Canberran recreates Battlestar Galactica spaceship, MK II Colonial Viper

The 8.4-metre long spaceship has certainly kept its creator - who is known as Baz by his social media following - busy during lockdown, but the project started in 2015.

Believe it or not, through, this is not the first time Baz has created something such as this.

"A few years ago, I did the steel Iron Man suit to take into the kids' hospitals all over Canberra," he says.

"When I finished with that, and I couldn't fit into the suit anymore, I went, what's next? I've always been a sci-fi buff. And this is something that I liked in 1978 when I originally saw the show as a child, and then when they re-released it in 2003, the more modern sleek lines on the MK II was something I found very attractive."

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Baz originally tried to create the spaceship out of cardboard, but after some time working on the craft's body, he realised that wasn't going to work and began again.

His latest version is made out of mostly recycled materials, including old computer parts, aviation equipment, polystyrene, steal and plywood. Whenever he needs something he heads to recycling centres, or in some cases, has put the call out through his Facebook group, Builds By Baz.

"All of the analogue instruments that they used in the show were created with things donated by aviators from all over Australia," he says.

"I took screenshots from the show and posted online, 'Does anyone recognise these instruments? Where can I get one?' And I had a hailstorm of people sending me uncalibrated or failed instruments, but they look good and they do the job.

"I've also got computer screens in there that show animations of the radar which is called DRADIS in the show. So you can watch enemy ships come and go and get chased."

What's more, the project seems to have the approval of those who helped make the show.

Baz, keen to get the little details right on the replica, reached out to people who worked on Battlestar Galactica.

"I actually interviewed Lee Stringer - he was one of the guys in charge of [the visual effects] department and also had quite a few chats with Doug Drexler who is now in charge of the Star Trek franchise CGI," he says.

"They were both very helpful and forthcoming and a lot of the set crew have been sending me photos of the building on the set, and behind the scenes stuff. It's always with a bit of a non-disclosure thing: 'Please don't share this on the internet. But anyone who's building a life-size Viper deserves all the help they can get, so here you go'."

While the creation looks close to finished from an outsider's point of view, Baz says there's still a fair amount of work to go into the build.

When he does finish - which he is expecting will be no earlier than 2022 - he plans on creating a custom-built trailer so that he can take the Viper to be displayed at comic book conventions.

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