Valley Forge: Spaceship from 70's Movie "Silent Running"

museummaker

Great job!

The model even has a 70's movie feel to it.

mhtaylor

It was Bruce Dern.

Martin, I remember your Huey drone as well.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=182719#p182719

That was me; can you tell this movie had a big effect of me as a child in the 70's? I used a lot of reference photos of the original 26' long model when building this model. Unfortunately they aren't that numerous or that detailed so I had to use some imagination too. Hopefully it captures the spirit of the ship even if all the greebies are correct.

mhtaylor

@honoluludesktop said:

I remember that movie, Bruce Dern (sp?) wasn't it?

Yes - I even put a screencap from the movie of Bruce Dern into the window of the model - you can see it and him in the video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/5459329786/

Bryan K

Well done! You've beat me to it!

Definitely one of the cooler spaceships of the 1970s.

david_h

I loved this movie as a kid. I was about 14 or so when it came out. I did a space station in Architecture school that was inspired by this. A space station iiwth a green house dome but my rotated to make artificial gravity.

I think Pete did some models of the little robot drones. Huey, Duey and Louie.

edit
@unknownuser said:

Martin, I remember your Huey drone as well.
viewtopic.php?p=182719#p182719

Forgive me Martin.. . I need to give credit where credit is due

So tell me. . .you can admit it . . .did you call cry when Louie gets lost?

Awesome Model!!!

mhtaylor

@unknownuser said:

I loved this movie as a kid. I was about 14 or so when it came out. I did a space station in Architecture school that was inspired by this. A space station iiwth a green house dome but my rotated to make artificial gravity.

I think Pete did some models of the little robot drones. Huey, Duey and Louie.

edit
@unknownuser said:

Martin, I remember your Huey drone as well.
viewtopic.php?p=182719#p182719

Forgive me Martin.. . I need to give credit where credit is due

So tell me. . .you can admit it . . .did you call cry when Louie gets lost?

Awesome Model!!!

I can well-up just thinking about it. I was a massive Star Wars fan growing up in the industrial North of England in the late 70's and 80's and they used to play this movie on TV all the time after SW hit. I loved the Droids and ship but hated the superfluous Joan Baez numbers. You could also spot this ship, or bits of it, in the original Battlestar Galactica fleet. They even knew how to reuse components back then

numbthumb

Impressive job, congratulations!

agamemnus

Amazing.

EscapeArtist

Very nicely detailed. I remember the movie well, haven't seen it in years though.

david_h

the movie had a strong environmental message as well for the time. . .in order to be green and respect mother nature. . .you have to kill people.

TaffGoch

@mhtaylor said:

I've already heard from geodesic dome experts that the both greenhouse domes and the fuel cells at the rear aren't correct but I don't currently have the energy to go back and rework them.

I was only trying to help,...

Geodesic dome configuration
Fuel pod geometry
...honest!

(I did provide my SU files, BTW.)

-Taff

mhtaylor

Taff - it's not you, it's me. I just can't face going back to it right now. It turned into one of those models I thought was going to be easy but contained more details than I ever imagined. Those fuel pods you made are particularly fantastic. If you put either in the warehouse I could incorporate them into the model if you like and you would get credit as a contributor.
Regards - Martin

TaffGoch

Martin,

I apologize if I gave the impression that it's about credit. I certainly don't mind if you use the dome & pod model files I emailed you, to upgrade your model, with or without attribution.

I always strive to encourage modelers, by providing geodesic support. That's my "thing."

I'm chagrined that you may have taken my emails as criticism. That was not my intent.

-Taff

mhtaylor

@taffgoch said:

Martin,

I apologize if I gave the impression that it's about credit. I certainly don't mind if you use the dome & pod model files I emailed you, to upgrade your model, with or without attribution.

I always strive to encourage modelers, by providing geodesic support. That's my "thing."

I'm chagrined that you may have taken my emails as criticism. That was not my intent.

-Taff

Taff - I took it in the spirit it was intended. I don't think of the word 'criticism' as a negative one and a value you having got in touch with me and showing me your work. It was certainly more accurate than mine but I didn't want to just incorporate your hard work without permission. Now I have it I will revisit the model.
Thanks - Martin

PS the Eng Lit grad in me loves that you used the word 'chagrined'

TaffGoch

Martin,

I look forward to seeing your progress, as you refine your model. You may note that I've added your model to my "Geodesic" Warehouse collection.

For those of you, not familiar with the details of the "Valley Forge," Martin & I have, both, been using this excellent website, which details props from the movie:

Valley Forge - Prop

In particular, I used these two photos, in my research:

My SketchUp experimental overlay, on prop photo
Fuel pods
What I found particularly surprising was that the (1972) movie preceded the building of the Antarctic dome (1975,) yet, the skeletal framework for both domes is virtually identical, both in geodesic subdivision and profile (height/width ratio.)
1975 NSF Research Dome
-Taff

mhtaylor

Taff - I have incorporated your greenhouse domes and fuel cells into the model now. It's still in the same place on the warehouse: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=846f837ba72374c7932c511df6d2aa45 LMK what you think.

ValleyForgeAssembledNew Domes.jpg

mhtaylor

Here' a quick render from the Twilight plugin with the new domes - unfortunately I didn't get all the materials right for some reason.

TaffGoch

Nice Twilight render, Martin. That was quick (and, I hope, painless?)

I looked over your model, and particularly like scene 4 (but I'm geodesically biased.) I changed some of the SU view settings, to display the "copper" cables:
SU png export
It would be nice to be able to render a photo-realistic image that produces the "glint" from the dome frame, as in some of the movie stills, but I don't think that render engines are implemented to provide reflections from "edges." (The outer copper cables, in my model, are just edges, and it's my understanding that render engines are set-up to render faces.)

I suspect, that nowadays, this movie prop would never have been built, as CGI would be employed, instead. Gone are those days, not so long ago....

-Taff

TZY

Great thread...
Im a huge fan of this ship. Im in the process of building a kit of this ship using another mesh.
If you looking for info on this ship contact me.
Once again Great work.
T
http://img840.imageshack.us/g/fulestorage.jpg/

liam887

18 months! don't worry man I share your pain sometimes I don't think my Avatar helicopter will ever be finished haha!
Good work, excellent model, what size is it coming in at? ill download it when my new computer finally gets delivered, might download it on Wednesday to the work computer on my dinner if i have time.

Valley Forge: Spaceship from 70's Movie &quot;Silent Running&quot;

Valley Forge: Spaceship from 70's Movie "Silent Running"