Advice needed: Painting the TOS E shuttlebay for lighting

Hi there! New to modeling (well, I'm 49 and haven't built a model since I was 15) and I've taken the ambitious route: I'm building the 1:350 TOS Enterprise with the PL light kit, PL and PG photoetch and AD masks for the markings.

I've bought an airbrush kit, plus a larger spray gun for the final hull color (5:1 ratio of the recommended gray and white) and am using rattle cans for primers. Tamiya fine light grey primer for the outer hull and Army Painter flat black and flat white for the inner hull.

So I have a plan for the shuttle bay and I wanted to pass it by the experts here.

For the clear walls and ceiling: Mask off the PE window/overhead light areas, Prime inside walls (leaving outside walls facing hull clear) with one thin coat of white primer for light reflection to the rear green hull window, prime over that with a thin coat of black for light blocking, then airbrush paint the final gray and sand wall and ceiling colors. For the floor, prime with flat black for light blocking and paint the grey, then gloss coat for effect.

Is this a good way to go?

This is what I'm in the process of doing for the interior of the hull as well but reversed for light propagation, flat black under flat white and it's blocked the light perfectly.

BTW, I dremeled out the hull so the assembled shuttle bay will fit with the lights.

Thanks for your help!
Kris

Bump for help. Wanna start the shuttle bay today.

Are you airbrushing the black? Usually, to avoid light bleeding, you should spray with a coat of silver, then the colour you want. If I understand correctly you want to paint your clear plastic (used for the main lights) with a fine coat of white? I usually apply an opaque white tape on top of any clear plastic: better effect, solid and even lighting in the end.

The black is rattle can. Army Painter. The black has been working great as a light blocker.

The clear plastic can't be covered on the outside because it spreads light to windows and marker lights on the outside hull as well as inside windows of the shuttle bay. The interior hull is lined with white paint so since the shuttle bay assembly sits right up against the white hull it will be as if the outside of the clear parts are painted white.

So to be clear, I want to leave the outside of the clear shuttle bay parts untouched. Paint the inside white to reflect light back out to the hull windows and then black to block light bleeding through the walls into the shuttle bay so only the shuttle pay windows and ceiling light are lit.

joberg said:

Are you airbrushing the black? Usually, to avoid light bleeding, you should spray with a coat of silver, then the colour you want. If I understand correctly you want to paint your clear plastic (used for the main lights) with a fine coat of white? I usually apply an opaque white tape on top of any clear plastic: better effect, solid and even lighting in the end.

Click to expand...

Not sure if this is an issue for you, but to prevent or limit the bleed of light from clear parts you can paint their edges or (tricky) apply Bare metal foil.

Check out TrekWorks channel on Youtube. He covers this model in detail.

Here is also another good build from trekriffic's PL 1:350 TOS Enterprise...really good stuff!

I just started to fill and sand the Panellines on the Saucer with Putty, DAM ITS BORING SANDING PUTTY ...so I got some way to go before starting the hangar bay, will do the Bridge first but.