1/2500 Enterprises

[STR]

So...with life settling down again, I'm back trying to complete my long term goal of having all of the Enterprises in one scale. Last time I went with the big 1:1400 scale, but no one outside of garage kitters will ever release a model in that scale, and even the GKers are slowly reducing support.

Things look brighter in the 1:2500 scale, so a trip to Starship Modeler Store and a couple of local hobby shops (it's honestly a luxury to have a couple of really good stores within a 15 minute drive) and I have me some starships.

First on the bench is NCC-1701-E. This model, like all E-E kits, has a fair number of inaccuracies. Most of these stem from the fact that all of these kits were produced from First Contact preproduction drawings, rather than the final filming model. Biggest issue is the deflector and associated "trench".

First step is to remove the actual deflector from the piece it's embedded in. This should also give you a good ideal of the scale of the tiny details I'm dealing with.

Cut out a custom piece of hull...

Glue it to a couple of styrene strips, glue the Yacht/Torp Laucher on top, place in the hull and fair over the gaps with Apoxie Sculpt (great stuff!).

 

[STR]

Between all the issues with the kit, and my personal preferences, this specific model is meant to depict a Post-Nemesis Enterprise-E. The biggest difference between the First Contact/Insurrection versions of the ship and the Nemesis and (small "b") beyond is the blended fairing between the saucer and secondary hull.

This requires removing some of the kit's saucer, right behind the shuttlebay. (Upcoming E-D with accurate scratchbuilt impulse engine making a guest appearance here).

The piece fitted to the rest of the model, note the gaps.

A little bit of Apoxie and a lot of sanding and I've just about got it. At this point, I've been working on this for about a week and a half.

 

[Albertese]

She's coming along nicely! Personally I've been doing a lot of 1:2500 but my focus is more on the 23rd Century stuff. So those big TNG models are pretty luxurious!

I had a build thread going here for when I did the TOS E. It also covers my First Federation Warning Buoy from "The Corbomite Maneuver," my Romulan Birds or Prey and the start I made on a damaged Constellation from "The Doomsday Machine." Which I kinda lost steam on and moved on to other projects. Check it out here:

http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/star-trek-in-1-2400-scale.267568/

More recently I've started scratch building some of the ships from the FASA Star Trek RPG. Currently working on the Orion Lightning-class blockade runner in this scale. It's 41 mm long.

Here it is sans nacelles sitting atop the Enterprise to give you an idea of its diminuative size:

Keep building! I'd love to see what you do with the E-D and the rest! Can't wait to see some paint, too!

--Alex

 

[STR]

Thanks! And good luck with that little Orion build.

Got a few more shots of that 1701? That might be next on my build queue and I'm debating how much I want to mod it.

 

[Albertese]

Thanks! And good luck with that little Orion build.

Got a few more shots of that 1701? That might be next on my build queue and I'm debating how much I want to mod it.

Thanks!

And read through that build thread I linked to in my last post if you want to see more of my TOS E. Therein I describe all the mods I did to accurize it.

--Alex

 

[STR]

Yeah...I'm not planning anything as ambitions...or fiddly. The shuttlebay is fine for something 6mm across. I might steal your idea of using styrene strips to redefine the saucer edge. I've been sanding it to the right angle already (even avoided erasing the impulse engines!) but the top edge is just too soft.

What size strips did you use for the saucer edge?

Also, updates.

First, I realized I goofed on the saucer-hull blend. So I ripped out half of it and puttied it back into shape. Then repainted. Then I fiddled with it again, then had to repaint. I think I'm about done now, but I still need to go over everything with high-grit paper to buff out the brushmarks and little bits of dust trapped in the paint.

Last major mod is where the pylons meet the nacelles. In the kit one kinda blends into the other. On the actual filming model it's a hard line.

 

[Albertese]

Yeah...I'm not planning anything as ambitions...or fiddly. The shuttlebay is fine for something 6mm across. I might steal your idea of using styrene strips to redefine the saucer edge. I've been sanding it to the right angle already (even avoided erasing the impulse engines!) but the top edge is just too soft.

What size strips did you use for the saucer edge?

....

I honestly don't recall off hand. I keep a healthy stock of styrene strips and shapes stacked on top of my refrigerator at all times. I have a hobby store nearby and I go in there every week and buy a couple bags of Evergreen stock, just to round up my supply. I want to say I used something about 0.5 mm thick and a width appropriate to the thickness of the saucer and then a second strip the same thickness but half the width, glued around the top edge. Then the whole thing was filed to the correct slope. I used CA and spray paint to fill the tool marks from the files.

Great looking E-E you've got there. One of these days I'll have to tackle that myself!

--Alex

 

[STR]

More updates:

First, the aft pylon phasers that should've been there in the beginning...
These are 1mm (.010) half round styrene strips, cut to 11mm segments. The ends are rounded off (VERRRRRYYYY carefully with medium grit sandpaper) and glued on. They need a bit of cleanup, but not too much.

Second is fixing another oops on my part. I wasn't really paying attention when I attached the torpedo/yacht thingy. Here's how it looked on my model.

Here's how it looked on the First Contact ILM filiming miniature (which differed a bit from the INS and NEM CG models).

So...I dremel and sand off the back half of the turret to get the base.

Remove the replacement part from another kit (this model is made up of parts from 3 separate kits) and sand it down to size, which turns out to be roughly the size of FDR's forehead.

And (re)attached. Much better, though I need to mod it a bit more and clean it up. I'm also working on gloss coating right now as well. So things are looking literally shiny.

 

[STR]

Still tweaking the E-E and hoping to start laying down decals this weekend. In the meantime, my attention is starting to turn towards NCC-1701-D. Mainly, I'm debating on whether or not to depict it as shown in the series using the Absolute Models decal set. So gray with a subtle hull patterning.

Example: http://allscaletrek.com/viewtopic.php?t=128

Or use the bluer version from Generations with the more detailed and multicolored decals from the Round 2 box.

Example (and excellent accurizing work which inspired my plans) http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=207004

I'm completely on the fence on this. I really could go either way. Please, anyone and everyone, let me know what you think.

 

[Albertese]

My problem with both those sets of decals is how stark the paneling looks. Everything has such dark outlines that it really looks off to my eye. I won't lie, the decals are the big reason I've never hunkered down and built the 2500 E-D. I've always wanted to make my own, more subtle set, but that's a huge project by itself and I have never found the time.

Personally, I'd try to replicate the series look, probably of the six-footer. I feel the repainted version from Generations was a bit garish. I prefer the look of the clean lifeboat hatches.

Ah well. It's not my model kit you're building. Good luck with it!

--Alex

 

[STR]

^^^Yeah, the Round2 Generations decals are definitely too loud for the scale. The Absolute Models set is much more subdued, to the point where it's actually hard to see some of the variations in tone/color in photos. And yet I like the Generations pattern better. At this point, I'm probably 2:1 odds in favor of the Ansolute TNG series set. Though, honestly, I'll probably hold off on the E-D. I picked up a resin JJPrise (Excelsior sized, not Sovereign ) and I might tackle that one next. But respect for those GK Absolute water sliders.

I mean, those Absolute decals are virtually impossible to tear, and they're large (and thus fewer of them to apply). Downside: so much MicroSol and poking at air bubbles, at least for the 1701-E.

Which brings me to the model at hand. While this is a Nemesis (or really a hypothetical post-Nemesis refit) build, i always thought the Nem aztec texture made the E-E look dirty. I much prefer the earlier, gleaming white FC/INS scheme. I sure as hell am not giving Acreation another dollar for more purple decals, even if they ostensibly sell the "most correct" product for this particular project.

Having said that, in at least a couple of areas the decals were too light, but I have two sets of decals and simply layered a second identical decal right on top of the first.

I'll also be using a decal or two from PNT's Sovereign set (credit to the late, great Mr. Sasser...I assume once FedModels runs out of the sets it's gone for good?), as the Absolute "NCC-1701-E" pennant on the underside of the saucer is about 40% too large. Much bigger than the topside pennant, which is against Starfleet's styling guide. The topside pennant is always bigger than or equal in size to the underside.

And the return of FDR...

 

[Albertese]

You, sir, made the right choice on decals. That looks lovely!

--Alex

 

[Atolm]

Damn....

 

[KennyB]

All are simply amazing. Nice work.

 

[STR]

One more close up on the main shuttlebay. Still needs a bit of clean up, but it's pretty much done and ready for final clear coating.

"Enterprise"

Working on the underside.

And the engines...

And the beauty shot from the front.

 

[STR]

The thread title is "Enterprises" so it's probably about time I show more than just the E-E. Next up is the JJprise, which I've never completed an example of, so this is new for me. This is actually a resin kit, which is softer than styrene plastic, and prone to warping over time if not properly prepped. Which, in this case, involves drilling tiny little channels and inserting piano wire into them to use as reinforcement.

Now, the kit actually has straight pylons for just this reason, but that's no good for the final product. So after sliding the pins into the channels, I tape them into place.

At this point I glue the piece to the saucer/front engineering hull so I can eyeball the even-ness of the pylons with the saucer.

Next, I take a clothes steamer and use it to heat the pieces, so the resin becomes more pliable and is less likely to crack or shatter as I bend everything into the proper curved shape. This is the final result (as final as things get at this stage).

From the back...behold my well trimmed nails!

Along side the E-B, E-E, and TOSprise. You can also make out the E-D and the Defiant (which I may or may not catalog as there's not much to that model).

And yes, this model at 1/2500 scales out to about 1200ft long, roughly Excelsior-sized.. You wanna argue about that, I'll just point you to Ad Astra. Not gonna rehash that one. I'm building a collection, and that collection looks best as a unified whole with this size. Take the JJprise out, set it on its own (as it was always intended to be) and it can be 10 miles wide for all I care. If you disagree, build your own set and we'll compare notes.

 

[Albertese]

E-E's looking great! I'd love to see how you tackle the other ships.

The JJ-prise has a pretty flexible scale, so I'm not gonna argue. It can be whatever size you (or the director) want it to be.

--Alex

 

[STR]

Yeah, I never understood why some people got so worked up over something the people.in the actual movie didn't give a lick about (so little, they literally doubled the scale of the model rather than reframe the shot).

But whatever, I don't want to go there again. Hopefully I'll have mother update this weekend. Right now I'm dousing the E-E in micro sol to flatten out the pylon decals (might have to find some Solvaset, which is apparently stronger stuff) while filling seams and painting JJprise and Defiant.

 

[publiusr]

It looks nice at that scale--fits with the other connies.

 

[STR]

Finishing up. Anyone attempting an identical model needs at least two sets of Absolute decals. One with Enterprise markings and the other "blank". I use the second set both for my customizations and to fill in gaps in the original set.