# Reliant 1:1000



## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

I'm starting on my 1:1000 reliant.

Has anyone else used the photoetch for this thing?

The replacement shuttle bays are too narrow.
The etch isn't very deep on the surface detail parts so it looks like even very thin paint is going to cover the details.
I'm not lighting so don't need the window templates.

So, it looks like for me only the triangle details for the back of the pylons and the 2 sets of engine grills are going to really add anything to the model...

Also, anyone put the pylons on first to work on the seams and then put the aztek decals on? Looks like the ones that go around the pylons might need trimming (the instructions do say to put those decals on before attaching the pylons).

Some photos:


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks for the sound piece of advice.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Dry fitted the pylons and the gaps are too large to even think about attaching them after the saucer is done, so that's one more decision made for me...

Already decided not to redo the phaser rectangles, so the only decisions left are to the little bits on the back half of the hull on the top and bottom or not.




WOI said:


> Thanks for the sound piece of advice.


???


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I used the ParaGrafix PE on my USS Saratoga build. Save the PE and attach it AFTER your prime and paint the hull. I used Tamiya lacquer based primer and paint (Matt White followed by Pearl White). Once the model is assembled but before you decal it attach the PE using CA (if you don't mind scraping away the paint) or use 5-minute epoxy. Actually I found 5-minute epoxy worked best; the PE (especially those little triangular tractor bean emitter pieces) tended to pop off when I used CA. You can even prime the PE parts and paint them with the Tamiya sprays before attaching them. The lacquer will evaporate as it dries leaving a coat thin enough not to obscure the detailing. 
And you are right, those PE shuttle bay alcoves are a tad too small for the door openings in the stern:










I ended up using some sheet styrene to make new openings that fit the PE:



















You can see how big a difference the new door openings made here. I filled in the backside of the new openings with putty before attaching the PE doorframes:










The new openings:










I lit mine:










Regarding the pylons I attached them to the hull first before the aztec decals were applied. The decals on the "secondary hull" (if you'd even call it that) needed to be trimmed where they met the pylons although this was not too hard to do with an exacto knife. 

You can see all the build pics here if you're interested:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157649031293118

The build album is referred to as the USS Reliant. I ended up naming the ship the USS Saratoga instead and put the finished Saratoga pics in another album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157651111629898/


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

I figured the only way to make those bays work would be to rebuild the openings for them to make them smaller.

Looking at pictures of the studio model the PE parts are way too small, And too deep. So glad I didn't start hacking away....

The PE "walls" would make a good guide for drilling holes for lighting, you could place the PE on the inner side of the bays and drill/cut though to the outside.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

With those 4 pylon decals that are a little small on the original decal sheet I think I'll be using the ones for the Lantree from the aztec sheets. With 2x reading glasses I can't read the text on either one, so the actual name isn't going to make a difference as long as the length of the name is correct...

Got the pylons glued on and putty drying in the seems. Using the bottom half of the "wing thing" in place dry fit to keep the upper sections in position, pretty easy to twist those a little.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

I am studying your modeling efforts on it so when I get a 1/1000 Reliant
of my own,I will be able to build her with improved techniques of your
modeling efforts so I can easily avoid any mistakes that I may make on it.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MartyS said:


> With those 4 pylon decals that are a little small on the original decal sheet I think I'll be using the ones for the Lantree from the aztec sheets.


That's the reason I went with the Saratoga decals rather than the Reliant kit decals. The supplemental aztec decals included right sized registration decals for the nacelles. Too bad the supplemental decals didn't come with Reliant decals.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Trekkriffic said:


> That's the reason I went with the Saratoga decals rather than the Reliant kit decals. The supplemental aztec decals included right sized registration decals for the nacelles. Too bad the supplemental decals didn't come with Defiant decals.


That is a thought, just go full on another ship....

But I really want the Reliant, So I'll have all the "Khan" ships at 1:1000.
I should have sent in for the fixed decals from Round2 three months ago when I got the model, now I don't feel like waiting for them. I waited for the aztec decals to show up on Amazon but they never did, so got them from starshipmodeler.

I could scan the Lantree ones, replace the text, and print out some new ones. I'll have to see if there are any others I might want to print, would be a waste of paper just for those 4. And I doubt my printer could even do a legible name that small, which brings me back to just using the wrong name for those 4 since I'll not be looking at the model with a magnifying glass... 


WOI: Ah, now I understand your first comment.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

That horizontal seam where the 2 halves of the outside of each pylon meet is a real pain. Not sure why they had to split that part, seems like they could have done the pylons in 2 halves....


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Port side pylon is coming along:










Remember I said the top of the pylons were easy to twist/bend, the starboard side bent over and I didn't even feel the pressure on my hand while working on the other side:










Got to wait for the glue to dry.....


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Got the nacelles almost done with painting, so almost ready for decals on them:


















I cut the snap in tabs off the clear parts, painted the inside blue, used more blue paint to "glue" the inserts in place, I like the look, going to do the same for the round clear domes on the saucer.

Warning for others, parts 21 and 22, the top sides of the "wing" are very thin where the indents are, got a little too much glue on the pins near the torpedo launcher and had some little sinks due to softening from the inside.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

That duck egg blue is looking even more green as it dries.

Looks like I'll be mixing up my own color and repainting those areas...

Edit: looking at craft paints, Martha Stewart Summer Haze seems perfect.... Going to give it a shot.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

I am liking the color of the craft paint, thinning it out enough is a bit of a hassle. We'll see how it looks fully dried in a day...

The nacelles dry fit:


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Nacelles and torpedo launcher dry fit:




















A few more issues to take care of on the nacelles and launcher, then paint the colored details on the saucer, then start the grueling decal work...


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

MartyS said:


> The replacement shuttle bays are too narrow.


The kit bays are too wide The etch parts correct this as well as providing the option for lighting. You can either use filler around the etch or use a styrene "fascia" like Trekkriffic 

The etch should be attached flush to the outside of the kit - if you were planning on lighting you would relieve some of the material from the backside of the kit parts. 


MartyS said:


> The etch isn't very deep on the surface detail parts so it looks like even very thin paint is going to cover the details.


It appears that you're brush painting your model. This will, of course, obscure detail. If you will not be investing in an air brush I suggest you use a good quality spray paint with small pigment particles - when rattle-canning I use Tamiya paints exclusively.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Paulbo said:


> The kit bays are too wide The etch parts correct this as well as providing the option for lighting. You can either use filler around the etch or use a styrene "fascia" like Trekkriffic
> 
> The etch should be attached flush to the outside of the kit - if you were planning on lighting you would relieve some of the material from the backside of the kit parts.


Every image I look at tells me the bays should mirror the trenches above them, like this image of the studio model:









I haven't investigated if the trench is too wide, but it doesn't seem to be.

I guess mounting them flush with the outside would solve the depth issue, then the corners would have to be filled in with putty to round them.




> It appears that you're brush painting your model. This will, of course, obscure detail. If you will not be investing in an air brush I suggest you use a good quality spray paint with small pigment particles - when rattle-canning I use Tamiya paints exclusively.


I live in an apartment so have no choice but to brush paint.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MartyS said:


> I live in an apartment so have no choice but to brush paint.


So no balcony you could paint on?


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Trekkriffic said:


> So no balcony you could paint on?


Nope. 

It is more work getting a smooth finish with a brush, lots of very thin layers, but I'm in no hurry...


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

MartyS said:


> Remember I said the top of the pylons were easy to twist/bend, the starboard side bent over and I didn't even feel the pressure on my hand while working on the other side


I had the same problem. I built the rollbar first because I need to route the fiber optic through the pylons (yes I'm lighting it). One kept twisting and cracking the putty. I ended up using a piece of styrene rod to fill in the gap to strengthen the joint. Still need to sand down and putty (again).

Rob
Iwata Padawan


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

More progress on the painting.

I dremeled out some plastic in the impulse engine area before painting red, hoping it gives some depth behind the photo etch grills. Probably should have just left out the clear plastic parts, but then I was thinking it would be too deep and the red would not get enough light so it would just look dark behind the grills...

Almost to the point where everything else will be colored by the decals.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

I keep finding little bits I should paint before adding the decals, but now I think I've got them all... Will do another pass tomorrow night and then start on the aztec decals.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Slight setback for a few days to redo the black lines on one rear corner. Was trying to get them looking better and made one side worse, so have to start over.

I could start doing the aztecs on the nacelles and roll bar while waiting for layers of black and white to dry...


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Getting that issue with the black lines fixed took a week, I just started on the Aztec decals.

So far the decals are very nice to work with, not too fragile. Got the roll-bar done and almost done with the nacelles, been able to position them without tearing any so far.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

One disadvantage to the decals being so strong is they are hard to trim in place, so I'd suggest trimming them before putting them down. Even with a new hobby blade with a nice sharp tip it was hard to get the decals cut around the lower dome.

Looks like all of the decals for the saucer are made to be put on before snapping on the lower dome and pylons, so they require trimming in those areas:


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## lonestar8903 (May 9, 2013)

I see on the decal sheet for the reliant they have decals for the phaser bank. how does someone apply them with the knobs in the way


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

lonestar8903 said:


> I see on the decal sheet for the reliant they have decals for the phaser bank. how does someone apply them with the knobs in the way


That's why I'm painting mine...

Another FYI: Decals 119 and 131 are swapped in the instructions, 119 is the shorter one that goes next to 133.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

And the bottom aztecs are on:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MartyS said:


> Looks like all of the decals for the saucer are made to be put on before snapping on the lower dome and pylons, so they require trimming in those areas...


Yep. I found that out too when I built my Saratoga. I was able to cut the decals in place to fit after the MicroSOL dried a bit using a new #11 blade.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

lonestar8903 said:


> I see on the decal sheet for the reliant they have decals for the phaser bank. how does someone apply them with the knobs in the way


As Marty said you can elect to paint them. Another trick is to cut little X's in the decal where the knobs are so they poke thru the decal.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Trekkriffic said:


> Yep. I found that out too when I built my Saratoga. I was able to cut the decals in place to fit after the MicroSOL dried a bit using a new #11 blade.


The ring around the bridge was the worst one, I think 1/4 of that decal is supposed to be under the bridge...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MartyS said:


> The ring around the bridge was the worst one, I think 1/4 of that decal is supposed to be under the bridge...


Oh god, I forgot about that nightmare. 
Yeah, I had to trim it AFTER I soaked it before I could place it on the model. 
Delicate work on a wet decal with a very sharp blade. 
Not something I'd recommend doing if you can avoid it.


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Unfortunately, most people (including myself) don't see the note to place that decal UNDER the bridge before permanently attaching.

Rob
Iwata Padawan


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

veedubb67 said:


> Unfortunately, most people (including myself) don't see the note to place that decal UNDER the bridge before permanently attaching.
> 
> Rob
> Iwata Padawan


I guess I was like most people then regarding that note.


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

MartyS said:


> Every image I look at tells me the bays should mirror the trenches above them, like this image of the studio model:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


An airbrush can have very minor overspray.
Between that and a spray booth (even a carboard box/furnace filter and a box fan near an open window) you should be good to go.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

veedubb67 said:


> Unfortunately, most people (including myself) don't see the note to place that decal UNDER the bridge before permanently attaching.


I did see the note, but thought it would be like the lower dome where only a little trimming was needed and it wouldn't be that hard....

I got mine looking good from the front but on the back side it's a little funky...

Tonight or tomorrow night I'll tackle the top sides that are supposed to go under the roll bar pylon, shouldn't be that hard, think I'll just cut a slit where the pylon is first, then trim in place.



ClubTepes said:


> An airbrush can have very minor overspray.
> Between that and a spray booth (even a carboard box/furnace filter and a box fan near an open window) you should be good to go.


I've thought about the cardboard box + fan out the window, but other than the issue of brush painting covering the PE details this time it's been fine for all my other models so far...


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

So, those red lines, if you center them on the trenches all the other stuff is wrong, so I went with getting the edges and the windows correct....


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Decided to paint up to the red lines:










Later I'll put the red lines from the standard decal sheet on top of the aztecs to cover the over-paint.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Ahh, the phaser rectangles.... Now I regret not cutting off the raised rectangles and rebuilding the bumps....

Anyway, I cut the centers out of the decals, then touched up with yellow paint (Tamyia XF-3), still a little more to touch up but have to wait for everything done now to dry first.


I'd suggest if you want the red rectangles cut out a little more of the yellow center than I did, this was not quite enough to miss the raised rectangles:



















I think I'll be using the double red lines on the top and bottom of the saucer from the aztec sheets, cutting out the registry number from the standard sheet, the red lines on the standard sheet look a bit anemic.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

I thought those pylon emblems were the only stock decals that were too small, the registry numbers on the sides of the nacelles are also undersized....

I'd cut and paste from the aztec sheet but not one of the other registry numbers has a darn 4 in it...

Guess I'll go with the ones that are too small, getting too tired of working on this for so long...


Top is done, just need to put all the decals around all the sides and glue the nacelles on, should be all done by Sunday night:


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

For the pylon decals I used the ones for the MAJESTIC, scratching up the lettering, to the naked eyes (my old ones) it's the same size and shape as RELIANT (MA EST).


Waiting for some batteries to charge for my flash units to take better shots, in the mean time I've been playing with an LED spot light, I like the way this one came out:


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Some more pictures:


































Forgot to add this one, the color differences make them hard to photograph together, all of "Khan" ships:


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Your hard work paid off! Well done!


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Great looking Reliant ! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Your skills really show in this beauty. The Reliant has always been one of my favorite Starfleet ships. It just seems to be a more streamline and practical design than some of the other ships.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Thanks folks, I'm mostly happy with how it turned out... 

If I were doing it again I'd do things a little different, sand off those phaser banks and rebuild them in the correct positions. Pretty sure I could make those bumps out of 3D printer filament pretty easily, wish I had thought of that weeks ago. Considering how long it took before I got to the stock decals I should have sent in for the replacement set. Still don't think I'd correct the bottom aft details, just not visible when sitting on it's stand on the shelf...

I also think it's one of the best Federation ship designs, probably why I don't hate the NX-01 like so many seem to, it always reminds me of the Reliant.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Nice work!
Thanks for sharing the photos!


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Here she is on the shelf:










Moving on to the 1:1000 refit, going to do a quick build on that, not to much detail painting, let the decals do most of the coloring. Even though it's my second favorite version of the Enterprise it's a big gap between 1st (TOS) and 2nd. I did get another 1:1000 space seed kit, so it was the refit or a pilot 1701, but not ready to start a detailed build and I want to do a nice pilot ship eventually.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Impressive collection on your shelf there,do you have other 1/1000 scale
kits that you can place it with?I would to like to see that if you do.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

WOI said:


> do you have other 1/1000 scale
> kits that you can place it with?


The only other completed 1:1000 I have is the space seed set that I posted a picture of along with the big wall of images a few posts back. (build thread for that here: http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=424174 )

I've got several more still in box, a D7, another space seed set (that will end up being the pilot enterprise), and the refit, starting on the refit now. I did use a 1:1000 enterprise as a test template for painting my 1:350 TOS 1701 last year, that one is pretty ugly...

I will be getting the Romulan BOP 1:1000 when it comes out.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

You're not the one I am planning to get one for myself too.
Seems to me you're not the only one who had problems with
building 1:1000 scale Star Trek kits when they first came out.

I too had 2 1:1000 scale Klingon Battle Cruiser kit I worked on
and let's just say that the results were not what I had expected!


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Just for the record,my attempts to build the 1/1000 scale models
of the TOS Enterprise,Klingon Battle Cruiser and even the Romulan
Battle Cruiser kits for being snap together kits,they all stunk!!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

WOI said:


> I too had 2 1:1000 scale Klingon Battle Cruiser kit I worked on and let's just say that the results were not what I had expected!


Was the neck askew? I had to fix that when I built mine.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

WOI said:


> Just for the record,my attempts to build the 1/1000 scale models
> of the TOS Enterprise,Klingon Battle Cruiser and even the Romulan
> Battle Cruiser kits for being snap together kits,they all stunk!!


I love the 1:1000 TOS Enterprise, the one in the space seed kit, don't know if that's different from the earlier release or the one that comes in the metal lunchbox. The 2 I've built went together just fine, only complaint would be the large amount of filler needed to hide the seams between the nacelle pylons.

I haven't opened the parts bags for the D7 yet, so can't comment on that one.

I am finding a lot of flash on the refit, looks like that is going to take a lot more sanding than I expected.... But so far the parts are going together well, the seams look like they will be easily dealt with.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

MartyS said:


> I love the 1:1000 TOS Enterprise, the one in the space seed kit, don't know if that's different from the earlier release or the one that comes in the metal lunchbox. The 2 I've built went together just fine, only complaint would be the large amount of filler needed to hide the seams between the nacelle pylons.
> 
> I haven't opened the parts bags for the D7 yet, so can't comment on that one.
> 
> I am finding a lot of flash on the refit, looks like that is going to take a lot more sanding than I expected.... But so far the parts are going together well, the seams look like they will be easily dealt with.


They were the earlier releases that I worked with.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MartyS said:


> I love the 1:1000 TOS Enterprise, the one in the space seed kit, don't know if that's different from the earlier release or the one that comes in the metal lunchbox. The 2 I've built went together just fine, only complaint would be the large amount of filler needed to hide the seams between the nacelle pylons.
> 
> I haven't opened the parts bags for the D7 yet, so can't comment on that one.
> 
> I am finding a lot of flash on the refit, looks like that is going to take a lot more sanding than I expected.... But so far the parts are going together well, the seams look like they will be easily dealt with.


The early releases of the D7 kit had an issue with alignment at the base of the neck meaning the command bulb pointed off to port (or was it starboard?) just a little. This could be corrected by adding shims to one side or the other at the base of the neck where it meets the secondary hull. In my case, I just created a bulkhead out of styrene sheet and epoxy puttied it into the front of the secondary hull just behind the neck attachment point. I drilled a hole and inserted a brass rod thru it and into the neck so it lined up straight. Then I filled in any gaps at the base with more epoxy putty. 

I understand this problem was corrected for later releases.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Of course it is the early releases of the D-7 that I bought- of course at $9 each I can't complain I suppose.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

I never cared for snaptite kits,with normal model kits if you make a mistake
or an accident when you are putting it together or test fitting it,you can quickly fix it and improve it.With snaptite kits you don't get to have the
priviledge to do so.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

WOI said:


> I never cared for snaptite kits,with normal model kits if you make a mistake
> or an accident when you are putting it together or test fitting it,you can quickly fix it and improve it.With snaptite kits you don't get to have the
> priviledge to do so.


Ah, the trick is to turn them into glue kits by cutting the "grabby" part off all click tabs and drill out the holes that the press fit pins go into. You can usually leave enough of a grip to be able to have the model stay together during test fitting and still be able to easily take it apart.

With the reliant there's the extra cutting of tabs on the pylons if you want to build the nacelles separately and glue them on later, since those tabs are meant to be captured during assembly of the nacelles.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Or how's about I use a small slim sanding stick to sand down the sides of
of the connecting pegs so that they will be thin enough to fit into the holes
without snapping into them while you are test fitting the parts while you are
working on them?


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

I had just discovered the existences of sanding sticks recently and 
modeling techniques have rapidly evolved .


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

WOI said:


> Or how's about I use a small slim sanding stick to sand down the sides of
> of the connecting pegs so that they will be thin enough to fit into the holes
> without snapping into them while you are test fitting the parts while you are
> working on them?


I usually just put the tip of a broken xacto blade into the holes and spin it to drill them out a little, those blades with broken tips are still good for grunt work... 

And I could see sanding some of the tabs off the click tabs, but there's really no reason to get fancy there, just slice off the part that clicks/grabs.

The refit is coming along:










This is probably the only shot I'll post of that, not sure it's worth starting a new thread on it.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

I rather not do that,I just figured that I use a thin sanding stick to thin
down the tabs.It would be a lot easier to work with while I am pre-testing
the parts before I assemble them.I only wanted your opinion on it to
see if you think my idea was sound.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

WOI said:


> I rather not do that,I just figured that I use a thin sanding stick to thin
> down the tabs.It would be a lot easier to work with while I am pre-testing
> the parts before I assemble them.I only wanted your opinion on it to
> see if you think my idea was sound.


I'd say it's easier to drill a hole a little larger than to sand down a pin.

If you really want to sand down the pins the sticks will take longer than simply wrapping a piece of sand paper around the pin, more contact that way vs. trying to use a flat surface to sand a small diameter pin.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Well you know what they say,somethings are really worth waiting for
if you are patient.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Maybe just one more picture of what I'm trying on the refit.

Been trying to get the deflector dish shading, this is my best attempt so far:










Back of the clear part is painted light blue, trying to layer in blue inside the dish using ink and rubbing alcohol.


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