# Rebuilding the NX-01 Enterprise



## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Getting ready for the next big project, resurrecting my poor bedraggled 1/350 NX-01. I've dragged out the old girl, along with the extra kit that I (miraculously) found at the thrift store for five bucks, and have bought a fresh tube of Testor's (always go with the orange tube; the non-toxic crap doesn't adhere worth a damn), and a brand new soldering iron to reconnect the wires for the lights in the nacelles.

But first, I'll have to tear apart the saucer so I can repaint the inner surface (flat white instead of the silver that's in there currently).

Pictures will accompany the progress...


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## Heero Kasshu (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress!


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## TIEbomber1967 (May 21, 2012)

Tube glue, huh?
Do you have any special technique for applying it, or do you just apply straight from the tube?
I haven't used the stuff since I was young, and was curious how your models hold up.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Depends on the situation, but for the most part, straight from the tube to the plastic. Sometimes a toothpick comes in to play.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

One thing I definitely need to remember this time is to put down a good glosscoat before applying the decals. These early PL decals have an annoying tendency to disintegrate on flat surfaces.


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## d_jedi1 (Jan 20, 2007)

Interesting. I just started tearing mine down and re-working it.
I'll be watching this thread with interest.


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## GT350R_Modeler (Sep 6, 2005)

Good luck Captain April! I did not like how my first attempt at the NX-01 came out either, so I made sure I did it right the second time....


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Not sure if I'll do the azteking. If I do, it'll be very subtle.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Ummm... I gotta ask, why work on it at all? I mean, doesn't everyone hate that series (I like it, but my Son makes fun of me for it)?


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Chrisisall said:


> Ummm... I gotta ask, why work on it at all? I mean, doesn't everyone hate that series (I like it, but my Son makes fun of me for it)?


I always like "Enterprise". It was Deep Space Nine, I couldn't get into. As for the NX-01, I have my likes and dislikes about the ship (more likes than dislikes). Buy if he can pull off that azteking job, my hat is off to him !!


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Compared to what came after, ENT is freakin' Shakespeare. And the ship has grown on me.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Captain April said:


> Compared to what came after, ENT is freakin' Shakespeare. And the ship has grown on me.


My sentiments xactly.:thumbsup:


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## Carl_G (Jun 30, 2012)

Chrisisall said:


> Ummm... I gotta ask, why work on it at all? I mean, doesn't everyone hate that series (I like it, but my Son makes fun of me for it)?


You can like the design without necessarily liking the show it came from. For instance, I can't stand any of the Stargate series, but their ships still look freaking cool. And I like the NX design a heck of a lot more than the cardboard cutouts she was populated with.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

And I'm still quite fond of the Seaview, the Eagle from Space: 1999, and the ships from the original Battlestar Galactica, even though the vast majority of the episodes of those series stunk on ice.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Captain April said:


> the original *Battlestar Galactica*, even though the vast majority of the episodes of those series stunk on ice.


Them's fightin' words, yo!


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## xm41907 (Jan 24, 2013)

I'm on the lookout for a NX-01 model. My four year old has recently gotten into Star Trek, but the only one he cares for is Enterprise. I like both the show and the NX-01. I barely got into DS9, and have yet to attempt Voyager.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

xm41907 said:


> I'm on the lookout for a NX-01 model. My four year old has recently gotten into Star Trek, but the only one he cares for is Enterprise.


This is smallish & inexpensive.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/F-toys-Star...555897232?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item589ae62990


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## xm41907 (Jan 24, 2013)

I was under the impression F-toys were pre-built. It looks like they're partially built. I may just have to get one for him to play with since they're that cheap.

Thanks!


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

There's the upcoming rerelease of the 1/350 NX-01 kit: http://culttvmanshop.com/Enterprise-NX-01-1350-reissue--PREORDER-RESERVATION_p_2350.html (Offerings for the old release are pretty outrageous.)

I just checked and haven't seen any 1/1000 scale kits at "the usual suspects". I think my LHS (Harrys Hobbies) has a copy or 2 available for reasonable prices - read at or close to MSRP.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I'm not a huge fan of the ship but I would actually buy this if they corrected the problem with the nacelle alignment. Any chance of that? It would seem to be a minor fix compared to some of the changes they've made on other reissues.


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## whiskeyrat (May 7, 2012)

jbond said:


> I'm not a huge fan of the ship but I would actually buy this if they corrected the problem with the nacelle alignment. Any chance of that? It would seem to be a minor fix compared to some of the changes they've made on other reissues.


Jbond what was the nacelle problem? Thinking about one of these kits seeing as the re-release is upcoming... This Enterprise isn't one of my faves either, but she's still way better than the JJprise.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

If you build the kit as is the nacelle angles are off--WILDLY off, as in one looks like it got into a car accident. R2 put out instructions on how to fix it that involved trimming off one of the internal pins or something but it would be nice to be able to just build the kit without modifying it and get straight nacelles--especially since there's very little chance of future "nacelle droop" with this subject because the warp engines are so small compared to the main body of the craft.


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## whiskeyrat (May 7, 2012)

jbond said:


> If you build the kit as is the nacelle angles are off--WILDLY off, as in one looks like it got into a car accident. R2 put out instructions on how to fix it that involved trimming off one of the internal pins or something but it would be nice to be able to just build the kit without modifying it and get straight nacelles--especially since there's very little chance of future "nacelle droop" with this subject because the warp engines are so small compared to the main body of the craft.


Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying. I'll bet an intrepid model builder could find a solution on his own. I've always thought, "It's just plastic, it can be formed and shaped into almost any configuration, the only limit is how much effort I'm willing to put forth." But, sometimes, I'm just plain lazy!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

My 1/1000 NX is waiting to get built, I will make the nacelles right.:thumbsup:


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

I never noticed any big nacelle problem, but then it's been literally years since the nacelles have been attached to the hull.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

No, I haven't forgotten about this. Just have my hands full trying to nurse a very sick dog back to health.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Okay, now that we've pretty much determined that the dog is fighting some sort of infection, and not out-and-out dying from old age, she should be fine as long as we keep feeding her (whether she likes it or not) and as soon as we can get some antibiotics into her.

Work on the model should commence soon.


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## Prowler901 (Jun 27, 2005)

Best wishes for your sick pup. We have three, and I know how I feel when they are sick. Our oldest is showing signs of aging, and it is driving the wife and I nuts. They are truly family members.


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## Carl_G (Jun 30, 2012)

Oh man that's rough. Tell your dog that a random person from the internet says get well soon.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Thanks, guys. I do appreciate it. It's been a rough couple of weeks.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

And it just got a bit rougher. At about seven o'clock, my dog passed away. There's never a good time for this sort of thing, but 7:00 on a Saturday night, when all the animal hospitals are either closed or are gonna charge around a hundred bucks to deal with your newly dead best friend (when payday is still a ways off), is probably one of the worst times. As it stands, she's currently wrapped in a blanket and, basically, "lying in state" on the back patio, where hopefully the cold weather will keep things from getting too gross before we can get things dealt with in a dignified manner.

Again, thanks for the kind wishes, folks. At the moment, though, I'm kind of feeling like Sam Houston after the fall of the Alamo. If only I'd had a little more time and additional resources, things might've ended better. But at least she died peacefully, at home, and I managed to give her a few more years than she would've gotten if I hadn't brought her home after finding her on the street.


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## wjplenge (Apr 14, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. The passing of a pet is the price we pay for the joy they give us while they are with us and lives on in our memories of them.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Sorry to hear of your loss. My girlfriend just lost her dog a few days ago due to getting hit by a car. As you said, there's never a good way to lose a pet.


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## whiskeyrat (May 7, 2012)

My condolences. Any time one loses a beloved family member is a bad time.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Took her to the vet this morning for cremation. Actually managed to hold it together, right up until I carried her in and to the back room, when the finality of the whole thing finally hit me.

So much for all that Vulcan discipline...


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Ooooooooooookay, finally got the saucer cracked apart, so the actual work can now commence...


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

And actual work as finally commenced. Masked off all the windows and the edges, sprayed the interior with flat white. Note: trying to cover silver with white is a futile gesture. Fortunately, it's all inside the hull, so it didn't have to look neat.

The only real problem I had was while dealing with the lights. While getting them out, it turns out the lower starboard running light wouldn't come out of it's hole. Not much of a problem, I would work around it easily enough, but the real fun began when I started putting the lights back in, securing them, and lining up the wires for the power source and the nacelles, which, as noted somewhere upthread, were separated from the rest of the ship sometime ago.

Which means that the wires that were previously hooked up to the light setup in the nacelles are now just plain old wires, just like the wires that attach to the power source. And, if you hook any of these wires up with a 9 volt battery, they all light up the lights. So, there were a few minutes of trying to figure out which wires went where by length and the condition of the ends (the more ragged looking ones being most likely to have once been attached to the nacelle circuit boards).

So next on the list is diving into the spare kit and rebuilding the deflector and the impulse engines, and sealing the saucer back up.

I'll get some pics once I get her back together.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

My condolences Cap'n.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

I trust you're referring to my late dog and not my issues with the wiring.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Of course!


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Well, the return of winter has thrown a spanner into any efforts to prep the new nacelle pylon, but I have separated out the parts I need for the rest of the rebuild. Also got the remaining pylon reattached, with the wiring for the nacelle rethreaded. Won't be able to reattach that nacelle until I replace the deflector assembly and the impulse engines and reseal up the saucer, and thus give that pylon the support necessary to hold up that nacelle.

Meanwhile, I'm on the lookout for some reasonably priced aztek decals for this bird.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Got a lot more done today. After separating out the parts I was going to need last night, I took full advantage of the better temperatures and got the bits painted and (mostly) installed. Still have a few things to do that require the saucer to remain open for a bit longer, but with that other strut now in place, the ship looks a little less sad.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Reattaching the nacelles tomorrow, provided life doesn't throw me another curve ball...


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Good news and bad news. The lights in the nacelles still work brilliantly, but one of them came apart, which is just as well since to resolder the connections, I'd have to take the bloody things apart anyway.

I think I'll get as far as reconnecting those wires and work on the nacelles themselves later.


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## charonjr (Mar 27, 2000)

The fix for the nacelles - where did Polar Lights post that? I've delayed building the kit because I can't quite figure how to get rid of the engine droop.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Not a clue, and so long as I've got the nacelles disassembled, I'd be very interested in that.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

hey cap'n,

Have you considered changing the lighting over to fiber optics?

Also have you considered using an arduino to control the lighting? I have some code already knocked up for the NX-01 and can of course, expand it for you to incorporate any other light features you want, such as fading, color changes ect ect.

Happy to give you the arduino code I already have and work on it to expand it if you want it done.

At the moment it has:

Turn on power : start up mode (things come on in sequence)
normal operating: nothing really changes its just on but this is where you can have "impulse modes" and "warp modes" and have them cycle between each other

(nice thing about arduino is if you get tired of it and want to mix it up then you can always change the code via usb anytime you like)


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

You completely lost me after "fiber optics." And I didn't spend the godawful amount of money on this lighting kit to completely change now. Besides, this sucker is too big for fiber optics to make sense.  1/1000, maybe, but not on this scale.

Anyway, the bits for the nacelles are resoldered and I only burned by left pinky finger twice in the process.  I also screwed up the support wings (can't really call them "pylons" with that shape), but they'll be easy enough to fix.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

Arduino is a micro computer base. It can be done with normal LED's too just a little more hardware required in the base with the controller board.

Anyhoos, offers there for your next model if you want. The code is very versatile. I've used it for the 1701 refit, voyager and NX-01. It can be used for things like iron man models as well to control the hand/chest pulses or even the engines on the battle stars!

You'd even be able to use it to control various cabin lights, shuttle bay lights blah blah blah. I'm pretty sure you can hook up sound effects to it as well but I havent explored that option and would require alot of additional code.

But point is, I got some versatile code if you fancy a change on your next project and I'm happy to do all the code writing for you, offers open to others too.


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## whiskeyrat (May 7, 2012)

secretreeve said:


> Arduino is a micro computer base. It can be done with normal LED's too just a little more hardware required in the base with the controller board.
> 
> Anyhoos, offers there for your next model if you want. The code is very versatile. I've used it for the 1701 refit, voyager and NX-01. It can be used for things like iron man models as well to control the hand/chest pulses or even the engines on the battle stars!
> 
> ...


Secret I might be interested in your offer, just been perusing the Arduino web site... and I saw the video of your kit in action, it's pretty sweet. 

PM?


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

sure, drop me a line. It's not so much a kit, more just the code but I can assist with the electronics.

if you have skype, feel free to add me, secretreeve skype name


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