Boomstick Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 And now for something totally different, well, for me anyway. I have always loved the starship Enterprise and always wanted to build one. I figured it was time. I will also be putting lights inside along with some photetch. On with the show, starting with light blocking and filling in the grid lines on the saucer. NO GRID LINES ON TOS. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 James, nice work so far! I'm not a fan of the engraved grid lines either. I like a pencilled on grid but not engraved. BTW, what type of putty did you use to fill them? Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 Thanks Mike. I use wall spackle and Bondo red spot glaze. The grid lines are about 90% filled in. I wanted a hint of them left behind instead of penciling them in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Looking forward to this! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Installing the lighting in the saucer, engineering hull, and also completed the hangar bay. Geez, I just can't get away from hangar bays!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Excellent hanger bay!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 (edited) Nice clean job on both the lighting and the hanger bay! BTW, what paint/color are you planning on painting this? I'm currently working on an AMT 18" TOS Enterprise. I had used Tamiya XF-12 JN Grey for a 1/1000 TOS Enterprise but I feel it looks a bit too green. For the 18" TOS E I made a custom mix of Tamiya paints. I mixed 3 parts XF-12 JN Grey, 1 part XF-19 Sky Grey and 4 parts XF-2 Flat white. It was actually pretty easy to mix. I used a syringe that measures in milliliters. The amount of flat white can also be decreased to darken the color. The color still has a very light green color shift but also looks gray under most lighting. I didn't want to post a picture without asking you so I don't hijack your thread. Mike. Edited December 8, 2013 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Thanks. It's a bit of a challenge to get the hangar bay to fit with the lights but thanks to some video tutorials, it's very possible. As for paint, I'm still researching that. Initial thoughts are using a 1:1 of Model Master Neutral Gray and white. The studio model isn't white but gray. Originally Roddenberry wanted a battleship gray but decided that was too dark. We'll see how this ratio works out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 (edited) James, In case you didn't see it, there's an article on CultTV Man's site that talks about the color of the studio model. It reveals that the color was a light gray with a hint of green. That's why I went with the Tamiya JN Grey in the mix which is actually a green-gray color. My final color mix is mostly a neutral gray shade but does have a slight green color shift under some lighting. I've used Model Master Neutral gray and mixed with white will also make a very nice TOS Enterprise color. Below is a link to the article on CultTV Man's site. TOS Enterprise Studio Model Color Edited December 8, 2013 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Very nice. Thanks a ton. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Looking good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 (edited) Lighting installed and sections all sealed up. Edited December 12, 2013 by Boomstick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 (edited) Small video showing final lighting test. The aft portion of the engineering hull is still in progress so ignore that area. I'm pleased thus far. Although the bussard collectors look very much like original model's, they are too noisy. I may invest in different boards that simulate fan rotation. Now all I have to do is stuff all those wires and circuit board into the navigation/deflector dish opening without breaking a connection somewhere. To be continued... Edited December 14, 2013 by Boomstick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 (edited) It looks great James! Tenacontrols makes boards that simulate the fan blades and the effect looks quite convincing. Edited December 14, 2013 by crowe-t Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 It looks great James! Tenacontrols makes boards that simulate the fan blades and the effect looks quite convincing. Yup, I've seen those, but, that's $120 additional. But they are nice. I'm leaving the bussards accessible so I can change them later if need be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 A fellow on another forum lined his warp engines with some kind of thin foam insulation he said meade them quieter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share Posted December 15, 2013 A fellow on another forum lined his warp engines with some kind of thin foam insulation he said meade them quieter. Yeah, I saw that on YouTube as well, I think Trekworks did his that way. I will probably buy the Tenacontrols boards. Shuttle bay landing exterior landing lights are done. Still some touch up needed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 (edited) So, I assembled the major components with a couple of setbacks. I have huge gaps that were not there before. Now on final assembly, I have gaps where the saucer and neck mount and where the nacelles and pylons mount. So I have some filling to do. Also, and I don't HOW this happened, the neck glue/putty line cracked on the aft end of the necks base. I generously glued those contact points days ago with plenty of time to cure so I'm confused on why that happend. Oh well. These are all minor and fixable. Still to do: decal warp nacelles, attach clear parts, build shuttle, fill/paint gaps, dull coat and weathering then more dull coat. Oh, and the impulse engines not attached yet, still have light blocking to do. And this is why you take pictures, there is a nasty seam area on the saucer to the right of the impulse engines that needs desperate attention. HOW DID I MISS THAT??? Also, I have panel templates that I use on my military ships that I will be using on this with chalk pastels for weathered looking panels. More to come. Edited December 17, 2013 by Boomstick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I love it. Makes me want to do another in that scale. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Beautiful. Sure wish I could afford this beauty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 Starting the weathering process. I wanted a well worn looking Enterprise. Still have a few bits to attach, continuing to fill the neck gap and nacelle gaps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 WOW, this is looking great! Excellent work on the weathering! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Looks great! Very nice work indeed! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Beautiful. Only 2 issues for me, TOS had no lighting on impulse engines, and the navigational beacon should be white, not green. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boomstick Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 (edited) Beautiful. Only 2 issues for me, TOS had no lighting on impulse engines, and the navigational beacon should be white, not green. I choose to light the impulse engines to simulate impulse power. I should probably have run them to a separate switch but there was enough wires already. I did some research and confirmed the white beacon so I made the change. Thanks for the heads up. I was following another builders TOS and he seemed to think green was correct.ta Here she is on her stand. Still waiting on nacelle decals. Edited December 19, 2013 by Boomstick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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