DeSanto/Singer: The Viper | Tombs of Kobol

The DeSanto/Singer project took the classic Viper design and advanced it to show improvements in Colonial technology during the 20+ yahrens since the Cylon attack on their homeworlds. These rough production models and partly-constructed full-size filming mock-ups give the best visual interpretations of what the updated Viper looked like.

The new design slopes the engine nozzles at the rear of the fighter and increases the width a bit, which gives this Viper a sleeker look than its predecessor.

The tailfin is also set back further than it was on the original Viper.

The original Viper pulsars (engines) were set in a tight triangle, and were part of the outside surface of the fighter, behind the cockpit. In the new design, they were housed within a separate hull assembly, the lower two pulsars set a bit further apart than in the original. The cannons were also longer than on the original.

The following images were taken during the construction of the full-size filming mock-ups.

While the original series used one complete Viper mock-up and a stand-alone cockpit housing to provide the illusion of the actors sitting (or flying) side-by-side in two Vipers, the DeSanto/Singer production went to the trouble and expense of constructing two complete, full-sized mock-ups.

The wooden frame of the mock-up was built on a heavy steel pole, which allowed the Viper to be tilted as needed.

When the DeSanto/Singer production was cancelled, these Vipers were placed in storage. According to Universal Studios, there was a communication breakdown during which an accounting executive noted that storage space was still being used for a cancelled production. He terminated paying for the storage fees. The nearly film-ready Vipers were smashed apart with hammers and tossed into a landfill.

– written by John Pickard

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