Building the Eaglemoss Enterprise-D partwork

I’ve been looking for a good Enterprise-D model for years now and, while this is expensive, it looks the business. So after reading this thread, I decided to just take the plunge.

 

Glad I could help in some way. I try to be critical but fair, as it is a LOT of money to spend, but as of now the only easy way to get or build an Enterprise-D without a mountain of work or skill. Also, I had my eyes opened by some people criticizing the build the R2-D2 project, as apparently full sized builds of that can cost upwards of 4 or 5 grand, where the half size build is the same cost as the Enterprise build (prolly 1500 before shipping costs, which add another 300 or so). After the Enterprise is done I plan on doing the R2-D2 as well as the Terminator T-800 for the game room, just to have some more unique items.

 

I’d actually gotten the emails from Eaglemoss months ago but had decided to give it a swerve because it’s about £1,200. But to get a decent (not snap) model was going to cost about £300 for what I could find. And the value of this model will probably hold really well, if not go up over time.

 

So I haven't gotten the fifth shipment yet (not even charged for it yet) but a lot of the people who got the bundle offer have been posting on YouTube and the facebook page for the build. It looks like hull plates start going on the saucer frame in stage 19, and a LOT of people are complaining about how hard it is to route the light wires. Also theres also people complaining of light bleed between panels, but I wonder if that bleed will go away as more hull panels are mounted to the frame, if the pressure from surrounding frames will begin to squeeze the bleed out. Also it looks like they added blinking lights, so the model won't just be static on and off. There are red and green running lights that blink which is an awesome touch. Hoping we get more blinking lights in other sections (the rear of the nacelles maybe?) There's also a ton of work done on the neck, with a ton of light wiring and a new circuit board installed for all the lights in the neck. Looking forward to getting all these in the coming months, but if you want spoiled on this stuff it's all up on YouTube from other people doing builds there. As for me, the forum with photos and descriptions is a lot better (I don't have the ability to film me building this thing well, and others are already doing it way better than me).

 

So my first 6 parts arrived on Saturday but with only one magazine. So I've built the bridge module and half of a nacelle so far. I need to source a battery for the tester kit next. I take it I need two batteries since there's a slot for two?

 

If I remember correctly it takes three AAA cells

 

There is a wooden Enterprise D you can assemble from incredibuilds

 

Shipment 5. Lets go!

Stages 15 through 18



The upper saucer skeleton frame is now complete. From the looks of it, the lower frame will be mounting to the same brackets that hold together the upper frame. This is definitely a "big boi". From what I have seen the next issue will involve finally beginning to attach hull panels and align wiring through the framework (apparently stage 19 is a heck of a chore).



Speaking of hull panels, we got another one to do in this issue. It's again a lot of tiny windows with a couple reflector plates and LED lights. Not gonna mess with a photo of it lit unless requested, as it's fairly similar to the others (however this one doesn't really have any light bleed).



The rear impulse neck was also completed in this shipment with the addition of the shuttlebay doors. According to the instructions these should just push in and than one screw to hold them in place, however a reflector was in the way of mine and I could not place it. I had to remove the reflector, than attach the shuttlebay door, than reattach the deflector to get it right. But after three issues working on it, the impulse neck section is complete.



Speaking of the impulse neck section, this section of frame also came in. This is going to be used for the battle bridge and neck of the ship. However, no work was done on it for now. But having the frame gives us a good idea of what is coming!



We also got to assemble the battle bridge. This was dirt simple, just two parts that push together. There are two magnets on it for the next section.......



The cobra head part is also included in this shipment! A very large part, all die cast metal and the decals look great. The battle bridge magnetizes to the cobra neck. I am not sure why they are using magnets, maybe the bridge stays removed if the saucer is attached to the ship and only goes on when the ship is seperated? I am not sure on this one.



Gonna wrap this up with a shot of the cobra head with the battle bridge attached. Great looking section to be sure. Not a ton of work in this issue, just a lot of large parts completing some framework and details on the impulse section. But next month is a busy month, stage 19 is gonna be a monster from what people are saying.

 

Anyone else here building the Eaglemoss USS Enterprise D? Loving mine so far! It's starting to look fantastic! Can't wait to have this on display somewhere. I'll update my progress on the model in this thread.
aaaaaa

 

Going to be sitting this one out. Living vicariously through your posts and awesome photos, though!

 

Well my second delivery arrived today and it was all parts I'd already received in my first batch. Coupled with a positive Covid test, today has not been my day

 

The black support frame and partial hull pieces should make it easy to do a battle damaged version that can easily be reverted back and forward... remove some hull pieces, let the lights flicker, and you have the Yamato XD

 

Just don’t drop it

 

damn, seeing these photos has really made me want to start subscribing now but I have no space to put her anywhere

 

I'd just go for it and worry about that later. I reckon this'll be something you might regret missing out on once it's done.

 

Yeah ive done that to many times though lol

 

I wonder if the battle bridge pops off because the magnets are used to keep the saucer better attached to the stardrive section?

 

Glad to see others joining in on the fun!

Keep reading bud, I figured it out in this issue!

Stages 19 through 22



First off, I forgot to post a pic of the "free gift" T-Shirt that came in shipment 5. It's the second to last free gift, with the last one being the default stand for the ship (although I am paying the extra 4 bucks a month for the premium mirrored LED lit stand).

Stage 19 was an absolute nightmare. You finally begin affixing hull plates to the saucer frame, but the wiring methods they tell you in the guide are unclear at best, and at worst just outright wrong in other sections. The best thing I can tell you is to use your common sense when routing the wires, use tiny dabs of super glue to hold LEDs in place when possible, and ESPECIALLY when affixing the two smaller plates on either side of the one larger plate early one (the ones at the front fore of the saucer) do NOT route the wires through the larger hole. This will block a screw hole for the plates. Instead route one through the smaller hole, and than one through the larger (loosening the larger plate to allow the wires through).

Stage 19 is mostly affixing the saucer plates you have already done, with a few odds and ends. Each stage afterwards involves putting in a ton of windows into a new saucer plate and affixing it to the frame. Until stage 22. But before that, let's have a look at the progress made.



The saucer is starting to look very familiar now. One bummer is the lack of the Enterprise D registry markings though. Apparently it's going to be a sticker from the looks of things, although I may be wrong. If so, here is hoping Mike Lane makes a rub on transfer instead (which would look tons better than a plain sticker). Outside of that, it looks great. There are a few plates on the fore section that are slightly not level with the rest, but Eaglemoss assures us they will level out once the build is completed (guessing the bottom will put some pressure on the top and vice versa).



I've never been the best at cable management, and this build is going to amplify that flaw. We already have a rats nest of LED power lines, and the upper saucer isn't even a quarter of the way done! I have tested them all to verify they are all still working after installation, but the test board only allows 4 hookups at a time, so I can't light them all up at once (yet). That being said, let's move on to Stage 22, which made some wild progress in the neck section!



There was some frame added to the neck frame from the last shipment, and now finally the impulse and battle bridge decks are connected. There is a bit of a gap between the two which is apparently an issue everyone is having with this section. My gap isn't as large as many I have seen (again, due to alternate wire routing since the routing given in the guide is outright wrong in spots) but this gap might become even smaller when other future parts attach. If you look close you can see the four latches that will be attaching the saucer to the stardrive when completed.



Underneath is another rats nest of cables, but also where the magic happens. We got another battery box that shows why the battle bridge is magnetized on: it makes for ease of use changing the batteries! The box is located directly under the battle bridge, just pull it off and remove a screw to get access to the three AAA batteries that power the necks LED lights. There's also a new circuit board to power all the lights in the neck section. Also we learned not all the lights are static! This box also came with a unique set of lights and an on/off switch for the lighting here, and when installed properly, two of the lights (on top of the cobra head section, but not routed in this issue) blink on and off. Very pleased to see not all the lights are static.



So there's our neck all lit up. You can see the two outside LEDs on, these are the ones that are blinking and routed in the next shipment. There's another loose static LED I am not sure what will be used for yet. Overall it looks very impressive. That said, Eaglemoss really goofed up with the routing of wires. The instructions aren't very clear even with the pictures, and again there were a few instances where the way they set up the wires blocked important sections or made a larger than necessary gap in parts. This was also so far the longest time it took me to do the work, almost 5 hours went in this shipment, so I guess I got my moneys worth, lol. See you next issue, and I'm looking forward to seeing pics and thoughts from the other builders who have joined me!

 

Now, I might have had flat layered plates that were milled by a machine that would fit perfectly with no droop.

The saucer skeleton looks like a done housing

 

ok, ok, you guys can stop twisting my arm now lol.

Yeah I've subscribed now I will find somewhere to put it lol.