Chablar Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hey guys, ive been modelling for the majority of my life, and have always wanted to a built log so I thought I would put this one up for you all to take a look at. Im currently doing the Revell 1/537 USS Voyager. I am lighting it, and have also used the ParaGrafix photo etched detail set which is fantastic. So lets get started... The first thing I always seem to start with when I make Federation models is the dorsal primary hull, mainly the drilling out of the windows and portholes. This kit compared to my previous (and still as yet unfinished) kit, the Enterprise E, has considerably less and considerably larger windows. I cannot tell you the amount of 0.5mm drill bits i broke drilling out the hundreds of windows on the 'E', but for the Voyager im using a 1mm drill bit to drill out the top and bottom of the windows, removing the excess with a Stanley knife, and then straightening it up with a needle file. The windows are all finsihed, as usual ive left some windows undrilled (which will be painted black when finishing the vessel) to show windows where the lights are on. I always found it funny in Star Trek that the ship is at battle stations, fighting enemies with far greater numbers and firepower and yet the majority of their crew seem to either be chilling out in their quarters or have just left the lights on. Im pleased with the results of this stage. Here ive started to glue in the photo etched window inserts, transporter emitters and also 4 EVAC pods that weren't there on the original kit but should have been. Ive also glued in the shield emitters and sensor arrays. I drilled out the windows on deck 2 hat should have been there on the kit, the details (which were actually relavitvely accurate) on the top of Deck 1 have been filed and sanded off ready for the more accurate photo etched parts The window sections for the captains ready room and briefing room on deck one have also been drilled out, and squared off using a needle file. These will later either be filled with resin (like the smaller portholes) or backed with clear plastic card, which will be hazed using some 400 grit wet and dry. The photo etched details on the top of deck 1 have been glued on, as well as the docking airlock on the back. As you can probably see from the picture, I am HOPELESS when it comes to using superglue . But i will sand the excess off later and the primer and paint will do the rest. Ive installed the window covers on the ready room / briefing room, this is most of the dorsal primary hull complete now, and i move on to the ventral primary hull. The last little shot shows the forward torpedo launchers (which will be red) drilled out above the main deflector. While I was doing the work so far on this it seemed like I was keeping a good pace, but looking back on the pictures I havent done half as much as I would have liked. But I guess feeling impatient, and excited about the next step is infinitely better than going 'balls to it, i cant be bothered'. This kit (compared to the Round 2 re issues of the AMT/ERTL kits from the 90s) is actually very accurate, and has a good level of detail. Its a nice kit. Anyway guys, let me know what you think and i'll keep the pictures coming 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowler0000 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Following this one! I'm hoping for the Paragrafix PE for xmas, then i can make a start on mine too. Built one back when it 1st came out (HOW long ago !?!?), & want to do a better job on her than i did last time.... Good luck with this one... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilfish Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I have a Voyager in the stash in a similar state to pic 1...lots of windows drilled out....then I lost my enthusiasm....I will return to it one day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 I know exactly what you mean. Its without a doubt the most tedious part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu_davros Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I'm looking forward to seeing this one take shape. Do you find the paragrafix set is good for the money? I haven't decided whether to get a set yet, so your build will help me decide. One thing I've found out recently is that glueing photo etch is a lot easier with gator grip white glue, it works really well and doesn't glue me to the etch like superglue. Plus you can remove the excess with a damp cloth. Cheers, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanM Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Will follow this with interest.... personally I think Voyager is the best looking of the Trek ships. Must get myself one some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Thanks guys. Its a lovely looking ship, and the revell kit is actually very nice. Its got a good deal of detail and is one of those kits that would be good straight out of the box. Im working on the secondary hull at the moment so will try and stick some pictues up later on I'm looking forward to seeing this one take shape. Do you find the paragrafix set is good for the money? I haven't decided whether to get a set yet, so your build will help me decide. One thing I've found out recently is that glueing photo etch is a lot easier with gator grip white glue, it works really well and doesn't glue me to the etch like superglue. Plus you can remove the excess with a damp cloth. Cheers, Stuart I would say the photo etched set is definitely worth the money yeah, its god a lot of parts that greatly enhance the detail on the kit. Ive seen some photoetched sets around that dont really add much to the final model but these are pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khimbar Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 This is one of my 'must get soon' kits. Have you seen Steve Neills on youtube? It's stunning! Love to see how it goes. Keep us updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 No i havent. Got a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khimbar Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 No i havent. Got a link? http://www.youtube.com/user/darkuboot/videos?query=voyager This should link to all the parts of his build. I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 (edited) Ah I see mate yeah, thats something like what im aiming for. Had a rather unproductive week this week which is a shame, had too much on really. Ive drilled out the windows on one side of the engineering hull Ive also added the small window details with plastic card, these were there on the original kit but not with the photo etched parts. All I have to do now with the primary hull is add a couple more details the kit is missing. And thats all ive done this week, very constructive EDIT I've also added some small pieces of plastic card around decks 2 and 3 to make the ship more accurate, as shown in the picture below Structual changes to the primary hull are now all done, so now its just a case of priming both sides of the hull ready for the lights, but before that i am concentrating on the engineering hull....back to windows.... Edited August 26, 2012 by Chablar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davec_24 Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Looking good there! Just think - once you've drilled the windows out for the engineering hull, that's most of the really boring part of the lighting process out of the way (I guess filling the windows may be boring too though?). Look on the bright side and keep her coming along! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thanks. Thats the idea yeah, i also want it to be as accurate as possible. Like i said its a great kit and is actually very accurate, but it just needed a bit of work. Allive got to do now is drill out some windows on the bridge, drill out the impulse engines and drill out the aft torpedo launchers. Then im ready to paint the inside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) Engineering hull windows are now all drilled out and the photo etched parts have been put on, ive also put in the window details again with plasitc card. I cut out a space for the aft windows (which were only a decal on the original kit) and detailed accordingly, these windows will be lit And finally, i've misted the clear parts using some 400 grit wet and dry. I will also file down the tips of the appropriate LEDs, the idea being to dissipate the light so you can not see the individual LED too clearly, just the light it produces. That's it for now, ive only got 3 or 4 more steps to do and I can then put down the base layers of paint and begin work on the electronics Edited August 29, 2012 by Chablar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khimbar Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I'm loving this. I have to get me this kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Just a little update. The windows on deck 1 have been drilled out. The only structual changes I now have to do are drilling out the imoulse engines and aft torpedo launchers. But my brain seems to have had enough of drilling so I got distracted with other things, so this build might not seem as linear as it should The insides of the warp nacelles are blacked out with black primer spray... ...and then I whacked in some aluminium foil. All the parts of the ship that have windows are going to be sprayed gloss white inside to reflect the light. With the nacelles I wanted the light to bounce around as much as possible to ensure the nacelle grills (blue bits) had a nice, even coverage of light. Grey primer was then put on the outer nacelles, now ready for electronics. Ive also blacked out the majority of the rest of the ship with black spray, these will next be painted gloss white. I didnt see a point in cleaning up the superglue 'rivers' on the inside. Ive also been messing around with the fibre optics im using for the strobes, ill stick some stuff up later about that. Now back to drilling....ugh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) Another little update. Insides of the ship now sprayed with gloss white to more evenly distribute the light. Ive just stuck a little torch in the back here and it looks as though the white paint works pretty well I thought I would make a start on wiring the warp nacelles, as the next step on the main and secondary hull is the windows and I fancied a break. I saw this on a build log online and thought it wasa fantastic idea. Ive made a simple light trap from a colgate toothpaste box, this will be coated with tin foil and will direct all the light towards the transparency A little bulkhead is glued in and filled to keep in the light from the bussard collectors, 3mm Super bright red LED is wired up with a 270 ohm resistor. This is then attached to a 5mm Superbright Blue LED. I bought the 5mm ones for larger light distribution (primarily for the main deflector) With the light trap in place it looks like so... I was going to put an other blue LED at the rear of the warp nacelle, but I think I like it like this. Let me know what you guys think Edited September 8, 2012 by Chablar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMChladek Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 (edited) This is looking VERY good. Remembering back to the Voyager I built years ago, it seems as though I didn't have the same fit problems with the saucer to the secondary hull that some modelers had and I think that might be down to how I glued the spine on. The instructions have you glue the spine back to the saucer before adding the assembly to the secondary hull. In my case, I put the spine on first to the assembled secondary hull for a more solid fit there and the saucer ended up aligning perfectly as it seemed to clip right in. It might be something worth considering for your build if you haven't gotten to that step yet. I also highly recommend reinforcing the seams on the bottom of the secondary hull as the model is a bit heavy and there seems to be a bit of stress down there. With a lighting system added, weight could potentially be even more of a problem. Edited September 12, 2012 by JMChladek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormfrontmodels Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Looks wonderful !! The warp nacelle really looks the part. If the rest of the ship is as good as that it'll be brilliant !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hey guys. Thanks a lot for the good comments, work is going a little slowly as of late so it helps . Just a fwe more pictures. Im currently filling in the windows and working on the fibre optics for the warp nacelles. Firstly, the windows: What I did at first is the same as I did on my Enterprise with clear resin. The idea is to put tape on the outside, and fill from the inside. Then you can cut a clean hold in the tape on the outside with a fresh knife blade to let the air come out and make sure there is no inperfections in the window. However, this time i'm using Micro Kristal Klear rather than a clear resin. The only problem was when used this way is that it took about 72 hours to cure. I was using it wrongly (n00b time), so instead the method is taping it from the inside to keep the air in the window. Then by putting a small amount in the window, you can draw it in to create a small film which dries quickly and clearly, using the air inside to ensure the window doesnt seep into the main hull. For the fibre optics i filed the ends of a red and green superbright LED down flat, and polished them up with some 400 grit wet and dry. The 0.5mm fibre has been bent using a soldering iron as its pretty thick stuff. These were then bonded to the LEDs using epoxy resin. A resistor and some tin foil / tape later, and they look like this. Quite rough looking I know, but its the outside that matters, this is the starboard side light. Obviously these will protrude much too far from the nacelles, so after the ship is painted these will be cut down to size, shaped and polished Im away with the family for a few days now, so I wont have an update on here for a little bit, but keep checking back. All the best! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Getting there slowly Impulse engines are drilled and filed out. The 'colgate light traps' are put into place, and the bulk head has been lined with some insulation tape to stop the blue light bleeding into the bussard collectors. A bit of glue and masking tape later, the fibre optics are trimmed down slightly. It ends up looking like this And the port side Im happy with the light distribution in the nacelle grills, and also the way the fibre optics have turned out. This is my first time using them too. They will be kept at this length until the painting has been finished, they will then be clipped down and sanded / polished. Im now turning my attention back to the windows and getting all of them filled in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarky Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Excellent work! Following this as it is my next build after I complete the enterprise E (waiting for aztec decals from the USA...) . I also have the Voyager PE parts and also the DLM replacement deflector. As one of my favourite ST ships, I can't wait to start the Voyager build 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Which version do you have? This one has a clear deflector so im just using that. Im half way through an Enterprise E build, ive put the pics up here in a wip thread. Take a look. Would love to see some pics of yours. Let me know what the decals are like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarky Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have the 1999 Revell version although I managed to pick up the Special Edition on a well known auction site for a snip! I'll wait until that comes to contrast/compare before I decide which to build. The deflector set is from Don's light and magic and is moulded in clear blue for lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chablar Posted September 30, 2012 Author Share Posted September 30, 2012 Yeah ive seen that. DLM are pretty good, Starship modeler are too. I got a photo etched detail set from them for my Enterprise E, its a fantastic piece of kit. I bought the Revell re run that ame out relatively recently, and its actually a pretty nice kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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