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Returning to the hobby after 25years of trying to catch up with life, I will try to go where few have gone before. The Revell 1:600 Starship Enterprise. The iconic starship from the 1960’s, Sci Fi Series, Star Trek.

I am also going to try my hand at lighting this model So fingers crossed

The starship Enterprise is supposed to be built sometime between 2243 and 2245 A Constitutional Class type Starship, which in its first 20 years of service was commanded by Captains April and Pike. The Enterprise is best known, when it was commanded by Captain James Tiberius Kirk.

The Revell model depicts the USS Enterprise of the original 60's series of Star Trek. It stands at 48cm when built. On opening the oversized box, for the contents inside, the first impressions are; overall nice recessed surface detail which might be a little oversized; crisp, clear and non-clear moldings, with a few tiny sink marks; and an extensive decal sheet for three versions of the Starship.

98d94405-d88c-4e44-8338-df2fc3436afd_zps

On checking with my references, the Haynes workshop Manual (believe it or not Haynes has a workshop manual for the Enterprise) and checking pictures of the original model, which is exhibited at the Smithsonian museum (thanks to the internet, What did we do before we had the Net :banghead:)

A19740668000CP74.jpg

The model seems accurate enough with the original, even amazingly, the recessed surface detail, I still think that the surface detail is a little oversized, but nothing a couple of coats of primer could not fix.

Artemis Lighting Set

Artemis_zps08d16dcd.jpg?t=1374324694

For the internal lighting I found a lighting set on eBay, it’s surprising how many different lighting sets are available for this model, though not cheap (around Eur 40) I chose a set by the German company Artemis Designs Instruction sheet for the installation of the lighting set is in German and unfortunately Artemis are not big on answering emails.Problem was solved with a software called SimpleOCR and Google translate. With translation done, the instructions look straight forward enough and I will be giving my impressions on the lighting set as I go along the built.

I am also waiting for the Paragrafix Photoetch detail Set to arrive which I will also will comment on this product as I go along

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Word of warning: If you plan to illuminate this model, don’t paint the clear parts as per Revell instructions.

Tip: scan page 5 of the Revell instruction sheet, enlarge the part of scan of the sketch of the clear parts sprue and print. This will make it easier to distinguish the parts on the clear sprue.

The clear parts are cemented in place before the coats of paint are applied; this to avoid problems later on of trying to cement the clear parts on painted surfaces.

I used Humbrol clear fix to stick the clear parts to the rest of the model. I must admit, that this was the first time I used this product and I was very impressed. The product is easy to apply and when dry gives quiet a good bond. It can also be easily cleaned with surgical spirit from the model or the clear parts.

Masking tape is used for masking the back of the clear parts a task that really tests one’s patience with all the small windows and openings on the Enterprise.

Photo3_zps4d639bce.jpg

To make the model opaque, the insides of the model are to be given a coat of resurfacer, a few coats of matt black to render the model opaque and a coat of silver to act as light reflector.

The next item on the agenda is to start painting of the interior model. This will take a few days to finish because of the number of coats.

Whilst the coats of paint are drying I will start the assembly Artemis illumination kit.

Will keep you posted.

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The Good news is that the interior painting of the model was done in less than 2 days. I used aerosol paint cans which save time in cleaning the airbrush.

The bad news is that the paint has reacted with the masking tape and ruined all the clear parts which were fixed to the model. Could be the heat or the paint used that caused this reaction. I had to remove all the clear parts and I have to replace them. I have a couple of ideas how to replace these clear parts. First idea is emailing Revell Germany asking if its possible to buy replacement sprue. If this fails I will try to build the clear parts with Crystal Clear, the openings aren’t that big so this is Paln B, Plan C consists of buying another kit. I am not one to give up easily.

Any suggestions how to replace the clear parts are most welcome.

I have started soldering the LED’s which is a job not as difficult as I thought.

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Word of warning against using the Smithsonians Enterprise as a paining ref. The saucer is smooth, and the overstated lines were added as part of the rebuild. On the original these lines were just pencil lines as can be seen in many shots before the CGI reissues. To be accurate, almost all the lines should be filled over the whole ship.

http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/STEnterprise/ent37.jpg

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Word of warning against using the Smithsonians Enterprise as a paining ref. The saucer is smooth, and the overstated lines were added as part of the rebuild. On the original these lines were just pencil lines as can be seen in many shots before the CGI reissues. To be accurate, almost all the lines should be filled over the whole ship.

http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/STEnterprise/ent37.jpg

First of all I like to thank you for finding the time to comment on this forum.

When I started assembling this model I didn't have the inclination to play star wars with sandpaper and filler on the surface of this model. The more I progress with and look at the model, and the more I watch the series, been watching the whole series of Star Trek for the past month, the more convinced that the only way with this model is the filler and sandpaper option. That is to fill the overstated surface detail.

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I avoided this model just FOR the scribed lines!

It's just plain wrong, & is shoddy research on Revells part!

Good luck filling that lot in, & don't forget there are 3 concentric lines on the lower saucer that DO exist on the original....

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I avoided this model just FOR the scribed lines!

It's just plain wrong, & is shoddy research on Revells part!

Good luck filling that lot in, & don't forget there are 3 concentric lines on the lower saucer that DO exist on the original....

Yep it is a bit of a pain to fill the whole lot in, but who said that our hobby is easy? :shutup:

Thanks about the advice of the 3 concentric lines, I took great care from the start not to fill these lines, as it would be very difficult to rescribe again.

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Photo4_zpsec56d8a3.jpg

After a week or so of playing Star Wars with filler and sandpaper on the saucer of the Enterprise, a minor operation to one of the cats at home and coping with the heat, I have finally filled the overdone surface detail on the saucer.

Sanding and filling is not my favorite pastime and I had to totally fill and sand the top and bottom of the saucer twice, I used Green Stuff for filling which is quiet easy to sand.

In the start of this build I had a problem with the clear parts; Revell has rectified this problem as I have received a whole sprue of clear parts within a week of sending an email. So congratulations to Revell on their very good Customer Care Department.

I have also received the Photo Etched set for this kit.

Next job start installing the LED’s in the saucer.

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Looking good. Looks like all the work was worth it!

I picked this kit up fairly cheaply a while ago and have decided that when I make it I'm going to ignore the grid lines being inaccurate and leave them, purely because I like the way they look. Think that might save me a few months work at my glacial rate.

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Photo5_zpsbd8f7b76.jpg

And then there was light!

When I started on this model my knowledge about LEDs was limited to just knowing that LEDs were small light bulbs. I had never worked with LEDs. After some time browsing the internet I got some hints which I would like to share with beginners like me.

  • LEDs have two poles, the anode and the cathode. The long pole is the anode, which is the positive. The short pole is the cathode which is the negative.
  • You have to connect a resistor to the anode as otherwise the LED would shine for a second and then blows.
  • You can check LEDs with your multimeter if you turn to this symbol diode-check-symbols_zpsbf093a76.jpg

For the Enterprise saucer I used the following LEDs:

  • 1 Red and 1 Green 3mm LED for the top Running Lights
  • 4 White 3mm and 2 white 5 mm LEDs for internal illumination

All wires are held in place with duct tape. If this tape was good for Apollo mission I guess it is good for my Enterprise.

Edited by XitanAhmar
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Photo6_zpse6166ddb.jpg

Not so much to report; except that finally I have finished all sanding and filling took about two weeks of tedious work. I have also added the impulse engine to the bottom half of the saucer, a minor operation was required as I had to open some apertures so that this part is illuminated. This is not easy as it sounds as the plastic is thick; I am using the Paragrafix etched set so any unsightly work will be covered. I am working on trial and error basis on the construction of the Enterprise; I have decided to make some running lights for the engines so that is next on the agenda so its fingers crossed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Photo7_zpsbe20c8dd.jpg

Yippee Success!!

The lights are a running.

It took me a week to get the lights running, two ruined circuits from Ebay, ruined extra sockets, capacitors and so on, countless visits to the electronics shop, burned fingers, and reading Electronics for Dummies. I am a total novice when it comes to circuits and electronics but if I could do it, everyone can do it.

To create the impression of rotating blades on the engines, I used 3mm LEDs, 4 red and 4 yellow. I attached the LED’s on the front cover of the engine, alternating the LEDs by color.

A 5mm red LED was attached in the center of the circle, the 5mm LED is not part of the circuit.

For the running lights circuit, I found a couple of kits on EBay, which unfortunately I ruined both kits in my haste to create the running lights. Fortunately the kits came with circuit drawings, but up to this point it these drawings were like Chinese for me, after some browsing on the net and reading Electronics for Dummies, I was able to read the circuit drawings. I had saved the ICs from both kits which I used on the new circuits. A lot of visits to the electronics shop later, I acquired a solder less breadboard and built the circuit on this board, I had running lights after a few attempts. I transferred the circuit on a solder board but I failed to have running lights. I nearly gave up of seeing the lights running; I left the project for a couple of days and out of the blue I got an idea of what I was doing wrong; the problem was, that I had left the metal between the socket connections on the solder board connected, after building a new circuit and scratching the connections between the IC socket connections it was success on the first try. This week I am returning to work after my summer holidays but I still plan to finish all the illumination in the next few days hopefully by the end of the week.

Maybe I will start doing some scale modeling on the Enterprise as up to now all I have done on this kit is; filling and sanding, burning my fingers with solder and trying my hand at something I didn't have an idea of namely electronics.

Edited by XitanAhmar
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  • 2 weeks later...

Now that I have returned to work after my summer vacation, my work on the Enterprise has been reduced to a snail pace. On the interior illumination front, I have finally finished all the lighting on the model.

When I started building the Enterprise I had acquired an illumination set by the German Company Artemis, though this set gives you enough material to adequately illuminate this model, I have added a lot more LEDs to this model.

For the engines as in my previous post I have built a circuit to create the impression of rotating blades in the bussard collectors.

The Saucer

Photo8_zpsbcaec10f.jpg

For the upper half of the saucer, I used colored 3mm LEDs; 1 Red and 1 Green for the top navigation lights, 1 white 5mm LED for the bridge upper sensor dome, and 1 white 10mm LED for internal bridge lighting. Wires and LEDs are kept in place by using duct tape which is covered by kitchen foil to aid reflection in the interior of the model. The round windows under the upper dome where sprayed with clear red paint. I used this paint for the first time and I was apprehensive till I saw the results. I experimented on a soft drink plastic bottle, until I got the desired effect I required.

For the lower part of the saucer I utilized the LED strips that came with the Artemis set, a blue 5mm LED was used for the impulse engine, which was then covered by a piece of fuel tank I found in my spares box, this to stop blue light reflecting in the interior of the saucer. 2 white 3mm LEDs were used for the navigational lower saucer lights and a 5mm white LED was used for the lower sensor dome light. Again duct tape covered with kitchen foil was used to keep everything in place. The lower sensor dome was covered in the interior by a piece of plastic to stop seeing through the model from the outside.

The Hangar Deck

Photo9_zps22938501.jpg

For the hangar deck, I used 7 white 5mm LEDs which were distributed throughout the hull to aid in illumination of the hangar deck. 2 white 3mm LED’s were fixed in the mid-section. I also used two LED strips on the main hull. A problem I faced in the hangar deck that there are two separators model kit no’s 102 and 103 which I had to sand and shape to get the hangar halves to link together without a joint the size of the grand canyon.

I have started that most tedious of jobs; sticking the clear parts to the model, an experience I have been through already as I had done this job and I had to take off the clear parts again as the paint had reacted to the clear parts. After the filling and painting of the main parts of the Enterprise this tedious job has doubled if not tripled as now I have to clean the holes from the paint build up where these clear parts are to be connected, another problem has presented itself the clear parts when stuck to the model are not flash with the exterior, I will fix this by filling the holes with crystal clear later on in the build and after all exterior painting is finished.

Until the next time.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Returning to the hobby after 25years of trying to catch up with life, I will try to go where few have gone before. The Revell 1:600 Starship Enterprise. The iconic starship from the 1960’s, Sci Fi Series, Star Trek.

I am also going to try my hand at lighting this model So fingers crossed

The starship Enterprise is supposed to be built sometime between 2243 and 2245 A Constitutional Class type Starship, which in its first 20 years of service was commanded by Captains April and Pike. The Enterprise is best known, when it was commanded by Captain James Tiberius Kirk.

The Revell model depicts the USS Enterprise of the original 60's series of Star Trek. It stands at 48cm when built. On opening the oversized box, for the contents inside, the first impressions are; overall nice recessed surface detail which might be a little oversized; crisp, clear and non-clear moldings, with a few tiny sink marks; and an extensive decal sheet for three versions of the Starship.

98d94405-d88c-4e44-8338-df2fc3436afd_zps

On checking with my references, the Haynes workshop Manual (believe it or not Haynes has a workshop manual for the Enterprise) and checking pictures of the original model, which is exhibited at the Smithsonian museum (thanks to the internet, What did we do before we had the Net :banghead:)

A19740668000CP74.jpg

The model seems accurate enough with the original, even amazingly, the recessed surface detail, I still think that the surface detail is a little oversized, but nothing a couple of coats of primer could not fix.

Artemis Lighting Set

Artemis_zps08d16dcd.jpg?t=1374324694

For the internal lighting I found a lighting set on eBay, it’s surprising how many different lighting sets are available for this model, though not cheap (around Eur 40) I chose a set by the German company Artemis Designs Instruction sheet for the installation of the lighting set is in German and unfortunately Artemis are not big on answering emails.Problem was solved with a software called SimpleOCR and Google translate. With translation done, the instructions look straight forward enough and I will be giving my impressions on the lighting set as I go along the built.

I am also waiting for the Paragrafix Photoetch detail Set to arrive which I will also will comment on this product as I go along

Any chance we could see some pics of the clear parts sprue?

Pretty please?

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Chuck first I must apologize for not getting to you earlier, I regret that the only pic for the clear sprue I have is the one with all the other parts for this kit, I could not take a photo now as all the clear parts have been cut from the sprue and fixed to the model,

I can only provide you with a sketch of the clear parts.

clear_zps735e376a.jpg

As regards the model I have not abondoned this project but have in the past fortnight been working on it expect an update soon.

Edited by XitanAhmar
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  • 2 weeks later...

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