PL re-issued this awesome and big, same scale as the MR TOS Enterprise, kit now with decals to create the aztec pattern for the hull. I'm not an advanced painter and could never get that look, so the decals make doable for me. Can't wait to build this baby!
Same scale as the MR Enterprise? Really?? Got a link to where you bought this Bryan?
Yep, I bought mine from StarshipModeler:
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/ (http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/)
Great service and the price was the lowest. CultTVMan also has it at the same price. Yep, this bad boy and your MR TOS E, are 1/350 scale. They would look NICE next to each other! The decals will need patience and a lot of decal set to gget right, but the results are great. There is some painting needed on the nacelle's, but minimal.
Wow - that is a beauty! I know they make a lot of add-on lighting kits for some of these. Is this one they do that for or was it that smaller, cut-away version?
This is the same kit from 2 years ago which has been built up with lights by a number of different modelers and a few companies. I even proced one out to be built by this guy Greg over at the RPF. They usually would run $2000 built, painted, and lit. They look amazing but that's a lot of scratch. You've seen some of these posted over there, Rico. I'm not capable of doing all the lighting and I don't have an airbrush to do the aztecing, but these decals solve at least that problem.
The cut away was the 1/350 scale TOS model that AMT made. I have one of those built by Jason Eaton, moffeaton at the rpf, built and lit. i posted pics here ages ago. That is also in the same scale as the MR and this kit.
Yeah - I've seen some of this stuff posted over the years. I used to build a lot of models - and I mean a lot. I have an airbrush and got pretty good with it. I'll have to take a crack at one of these sometime.
Polar Lights (AKA Round 2) had a partial build-up of this kit on display at Wonderfest. LOOKED INCREDIBLE! If I weren't a fan of smaller scale (1/2500) Trek modeling, I'd be all over it! :)
I sure do want to buy one of these - like right now!
Thanks for the heads up Bryan, that looks great. I am not a great painter either, so to be able to get aztec without having to paint and buy expensive templates is great. I think this weekend I am going to take a trip to the local model shop. At least I can stock up and when I get to a place I can build models, I will have some to build.
The aztec decals are a definite plus! working with the after market templates is a VERY painstaking task, and can be infuriating if anything goes wrong. Just a heads up-- Starship Modeler hosts some downloadable hi-res Refit aztecs mastered by a gentleman named Carlos Zangrando that can be printed up on decal paper for free. They are scaled to fit the 1/350 and 1/537 Refits, as well as a number of other ships & scales. :)
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/cz_mask.htm (http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/cz_mask.htm)
That looks amazing bryan, and for such a great price. Looked at the web site and its sold out.
Look what I got!!!! :biggrin
COOLNESS!!!
Sweet! Looks like you're in for a very cool project! :)
Man, you gotta light it!
Quote from: wraith1701 on June 04, 2009, 05:25:24 PM
Sweet! Looks like you're in for a very cool project! :)
Man, you gotta light it!
I just don't have the skills to do that. Do you? Are you up for a commission build. :)
Quote from: Bryancd on June 04, 2009, 06:46:01 PM
Quote from: wraith1701 on June 04, 2009, 05:25:24 PM
Sweet! Looks like you're in for a very cool project! :)
Man, you gotta light it!
I just don't have the skills to do that. Do you? Are you up for a commission build. :)
I've got the skills, but my plate is full. Your model deserves more TLC than I can spare right now. Thanks for the offer, though. :)
I am in the middle of building one of those, myself.
I also made my own lighting system - it's not that difficult and I will post the schematic as soon as I have rendered it digitally. Basically it involves 2 555 timer chips, some capacitors, some resistors, some LEDs and a 9v power source.
You need 5 LED strobe lights, 10 LED running lights, and about 25-50 LED's for general lighting.
So far, I have completed the hangar, the officers' lounge, and the arboretum, bought a brass support rod, primed the ship, covered the windows, drilled some holes in the structure and done a lot of research.
I'll post some pics later.
Stuff I still need to do:
mount the lights
run the wire
build the ship
fill in the creases
paint many many layers
The Enterprise is not white. It has a white base, covered by pearlescent blue, red, yellow, and, green and a few thousand panels.
I have been working on this puppy for about 2 years now.
This is not a project to be taken lightly.
Love to learn more about your build up on this kit, IC. And especially about the lighting system you are using for it. Sounds most excellent!
Quote from: The IC on June 09, 2009, 01:55:26 PM
I am in the middle of building one of those, myself.
I also made my own lighting system - it's not that difficult and I will post the schematic as soon as I have rendered it digitally. Basically it involves 2 555 timer chips, some capacitors, some resistors, some LEDs and a 9v power source.
You need 5 LED strobe lights, 10 LED running lights, and about 25-50 LED's for general lighting.
So far, I have completed the hangar, the officers' lounge, and the arboretum, bought a brass support rod, primed the ship, covered the windows, drilled some holes in the structure and done a lot of research.
I'll post some pics later.
Stuff I still need to do:
mount the lights
run the wire
build the ship
fill in the creases
paint many many layers
The Enterprise is not white. It has a white base, covered by pearlescent blue, red, yellow, and, green and a few thousand panels.
I have been working on this puppy for about 2 years now.
This is not a project to be taken lightly.
Sounds like a sweet build! Are you going to go with the aztec decals, or are you going to take on the challenge of painting them on with a template? :)
He would have to buy the new kit which has them, PL isn't offering them seperately. IC sounds like he has the original kit issue which didn't have the decals.
I am going to use a lot of frisket film and paint the ship panel by panel, just like the original model makers did.
This has been a labor of love. Needless to say, my next model will be a simple WW2 German plane or something.
Quote from: Bryancd on June 09, 2009, 03:53:31 PM
He would have to buy the new kit which has them, PL isn't offering them separately. IC sounds like he has the original kit issue which didn't have the decals.
Acreation Models makes 1/350 Refit Decals; they run around 40 to 50 bucks for a 15 sheet set. Just in case anyone with the original kit is worried about trying to hand-paint the pattern. There's also an adhesive Template made by Aztec Dummy for those who want to do it just like the model makers did.
And something really cool-- You can pick up a photo-etched detail set that includes 1/350 crew to put behind the windows, plus details for the arboretum, shuttlebay, impulse engines, and more. :) Check it out-
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?currentpage=1&fuseaction=category.display&category_id=107 (http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?currentpage=1&fuseaction=category.display&category_id=107)
get the photo etched metal parts
I have all sorts of little people all over the hangar, observation lounge, and arboretum
also, the port doors are awesome
Here's a guy doing some nice video's of his build up.
Polar Lights 1/350 USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, build up part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsauGcfodb4#lq-hq)
Polar Lights 1/350 USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, build up part 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytf4N6vaAks#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)
Polar Lights 1/350 USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, build up part 8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fGlviXnToM#lq-lq2-hq)
And this is a final build by another person...
Polar Lights USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701(Refit) built by us here at TrekModeler.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j75PsgSXBo#lq-lq2-hq)
Super-Sweet; watching it now. Thanks!
And so it begins.
I have to start sometime, so today I painted all the major parts gloss white. My plan is to build the major sub assemblies first, then do all the decal work, and then put it all together. So I will build the primary hull, secondary hull, neck, warp pylons, and warp engines all seperately. It will be much easier to apply the decals this way as opposed to a completed ship. I will also do the detail paint work which it needs. The tough part will be getting all the major parts together without messing up the decals. I am not lighting this as that is so far beyond my abilities and I am not going to make the hanger deck, I'll have the hanger doors closed.
...And so it begins. :)
Smart move on going with the gloss-white, Bryan; the decals adhere best to a gloss surface. You probably already know this, but you can hit it with a flat clear coat to seal your decals; it will help the decal borders vanish as well as protect them from mishaps during assembly. If you want a shiny surface, you can hit it again with a light coating of clear gloss or Future floor polish after your build is complete.
Quote from: wraith1701 on June 14, 2009, 05:42:16 PM
...And so it begins. :)
Smart move on going with the gloss-white, Bryan; the decals adhere best to a gloss surface. You probably already know this, but you can hit it with a flat clear coat to seal your decals; it will help the decal borders vanish as well as protect them from mishaps during assembly. If you want a shiny surface, you can hit it again with a light coating of clear gloss or Future floor polish after your build is complete.
Should I hit the parts with a clear gloss BEFORE decals? Some parts feel smooth but the saucer has a bit of texture to it.
Quote from: Bryancd on June 14, 2009, 06:41:41 PM
Quote from: wraith1701 on June 14, 2009, 05:42:16 PM
...And so it begins. :)
Smart move on going with the gloss-white, Bryan; the decals adhere best to a gloss surface. You probably already know this, but you can hit it with a flat clear coat to seal your decals; it will help the decal borders vanish as well as protect them from mishaps during assembly. If you want a shiny surface, you can hit it again with a light coating of clear gloss or Future floor polish after your build is complete.
Should I hit the parts with a clear gloss BEFORE decals? Some parts feel smooth but the saucer has a bit of texture to it.
The smoother the surface, the better. :) Don't worry about built-in textures like panel lines, etc-- as long as the decals have a slick surface to adhere to, they'll conform to the surface they're applied to.
You want to be careful not to go too thick on the gloss, though- some brands of spray lacquer tend to yellow over time, and if the coat is really thick, the yellowing will be very visible. I kind of went crazy with some Testors gloss-coat on kit I built a few years ago, and it ended up looking like it was coated in a layer of amber.
OK, first update. I began last weekend installing all the clear parts for the primary hull including all windows, impulse dome, running lights, ect. It's a pain as some are really small but they need to be in there. This weekend I finished that and put the primary hull together. I painted the officers lounge for fun, but you really can't see it. The lower sensor dome is tough to get to seat properly as is sealing the hull pieces with the band around the middle. I had to use some contour puddy to seal the cracks and then I taped over the windows and did some touch up painting. Next up will be the neck pylon, warp pylons, and warp engines.
Nice! A flying saucer!
I just glued the walls on my saucer section over the weekend. Now I am applying putty and do ing a lot of sanding to fill the seams.
Much sanding and re-surfacing will be done this week.
1 small step at a time.
WOW. Here is a awesome recent build of this kit using the new decals. :jawdrop I hope mine looks half as good as this!
WOW! That looks great. I wonder if he added some type of internal support? I don't see those silly rods holding up the primary hull.
The funny thing is, we have a table on our deck exactly like that one.
Very cool looking build. The aztec decals on this kit look awesome!
That is awesome looking, yeah i was thinking the same Rico, there must be some support in-built support. That or boy thats some serious glue. Great paint job.
I chatted with the builder of this model and he DID NOT use an internal support. He used JB Weld to mount the ship on the pylon. I've used JB before and it's strong stuff. I will likely go that route as well. More updates coming this weekend!
Jmaes Bonds stuff, well Bryan i'd like to see that ;)
OK, made some more progress worth reporting. I assembled the nacelle struts, nacelles, deflector dish, shuttle hanger doors, and the bottom and sides of the secondary hull (it's so easy to describe this when you speak starship). Now, point of interest. The nacelles are heavy and to ensure that the secondary hull seams would be more sturdy, I used some epoxy along the inner seam to give it more strength once the weight load of the nacelles are added. I took a picture so you can see where on the inside. The nacelles do need some paint work which I will do next before getting into the decals. Gulp. Most parts come together well, just a few seams I needed to cover. The hanger door assembly fit rather poorly and I will need to do some more extensive touch up work there this weekend. I have also gone with a flat black for the base like the finished model I posted above, I think that looks good.
Great photos Bryan. looking forward to seeing more as you go along.
Looking pretty cool, man!
Quick update, I finished the secondary hull and warp pylons. Next up....the first decals! :wacko
I think I'll start with the underside of the primary hull to make sure I know what I am doing so that any errors won't be too noticeable!
Very nice. :) That is going to be one huge ship when it's finished!
That is so cool Bryan. I'm enjoying watching this come together!
Was about to start with the bottom of the primary hull decals but realized you need to do a bit of detail painting first. Also noticed in the decaling instructions it said to maybe NOT glue on the lower planetary sensor array until the decals are on as the just barley extend underneath! They may have wanted to make mention of that in the building instructions! :ohwell I may have to just trim them a bit. I'll take better quality pics when I get the decals started.
DECAL TIME!! A couple of observations. Definitely cut the decals in half to make them easier to manage and place otherwise they are so long and get tricky. The decals are very forgiving and strong. I had a few I had real issues with but using decal set and my fingers I was able to get the seated properly. Air bubbles are the hard part, you really have to work on getting the decal flat on the surface and then blot out all the moisture to ensure you don't have bubbles. I did a pretty good job so far but I can see small bubbles and need to work more on technique. I have to say the decals look great when they are on!
That's awesome Bryan. When I used to apply a lot of model decals I found taking a Kleenex and gentle pressing down both presses the bubbles out and grabs any excess moisture. Plus Kleenex are kind of thin and you can sort of see what you are doing under them rather than just a cloth. Lots of ways to do it.
- Hey - how well do they handle the groves?
I was just using paper towel to blot, I'll give Kleenex a try. Now that it's dry, I can see the bubbles are gone but there is some blotching when seen at a certain angle where the bubbles were. It's only two of the sections and not a big deal, but when I get to the top, I need to be even more careful and use a little less decal set on the surface. That makes it too watery and results in bubbles. The decals do a great job keeping the detail of the groves, they settle in nicely and the groves provide you a reference point for application.
Whew, ok, glad that's over. I finished up the aztec decaling on the bottom of the primary hull. Couple of things I did wrong to be aware of. Do not put on the lower sensor dome prior to the decals. They are designed to extend underneath but they mention that in the decal instructions not the build instructions that I saw. So I had to trim mine back and I trimmed too much so there is an empty ring around the dome where the aztecing ends. Not a huge deal and I will do much better on the top. Also, the clear parts that go in the sensor array need to be detail painted before being attached. Now I need to get a super fine paint brush and try and make them black with a white spot in the middle to simulate to spot lights. That's going to be hard. Otherwise the decal look great, here are two pictures in different natural light.
Looking real good Bryan!
looking good!
As promised: the circuit diagram that I am using:
(http://www.colosseumbuilders.com/enterprise/Circuit%20Diagram.PNG)
Nice diagram
*has flashbacks of college physics class*
Damn you electricity and magnetism!
It works like a charm, until you reverse the + and - leads (like I did last night) and burn out the 555 chips.
Finished lower sensor dome, so bottom of primary hull is DONE! Just need to touch up the blue line and black vents a bit.
This is a lot of fun to follow your Progress Bryan. Thanks for chronicling your steps and giving some tips.
Lookin good Bryan :)
Quote from: Shelby Daelen on July 10, 2009, 03:50:39 PM
That is simply put a remarkable model Brian. Can you make me one when you are done it will look good in my Star Wars/ Star Trek den. :D
I have posted a bunch of Star Wars models here, do a search!
This is a lot of fun. Thanks for doing this Bryan.
Your ship is looking amazing, man! Great work! :)
Thanks everyone! It's fun sharing this with all of you. Did some more painting this week and today. This kit does require a good deal of detail painting, which is challenging but fun. You just have to take your time. Here's what the bridge looks like now.
and to think I got a Russian rocket tank instead of this....
....and back to aztecing...
Great painting Bryan, detailed stuff.
OK, finished aztecing the primary hull. Still more smaller detail decals but this is the overall effect. I have been using an incorrect color of blue and grey as I couldn't find locally the lighter duck egg blue and light ghost grey, But I am ok with the color I have for now. I can always repaint that later if I change my mind. The decals look awesome but a word of warning. In certain light, they have some molting and spotting underneath some of them. I either used too much decal set or the surface wasn't smooth enough. But I am very happy with the results so far base don my VERY limited skills.
Man, the ship's looking great, and the coloring looks awesome!!! The aztecing really makes the ship pop. I'm especially impressed by the paint job on the bridge, phaser banks, and RCS thruster areas. Did you use enamel or acrylic? In either case, great job! You have a very steady hand, my friend! :)
Quote from: wraith1701 on July 14, 2009, 05:43:58 PM
Man, the ship's looking great, and the coloring looks awesome!!! The aztecing really makes the ship pop. I'm especially impressed by the paint job on the bridge, phaser banks, and RCS thruster areas. Did you use enamel or acrylic? In either case, great job! You have a very steady hand, my friend! :)
Thanks man, coming from you that means a lot. I free handed the phasers and RCS's, the detail line provided a great line to follow. I just used a bright yellow.
Well, I made an effort and found a HobbyTown in Mesa, so I bought the correct colors and will be re-doing the blue and grey. Bring on Duck Egg Blue! I realized that around the engine pylons, there is a lot of the blue which needs to be painted on and it will need to match the decal on the strong back which is also duck egg blue.
Looking good Bryan!
Looking good mate, looking really good. :)
OK, repainted the darker blue, looks much better.
Decal, decal, decal, paint, paint, paint! I finished all the aztec and side decals for the primary hull as well as the registry as it looks so cool. Also started the deflector dish and nacelle flux intercoolers. They get a clear blue and then some black lines I have yet to do. The dish has some paint swirls I need to work on.
You sure are motoring through doing this Bryan. I'm afraid to start one. I'd be working on it for a year - or more! ;)
Weekend afternoons when it's 115 out motivates me to srtay inside and build! I also have a week or so of very little training right now, kind of a mini off season, so my weeday afternoons are free for an hour or so per day. I still have so much to do but it's fun!
Ahhh...WOW. The detail decals are VERY fine BUT to the credit of Polar Lights, are cut out from the paper so you don't need to trim them so much, making them easier to handle. The red strips around the bridge module and phaser, RCS system, and NAV lights really make the model pop.
ooooo that looks sweet, that looks so cool. :)
Working on the deflector dish area and secondary hull today. I am having so much fun!
OK, Primary hull is DONE. I'm very happy with the results. Now I am going to hit it with a gloss overcoat. The secondary hull is almost done, still some decal and paint work to do as well as painting and decaling the struts. The warp nacelles have now received the first brush. I am going for TMP purple intercooler look on the inside. The effect looks good, just need to touch it up some more. Here's a pic of my ideal version in CGI:
I'm still very impressed at how nice those decals look Bryan. Quite a time saver from painting too. How well and how much of a clear overcoat can they take? Any chance too much can react with them? What exactly are you spraying on for the gloss clearcoat cover? What brand of spray, etc?
Quote from: Rico on July 28, 2009, 03:58:32 PM
I'm still very impressed at how nice those decals look Bryan. Quite a time saver from painting too. How well and how much of a clear overcoat can they take? Any chance too much can react with them? What exactly are you spraying on for the gloss clearcoat cover? What brand of spray, etc?
It's Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic coating. It prevents yellowing, is moisture resistant, gloss finish. What I really notice is that is actually tones down the gloss of the decals, which are really shiny and reflective. It gives the surface a nice metalized like texture. That guy BeatlePaul on the RPF who had that really nice build recomended it.
Dude, buy this kit. It's a great project and a great distraction. You could use a fun little hobby right now.
I should buy one. At least so I have the kit. But I would definitely want to light mine.
Quote from: Rico on July 28, 2009, 05:24:51 PM
I should buy one. At least so I have the kit. But I would definitely want to light mine.
Do it, it's CATHARTIC. Trust me. :)
You are doing an awesome job with this Bryan. I might give this a go in the Fall. Really enjoying following your progress.
superb stuff Bryan, really enjoying this progress.
Early weekend update!
Cool Bryan. Does it have enough internal structure to handle the primary hull weight? Can't recall if you added anything more inside.
Quote from: Rico on July 31, 2009, 03:02:39 PM
Cool Bryan. Does it have enough internal structure to handle the primary hull weight? Can't recall if you added anything more inside.
Uh, we're going to find out! That guy BeatlePaul over at the RPF said she will hold together...despite what Scotty says!!! ;)
Quote from: Bryancd on July 31, 2009, 03:04:12 PM
Quote from: Rico on July 31, 2009, 03:02:39 PM
Cool Bryan. Does it have enough internal structure to handle the primary hull weight? Can't recall if you added anything more inside.
Uh, we're going to find out! That guy BeatlePaul over at the RPF said she will hold together...despite what Scotty says!!! ;)
Oh - doesn't this kit come with those little support struts?
Quote from: Rico on July 31, 2009, 03:12:06 PM
Quote from: Bryancd on July 31, 2009, 03:04:12 PM
Quote from: Rico on July 31, 2009, 03:02:39 PM
Cool Bryan. Does it have enough internal structure to handle the primary hull weight? Can't recall if you added anything more inside.
Uh, we're going to find out! That guy BeatlePaul over at the RPF said she will hold together...despite what Scotty says!!! ;)
Oh - doesn't this kit come with those little support struts?
Negative, they have done away with those clear plastic ones that went from the base to beneath the primary hull. They must feel it's up to the task!
Oh - cool!
Blimey its huge, its not till you see it starting to come together you realise how big it sis. Where you gonna put the finished item Bryan?
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on August 01, 2009, 03:20:48 AM
Blimey its huge, its not till you see it starting to come together you realise how big it sis. Where you gonna put the finished item Bryan?
...the wife is asking the same question, but not with as much enthusiasm! :dry
I have an empty cupboard... :D
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on August 01, 2009, 03:20:48 AM
Blimey its huge, its not till you see it starting to come together you realise how big it sis. Where you gonna put the finished item Bryan?
He's obviously going to ship it to me! ;)
You paint the ceiling bluish/black, put lots of white dots and some larger colored areas on it, install a round, yellow lamp and hang the model on that ceiling! Enterprise in space, boldly going (60's style)! :D
(I've seen such a ceiling, looked very good, and you bet I'll hang the Enterprise there if I paint one!)
I just started painting and masking around the bridge of mine.
Lots of masking involved. LOTS
That is a very cool model, is there any painting to be done?
I think I'm in love... :wub
The decals for the nacelles are great and an impressive piece of engineering in their own right! So close now.....
Bryan - looking very cool. Oh, and your garage is way too clean!
Quote from: Rico on August 06, 2009, 04:27:59 PM
Bryan - looking very cool. Oh, and your garage is way too clean!
I came home the other day to find my Mom mopping the floor in there! We sold our boat as we never use so now we have three bays of wonderful space!
Rico, this model is so big. Probably a touch bigger than the MR E. They would look great together!
I plan on ordering one sometime fairly soon, I hope.
You are making great progress on this Bryan, thanks for the pics, really makes me excited to get one of my own as well. Rico is right, your Garage is very clean :). Your Mom sounds like mine, as I think she would come over and clean my as well lol
...almost there!....
WOW! Awesome! How's the balance of it. Seem solid and steady?
Quote from: Rico on August 07, 2009, 06:37:29 PM
WOW! Awesome! How's the balance of it. Seem solid and steady?
Very, but fitting the neck to the primary hull was very hard. I have some seams I need to fill and paint touch up. I'll get it all done and post the final results. It looks amazing and is HUGE!
FINISHED!!!!!! :cheering
I had some difficulty attaching the neck to the secondary hull. It fit great into the primary but I had a bit of a gap in the bottom of the neck that came back to haunt me. It took some real wrestling and some contour puddy touch up to make it look seamless. It wasn't the fault of the kit, it was my lack of skill. At the end of the day, I am thrilled with how it came out. This kit is very doable for the less skilled among us and I can't recommend it enough. Polar Lights did an outstanding job and although i didn't do it 100% justice, I made this model and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Oh, and it really is HUGE.
Great job Bryan and thanks so much for sharing your progress and pics. I'm still quite impressed by the decals. Looks very nice. Hey - how far in does the support rod go? Is there an inner metal sleeve it fits into?
P.S. Does the base come like that or did you paint it?
The support rod inserts about an inch into a sleeve in the secondary hull, no additional metal support. I pianited the base and it comes with those decals. It's very sturdy on the base.
Fantastic Job Bryan. I am going to definitely put that on my list of things to do. I saw it at the store yesterday, but going to see if I can find it cheaper online. Thanks for documenting your progress.
Great job Bryan, it looks awesome, well done. :)
One last tweek. Decided I needed a darker blue on the wings. :)
Man, it looks incredible man! Very nicely done! :metallica:
I love it Bryan! Great job! Thanks so much for letting us be part of it by watching your progress!