Not sure where to put this subject but here. Also I am not trying to solicit anyone, but just airing my thought on the subject. Some years ago I eagerly purchased Polar Lights’ then newly released 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise model kit. Subsequently I purchased the later released smooth saucer hull pieces because I really hated the engraved gridlines on the saucer. Like so many others I had been waiting forty years for a properly accurate and decently scaled model kit of the original Enterprise. And Polar Lights answered the call in spades by offering you the chance to build the ship in one of three versions or in any way you wished. And more recently they made things even sweeter by releasing a good 1/32 kit of the shuttlecraft Galileo (which I bought) as well as an updated version of the Enterprise lighting kit (which I plan to get). All thats left is for them to release a 1/350 scale Klingon D7 battle cruiser kit. When I bought this I fully intended to build it as soon as I could. Then life intervened and one thing after another delayed the project. Now here I am some years later and I’m faced with two things: 1. My eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be. 2. I question my modelling skills to properly build this kit the way it should be and the way I want it to look when finished. Building this kind of physical model is quite different from building 3D models on the computer. It’s potentially messier and mistakes are not so easily corrected. As such I’m feeling daunted to attempt building this cherished kit and ruining it or at least doing it poorly. Dirty Harry once said, “A man has to know his limitations.” Thats how I’m feeling. I’m questioning my skill level and my own sense of patience. I don’t want to sell the model or give it away. I want it built to enjoy it. To that end I am considering finding someone reasonably local who has the required skills and paying them to build it for me. Thoughts? Has anyone else taken this route to have a model built for them?
Check out the channel Trekworks on youtube. He does builds of the Enterprise and his look great. From his channel. "Welcome to TrekWorks This is a channel dedicated to Star Trek and many other genre's of the scale modeling hobby. Here you'll see interesting kit build's, out of box review's and lot's of useful model building tips and tricks. These include both beginning and advanced building and painting techniques, How to add custom lighting and sound effects to your builds and much more. Also, on each Sunday evening, I broadcast a live webcast show on the channel called "The Model Shop". During the show I demonstrate building models with a live audience via a chat session, and I answer questions about scale modeling to help improve their building experience. I also offer a professional model building service and can build you an out of this world model at a down to Earth price. Contact me at info@TrekWorks.net for details."
Thanks! I will check it out. My first instinct was to find someone reasonably local as I live in Brockville, Ontario, Canada. I was thinking of first posting on the Brockville Swap Shop which is a group on Facebook where people advertise things they want to sell or are looking for as well as services they offer or are looking for.
I have long been considering one of two build versions. 1. The series production version with maybe a few small tweaks to represent the ship as we most remember it. 2. An idealized Pike era version representing the ship as if “The Cage” had sold the series. Unlike the 11-footer as we saw it, which was unlighted and lacking in certain details, this version would incorporate elements of the 2nd pilot version as well as some details from the series production version. One interesting idea I had was to have a lighting effect in the nacelle domes along with the characteristic spikes of the 1st pilot version. Of course, it would include lighting the windows. The nacelles’ inboard detail would also need to be added. My idea is that this build would represent what the ship really looked like during the earlier voyages. On another front one day I’d like to make a 3D model of this version. 3. If making the 1/32 scale Galileo I’d like to add lights to the nacelle domes and the bow panels under the nose as was originally intended.
This has been said before - and I'll say it again... Modeling does NOT have to be about "perfect", it should be about "fun". If you don't try to build a kit, you'll never do it. Now, think - you have TWO sets of the basic saucer - the ugly version with the grid lines and the pretty version without. Take that ugly saucer and build/paint it purely to practice. Tinker with filling and sanding. Try different painting methods. If it doesn't look perfect - so what? Strip it and try something else for finishing. Try different techniques on different parts of it. Once you are comfortable - go for the whole thing and ... take your time with it. Don't try to rush. You have a lot of talent as an artist - trust me, even if your eyes aren't perfect, you can handle this.
I follow a couple model makers on Instagram that do commissions: https://www.instagram.com/jjmodelmaking/ and his website: https://www.jjmodelmaking.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/mkm_modelwerx/ But honestly, I follow these guys to get inspired to build my own kits! They have a lot of handy posts that you can totally glean knowledge off of. I have three kits waiting to build when I have the motivation to, and I bought them specifically after following these guys for a while and watching their processes. EDIT: Also, something fairly standard with all the modelers I've seen is that they always seem to sand down the raised panel lines! So there's some place to start.
Thank you for the vote of confidence. The gridlines on the original 1/350 scale saucer are engraved rather than raised.
Ah, I misread. Either way, I agree with @StarCruiser and use the one with the weird lines to experiment with. I would say fill the engraved lines with a putty and then sand them down if they're not too fine. Model making should be therapeutic and relaxing and for your own personal enjoyment! We should always know our limitations, but will you truly know your limitations if you don't try everything once? But if you're feeling really cautious, buy a random model and try every new technique in the book on that. You might end up with a random model that you cherish forever.
I happen to have a few unbuilt Polar Lights 1/1000 scale TOS E models on hand. I have also toyed with the notion of building a recent issue of the AMT kit which I haven’t built since my late teens or early twenties. I have also had the notion of using one of the 1/1000 kits to build what I call a Bama-prise—an Enterprise based on the dark blue version of the ship as seen on James Bama’s famous promotional art for NBC for Star Trek. Yeah, it’s a weird idea.
I was one of the people who lobbied PL on their bboard to put the engraved grid on the saucer, because there IS a penciled-on grid on the series production version, and I personally need the grid to help align the decals . I was working under the assumption that they could make the engraved lines as miniscule and fine as, say, the panel lines on a Tamiya airplane model. That would have been great, no? Yeah, well, they sure disappointed me with the WWI slit-trenches we ended up with. Sorry 'bout that.
Yeah, if they had been extremely fine etched lines it would have been fine, but no such luck. I suppose if one were really skilled the lines could be drawn or etched on the smooth saucer.
On the 11 foot model they were drawn on with a fine point pencil. No appreciable height, no depth. 1/16” maximum assuming what we see here is a scale half-foot width. So something like 1/60” in 1/350 scale. A 0.4mm pencil line, if my math is right. https://culttvman.com/main/gary-kerrs-enterprise-photos-1991/
I am sticking with the smooth saucer with no grid lines because at that scale they would be practically invisible and I don’t like them.
You're probably already familiar with these sites, but you could try asking around on Starship Modeller and HobbyTalk forums to see if there's anyone out there who would be willing to do the build for you. There is also likely to be highly skilled individuals there who could give you additional pointers, should you wish to tackle it yourself.
It happened several years ago, but I got banned from Hobbytalk because…I was less than kind regarding ENT and JJtrek.
I really enjoyed being on Hobbytalk. It and the TrekBBS were the two sites I frequented more than any others. I was quite bummed to get banned, but it was at a time when certain dissenting opinions weren’t tolerated. On my part I was more vocal and somewhat less circumspect in expressing myself on certain subjects. I also got banned from commenting on the Star Trek Continues Facebook page because I dared offer criticism of some of the episodes as well as point out an error in someone’s post. Touchy. Today I don’t watch DIS, PIC or LD. I basically ignore all Trek I care nothing for. I still get prickly when people bring the more recent productions into TOS discussions, but not like back in the day. Around here I stick mostly to the TOS, TOS films, Fan Art and sometimes general Sci-fi and genre forums. Some time ago I tried accessing Hobbytalk and couldn’t get onto it. Maybe I could try again. Note: I just tried joining Hobbytalk again and looks like it worked. We’ll see what happens.