1/1000 NCC-1701 Refit - chiller grilles question

[Raven Morpheus]

Hi all

I am about to start building a 1/1000 NCC-1701 Refit by Polar Lights.

I have a lighting kit for it so that I can light up at least the deflector dish, impulse crystal and chiller grilles.

However the chiller grilles are confusing me...

I originally planned to just paint the clear parts for the chiller grilles using clear blue paint (which is what the instructions state to do iirc), however I realise now that whilst it'll look ok, but not great, with the lights on, it won't quite look right when the lights are off.

I saw a youtube video a while back where a guy was building a 350th Enterprise and he talked about how the studio model was painted so that the chiller grilles are black (or a very dark purple) when the lights are off but glow blue (or at least look as though they do in the movies past TMP) when the lights are on, but I can't quite recall what it was the guy said in that video about how that was achieved.

Would I be correct in thinking that the light is supposed to shine through the recesses/grooves of the chiller grilles, so I should paint the clear parts clear blue on the inside and go over the ridges/raised areas on the outside with a dark purple/black paint (probably by brush as I don't think I can mask the clear parts well enough at this scale)?

And is it only the inboard grilles that light up, not the outboard ones (which remain black/dark purple), I'm looking through images via google of 350th builds and that seems to be the case?

I've been watching the movies recently and I've not noticed any glow (blue or otherwise) from the chiller grilles, they always appear dark - am I missing something or are the glowing chiller grilles in fact just something people have done (artistic licence?) since the TOS movies?

Also any other tips about building/painting with respect to lighting this 1/1000 model would also be greatly welcome.

TIA

 

[robn1]

Yes you are correct. The filming model grill was machined aluminum coated with the purple dye used by machinists. The blue light shown through the open spaces. And again yes, only the inboard grills lit up.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

Ah thanks, that's excellent!

Kind of answered myself about the inboard grilles only lighting up as I just checked the instructions and parts trees and can see the clear grilles only go on the inboard side.

Any recommended paint colour (Tamiya or Model Master) for the dark purple - the instructions state black but I get the feeling that's wrong!?

Also what's the overall final finish supposed to be - gloss, satin, or matt? I'm guessing gloss due to a pearl base colour being the ideal?

TIA again.

 

[robn1]

I assume the YT vid you saw was Trekworks, he mentioned a specific color he uses but I can't remember what it was. The purple color should be dull, but the dye is transparent so the aluminum shows through. When the movie crew received the grills from the machine shop they liked the look of the dye with the metal showing through so they just kept them like that instead of painting them.

If you look back through Trekworks' videos you'll find a few with discussions with Paul Olsen and the other original model makers, they give a lot of their first hand info on the ship.

 

[Raven Morpheus]

Ah thanks, I think it was his 350th build I watched.

Will have a look at his channel.