Its only a model!

As with most of my CGI-model work, I like to figure-out the best scale for the fictional design, especially if its never been fully stated, and I have never found a scale in most Science fiction series that work under close examination or even consistent, when using CGI which makes the process much easier to visualise I can try to establish a working scale.

The Liberator has always been something of a mystery when it comes to scale, its a question most fans ask and like I did for the Battlestar Galactica a few years ago, I have turned my attention on Blake’s 7.

My approach is to work out a possible scale starting it the Civil Administration ship London is the prison ship that was transporting Roj Blake and the others to Cygnus Alpha, a prison Planet where such people would be dropped via space craft and left to fend for themselves, no guards and no hope of getting off world, once drop there, prisoners would wait in a holding cell and only after the London blasts off into space would the gates be opened and releasing into a very doubtful future, its not helped by the fact that prisoners descendent that have lived there have formed a community rules by a megalomaniac, played by Brian Blessed of Flash Gordon “Alive” fame.

Credit Andy Lazell

The only really guide I can use on the model is the side docking ring, which I have posted in the past. but then there is no harm posting again.

Image credit: Andrew Glazebrook

On to the London

While this was useful and the docking hatch is very useful as a guide, I still needed to play with the scale to fit other aspects from the London sets, so at best compromises where needed, these are my results, (I am not going to say final, it never ever works out that way). For those of you who have never watched the show, this means absolutely nothing, but to help visualise what I am trying to do is fit the live action and sets with the miniature, which is at best difficult and next to impossible.

Screen captures from the point where Blake and some of his soon to be crew get ready to blast of on the London

This is a character called “Nova” , its sounds scifi so it must be good. anyway he volunteers to follow a key character called Avon to the Computer room so they can take over the ship, and meets a sticky end, basing on the direction he takes I have placed the computer room at the rear of the ship.

01. Nova has entered the access tunnel and drops down and heads aft
02. Nova has reached the intersection
03. Nova is looking “up” into the new tunnel
04. Impacts on the hull surprises Nova
05. Air pressure changes
06. Nova tries vainly to block the holes with his hands
07. Foam nozzles activates
08. Fear as he knows well that the foam will trap him and solidify entombing him.
09. Nova looks to go up the intersection tunnel to escape
10. The Intersection hatch closes
11. Nova looks for other route of escape
12. No escape
13. Foam erupts from nozzles
14. Doomed

These plan views of the London are my attempt to show how things could be arranged and how I am now using a over all length of 49 meters or 160ft for the London which will also effect the over all length of the Liberator.