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1/350 P/L TOS Enterprise


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I took it that the things would be numbered by when you signed up but I guess that would have been a major pain to track and keep straight.

Quick few photos I just took. They did switch Photobucket around quite a bit from the last time I used it, I couldn't find the resize stuff so I took these with my quick point and shoot so I hope they aren't too huge.

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The kit as it looked when you opened the outer shipping box it came in, accessory information and a letter from the CEO of Round 2 to the 1701 members. Added the 18 inch ruler for an indication of the size.

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Instructions for the basic kit and the 1st and 2nd pilot episode extra parts included with the Premiere Edtion. Decals with the certificate with the 1701 club number on it, decals for the different markings for the 1st and 2nd pilot episodes also in there (sorry didn't flip it over and take a photo of that insert).

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Primary, secondary, and warp nacelles laying next to a yard stick, man this thing is going to be BIG.

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Also received my first aftermarket item for the kit today from CultTVman, ParaGraphix Supplemental Photoetch Set. Most of the items are bridge and shuttle bay upgrade items. For the bridge there are railings, 2 different main viewers, various work station control panels and the overhead screens with decals to represet the buttons and the displays on the screens. Hangar bay stuff includes overhead details, window frames for various spots around the inside of the bay, and some exterior items for just outside the shuttle bay. Also included are some 1:350 scale human figures and human shaped shadow casters for the backs of the windows if you choose to light the kit, I guess the registry number, ship's name and UFP emblem are meant for the stand or something like that as they are not mentioned in the instructions that I can see. The three sets of bars above the ships name is meant for seperations on the rotating inner part of the bussards. Funny thing is as I was typing this I noticed there are 4 NOMAD probes on the photoetch tree as well.

KiowaFixer

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I've been working on mine over the weekend. A few shots up on the stand for the first time. The tape is to hold the parts together while the glue dries. The main parts are not glued to each other, they're just fitted together. The overall fit of the kit is excellent.

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At the pace this is going, the entire ship will be finished by the end of the week. Then it's on to seam finishing, and there isn't really much of that despite the size and length of the seams on this kit because the fit is so good. Then detailing and paint. The Bridge and hanger bay are in, but I decided to close everything up so I didn't do any detailing on those parts at all.

Edited by Paul Mullins
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I took it that the things would be numbered by when you signed up but I guess that would have been a major pain to track and keep straight.

The first person to sign up should have been given the option of what number he wanted...#1 OR 1701. Personally, I would've taken 1701.

Edited by DutyCat
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WOW, you are just knocking that thing out Paul. ModelManTom over on You Tube was showing the samething about the engineering on some of his prerelease videos, the thing was pretty much holding together with a little tape and no glue. I emptied mine out of the box and gave it all the once over last night real good (ie: when I took my photos) and am really impressed by the thing. Made me wish the Refit one I have been spending most of my time with lately was engineered a little bit better.

KiowaFixer

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WOW, you are just knocking that thing out Paul. ModelManTom over on You Tube was showing the samething about the engineering on some of his prerelease videos, the thing was pretty much holding together with a little tape and no glue. I emptied mine out of the box and gave it all the once over last night real good (ie: when I took my photos) and am really impressed by the thing. Made me wish the Refit one I have been spending most of my time with lately was engineered a little bit better.

KiowaFixer

I've never had a model like this one where I could actually say that it practically assembles itself. The seams were easy to deal with with one exception. The seam where the upper primary hull plate meets the lower plate. There's an obvious seam all the way around the perimeter of the primary hull that I haven't decided how to deal with yet. Other than that one exception, this thing fits together so well it's almost unreal. I guess that's the advantage of having brand new tooling. I have to credit the designers of this kit. They spent a lot of time and energy on engineering this thing to assemble easy and they suceeded wildly. I'm putting together the production version of the ship so there's a lot of parts left over if someone gets a non-preimum edition and wants to change it over to a pilot version.

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Absolutely not. The pylons are two thick pieces of plastic that have a lot of gluing surface and they interlock. I glued them , laid them flat on the table and covered them with a number of books and allowed them to dry overnight. These two pieces then fit into DEEP recesses in the engines themselves and the secondary hull. Very tight fit with no wiggle room at all. Should last the rest of my life.

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Now for some real fun, one Premiere and one standard edition, bring on the lighting kit and other accessories. I am almost tempted to just do one unlit and basic out of the box, maybe one of the 2 pilot versions since they have a bit of extra markings on the primary hull for more visual appeal without the lights. Would also be nice to find all the stumbling blocks and fixes for them, which look few and far between the way Paul is going with his, before doing one with the lights and other add on items.

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KiowaFixer

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A standard kit as well? You lucky dog! Technically, since the 1st Pilot version of the ship had no lights, you could build one that way and save the lights for a Pilot 2 or production version of the ship. I've been considering going that route myself (although I admit a Pilot 2 version lit, complete with Bussard collector lights even though it shouldn't have them is tempting).

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Well,

The ONLY problem area I've encountered is the seam between the top and bottom plates of the Primary Hull.

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I've been slowly adzing the material away with a number 11 xacto blade and have put down some filler to try to close the trench between the two parts. There's not any kind of a gap but it almost seems of the two parts where they meet are at two different angles.

A couple of more. In this one, I wanted to show the Bussard Colletcors. Using just paint, I painted the back of the collector Boyd "sunburst". It was going to be international rescue orange but this seemed a little brighter.

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Even without lighting behind it, I think it turned out pretty well. I still have to shoot dullcoat to diffuse everything.

I don't think there's a way to get around not painting the hull. In that regard I painted a few swatches of different greys onto the hull in an effort to find a reasonably close match to the color of the hull, which, as we all know was extensively reasearched by the makers of the kit and they graciously moulded the thing in the color we need.

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From left to right we have Gunship grey, Neutral grey, Dark Ghost grey, Primer, Flat Gull grey, and Aircraft Grey. Personally, I think it's Flat Gull grey that gets the nod. I have to spray a gloss coat over it for the decal application then another dull coat to get it flat again. What do you guys think?

The last shot for today, a slightly better wiew of the Bussard collectors. As a reminder, none of the major parts are glued to each other yet. It's just friction holding everything together.

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Helpful comments and suggestions welcome.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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I got this image off the interwebz so all credit and rights to whomever made it, published it and all that jazz. I only post it here because I like it a LOT and it represents what I'm going for with this kit.

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This photo also presents just what an issue the seam is between the upper and lower primary hull plates. This picture is what the hull is supposed to look like vs. what I have going on with the kit right now.

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Paul your progress is impressive. I'm a Gull Grey fan myself, just ignore the fact I speant my whole Navy career fixing F-14 Tomcats. That is coming together great and fast. Just goes to show you they really thought out the engineering on this Enterprise. As I said I have been working on lighting a 1:350 refit Enterprise and there are so many places I am worried about strength.

I did my first major component dry fitting last night, that being the secondary hull, and after getting rid of the pretty heavy runner attachements that thing just slid together and had pretty much No Seam! There was a small step in the arch under the shuttle bay but it was easily taken out by pressing it into aslignment from the inside or outside of the hull. Just those two parts put together with no glue feels so beefy and heavy like it could hold up all the stuff that will be attached to it with ease.

KiowaFixer

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I spent 21 years the the Air Force myself. I was a Crash Rescue Firefighter so I looked at aircraft from the standpoint of what I needed to cut with a power saw to get people out of them but they were all varying shades of grey as well. But I do miss the original KC-10 white with blue paint job. Flat Gull Grey is the color I'm going to my LHS to pick up tomorrow. (Dang, shopping on black friday. I wonder if they'll give me a discount?)I can start painting the secondary hull, the sail and the warp engines and pylons. May as well keep moving forward. Let me know how the lighting kit and the PE work for you. By the way, did you know there's a metal support form specially designed to internally support the refit 1/350 kit? I've seen them over on culttvman I think but they're kinda pricey.

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The refit kit does not need a metal support. Mine has stayed together fine WITH the lights I added to it during building for a couple years now.

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Phantom,

Nice work on the 1701s. Really like your display setup. That 4.5 acre poster is great too!

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Phanthom,

Your refit looks great. You do great work. It's good to hear that the refit holds up. I'm working on a 1/350 refit and I was a little worried about it holding up as well. I can tell you that the engineering of the TOS 1701 compared to the engineering of the refit is like night and day. The refit model is downright "creaky" compaired to the solidity of the TOS, even when just fitting large parts together. I think that's the secret as to why it's going toegther so well and so fast.

Paul

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Are you planning on filling in those Deflector Grid lines on the primary hull?

Nope.

In fact. I'm thinking of running a pencil line in them after painting. Still thinking about it though. Got the flat gull grey today. my LHS gave me a 10 percent discount since it was black friday.

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Are you planning on filling in those Deflector Grid lines on the primary hull?

Oh gawd, I didn't see that before. The AMT grid work has been reincarnated again, even after AMT got their act together and eliminated it on their old kit. That will be a PITA to fix.

Edited by Rocky
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