Building the AMT Refit Enterprise by Don Matthys part 12

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Additional Painting Details

After letting this dry for a few days, more masking tape was pulled from the areas painted and covered some many weeks ago. There was not many problems with painted areas pulled up from the masking being left on for such a long period of time. Using enamel mineral spirits based paints are pretty tough and stay in place better than acrylics. Another aspect as I de-masked all but the clear lit areas is the stark contrast in the color shades to the glossy white surface. Now this is another advantage of enamels. I can tone the contrast down by spraying a fine white mist of gloss white to cut the contrast. Another color detail I missed out on before I got great JPEGS on CultTVman’s Web page is the discernible gray on the bottom of the Engineering hull. I then masked the area. Once again medium gray mixed into thinned gloss white shaded in those panels. The previously panel painted areas still show through

Now I turned my attention to the small painted areas of the domes (Bridge, Planetary Sensor) in light gray and the Phaser and Truster areas in chrome yellow. (Decal markings printed with a mustard yellow color will make it a mustard yellow color. ) With my prepared art a printout onto Avery label self adhesive paper will serve as the masks. Mustard yellow (Panzer Gelb or Armor Dark Yellow) was sprayed onto the Aft thrusters of Warp Engines and the Main Gangway Hatch Flat Black was painted into the small grill openings on the Planetary Sensor Array

DECALING

This is my favorite part of model building. It means your just about finished with it.

First about the ports and windows: This is the time to pull those masks off made of masking tape and to see how my handy Tandy Leather punch tool worked out. The small discs l made as masks left a round and well defined circular port. Good results also with the horizontal windows as well with the rounded corners. The built up layer of paints used in panting left a raised ridge around each port. I smoothed them down lightly buy wet sanding with 1000 grit sandpaper. Excellent results leaving a slightly recessed port or window.

I had my choice of three decal and markings sources;

  • AMT kit’s provided decals: NCC numbers, streamers ect.
  • Gray Wolf
  • Web Games
  • other decals

My last (and best) resort is my own markings done on Adobe Illustrator and laser printed/color copier made decals on clear decal paper. (Now to be referred as “DLM Graphic”) Used for; Phaser Bank panels, Thrusters, Impulse Engines, Hull separation lines, A-B Deck level lines, Docking Ports (correct sized) and blue-gray stripes that run the circumference of the Primary Hull.

  • Art Program: Adobe Illustrator 5,5
  • Laser Printer: Macintosh Color (output)
  • Copier: Canon 700 color copier
  • Decal Paper: Micromark Clear Decal Paper (Available from Micromark Tools)
  • Decal Setting solutions used: Micro Set and Micro Sol
  • Scissors, #11 knife blade and soft brush.

Here is how it went in order of application:

  • Primary Hull,Bottom: NCC-1701-A, ENTERPRISE (AMT kit.); Phaser Banks, Thrusters (DLM Graphic)
  • Connecting Dorsal: Hull Separation Lines, double red stripes, Docking Ports (DLM Graphic)
  • Deflector Monitor: Tan and black lined detail between Torps and Deflector Housing (DLM Graphic)
  • Main Deflector Housing: Thrusters, mustard yellow w/ red outline (DLM Graphic)
  • Impulse Engine: Red with Black line grill detail (DLM Graphic)
  • Engineering Hull, sides: Docking Ports (DLM Graphic); Star Fleet Logo with silver flash, Pendant (other); UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS·STARSHIP USS ENTERPRISE (Clipped from AMT kit decal)
  • Engineering Hull, bottom: Red rectangle in curve below Shuttle Hanger (DLM Graphic); Bottom keel Phaser Banks (DLM)Graphic); TOS style panel Enterprise Markings, (DLM Graphic reduced 55% from Web Games TOS decal sheet) Ship Name: Shuttle bay: ENTERPRISE, Black Microgramma font (other)
  • Warp Nacelles, aft sides: NCC-1701-A / UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS (AMT kit Decals)
  • PRIMARY HULL TOP: Topside A-B decks: Red pin strip (DLM Graphic); Docking Port Bridge: Red docking port circle (Gray Wolf, fits proper to part); VIP Lounge area: NCC-1701-A / USS ENTERPRISE (AMT Kit Decal); Phaser Banks: Mustard yellow, red striped (DLM Graphic); Thrusters: Mustard yellow, red striped (DLM Graphic); Ship Name: U.S.S. ENTERPRISE (AMT Kit Decal); Hull Registration: NCC-1701-A (other); Sensor Stripes: .05 point line Gray-Blue markings grouped 3-4-3 on clear ; Primary Hull Edge decal paper (DLM Graphic) Applied in 4 inch length sections at a time around the hull edge. (care taken to line up each section.); Ships Name and UFP: STARSHIP USS ENTERPRISE and UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS, small type SIZE located Port on side of Main Gangway Hatch and on starboard side. (AMT kit decal)

That is it for decaling. Some 69 individual water slide transfers where used. After the sensor Stripes have set overnight I’ll spray the marked areas with thinned Microscale Gloss to seal the decals down. A satin finish was achieved

FINAL DETAILS

Fiber Optics not yet installed into pre drilled holes:

  • “Steady on” Running Lights .030 mill with rounded ends placed through plastic at rear above and below in the concave area of the Engineering Hull.
  • .040 mill Fiber Optics at small depressions near the Impulse Engines.
  • .010 mill Fiber Optics on both sides of Docking Port behind the Bridge.

Photon Torpedo Launchers: Detailed resin replacement part painted semi gloss black. Red rectangle decal at tube openings.

Main Deflector Dish: Clear blue tinted resin replacement part. “Ring of lights” (dashed around circumference masked) Painted white on the outside. Light ‘sky blue’ dish sprayed into concave of dish. Fitted into place in the opaque resin replacement housing by press fit. (no glue required for easy access to interior for replacing lamps)

Phaser Banks: Most Phaser Banks get sanded off by Trek modelers when preparing/sanding their kit prior to assembly. So did I. But what I hate doing is making new ones from pinheads as recommended by Newitt’ SFAM#4 Manual and the Fine Scale article. I resolve not to do that again on this type Phaser.

This time I went back into the Star Ship Scrap Yard (parts box) and sliced the Phasers (18 total) off the Primary Hulls. I used a #2 handle #18 flat blade from Exacto. I then placed the ball turret onto some scrap plastic that has double sided adhesive tape to hold them down. I then sprayed the Phaser Turrets with a 50/50 mix of Lt Ghost Gray and Gloss White. The Emitter tips were painted steele. The Phaser Turrets where then attached to the ship with Super glue.

That’s a wrap on this sci-fi model epic!

This is my fourth and final model built of the Motion Picture era Enterprises. The second of the Enterprise NCC-1701-A. This time I was able to use a lot more outside resources to make corrections the the kit. First and foremost is the use of the first edition to the AMT/Lesney Enterprise (smooth) kit as the basic platform to start from. then with the aid of RTV mold and resins the use of reproducible corrected parts (like the Main Deflector and housing ect.). And finally with all the plentiful information on the internet’s WWW, the correct colors and markings made with paints, after market decals and computer generated art put on laser printed decal paper. Before attempting many of the new innovations the update of colors and new marking where tried on the ST:TMP NCC-1701 first. Now I have a models of both correctly painted and marked. Virtually the same Star Ship but with many subtle differences.

My thanks to many who gave good sound advice in the project. Garret Parsons at Quantums Sci-Fi Web Site and Steve Iverson at CultTVman’s Home page for hosting many of such good studio model pictures provided by Jeff Brown and the William McCullars Idic Home page of studio Star Trek models.