PL Enterprise A

I've always loved the A and the recent auction has pushed me over the edge. The PL kit is so reasonably priced on eBay, too...

However, I am a beginner when it comes to building. With models, especially. The only thing I've completed recentely is a Ghostbusters Proton Pack. About 1/3rd of it, I scratch built myself (the last two photos highlight where), and I assembled/prepped/painted the thing myself (the weathering is not done yet).









However, I know the A would be a whole different kettle of fish to a prop like this. I have no airbrush (or any experience with one). The aztec patterns terrify me. Some of the buildups of the ship I've seen here make me want to die. I've read about Enterprise models in general, sagging and warping. Would I need to prep this one much?


The short of it is - can a novice build this thing, or should I stay well away?


Matt

If no-one can give me any advice, can someone at least point me in the direction of the Aztec templates?

Just paint it white. It'll look fine.

Check out www.starshipmodeler.com and www.culttvman.com for the templates.

I remember a thread here chronicling a really nice buildup, you might want to do a search for that. While, the kit would look good in one color; you could easily use a different finish of clearcoat if you had some aztec masks. That way it would be low risk, should any mistakes occur. It would still be white afterall. Evaluate your financial risk too. Say you go through one kit and you're not happy with it. You are guaranteed to build up one better a second time. Many experienced model builders will purchase two kits just in case.

Killer pack by the way...

Can I get one of those? My kid brother really wants one.

The 1701-A is a serious challenge, especially if you want to reproduce how it looked in the first Star Trek movie, when it was at its beautifullest.

If you want to add the lights, it gets even more complicated. I haven't built the Polar kit myself. Keep in mind there is also the earlier AMT/ERTL kit out there (several versions), the Bandai snap-together kit with lights (prepainted.) and also the Art Asylum toy, if you just want a representation of the ship to start out with.

If you choose to tackle the Polar 1:350 refit kit, you may want to build the Star Trek 6 version, because the paint job is simpler and you don't have to mess with the irridescent effect.

There are Aztecdummy's vinyl aztec templates out there, but not everybody likes them. There are also "free" templates available on the web, that you can print and cut yourself. Google and check those model building boards.

- k

Frink, they are hard.

BUT, if you've scratch built a pack, you can build this kit.

The kit itself is very well made and easy to get together, the hard part comes when you paint it.

There are several ways to paint them, and you'll have to pick.

The easiest is the ILM paint job, which requires less coats of pearl and gloss, but the ST: TMP paint job is an ugly awful mess that can take up to 9 coats of different paint, and there's very little color reference out there for it.

Then there's te battle damage paint jobs . . .

Of course, now that Phase pistol's photos are out there(thnaks for those BTW), even us grumpy ST pros are excited to build it all over again.

My advice, get an Ertl Reliant and practice all the techniques, then go nuts on the big one.

Good Luck..

Personallly, I'm more intimidated by the various blue tones on the engineering hulll just aft of the dish (and on the dish).

It looks very much like they layered the paint -- added details, markings, lines, and stripes, then overshot it wiith a generall duckegg blue. But to me, controllling this method seems VERY hard?

Phase, mind that I borrowed a pic to demonstrate?

I know the bigger piece has more detail, but the method (or what I'm describing) is the same. How'd they pull this off.?

Two words;

Masking

Tape

Well, my GF got me the kit as a suprise, although I think somewhat the suprise will be hers when she figures out what 1:350 actually equates to...

<div class='quotetop'>(yt @ Oct 9 2006, 11:41 PM) [snapback]1334975[/snapback]</div>

Check out www.starshipmodeler.com and www.culttvman.com for the templates.
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Thanks. I've seen the $50 set from Fed Models, so that looks like the way to go (even if they are more than she paid for the kit.).

<div class='quotetop'>(incrediPAUL @ Oct 10 2006, 12:19 AM) [snapback]1334995[/snapback]</div>

I remember a thread here chronicling a really nice buildup, you might want to do a search for that. While, the kit would look good in one color; you could easily use a different finish of clearcoat if you had some aztec masks. That way it would be low risk, should any mistakes occur. It would still be white afterall. Evaluate your financial risk too. Say you go through one kit and you're not happy with it. You are guaranteed to build up one better a second time. Many experienced model builders will purchase two kits just in case.[/b]

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Thanks for the compliment (and I love the full version of your avatar). Studying Karl's photos, the ST6 A (my favourite, I'm afraid.), does indeed look a lot less complex than the TMP model. I was looking at Tim's buildup on Ketzer.com and I'm thinking that, if I take it slow, I can do this. I'm quite excited about the challenge, really. Does starting this kit mean that I am going to need an airbrush, though? I can paint/wetsand the blue areas with a brush to get a smooth finish, but I'm probably not going to find a pearl-y white rattlecan finish, am I? I've never even seen an airbrush, let alone used one. I'd like to spend too much on this kit ($50 for the aztecs, when she spent $35 on the kit).

<div class='quotetop'>(phase pistol @ Oct 10 2006, 12:37 AM) [snapback]1335010[/snapback]</div>

If you choose to tackle the Polar 1:350 refit kit, you may want to build the Star Trek 6 version, because the paint job is simpler and you don't have to mess with the irridescent effect.[/b]

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Heh, ironically enough the irridescent effect is what attracted me to the A as a model in the first place. Your photos (thanks for those.) showed there was some gleam in effect, so that's what I'll try for. I'll also look for my own templates, thanks. I prefer the simpler look, maybe that's just becuase I'm so used to it that way, growing up with fuzzy VHS and simplistic looking models. I had no idea that there were so many shades of blue.

<div class='quotetop'>(Hotshot @ Oct 10 2006, 05:22 AM) [snapback]1335164[/snapback]</div>

Then there's te battle damage paint jobs . . .

Of course, now that Phase pistol's photos are out there(thnaks for those BTW), even us grumpy ST pros are excited to build it all over again.[/b]

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Heh, not even going to try that...

But yes, PP's auction photos highlight the kind of E-A look I'm going for. Thanks to all who replied...

A few more questions:

Does anyone have a photo of the decal sheet?

Are the nacelles clear? I'm pondering lighting the thing as I know my way around LEDs, both blue and white.

Does the kit need any internal reinforcement?

<div class='quotetop'>(PHArchivist @ Oct 10 2006, 09:04 AM) [snapback]1335286[/snapback]</div>

Personallly, I'm more intimidated by the various blue tones on the engineering hulll just aft of the dish (and on the dish).

It looks very much like they layered the paint -- added details, markings, lines, and stripes, then overshot it wiith a generall duckegg blue. But to me, controllling this method seems VERY hard?

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Color casts in photos... something to beware of.

I tried to eliminate color casts by using my little gray scale card, but darn it I forgot to shoot a reference shot of my gray card down in the concourse.

That particular shot of the enlarged Enterprise section... well look at the shadows down in the cuts of the deflector dish assembly... cast shadows there have a blue tint. So I'm thinking some of that batch of shots is bluer than they should be.

- K

Aww, c'mon, it's not that hard





Did that with a dremel engraving tool and real low pressure, close shooting with my cheapo airbrush.

I am currently working on the kit and paitenly taking my time with some of the detail work. The shuttle bay and arboretum have so much detail to them and their inside the ship. As far as the azteking goes I read somewhere I think starshipmodeler.com, but there was an advice colum that mentioned using a number 2 pencil to do the azteking. I'm going to give it a try when I get to that point, if it works great if not well then i guess i'll figure something else out.

Chris

Check out www.hobbytalk.com forums in the science fiction modeling section. I have found some of the best modelers of the E hang out there, including the designer of the kit.

-Cliff

I built one on the 'quick and dirty' for our local hobby shop. Painted it white, with a layer of Tamiya Pearl white on top. Didn't bother with Aztecs, but I did get in a bunch of the major blue-gray tones. Overall it looked just fine, I was surprised. Sure going the extra mile to do the Aztec pattern will help, but if you over-do it, you can also ruin the model. Don't make it look like a checkerboard.

My three cents...
yes, you can build it, in that regard it's a nice, relatively straightforward kit.

As for finishing, if you want to be a stickler then you want to go with the masks and also get yourself some post-it and/or dymo label tape to further mask areas off. Don't just do the plain two tone aztec, it's wrong. At the 350 scale it's more noticeable.

If you get the ertl bird, you can get away with using a base white, and if you have the experience, get some interference colors from golden acrylics, or pearlescents, but go easy.

Remember to be subtle not just with the color, but mix a little flat or satin agent in at different ratios as well... this is nearly as important (at small scale more so) than a color shift.

If you want removable damage, then go with the old trick of different viscosity rubber cement and airbrushing over it. How removable you ask...? Hee hee hee... you've seen how on the big screen.

Have fun.

<div class='quotetop'>(Clerval @ Oct 13 2006, 01:01 AM) [snapback]1337157[/snapback]</div>

If you want removable damage, then go with the old trick of different viscosity rubber cement and airbrushing over it. How removable you ask...? Hee hee hee... you've seen how on the big screen.

Have fun.
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Do tell more.

Personally, I would never use those damn Aztech dummy patterns.
I actually wonder what the success ratio is for those stupid things, not too good I imagine.

I had nothing but problems with them using their tips and my own ideas and I may as well have burned a $50 on the spot.

I ended up tossing the whole kit including the the rest of the patterns into my works burn pit because I got so frusterated with them, and that was just the hull.... I couldn't imagine what kind of problems I would had with the saucer.
I literally burned a $100 bill on that one.

NEVER Again.

Lynn

Frinky, I've yet to build one, although I will be starting a variation build soon. It should go together ok, but as others have said, the hard part is in the painting.

Last year I had started a set of painting masks art for builds. These masks are in five separate layers to achieve a close resemblance to the studio model.


I would suggest picking up some low tack masking paper or tape and tracing the stencil that is included in the kit. Paint your hull an overall off white, then lay the stencil down over the hull and paint on another shade of a slightly different, pearlescent white. Pick out the details like the grills, phaser banks, and manuvering thrusters and you're good to go.

i am in the same boat as you mate i love the A Ent and i have built the ERTL version but i have basically hand painted a few grey areas onto it it looks ok but with the size of the polar lights i have purchased the vinyl aztec sheets and will dig my airbrush out to see if i can get a bit closer to it