created with the cooperation of the Equestrian armed forces and the human militaries to counter these advanced terrorists, officially designated the 125th Stellar Defence Force. Also known as...

Battlewings.

The action will be very Star Wars in nature, but with military accuracy and a retro-rocking soundtrack like Top Gun or Iron Eagle, and main battleship action along the lines of submarine movies (Das Boot or The Hunt For Red October).

The characters are action figures, and the spaceships are model miniatures I've built from nothing but absolute junk I found lying around or in trash cans.

Some of the models are actually from an earlier project called Alien Reborn, and will be recycled into this project.

Here are the original models, as seen in the other thread:








And here are the new ones made specifically for Battlewings that will accompany the old ones:
(Note, they are still under construction)

[Stingray]

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_yWWyihNqA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJL604Y9XpE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC15V1QR37Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svy5AbNOLoU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNFSc0O_LpI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxVipc5C3Q4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Oqv-0qdxI

Teaser trailer for project:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81LvoRMBRE



More updates to come. Hope you like it so far. 

[NARSES2]

Crikey !!!! Superb models 

[Stingray]

Thanks! 

[Caveman]

spot the origin of the bits game!

[Stingray]

 

Well, when you don't have / can't afford actual model kits to butcher and want to make cool retroish spaceships, just go dumpster-diving for fuselage 'shapes' and take apart broken machines and use the little pieces as greebles. They actually look much better in motion on a video camera. 

I've just finished the enemy logistics and carrier starship. I'll post some pics when I can.

[Weaver]

Fair comment - when you see shots of movie model shops in the days before CGI, there are piles and piles of brand new kits stacked up in the background for butchering, with a total value about that of your house. I seem to remember someone who worked on Alien saying that they'd had every Airfix Space Shuttle in every model and toy shop in the south of England (and that was in the days when there were a LOT more model shops and a LOT more toy shops that sold models....) 

[PR19_Kit]

I seem to remember someone who worked on Alien saying that they'd had every Airfix Space Shuttle in every model and toy shop in the south of England (and that was in the days when there were a LOT more model shops and a LOT more toy shops that sold models....) 

OGL and I both knew one of the modellers who worked on that, and they had a production line of Shuttle engines that BOGGLED the mind on their dining room table! 

[scooter]

Fair comment - when you see shots of movie model shops in the days before CGI, there are piles and piles of brand new kits stacked up in the background for butchering, with a total value about that of your house. I seem to remember someone who worked on Alien saying that they'd had every Airfix Space Shuttle in every model and toy shop in the south of England (and that was in the days when there were a LOT more model shops and a LOT more toy shops that sold models....) 

I remember reading (hearing, whatever) when ILM was building the trenches and surfaces of the Death Star for A New Hope, the model build crew raided every hobby shop in LA/Hollywood area for warship kits.

Physical models, IMHO, still have their place in sci-fi movies.  You *just* can't truly replicate all the textures and shadows that a real model has. (Although 2009's Star Trek came really damn close)

[Weaver]

I think it's actually a selling point when they use "old fashioned craft" film making techniques and get it right. Look at Moon: that was highly praised for it's effects, and they were all traditional model photography.

There are some things that only CGI can do full stop, there are some things that only CGI can do for the available budget (particularly relevent to TV shows), and there are some things that CGI does better, but only some things. Physical models and real sets have a place.

[Stingray]

You guys are definitely my audience. I have and always will feel just the same way about traditional model effects versus CGI. Battlewings should be very entertaining around these parts. 


--

Anyway, look what I finally finished yesterday:












Now off I go to film these beasts in action!   

[sykotik]

they are just freakin awesome! I love the really big one in the first shot with the big round thing on the top - that's just sick!! I want to see your space carrier when it's done. I have my own "plans" for one that I will one day eventually build, but in the mean time, I'll take in inspiration from all sources

Thanks for sharing

Sy

[Father Ennis]

Great looking stuff !!!!!!  I really like what you are doing with your ships.

[deathjester]

Very nice!  Excellent found object work.  One question though:  will you be putting a dash of colour on these to break up the grey?  It can help in several ways - enhancing the look of the ships, showing the orientation of the ships in shot, helping with the focusing of the cameras, and helping the audience identify different factions ships.

[Stingray]

Sorry for disappearing yet again, but, well, here I am.   Thanks for the such positive feedback!

will you be putting a dash of colour on these to break up the grey?  It can help in several ways - enhancing the look of the ships, showing the orientation of the ships in shot, helping with the focusing of the cameras, and helping the audience identify different factions ships.

Not on the larger ships like the Taarna, Dreadnaught, or the still unnamed enemy carrier, or even the newly-constructed Gateway space station. Test-filming showed they looked their best in gray shades under the lighting I use and the quality of my one and only camera. Some of the fighters, though, do have color.

For identifying faction origin, this is very easy with how they're presented, even if they were ALL solid colors. I made sure every spacecraft had a recognizable shape when building them, so this combined with how the film is edited, will easily distinguish which ship belongs to which faction.

Then there's color-coded tracer rounds in battle, if that isn't enough...