DeBoers Reliant - WIP

While I've been working on the DeBoers Enterprise trio, I've also been working on a secondary project at the same time. The DeBoers Reliant is the same scale as the Enterprise and while there are many similarities in building this kit there are a few differences as well. There is not quite as much to scratchbuild for this model because there is no secondary hull. I've been working on this kit for several months. The Reliant is no longer in production and this is one of the last known ones to be worked on. Too bad because it is a fun kit to work on. Like the Enterprise, I will be sending updates for this project when I have them.

I know it's been about 9 months since I've added any updates for the Reliant, but for the most part many of the work that is being done on the Enterprise is very similar to the Reliant as far as some of the interiors go such as the officer's lounge and many of the components for the Warp Engines are very similar as well with a few minor differences. For instance the wiring will be run through the top of the Nacell because the support pylons are connected from the top rather than underneath. The Reliant has some spot lights just like the Enterprise except they are on the top inside front of the nacells facing the saucer. They are also much smaller in size. While I have tested the lighting on all of the engines I did run into a few problems. I had what I called a nacell malfunction when I accidently cracked one of the fluorescent tubes and had to replace it. Carelessness on my part, but everything is functioning within normal perameters as it were. Another problem I've run into is that some LEDs that I ordered turned out to be the wrong color. I ordered some bright yellow LEDs to use for the thrusters and when I recieved them I found out the were not yellow, but Orange. Very upsetting, so now I have to wait for the new ones to come in. I was hoping to have the warp engines all sealed up and ready for some putty work, but this will have to wait for a while. In the meantime I'm preparing the rest of the wiring for all of the engines. I've also found a huge mistake with the warp grills that I will go into next update. There are 13 new pics in The DeBeors Reliant Album starting at pic 18. You should be seeing more updates in this album as I get closer to assembling these kits together.

See you next update,
Mark.

[COLOR=#417394]http://www.NemVia.com[/COLOR]

Awesome!

I've added a couple of pics on my site for the Warp nacell assembly. Although there are only 2 pics to look at, there has still been a lot of time put into these babys. These nacells are much easier to assemble than the Enterprise nacells because there is no bottom lip that connects the engine to the nacells. For the most part it's a straight shot when applying the epoxy. These pieces fit together much better than the Enterprise nacells as well. By my next post, I should have all of the seams filled in, sanded sown and ready for opaqueing. All of the electronics are working fine, so that's a big relief because once everything's sealed that's it! We're done! I Should have a few more pics soon. See you next update.

Mark
[COLOR=#999999]http://www.NemVia.com[/COLOR]

I've finally been able to opaque the nacells for Reliant. They were the easiest to putty and sand because the pieces matched up so much nicer than the Enterprise nacells. By my next update I should have the base colors started on the engines so I can begin Aztecing the engines. See you then!

Mark.
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Warp Nacell Update for 07/31/11
For the Reliant project, I don't have any more than 2 new pics to show you because I haven't got to those engines as of this update. The masking patterns will be similar to Enterprise though. Right now I have those Engines opaqued, they have their base soat of FLat white and the first of 4-5 colors painted on which would be Light Gray. I will be making these Aztec patterns a littl more subtle rather than having them jump out at you but you will be able to see the different colors the closer you geth to the models. Hope you enjoy these updates. I'm really looking forward to adding the other colors to these engines just to see how they'll turn out. More updates coming soon! See you then!
Mark

Just checked out your photos, this is my first time seeing it. Very nice work indeed, can't wait to see more.

NemVia said:

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While I've been working on the DeBoers Enterprise trio, I've also been working on a secondary project at the same time. The DeBoers Reliant is the same scale as the Enterprise and while there are many similarities in building this kit there are a few differences as well. There is not quite as much to scratchbuild for this model because there is no secondary hull. I've been working on this kit for several months. The Reliant is no longer in production and this is one of the last known ones to be worked on. Too bad because it is a fun kit to work on. Like the Enterprise, I will be sending updates for this project when I have them.

I know it's been about 9 months since I've added any updates for the Reliant, but for the most part many of the work that is being done on the Enterprise is very similar to the Reliant as far as some of the interiors go such as the officer's lounge and many of the components for the Warp Engines are very similar as well with a few minor differences. For instance the wiring will be run through the top of the Nacell because the support pylons are connected from the top rather than underneath. The Reliant has some spot lights just like the Enterprise except they are on the top inside front of the nacells facing the saucer. They are also much smaller in size. While I have tested the lighting on all of the engines I did run into a few problems. I had what I called a nacell malfunction when I accidently cracked one of the fluorescent tubes and had to replace it. Carelessness on my part, but everything is functioning within normal perameters as it were. Another problem I've run into is that some LEDs that I ordered turned out to be the wrong color. I ordered some bright yellow LEDs to use for the thrusters and when I recieved them I found out the were not yellow, but Orange. Very upsetting, so now I have to wait for the new ones to come in. I was hoping to have the warp engines all sealed up and ready for some putty work, but this will have to wait for a while. In the meantime I'm preparing the rest of the wiring for all of the engines. I've also found a huge mistake with the warp grills that I will go into next update. There are 13 new pics in The DeBeors Reliant Album starting at pic 18. You should be seeing more updates in this album as I get closer to assembling these kits together.

See you next update,
Mark.

[COLOR=#417394]http://www.NemVia.com[/COLOR]

Today I just finished the 1st of 3 maskings for both of Reliant's Warp engines and I'm now ready to airbrush the 2nd of 4 different colors. The next color to be added will be an off white, which I used on my PL Enterprise and it came out beautiful. There are not a whole lot of reference pics for the filming miniature that show, in very clear detail, all of the engines and support pylon details. I took a look at the decals for the Ertl Reliant kit and while I'm using it for a reference, I don't think they're completly what I wanted to do. I also have some pics of the Reliant when it was at auction at Christies, but of course there aren't any clear ones of the nacells. So, I'm using some of the pattern that I have put on the Enterprise engines and am beefing up the width of some of the maskings to help suggest that this starship is a little more heavily armoured. As for the pylons, the pics I have suggest that the patterns are more verticle than horizontal. This really is a milestone for this project because there are 8 warp engines total that are being detailed so to have this part of it finally complete is very exciting. For the next masking it won't be as much work because I will be adding masking to the masking... get it? Well, By the next update you'll see what I mean. See you then!
Mark

Home - NemVia Productions

For the last month or so I've been doing nothing but masking and painting the main Aztec pattern on the warp engines and the support pylons. It can be very repetative work but the end results are worth all of the trouble. I don't have any good clear pics of the actual filming minature's engines so I tried to do what I could with the fuzzy pics that I do have. Although I didn't use any pearlescent paints for this paint job, I got the effect that I wanted out of the paints that I did use! In the next update I will have the Flush vents, intakes, strobe light covers and other details added to the engines as well as their decals. Then I can move onto the roll bar and torpedo launcher area and get thoose started. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Mark
Home - NemVia Productions

I have finished much of the detailing paintwork on the nacells and pylons, just a few more things to add to complete the engines, I've added 5 new pics to the Reliant photo album. It took a lot of masking, but it was worth the work. I've also added a few things to my site to make it easier to navigate to the pics. Let me know what you think!

Mark

[COLOR=#22229c]Home - NemVia Productions[/COLOR]

Big milestone hit this month! I have added 12 new pics to the Reliant album! A lot of energy and work have gone into these engines and I'm happy to say that other than a few pieces that will be added later on, the Engines are all basically done!

For the Reliant update, I've finally finished these engines as well! I've had to tone down the Aztec patterns by spraying them with a very light coat of off white and then add the 4 decals that go on either sides of the engines. These engines are now finished and I can start moving on to other areas of the this ship. The new pics for Reliant are in the Reliant Album on page 2 pics 63 - 74!

See you next update!!!!
Mark
Home - NemVia Productions

Hi everyone!
It's been quite a challenge building 4 models at the same time and even though Enterprise is getting more attention at the moment, I've still benn able to work on some of the Reliant

There are some re-casting of some of the parts on this model like the super phaser cannons that will go on the roll bar. These are being cast in a clear resin to allow for some future lighting effects. I'm also adding a new travel pod port to the rear of the bridge with it's own lighting effects. The other things that have been cast are the torpedo tube housings for the front and rear tubes and also the small strobe dome covers for the flashing light effects. Some of the pics for the Reliant Build a reused from the Enterprise build, but the work being done on them is basically the same. The new pics are on page 2 pics 75-82. Enjoy!

Well, that's it for this update. Please be safe everyone. I will see you in 2012!

Take care, Mark

[COLOR=#22229c]Home - NemVia Productions[/COLOR]

The latest pics are now availible in the "Updates for May 2012" page.
For Reliant, I have begun working on the saucer section as well. I have cut out all of the thruster pieces and have replaced them with clear recast pieces. I have also added the bridge piece to the top hull and the lower saucer has the dome in place. These pieces are now epoxied in and ready for the painting process. The hull will have to be sanded down, then opaqued, and then I can prime everything up and begin the Aztec process on this model. I am not making the Aztec pattern the same as the Enterprise model, which I have seen a few others do. I had to take a reference pic of the filming miniature, make it into a negative picture and do some enhancing to help define the Aztec pattern a little better so I can make my own masks. There are in fact 2 different Aztec patterns on this ship. I posted a pencil sketching of what the patterns look like and then I have also begun creating some of the masks of one of the patterns of which I have posted a picture of what it looks like in this month's update. The other pattern will be started once this one is completed. Now that I've started on the Saucers of all of these ships I can see the finishing up of these models on the horizon for now. I am also looking forward to starting on the Drydock as well. I have also started some blueprints of the Drydock scaled to these models so things are progressing nicely. See you next update!
Mark.

Home - NemVia Productions

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"] Look'n Good Dude[/FONT]

Looking very nice! I had the DeBoer Enterprise many years ago but I had to sell it to help build up my finances to pay for a divorce, sadly.

IIRC, the Reliant's VIP lounge was a solid open window due to its very short height. I don't think it had pane bars like Enterprise did.

IIRC, the Reliant's VIP lounge was a solid open window due to its very short height. I don't think it had pane bars like Enterprise did.[/QUOTE]

Well, this point could be politely argued at best. Below is a pic of the filming miniature and there are definately divisions there of a sort. There is also one shot in TWOK after Enterprise diables Reliant. A nice pull away shot where when viewed on a larger screen these divisions are definately visible. I have seen a few model builders add these dividers into there Reliant model and that is really where I got this input from. I may decide to go with one large viewport later on.

It would be nice if whoever owns the filming miniature could give us a little insight on this, but that would be like trying to find out if the Enterprise Filming miniature's hanger doors can still be removed to reveal what details are really inside the model. A question I have been hoping to have answered for many years now. The only filming miniature I have seen in person is the drydock. A thing of beauty to be sure. Seeing it in person has answered a lot of questions I've had about many a detail that is not very visible on the screen, even in blu-ray. But a guy can dream.... right?
Riiiiiight....

Mark

OOooo if the owner did a photo survey, i'd be in heaven!

....aint gonna happen though, is it....

Your build is truly inspirational! Loved the paintwork on the nacelles and struts....very ILM!

I've been working on a scratch built 1:350 Reliant, so i keep watching your updates with interest!

Rich

NemVia said:

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IIRC, the Reliant's VIP lounge was a solid open window due to its very short height. I don't think it had pane bars like Enterprise did.

Well, this point could be politely argued at best. Below is a pic of the filming miniature and there are definately divisions there of a sort. There is also one shot in TWOK after Enterprise diables Reliant. A nice pull away shot where when viewed on a larger screen these divisions are definately visible. I have seen a few model builders add these dividers into there Reliant model and that is really where I got this input from. I may decide to go with one large viewport later on.

It would be nice if whoever owns the filming miniature could give us a little insight on this, but that would be like trying to find out if the Enterprise Filming miniature's hanger doors can still be removed to reveal what details are really inside the model. A question I have been hoping to have answered for many years now. The only filming miniature I have seen in person is the drydock. A thing of beauty to be sure. Seeing it in person has answered a lot of questions I've had about many a detail that is not very visible on the screen, even in blu-ray. But a guy can dream.... right?
Riiiiiight....

Mark

Point well taken - never saw that angle before. It almost looks as if the window panes are inside the window itself. The window being translucent, they would not be immediately evident unless the lights were on. I stand corrected.

137th Gebirg said:

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Point well taken - never saw that angle before. It almost looks as if the window panes are inside the window itself. The window being translucent, they would not be immediately evident unless the lights were on. I stand corrected.

Yeh, actually I was thinking more like a recessed window like some of the ones seen on Voyagers hull, except wider. I know there is a clear shot of it somewhere. I just can't remeber at the moment where I saw it. If I find it I will post that one as well.
Mark.

I have added 15 new pics for the June Reliant Update. I've added 15 new pics for the Enterprise Update.
For Reliant I've finished lower saucer dome piece, I've sealed it from the inside of the hull and removed the excess resin so it will be easier to work on the lighting and wiring later on. I have also added the lower saucer detail pieces and epoxied them into oplace from the inside as well. I've had trouble centering the upper piece to the lower one, so I added some edging guides to maker sure the pieces fit together smoothly. you can see this with picture number 4 in the June Updates. The holes for the hanger doors have been widened a bit and a hole for the impulse engine piece and the warp crystal have been cut out and the pieces are now epoxied into place. For the bay doors I've masked off the areas where the lighting effects will come through and I have a couple of good pics (# 9 & 10) that show how masks look. I had to view a few shots in ST:TWOK to find the lighting pattern both from the bottom and the top of the doors. Next I was able to Opaque the pieces using Flat back to cover the entire model to block Light leaks. The next step was to start on the next color for the darker details which in this case is a Light Neutral Gray Paint. I've been able to start the masking of the upper saucer as well. I should have at least one of the next colors added on as well as the two different Aztec patterns that are seen on the filming miniature.
Hope you enjoy this update and I'll see you all next month.!
Mark
Home - NemVia Productions

Greetings everyone! June has been an extremely busy month for me. We had visitors from out of town for a few weeks, so I did not get as much done as I would have liked. I was going to begin Aztec patterns on all 4 ships, but found that it would just be easier to concentrate on Reliant for now. So, all of the updates for this month are soley for Reliant! Sorry to those who are following the Refit Enterprise build, but next month will be mainly for Enterprise! Now because there are 2 different Aztec patterns on the saucer section it was just a lot easier to get this done and out of the way first. I will then be able to concentrate on the Enterprise Hulls all this month.
I am pleased to say that even though I had a slight mis-hap with the painting, I was able to salvage the work in a unique kind of way as you will see in this month's update pictures. The entire bottom of Reliant's saucer is now completely Aztec-ed and now I need to add some of the other details, such as the hatch doors, the positioning thrusters, lower dome details and some hull detailing for the engineering section, the impulse engines and the hanger doors. It's starting to look real sharp and I'm very happy with how things are looking.
I've also started work on the top of the saucer and these details should be completed by next month's update. I may even have some of the decals added on by then. There are 18 new pics in this month's update. Hope you enjoy! Comments are always welcome and so are new Memebers! See you next month!
Mark
Home - NemVia Productions

This months update is very picture heavy!For the Reliant update I've decided to tackle this model's Aztec Pattern first because there is a difference in the pattern from the Enterprise Aztec Pattern. Not only that but there is far more detailwork that needed to be done with the upper saucer section than with the Enterprise models. In fact the detailing on Reliant is the most detail work that I've ever put into any single model EVER! I was very pleased with the way it has turned out. I was also able to put on most of the Decals in this update. The one thing I didn't realize when I recieved this kit was that other than the markings around the hatches there were no red stripe decals that came with this model, so I decided to paint them all on myself. I was able to use Insignia Red as the color of choice and it turned out to be a good choice. There is very little difference between the Decal Red and the Painted on stripes as you will see in the pics. For the shoulder part or rear of the upper saucer there is a grid pattern that can be seen on the filming miniature, so I had to put this on the model first. It can be seen as very thin blue lines of masking tape. Then I was able to add all of the different shapes of pre-cut masking tape to the insides of each of these grid boxes. The results came out excellent when the tape was removed. I've also painted up the top and underneath aft section which at first threw me as to the color. A picture of the original Reliant revealed that some of these sections appeared to be a light blue or gray color. But when I reviewed ST:TWOK a saw that all of these details were dark. So, before I messed this part up I began to decide what this color was. It was very difficult to determine on the screen. I happened to have an AMT/ertl Reliant kit and was just curious to see if the instructions had any hints of wjat colors to use. In this case it suggested Intermediate Blue, which I had never heard of, but I looked it up on-line and found that Model Master Paints did in fact have this color, so I tried it out and then compared it to the pictures I have of the original filming miniature and sure enough, it was a very spot on match which was a complete relief to me. I also realized at this point this is a common color used on smaller parts of the ship such as the torpedo launchers and some of the Interior parts for the hatches that I am putting into the Enterprise builds. So with a big sigh of relief I can move onto to other parts of this model. I put a color comparison picture of both my build and the Filming miniature in the update so you can decide for yourselves wether or not the build looks as close as possible to the filming miniature. Let me know what you think.See you next update! Enjoy! And as always comments and New members are always welcome!Mark Home - NemVia Productions

amazing work,thinking of doing a semi scratcbuild using the 1/350 polar lights enterprise

mofo77 said:

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amazing work,thinking of doing a semi scratcbuild using the 1/350 polar lights enterprise

A dream of mine... Then have the Reliant and the Refit facing off!

I'm about half way through a scratch build of 1:350 Reliant for a friend.....i really should do a thread.......

Rich

clancampbell said:

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I'm about half way through a scratch build of 1:350 Reliant for a friend.....i really should do a thread.......

Rich

Yes. Absolutely. You should.