SteveNeill
Sr Member
Thanks Rob. Glad you enjoyed it!
Steve
Steve
Studio Half Scale TOS Enterprise Scratch build
- Thread starter SteveNeill
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SteveNeill
Sr Member
Thanks!
Steve
Steve
SteveNeill
Sr Member
A bit more of the boring. However the top, bottom and rim are all glassed. I trimmed the edge of the top. Sanded down all the putty on the bottom and edge. Now to let it sit for a day and get good and hard before I start pointing it up with Evercoat Metal glaze and sanding, and sanding, and sanding.
Tomorrow I'll be redoing my home theater while this sets up. Should be back to it on Sunday.
Steve
all sanded down and ready to glass.
Glass fit to the bottom section.
All glassed up.
Tomorrow I'll be redoing my home theater while this sets up. Should be back to it on Sunday.
Steve
all sanded down and ready to glass.
Glass fit to the bottom section.
All glassed up.
Aztek Dummy
Well-Known Member
Steve,
Let me know when you're ready for the markings.
I've got the files and the vinyl all ready to plot for this size
Let me know when you're ready for the markings.
I've got the files and the vinyl all ready to plot for this size
SteveNeill
Sr Member
Hey! That's a huge help. It will be awhile but this is very good to know!
Steve
Steve
Aztek Dummy
Well-Known Member
happy to help.
Why worry about painting the letters and numbers when you can just stick them on?
and red pinstripes? much easier this way
Why worry about painting the letters and numbers when you can just stick them on?
and red pinstripes? much easier this way
SteveNeill
Sr Member
Once sealed they should last a long time. How thin are they? And yes I'm use to painting them on.
Steve
Steve
Aztek Dummy
Well-Known Member
about a hair thicker than a regular sheet of bond paper. Not too thick at the scale of the ship. about the thickess of what auto pinstriping is.
I just combed over your website and blog- amazing work! I want to be you. Er, become like you, that is...
I'm very pleased to see that you document your builds so well. This is great information for the rest of us to use/be inspired by. Please keep it coming!
A technical question: when glassing the rough-out you are using only one layer of glass, correct? What kind/weight?
PS- I am not at all offended by your disdain for bondo.
I'm very pleased to see that you document your builds so well. This is great information for the rest of us to use/be inspired by. Please keep it coming!
A technical question: when glassing the rough-out you are using only one layer of glass, correct? What kind/weight?
PS- I am not at all offended by your disdain for bondo.
SteveNeill
Sr Member
Bondo you made me laugh. Bondo has it's uses. But not for finishing work but rather bulk shaping. I've used it plenty in the past. And thanks for the kind words.
I'm glad you find all that stuff I've done useful and inspiring. Plenty of artists in the past did the same for me and here I am. You are. So go forth and build your dreams and enjoy the satisfaction of doing the work. I am happy to contribute to it.
As for the cloth as was wondering when someone would ask that question. It's a good one. soft weave 4 oz. one layer.
Today I made another tool that will allow me to scribe the indentations circles on the lower half of the saucer as well as other possible scribing of panels. May or not do that as the original only had them painted on. I made a reverse template to check the contours.
Then I sanded down and trimmed the fiber glass. Started the filling with Evercoat and lightly sanded it. It still needs more sanding of course and a bit more filling but shes round, even, level and I can now see this will work very well. Easy to point up. Tomorrow I'll finish off the top and the rim. Maybe get some primer on it.
More tomorrow,
Steve
I'm glad you find all that stuff I've done useful and inspiring. Plenty of artists in the past did the same for me and here I am. You are. So go forth and build your dreams and enjoy the satisfaction of doing the work. I am happy to contribute to it.
As for the cloth as was wondering when someone would ask that question. It's a good one. soft weave 4 oz. one layer.
Today I made another tool that will allow me to scribe the indentations circles on the lower half of the saucer as well as other possible scribing of panels. May or not do that as the original only had them painted on. I made a reverse template to check the contours.
Then I sanded down and trimmed the fiber glass. Started the filling with Evercoat and lightly sanded it. It still needs more sanding of course and a bit more filling but shes round, even, level and I can now see this will work very well. Easy to point up. Tomorrow I'll finish off the top and the rim. Maybe get some primer on it.
More tomorrow,
Steve
Ghostsoldier
Sr Member
Steve...'scuze my ignorance of the tech aspects of the Big E, but are those scribed lines supposed to be part of the deflector shields grid (I've always thought so), or weld lines for the skin panels? If the former, I can see them as concave, but if the latter, I can see them as being convex.
I'm familiar with the 'debate' of having the lines, but I'm of the school that they should be shown in a diminished state, or 'lightly scribed', i.e., penciled ('studio lighting washout effect' aside).
I personally see them as canon, although not as noticeable as they have been shown on the refurbished original 11-footer at the Smith. I seem to recall my old AMT Enterprise model kit as having them on the top and bottom of the saucer...I don't know if that's considered 'accurate' today, but I thought they looked cool! :cool
Rob
I'm familiar with the 'debate' of having the lines, but I'm of the school that they should be shown in a diminished state, or 'lightly scribed', i.e., penciled ('studio lighting washout effect' aside).
I personally see them as canon, although not as noticeable as they have been shown on the refurbished original 11-footer at the Smith. I seem to recall my old AMT Enterprise model kit as having them on the top and bottom of the saucer...I don't know if that's considered 'accurate' today, but I thought they looked cool! :cool
Rob
SteveNeill
Sr Member
I have very detailed restoration photos of the old girl and those three rings are concave. And yes the rest of the panel are pencil. But I reach a point with all this where I take artist liberties of sorts. The original had white plex windows back lite and others painted out with black paint. Looks fine on the old D1 720x486 blurry TVs we had back them but not so good in person. And that's how this model will be seen by those that own it.
I don't know about other builders of my kit but I plan to make them transparent real windows just like the refit and the remastered. It's really up to the builder. The hull could be scribed by the builder. Additional details added from the remastered TOS if wanted.
What I'll provide is an original canvas if you will from which one can build a faithful copy of the original 11 footer or detailed as or realistic model.
I don't know what happened to the Smithsonian model but that paint job they gave it is so wrong it grates on me. If you look at the original before restoration it will be clear to you they didn't.
This link will show you what I mean. TOS 11 Foot USS ENTERPRISE 1701 Studio Model Restoration
Thanks Rob for your input,
Steve
I don't know about other builders of my kit but I plan to make them transparent real windows just like the refit and the remastered. It's really up to the builder. The hull could be scribed by the builder. Additional details added from the remastered TOS if wanted.
What I'll provide is an original canvas if you will from which one can build a faithful copy of the original 11 footer or detailed as or realistic model.
I don't know what happened to the Smithsonian model but that paint job they gave it is so wrong it grates on me. If you look at the original before restoration it will be clear to you they didn't.
This link will show you what I mean. TOS 11 Foot USS ENTERPRISE 1701 Studio Model Restoration
Thanks Rob for your input,
Steve
trekriffic
Sr Member
Thank you for posting your progress on this excellent build of yours Steve. One thing I noticed in looking at the restoration pics in the link you posted is the back of the connecting dorsal. It appears to be flat at the base becoming gradually more rounded as you near the underside of the saucer. Is that your take on it? I had always thought of it as being rounded top to bottom.
SteveNeill
Sr Member
Steve that is my take and yes I caught that too. After working for the studios for years I can tell you what the camera doesn't see the film maker gets away with. It was certainly that way back then not unless Stanley Kubrick was directing. We always heard that expression, "good enough for camera." But I plan to correct these little things. I don't think they were meant. This could also be the way the neck was blended into the engineering hull.
No speed here Feek, I'm really dragging on this one because I have a movie I'm finishing up and a couple of other projects to boot. But thanks very much just the same.
Steve
No speed here Feek, I'm really dragging on this one because I have a movie I'm finishing up and a couple of other projects to boot. But thanks very much just the same.
Steve
SteveNeill
Sr Member
This is a slow process. And this is why I made the saucer section first. It's the hardest and biggest part of the ship. Get it over with. It goes faster after this. Well sort of.
So I sanded the first layer of of finishing glaze and then filled in the indentations again. Sanded those down. Using Bondo spot putty I filled all the smaller stuff.
Then I sanded that down and put a coat of primer on the surface to bring out more clearly the flaws, scratches and dings. You can jsut see them better when the surface is all the same color.
Lastly for today fill the flaws with another round of spot putty. This will be done several times. Putty, sand, primer. Check again. Run your hand over the surface, check for irregularities and do it again. After several passes it will get even and smooth. It's already close.
Tomorrow I'll do the rim and bottom of the saucer. This is messy stuff. Wear and particle mask and dust yourself off with compressed air. Clean as you go or become lost.
Steve
So I sanded the first layer of of finishing glaze and then filled in the indentations again. Sanded those down. Using Bondo spot putty I filled all the smaller stuff.
Then I sanded that down and put a coat of primer on the surface to bring out more clearly the flaws, scratches and dings. You can jsut see them better when the surface is all the same color.
Lastly for today fill the flaws with another round of spot putty. This will be done several times. Putty, sand, primer. Check again. Run your hand over the surface, check for irregularities and do it again. After several passes it will get even and smooth. It's already close.
Tomorrow I'll do the rim and bottom of the saucer. This is messy stuff. Wear and particle mask and dust yourself off with compressed air. Clean as you go or become lost.
Steve
Shizman
Well-Known Member
I'm loving watching this come together. Thanks for taking the time to show us your techniques and stopping to answer questions so clearly. It's so inspiring to watch a master at work with the passion that you do.
Is this a one time model for yourself or do you plan on kitting this? From the way you're talking, it sounds like the latter.
Great job so far!
Is this a one time model for yourself or do you plan on kitting this? From the way you're talking, it sounds like the latter.
Great job so far!
SteveNeill
Sr Member
Thanks so much Shizman. I will be kitting it and building finished models for collectors both.
Steve
Steve
crackerjazz
Sr Member
You are one very methodical master at work. We are all learning as you progress on this project, thanks for that.
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