Griffworks
Well-Known Member
Not too long ago, I sold off several of my models, which included a number of Trek kits for which I had multiple copies. One of those was the Polar Lights line of kits, most of which I picked up at HobbyLobby for under $10 each during their sales or coupon days.
Anyhow, my oldest son Daniel (13) asked me about three or four weeks ago if we could build one of my many Polar Lights 1/1000 Enterprise kits. My youngest - Ryan (7) - heard us talking about it and decided he wanted in on the fun, as well. Things over the last several weeks and weekends just didn't pan out, time-wise, tho we finally got to it today.
Now, I've built several kits with my oldest son, most of which were the Star Wars snap-tite kits. We did build a really nice Revell of Germany Republic Star Destroyer which I had hoped he would enter in a contest about two or three years back, but he ended up... well... destroying it, pretty much. He'd put a lot of effort into it, too - with my help, mostly guidance and very little hands-on - going so far as to have primed and painted the base coat, then masking - with some coaching - and then sealed it off really nicely. The only thing we didn't have dedicated was a stand, but I had that covered with a loaner.
Sadly, as mentioned, he pretty much destroyed it. It was about two months from the contest when we finished it, then he decided one day to put it into his backpack and take it to school to show off.
:sigh: Oh, well....
Anyhow, the boys wanted to build something, neither wanted to paint and the 1/1000 scale PL Trek kits are perfect for that. And I have a veritable plethora of them.
So, here's the pics. I did the majority of the work on my youngest son's kit, as he's 7 and these kits aren't 100% for kids that young. I let him put most of the stickers on it, tho. Ryan's was originally going to be the U.S.S. Enterprise production version and Daniel's was going to be the I.S.S. Enterprise. But when Ryan saw how kewel those Terran Empire symbols of the Sword thru the Earth looked, he changed his mind. To that end, I used my Xacto and cut off the stickers that need going, then we added the Terran Empire emblems. I went back and found some extra sticks in one of the boxes and used those to further Terran-fy his build.
The pics.
The happy fellas!
Neither build is screen accurate and I managed to reign in my Advanced Modelers Syndrome and didn't say a word about that. Well, not much... The important thing was for them to have some fun.
Four hours later and Ryan is still zooming his ship around the house, destroying "Bad Guys". What amazes me is that the model is still intact and the antenna for the dish is only slightly bent!
Daniel's is still in near-pristine condition, as well. No major issues and he's doing his best to keep everything perfect.
Had a lot of fun, even tho the kit is frustrating in some areas. Plus, always a pleasure to spend some time w/my boys.
As an added bonus, I'm doing my part to keep our hobby going.
.
Anyhow, my oldest son Daniel (13) asked me about three or four weeks ago if we could build one of my many Polar Lights 1/1000 Enterprise kits. My youngest - Ryan (7) - heard us talking about it and decided he wanted in on the fun, as well. Things over the last several weeks and weekends just didn't pan out, time-wise, tho we finally got to it today.
Now, I've built several kits with my oldest son, most of which were the Star Wars snap-tite kits. We did build a really nice Revell of Germany Republic Star Destroyer which I had hoped he would enter in a contest about two or three years back, but he ended up... well... destroying it, pretty much. He'd put a lot of effort into it, too - with my help, mostly guidance and very little hands-on - going so far as to have primed and painted the base coat, then masking - with some coaching - and then sealed it off really nicely. The only thing we didn't have dedicated was a stand, but I had that covered with a loaner.
Sadly, as mentioned, he pretty much destroyed it. It was about two months from the contest when we finished it, then he decided one day to put it into his backpack and take it to school to show off.
:sigh: Oh, well....
Anyhow, the boys wanted to build something, neither wanted to paint and the 1/1000 scale PL Trek kits are perfect for that. And I have a veritable plethora of them.
So, here's the pics. I did the majority of the work on my youngest son's kit, as he's 7 and these kits aren't 100% for kids that young. I let him put most of the stickers on it, tho. Ryan's was originally going to be the U.S.S. Enterprise production version and Daniel's was going to be the I.S.S. Enterprise. But when Ryan saw how kewel those Terran Empire symbols of the Sword thru the Earth looked, he changed his mind. To that end, I used my Xacto and cut off the stickers that need going, then we added the Terran Empire emblems. I went back and found some extra sticks in one of the boxes and used those to further Terran-fy his build.
The pics.
The happy fellas!
Neither build is screen accurate and I managed to reign in my Advanced Modelers Syndrome and didn't say a word about that. Well, not much... The important thing was for them to have some fun.
Four hours later and Ryan is still zooming his ship around the house, destroying "Bad Guys". What amazes me is that the model is still intact and the antenna for the dish is only slightly bent!
Daniel's is still in near-pristine condition, as well. No major issues and he's doing his best to keep everything perfect.
Had a lot of fun, even tho the kit is frustrating in some areas. Plus, always a pleasure to spend some time w/my boys.
As an added bonus, I'm doing my part to keep our hobby going.
.
