Enterprise Refit Fun

[Southern OR]

Hi, new guy here, you can call me Josh. I'm waiting on my lighting kit for my Polar Lights 1/350, so in the mean time I'm going to build the little k-1 rerelease and the "terrible" (Plastic Fantastic museum's description) Movie refit E from the eighties. I'm trying to quit smoking so I need things to do and I can't do a lot because I'm on limited activity for a long time waiting for a bone graph to start growing.

So this post is about the old AMT Movie refit Enterprise. I'm building it to try and get the joints and nacelles right. Other then that I don't care to much about it (but my wife will probably use it as a test bed for the Astec paint). Since accuracy never existed on this model I was wondering what you guys would do or add to the E if given the chance. A buddy of mine already recommended purple highlights which led me to purple warp nacelles instead of blue (awesome idea imho).

At some point we'll be doing the 1/350 bop too, but I'll just find or make that thing a thread.

 

[Southern OR]

No feed back yet?

Well anyways, this is the old AMT ruined "movie" model with the astec pattern "added" to the mold and the nacelle pylons that where never designed to stay on. I'm just looking for any ideas on how to make it interesting or fun since it won't be a studio copy (my PL 350 is a different story). Just think of a "that'd be cool but isn't cannon" idea for it. I'd even be up for distressed or battle damage (since this kit never fits together properly anyways), but I'd need ideas on how to pull it off. I've spent my fun money on the 350 lights and extras so this won't be lit.

 

[division 6]

A metal frame like those available for the 350 might be a good idea.
A lot of folks fill in the Aztecing pattern.

I have one from when RoK came out and was working on the damage received in battle with the Reliant.

 

[Southern OR]

Sadly I don't have the $$ for a frame (or a welder). How'd you do the damage? I was reading that IML used cut squares of aluminum foil and hot glue for WoK. They then had to repair, restore, and repaint the studio model (thats how "A" got blue) for SfS and Final Frontier.

Be nice to make a hull breach but I don't know where to start for fabricating decks and warp coils. I have the 'Haynes USS Enterprise Owners' Workshop Manual' and the semi reliable 'Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise' as visual guides. I've done 2 kit bashes, but I've never done a full or semi custom project. I have done a lot of normal assemblies however.

 

[Southern OR]

I was just thinking and while I'm out of mad money, I DO have a fair amount of ho scale atlas flex rail (code100) scrap and a soldering iron. Anyone think that would be strong enough for the ATM model or the PL 350? I was looking at a prefab skeleton for the PL, but I was thinking that it wouldn't work with the Trek Modeler lighting kit, and the $100 tag was a real turn off.

 

[division 6]

I was thinking of using aluminum strips and tubing held together with "steel" epoxy putty that way no welding required.

There are plenty of close up pix of the damaged sections that where auctioned off a few years ago to use as reference for damage.

I think I used model putty and an exacto knife to so the damage.
I haven't looked at the model in years, should probably dig it out and finish it one of these days.

 

[Southern OR]

Thanks for the feed back. So I got my ships today. So far the dry fits haven't been to difficult which gives me hope it won't take long to assemble. I'm surprised since I've heard really terrible things about this kit. I'm a little sad that the shuttle isn't to scale for, well, any kit I have. It's even bigger then the ones that come with the PL 350.

After looking at it, I think the engraved Aztec might help me with battle damage since it gives me a frame of reference for the size of the hull plates. I also picked up a section of z scale rail for bulkheads so we'll see how that goes. I'm liking the idea of putty for the exterior damage, but I would like some help on the interior deck sections. I've seen the self destruct model used in SfS but it seems like no one ever got a picture from the front of the ship so you could see into the hull. I guess what I'm going for is a battle damage cut away highbred (so no basis on the studio damage models).

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, when we ordered the AMT E, we also got a BOP. All I cared about was the bop scale and while it is the 350 one, its the new one with the landing gear so that was a sweet surprise since the bops are some of my favorite models to make.

 

[division 6]

This site should give you a good idea of what is inside the saucer.

Sheet styrene, alum foil, brass sheet, bits of junk could be used for the interior, you could even use aluminum foil for the hull skin in thin areas where it's crumpled.
Some folks use the lead foil on wine bottles for thin skin areas.

I just got in a shipment 2 weeks ago of the Klingon BoP, Romulan BoP, Reliant and Leif Ericson.

 

[Southern OR]

Thanks for the link. I was thinking of doing a impression of the section I was going to remove with aluminum foil then using that. Funny you should bring up the reliant and romulan bop. I just finished the reliant and a D7 (sans paint) not to long ago, and the little K7 yesterday. I'm waiting on a airbrush, otherwise everything would be painted.

 

[division 6]

I have a couple D7's and K'Tingas in the closet.

 

[Southern OR]

So the assembly is going along okay. Pleas tell me the PL kit parts fit better then this kit. Nothing like 1/4-1/2 inch gaps, not to mention having to carve out all of the parts (I know with the trek modeler lights and my shuttle bay I'll be modding a little on the PL).

I got my hull breach holes cut and sanded down and my "I beams" (N scale rail) in place. I put a pice of aluminum foil on the top and bottom sections of the saucer that I'll breach when I assemble the two. I was going to do corridors, but after trying I came to conclusion that the scale is to small for that.

So far the damage is coming along better then the rest of the kit, but I knew what I was getting myself into. After a dry fit I think the the Pylons and saucer installations to the secondary hull are going to be a bit of nightmare.

Thanks again for the feedback so far.

 

[Southern OR]

I just started filling the gaps and I know fully understand why people got upset when the "asteced" the mold itself. I hope I can carve out the panels when it sets.

 

[Southern OR]

Okay, since this is a just for fun thread, and I'm interested in doing this, has anyone kitbashed the out of scale shuttle that comes with the Enterprise to something else? I've tried google and got everything but what I was looking for.
Thanks

 

[Southern OR]

I ran into big holes, small pegs when I put the pylons and nacelles on. Any idea if the huge amount of filler putty I used to hold everything together is going to crumble when I start sanding?

 

[division 6]

Depends on what you used.

For big gaps I would use epoxy putty then smooth the edges with spot putty.
If you want to fill in an area rock solid you could use Ca glue and backing soda.
Another option in larger gaps is fill it with layered pieces of sheet styrene or stretched sprue.

 

[Southern OR]

Thanks for the feedback. I used white putty and mixed it with more cement (toluene white putty, I just add more toluene since Tesotor's red tube cement is toluene). I then sandwiched the parts but I still have some gaps to fill and sand. I'll have to wait until the weather gets better before I do more filling. The putty itself is just way to toxic to do indoors (and the label leads me to believe the heater will cause an explosion) which is weird since it's bonding agent is the same as Testor's cement, not to mention that it only causes birth defects in California.

So far it's holding tight. What Epoxy are you using? I tried two types a while back and they never bonded. After they dried you could just peel them off. I'm hoping the Acrylate bonded enough to keep my nickel and aluminum bits on.

 

[Southern OR]

Almost forgot, Best part of all is the pylons and nacelles are perfect. Both are level and in line with the other, so goal one done.

 

[division 6]

I use Magic Sculpt but just bought some Aves.
In the past I have also used Plumbers Epoxy Putty that comes in a stick.

All of these can be smoothed with water while working with them.

 

[Southern OR]

Those sound good so far, how are they for indoors? We're expecting snow so this outdoor to avoid explosion and brain damage has got to go.

 

[division 6]

Should be fine, I use them indoors all the time.

Almost no smell and they kick in about 20 minutes.
Some of the plumbers putty's kick in about 5 minutes.