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AMT 1:537 NCC-1701


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Last week my son pointed out the left hand warp nacelle had fallen off my Enterprise model onto one of my 1/32 Spitfires (don't be alarmed - it was fine!). Getting it out revealed the whole model was badly in need of a visit to spacedock. The fillers had cracked open and the varnish I used to use as a sealer had yellowed substantially. I subsequently pulled it apart a it more to bring it up to a more reasonable standard.
 

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I made this over 20 years ago and my skills have advanced a little since then. It is badly-fitting and will need some decent filling. I'll also need to work out a way to support the warp nacelles better as the tiny tabs used are plainly insufficient to support their weight for extended periods. I remember the kit decals were rubbish and I needed to bathe them in PVA glue to get them to adhere. I've ordered some nice but expensive replacements from JT-Graphics in the US (postage to Oz is almost as much as the decals themselves) and will attempt a better shading look to the overall appearance. Hopefully, she'll come out much nicer this time around.

 

The Hasegawa Neptune under it is next on the shelf...

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Paint's all off (thanks to Mr Muscle oven cleaner!) and, as a bonus, it removed most of the dodgy filler I'd used originally. I'll reassemble most of it and I think I'll fill the original hole for the stand as I have a new custom base in mind which will be supported by a slim brass rod. My new batch of filler arrived today by surface mail, too so I'm good to go!

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On 12/30/2019 at 8:07 PM, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Pictures or it never happened Rob! :D

Fine.

 

This isn't as easy as I'd hoped it would be (is it ever?!). Rejoined the secondary hull halves which had partially split and fitted the deflector dish after rework.
 

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I need to fill the hole in the bottom of the hull where the stand went (it provided a handy spot for the clamp arm, though!) and I also want to put a hardwood dowel piece inside it to take the new brass rod stand. I need to find someone with a wood lathe; to make it up to size.


The Warp Nacelles are the reason for the rebuild. I've cleaned up the joints and the fit is much better now but I have added some wire supports internally to give it some additional strength. Of course, in doing that, I managed to break off the attaching lugs and stuffed the whole thing up! A LOT of mucking about with the Support Pylons and the piece of Secondary Hull (which also split apart during the process) they attach to and I think I've got it attached and aligned. My cutting board alignment marks helped heaps with this and you can see I had to put a clamp in as a separator to push the aft ends apart while they dry. Hopefully it will have more strength now.


 

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The Primary Hull started to separate during the stripping process, so I think I'll remove it and ensure the stupid window inserts fit properly this time before closing it up again. I've been thinking about painting and I really don't feel like masking it up for the different hues. I'm thinking I'll preshade a few different colours on various panels, then spray the white over it. 

 

This seems to be fitting a lot better than I remembered. Maybe my skills have improved or maybe I did a lot of the hard work the first time!

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I've got one of these in similar condition after my parents' cat knocked it down a few years ago.  I never quite get around to working on it because I read a tutorial in the January 1992 Fine Scale Modeler on how to make it more authentic, which seems like a lot of work, so I never get started.  Plus I think I've lost one of the window inserts.

 

The tutorial I read has you fill in the minor panel lines, and then provides templates to paint the "Aztek" tile pattern instead.  I've recently found masks for the "Aztek" pattern for the 1:1000 polar lights version of this ship, so I'll bet they're available for the 1:537 AMT Enterprise.

 

Well, whatever route you take, I'll be interested to follow along.  It's a big, beautiful model and will probably look great when you're finished!

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I have reduced but not completely filled the lines on the primary hull and filled a lot of the gaps between the parts with Mr Surfacer 500. I've had a look at a couple of the 'how to' guides and I'm not that keen! I have a template for the Aztec scheme which I'll cut out over the next few weeks and use it on the primary hull. Still undecided on what to do with the secondary hull and warp nacelles as yet. I'll coat the whole lot in Mr Surfacer 1000 shortly to see how it's all come up.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have this kit under construction. For the aztec pattern, I sprayed the entire thing matt black, then some squirts of grey primer then went over it all with white from the airbrush. Worked sufficiently enough to not need the aztec template. 

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Thanks mate, I might give that a go. I picked up some nice Mr Color lacquer pearl paints I think I might try. There are subtle variations in the finish over white which should go well with that technique.

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  • 2 months later...

Filled, sanded and waiting for the wooden plug to hold the stand before assembly, as well as the painting masks which are en-route from the US.
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Not sure how to do the plug as yet - I may need to work on my wood-carving skills!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Filled the brickwork with several coats of Tamiya Surface Primer G, applied with a rather thick artist's paint brush, then wet sanded with 240 and 400 grit wet and dry paper. I need to ad a couple of bits with Milliput today, then I can prime. I'll be using these (and the Tourmaline Green in the same range) after that:

 

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So, yes, I am aiming for the crazy aztec pearl paint job!

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Managed to get the first coat of spray primer on a couple of days ago but the Primary Hull inexplicably split open while I was coating it. I suspect I waited a little long after applying the glue before closing it up. I've rejoined it and sanded back the nasty seams exposed by the spray primer. After the water dries off, I'll give it another coat today or tomorrow along with some more Mr Surfacer 500 on the bigger seams.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mr White Surfacer applied. Mr Thinner should arrive from my on-line model pusher supplier today and the masks are now in Queensland somewhere, so I should be able to apply the first colour coat shortly.
 

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My untidy workplace is plainly evident here! Still waiting on my custom base, too. The brass rod will eventually be polished for display.

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  • Bell209 changed the title to AMT 1:537 NCC-1701

Finally got around to more painting. I started with the detail stuff first. The green is Mr Crystal Color Tourmaline Green over black - it's not quite the right shade but I like it's effect. Most of the paints are enamels over My White Surfacer.

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Then my first coats of Mr Crystal Color Pearlescent White.
 

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It doesn't show so well in the pictures but it has a lovely pearlescent sheen to it which moves with the light.
 

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What I realised after this was taken is it has no real body of its own, so it needs a solid coat underneath. This meant my lazy finishing with Mr White Surfacer seen here needed a more fastidious reapplication and I then recoated that with Mr Crystal Color.

The tedious Aztec masks are next, then two different shades of Mr Crystal Color for contrast.

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Oh, yes, the masks are tedious but I've finished the initial part of the top of Primary Hull:

 

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Only the inner circle, outer edge and lower surface to go before I do the rest of the ship...

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Omg, applying all those stencils would drive me nuts, kudos to you for your patience! 

Edited by Rob998
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Three additional colours later and I'm not convinced I should have gone down the path of stencilling anything other than the Primary Hull.

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I do like the way the paint looks on the Primary Hull, though.

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I'm not sure the camera's captured the effect but it looks good as you move it about the light.

Hours of fun to come removing all the masks...

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Masking's off. Lots of touch-ups to do before clear-coating.
 

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The top view sort of shows the metallic effect. The light has to be right to see it and the camera really doesn't capture it. The colours aren't quite right but I like it and it looks so much better than it did already.

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