Kurt H. Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I have been a Star Trek fan for almost as long as I can remember. I have a distant memory of watching The Original Series as a very young child, in the early 80s, and when I was in first grade My Dad and I went to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in the theatre on a rainy day. This is a special memory as it was just my Dad and I. Enough about me, but since that rainy day in 1982 I have been a big fan of Star Trek, and have always been captivated by the Movie version of the ship. To me, it is the definitive version of the Enterprise, so when this GB was approved, I figured it would be the most logical choice. The kit is a a snap-togther kit, with a fairly low parts count, but it does come with a comprehensive decal sheet which includes the complex aztec pattern. For a sense of scale, the box is the same size a 1/24th model car box The parts: and finally the decals: Next post, construction begins! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Nice, simple model with redonculas decals!!! Kind of like mine! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) I decided to start building.... The parts fit together pretty well, but not perfectly. I decided to run a bead of liquid cement around the circumfrence of the saucer, and on parts of the warp nacelle pylons. The Warp Nacelles were a bit fiddly and I ended up having to to cut some of the pins off to get them to fully come together. This will require some sanding. It is tricky to photograph well since it is white plastic: I looked at the directions, which state to install the impulse thrusters, but I want to mask them first, and before installing I figured it would be a good opportunity to add a bit of color, as though the impulse engines were on And where we stand after session 1... I ordered the paint I will need, the directions state to use a pearl white finish, then to use the decals. I will also need to experiment to find the best way to replicate the blue glowing effect with the deflector dish. Edited January 2, 2017 by Kurt H. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john53 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) Looking good! Will be watching this one. I am currently finishing the Polar Lights 1/1000 TOS Enterprise. I am going to do this one soon, I have watched several you tube videos on how to do the decals. Best video is by Doctor Fausts Painting Clinic. He has 3 videos of this kit showing flaws and tricks. Will be watching this one.---John Edited January 2, 2017 by john53 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Love these simple Polar Lights kits. So simple and they look the part when done! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Looking forward to seeing this done. I've considered buying the kit but just haven't pulled the trigger. Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 To do the blue deflector, use Tamiya clear blue on the inside and glue in place. When I did mine in 1/350 it was clear blue, the area inside silver the A light blue in the middle to give the right effect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Built the snap together original series Enterprise a few years ago in the same scale. I prefer the refit option myself, still my favourite ST ship. Looking forward to seeing how you go Kurt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john53 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) When you do clear blue inside clear snap parts the snap fits show up big times. You can see the actual connectors. Just a warning. NOT same as a glue kit.---John https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-NGOXhpiXg&t=3s Edited January 4, 2017 by john53 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 John may have a point. My idea works on the 1/350 kits. But I put the blue on thick enough to light light through but not see inside the hollow model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 And I am in putty, sand , repeat mode puttied sanded And the engineering hull required a fair bit of sanding and some putty, and somehow I always end up with sloppy putty application. The saucer is shaping up ok I fitted the Impulse engines, but it caused the seam to come apart a bit, it was glued and clamped after this picture was taken: As far as the deflector dish, what I had in mind was a spot of white in the center, and around the diameter, then to back that with transparent blue, then back that with more white, or mabye silver, then to dullcote the front of the deflector, since it is not shiny. the Deflector is small, so it will be tough to get right. I will need to practice on some scrap Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 tiny kit is looking good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 And work continues, I know it does not look much different but I have completed putty and sanding operations. everything has been fine sanded to 600 grit. and the troublesome warp engine Next up, a good scrub to wash off the sanding splooge and then primer. I ordered paint for this kit which should arrive this week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Wow, around three more clicks and you have a finished model, minus the paint of course. Looks good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks for the encouragement Phantom ... and I am at the primer stage. The instructions suggest painting and detailing major assembles separately. So in a process unusual for me, I primered the major assembles how do you like my solution for the saucer? The 2nd hardest part of painting next to masking is figuring out how to hold parts.... One of the reasons I primer a model is to find areas that need to be fixed before painting. I found several, like this: quite a few boogers to address. Join me next time for more Putty, sand, repeat! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Oh, yeah, these kits need a lot of sand and repeat thats for sure. Great idea on the saucer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 It does not look like a lot, but it was a good couple of days, I feel like I am making progress While primering, i noticed this trouble spot ... dang it! so after another round of putty & Sand and the Warp engines... So, satisfied with the cleanup I have given the parts a good wash, and in the next day or two, I will give it another coat of primer. Hopefully the seams are fixed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 After priming, this seam is still there how irritating! It is just too shallow for my 3M acryl blue to get in to, so I decided to try Mr Surfacer 500 hopefully it will get into that seam. We will see tomorrow when I try to sand it. thanks for looking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Keep battling Kurt! I found similar seams kept 'appearing' on my Excelsior build, some I decided not to fix. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 And finally, the seams have been vanquished Moving on to color next! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 And they look great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 They do indeed look GREAT! Nice job ... ... and you guys are FAST! Are you all planning on building 6 or 7 kits for this GB? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Time to start painting A few days ago I decided to paint the first step, white. This is Tamiya lacquer decanted and airbrushed. The only problem was I had trouble finding away to mount the parts so I dropped this part on the floor. I was frustrated and used some very foul language. Kind of hard to see, but on the bottom of the shuttle deck it ended up with dust and cat hair no big deal, I let it dry for a day, sanded out the dusties and did round two tonight still needs another round of light coats, painting white is something I struggle with, so I am trying to be paitent. but I dropped one warp engine. ugh... so it will need light sanding and painting this model just does not want to be built! but I will prevail Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Still, the loose parts are looking nice and sharpe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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