# DeBoers Refit Enterprise with Drydock WIP



## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*46" DeBoers Refit Enterprise x 3 - WIP*

Well, It's that time again. Time to start a new project. How can you top building a PL Enterprise in the Drydock? By building a DeBoers Enterprise in a larger Drydock. I'm really looking forward to this project as I will be able to add even more details to both models on a slightly larger scale. I'm doing this project for a client and his specifications. It will be displayed a little differently and built with a few different materials and yes, this time I will be using some resin casting for some of the drydock parts. Right now I'm gathering information for detailing and lighting and how I'm going to approach building this model. At this point I am drilling out all of the view ports and hatches as well as the hanger bay and torpedo launchers, etc. This model is quite different from the Polar Lights version as far as what needs to be done. I do have a couple of pics posted on my site comparing the Deboers with the PL kit. More pics will follow very soon. Keep checking!

~NemVia~
http://www.NemVia.net


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

Oh gawd! Freakin mint!!!


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Update for 06/08/10 
Well, work has finally begun. I have 12 new pics in this update, 11 for DBE and 1 for DBR. This build is quite different from the PLE kit. All of the portholes and viewports as well as the hatches and the hanger bay need to be drilled out on both kits. This is what I've mainly been working on. The DBE has much more work that needs to be done on it than the Reliant, So I will be having updates of DBE first. Both ships need some additional scribing done as there are a few hatches missing on the saucer section. It is actually good to have the PL kit nearby for reference. An interesting thing about these kits are the metal saucer supports and plating used to support the warp engines. Both kits should definately have all parts test-fitted before assembling. I've been finding that a lot of them do not match up to well and need to be contoured to fit. The engineering hull has already been assembled by DeBoers and the bottom of the hull needs some serious re-working. Additional puttying and sanding will need to be done as well as some more scribing. The kit comes scribed on the bottom as 1701-A version just FYI. I should have the DBE holes finished by the end of the month and the DBR will be closley behind. See you next update.

~NemVia~ 

http://www.NemVia.net


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## eagledocf15 (Nov 4, 2008)

*This ought to be good !!!*

This ought to be good !!!
Here we go! I am on for the ride.


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*DeBoers Refit Enterprise with Drydock*


I have added 8 new Pics in the DB Enterprise album. I do have to say that this is NOT the PL enterprise kit at all. Even though there are fewer pieces to build the model, there is a lot more drilling and sanding to do just to get the model started. Definately take your time on this model. It should not be rushed at all. Hope you enjoy the updates. Will have more soon.

~NemVia~

http://www.NemVia.net


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Progress Update*


6 new pics are in the DB Enterprise gallery. I have drilled out the details on the main deflector housing as well as begun on a scratch build hanger deck. I have aquired a 2nd DB Enterprise model Through another client of mine and am awaiting one more kit so I will now be working on 4 models at the same time. They will all be built pretty close together so they will all be at the same building stage at the same time. The updates might be a little farther apart now but I am still working on these projects, so keep checking for updates.

~NemVia~

http://www.NemVia.net


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

4 of these beauties at the same time? Sounds like you could use some painting templates to make it go easier:thumbsup:


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

There are 9 new pics in the DB Enterprise Album this week. In this update I've begun building a scale "master" of the hanger bay. I'm using the PLE hanger as a reference as well as some stills from ST:TMP. Although the pics I'm using as reference are matte paintings there is still much valuable information to be used. For instance, the width of the hanger is wider in the matte paintings than on the actual model piece. So, for the DeBoers I will widen the hanger accordingly. I will be making castings of the walls and ceilings od the hanger so I won't have to rebuild the hanger for all 3 models. I'm going to use a clear resin so I won't have to drill out too many holes for the lighting effects. I am also making some castings for the Bridge dome and lower saucer dome and also the main deflector dish housing as well as the deflector dish itself. This will assist with the lighting effects for these pices as well. I have also included some pictures of the warp nacell grills. The pieces that came with the kits are flat and completely straight. I been able to contour them so the fit better into the nacells. I believe that I will recast these into one piece later on to help with the lighting effects. I'll have more updates soon. I will also be working on the botany deck, the main crew rec-deck and also the officer's lounge and a few of the interior rooms where the open hatches are located.



~NemVia~

http://www.NemVia.net


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Construction of the DeBoers Hanger and Cargo Bays*


In my update this week, I've begun working on the cargo bay section of the hanger deck. I had to take a lot of interior measurement od the DB Engineering section to make it as large as possible and also make sure it is to scale and that it will actualy fit into the model when I'm finished building it. Then I had to take a lot of measurements of the PLE hanger to scale it up to the DBE size. Everything is being built as a master so that I can make some casting molds. If you look at all of the detail that I'm adding, you'll see why I'm going to be making casting. To put the details on just the upper and lower cargo bay stalls on just one wall took me a little over 3 hours. It's a bear to do but worth the effort. By next update I will have the details on the upper part of the cargo bay added in and all of the strucural wall braces or "ribs" as I'm calling them will be added and then I can start on the ceiling and begin moving to the lower hanger deck starting in the middle section of the hanger. The New Pics star on slide 38 - 47. Hope you enjoy the updates and I'll see you when I have new pics.



~NemVia~
http://www.NemVia.net


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

You know, your builds are so depressing ... well, maybe not depressing. What's the term I looking for? Oh, yeah - they elicit envy of your talent. Very nicely don!


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Scratchbuild Hanger Deck Update*


I've added a few test fitting pics of the hanger bay pieces fitted into the Engineering hull. Because each of the DeBoers models has variances on the insides of the hull I have to be very carefull with the test fitting. I found out that the middle wall section that I've built are going to have to be trimmed so they can fit into the hull space. The upper part of my scratch build part hits the inner wall of the hull and causes it tonot allow the pieces to fit properly. Sometimes you just cant rely on mathamatics to enlarge a piece for the models. These scratch build models need to be built with great care as the DeBoers model and all of the pieces must be very customized to fit in there properly. But... with a little TLC and some tweaking it will all work out. I should have a complete hanger model to show you next week or so and then start casting 3 of them for the other Enterprise models. See you next update.



~NemVia~
http://www.NemVia.net


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Hanger Deck update...*


6 new pics added to my site. More work done to the Hanger bay. I'm working on the Turbo Lift tubes and the ceiling details right now. Soon I'll be ready to cast this beastie. It is a very tight squeeze into the main hull of the ship. I've had to trim some of the pieces back just to get it inside the model. The effort is paying off though. I Should be finished with this hanger by the next week or so if all goes well. See you next update.

Mark

http://www.NemVia.net


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Looking good!:thumbsup:
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Thanks Jim!

My update for this month is a little late, but I've been working on my master molds for the hanger and am going to be starting the casting process. I have a pic of the test casting for the Starboard side of the hanger deck as well as the rear wall. Both test pieces came out very well and I will start the final casting this coming week. I had a few issues with resin I was working with and had to adjust a few things to get this part of it set up right. I also have some of the lighting effects ready to be installed after the pieces are ready and primed and then painted their final colors. I'm trying to match as closely as possible what was seen in TMP, but I'm going to be adding a few of my own touches for the realism effect. I've also started working on the Botany deck. Since the secondary hull comes pre-assembled, it's a little bit harder to make measurements except by trial and error for the proper fitting of the deck inside the model. I've also cast some parts for the ceilings for the opened hatches on the saucer section. I'm also mapping out the officers lounge to begin construction of a master to be cast later on. The PL officers lounge does not match entirley what was seen in ST:TMP. So, I will have a few of my own touches to put in this piece as well. Also on the list of things to do is the creation of the crew rec-deck. I've seen several versions of other modelers re-decks for their PLE models and will be using some of their ideas for these models. 

In preparation for things to come, I've purchased some of the lighting tubes and EL lamps and about 250 LEDs that I will be using to light the models, also trees and shrubs, rocks and other items for the botany deck, various resins and silicon rubber for casting multiple scratchbuilt parts.

Here's what the totals for these models will be that need to be built. There will be 4 officer's lounges, 3 for the DBE's and one for the DBReliant. 4 rec-decks, respectively for these models. 3 Botany decks, and 3 Hangers. 2 of the DBE's will have the opened hatches detailing. I'm recasting the main deflector dish and housing with a clear resin rather than the milky white or transparent blue versions. 

So, even though you may not see a lot of new pics these last few weeks, there has still been a lot of prep-work being done to beautify these models. As I complete them, I will add more pics. Keep checking the site. You won't be disappointed.

~Mark~

http://www.NemVia.net


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

It's not possible to be disappointed with your work!:thumbsup:


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Model Man said:


> It's not possible to be disappointed with your work!:thumbsup:


Thanks Model Man! I appreciate your support!


In this update I've begun the building of the Flight deck pieces for the Hanger. I've started to build and assemble the Chase lighting effect or landing lights. I realize that this type of lighting was not seen in TMP, but my client asked me to add anything to the models that would enhance it's realism. I've already opaqued 2 of the decks and tested this lighting effect to see how it would look, and I think it works very nicely. In my next updat I will include a small video to show you the effects. Right now I have to finish opaqueing the 3rd flight deck, then paint it it's appropriate color, then add the landing strip details. After that I'll post the effect.

In other news, I've started on the Officer's Lounge piece. This piece is not going to look like the PLE officers lounge. I've been studying some stills from ST:TMP and building my lounge according to the movie. On the PL piece the viev screens are huge and out of scale with the lounge. I've made mine a lot closer to what is seen in the movie. Many of the walls in the movie are actually paneled walls in what appears to be a very light tan color. When you see DR McCoy in the shot, behind him are some more chairs, tables and a couch, and behind the couch are windows. They appear dark but I believe. at least in my version, that it is because no one is in the lower lounge area. You will be able to see through these windows on my version and will also be able to see the right side view screen some-what, whereas the wall on the PLE version almost completely blocks out that screen, being a solid wall.

By my next update I should be able to show you a painted Hanger Deck, possibly one of the Officers lounges finished, I'll have the molds done for these pieces as well as the Botony deck and I will be starting on the the Crew Rec-Deck. I've really been looking forward to building this piece because it is very intricate and is on of my favorite set pieces in the movie. I only wish that that had shown a lot more of it on the screen including a better view of the Warp Nacell outside the rec-deck windows that was barely seen in the movie.

See you next update!

~Mark~ 

http://www.NemVia.net


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## eagledocf15 (Nov 4, 2008)

See you next update!

~Mark~ 

http://www.NemVia.com[/QUOTE]

Is there an update?


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Wellll, Not this week anyway. I've just hit my busy season at work so for the next week or 2 I'm very limited on how much I can get done. The only thing I can tell you now is that I'm starting on the crew rec deck. This is a very detailed little piece to work on and I'm trying to get all the info I can on the layout. I've found a few plans here and there and of course I'm using the only two scenes there are in ST:TMP of the deck as references. I've also found a few modeler's version of it for the PL Enterprise and I'm also using those as referece material. I'm going to build one side of the wall and then cast the other one from this piece. I will build the cieling piece seperately as well as the layout for the floor/deck. There will be a lot of little pieces to scratch build such as the rear wall with the viewscrean and the displays of the Enterprise ships. The upper and lower walk ways by the 8 viewports as well as the dividers seen as Illia walks toward the viewports and of course the furniture and recreational games built into the floor. there's a lot to cram into the limited space. So, I hope this whets your whistle for the next update. And like I said in the previous post I'll have at least one of the hangars assembled and lit.

~Mark~


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Very cool news!
You do TERRIFIC work!
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Botany, officer's lounge, crew rec deck and hanger update*


As promised I have a lot of updates for The DeBoers Projects. This time there are 28 new pics of a lot of progress that has been made. Photos 69 to 96 are all new and they begin on page 2 of the DeBoers Project photo album. I have finished casting all of the pieces for the Hanger deck and they are now opaqued and painted their appropriate colors. I've added the turbo lift tubes and scratch built the railings for the catwalks surrounding the cargo bay area. I now I promised a video of the lighting effects for the landing deck, But I ran into a fitting problem. Because the DeBoers models are all individually cast they all have variances in the thickness of the hull so I have to shave a lot of these problem areas down and it's taking some extra time to get this done. But for sure I will have something for you the next updat which won't be too long from now.

I've also continued work on the Botany section. I've added some walls and other details and am now begining the landscaping of 3 of these bays. One for each of the Enterprise models. This part is actually kind of fun. I'm beginning to see why model railroading is a big hit.

I've also made the Crew rec deck. This is a very complicated piece because there are so many different shapes to it and a whole lot of furnature to be put into it as well. I'm starting to get the hang of the resin casting and I now have 3 complete piece castings for the entire rec deck, 3 castings of the botany deck and 4 castings of the officers lounge. All of these pieces will of course need to be painted and detailed and that will be in a future update. I will also work on that video of the lighting effects for the hanger. It's all starting to move now. The tough part is making the masters for the molding process. After the molds are made it gets much easier to make these pieces. 

Let me know what you think of the progress.

~Mark~
http://www.NemVia.net
_________________


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## Vindi (Mar 20, 2009)

Speechless!!!!

:thumbsup:


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Looks like you're building an extra one there for me!
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Botany Deck Update*

Hi I just finished up one of the botany deck pieces. I just have to do a little touch-up work and add a few benches. But for the most part this piece is just about complete. Let me know what you think.
Mark


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Where's a "jaw dropping" smiley when ya need one.:thumbsup:
-Jim


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## Tiberious (Nov 20, 2001)

Amazing effort, good on ya!


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> Where's a "jaw dropping" smiley when ya need one.:thumbsup:
> -Jim


Thanks guys,

Okay, I forgot to post an overhead shot of the Botany deck so you can get an idea as to how similar it is to the PLE piece, only it's a lot larger. I also added some pics with this piece inside the hull of the ship. Not as clear as I would like, but I'll work that out later with the proper lighting.
Click on the pics to enlarge.
Mark.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Wow!


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## cozmo (Nov 29, 2004)

Paulbo said:


> Wow!


I'd say that was a bit of an understatement, except I cannot think of a proper exclamatory expression.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Found it!
Mark, absolutely incredible work!
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Well, I finally was able to upload some test video of the landing light effects for the hanger deck. There are 4 total from a few different angles. Please not this is just the chase lights effect, the rest of the hanger lighting is not working in these clips. Let me know what you think.

Mark






http://www.NemVia.net
_________________


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Good lord Mark!
You're awesome!:thumbsup:
-Jim


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Still looks like you got more ships than you can handle there!
So cool seeing this.
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

It's a tough job.... but somebody's gotta do it....
Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Hi everyone,

I have several update pics in the photo Gallery. I've begun airbrushing the Rec-Deck, Officer's Lounge and a few other pieces. I'll be adding a few plants here and there inside these pieces, but more than likely they will not be viewable when they are placed inside the ships. But finally most of the interior work is getting finished up and I can begin working on the Outsides of the ships. Which I am looking forward to very much. I know there hasn't been too much news about the Reliant as of yet, but some of these pieces will be used in Reliant as well as Enterprise. I will be scratch-building a few corridors for a few of the other viewports but for the most part I am winding up on the interiors. The Reliant doesn't have the huge viewport windows to look into like Enterprise, so there isn't the need for as many interiors. I am putting the officer's lounge in Reliant because, believe it or not there are viewports on the back of the ship. On another Reliant build it was pointed out about the location of the officer's lounge. I went over all of the shots of Reliant in STII:TWOK and sure enough there was one pull-away shot through the ship's roll-bar where there were 4 light-gray windows in about the exact same position of the Enterprises only they were a lot smaller. So they are there and this is why I'm including the lounge in the Reliant model. There will be a few more pics of the interiors that I'm finishing up and then soon I can begin working on the ships hulls. See you next update.

Mark
http://www.NemVia.net


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

That outer hatch you are making looks awesome!:thumbsup:
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> That outer hatch you are making looks awesome!:thumbsup:
> -Jim


Thanks Jim,
The only good reference pic I've seen of this hatch is on the deleted scenes of ST:TMP, so I tried to put as much detail as I could fit from that shot. Glad you like it.
Mark
http://www.NemVia.net


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Yes, I know what you mean.
Not much to work with is there?
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Working on the Warp Engines*




I've finally started work on the Warp nacells of all 4 ships. This is the first project that I've done using Epoxy. At first I thought Ididn't care for it so much, but after seeing the results and getting used to the smell, I believe I'm hooked. There are a lot of things you can do with epoxy resin that you can't do with cement. For you seasoned modelers I'm sure you might feel the same way. In this update I've cut out a lot of the holes for the lighting effects, I've added the Warp effect grills and added the fins to the rear of all of the engines. I've been able to run the wiring necessary for 4 seperate lighting effects needed in each of the nacells. About 6 months ago I had purchased enough Micro Fluorescent tube lamps to light all 4 ships and now I'm finally able to add these items into the nacells and secure them into the models. At the end of the album I have an engine lighting test pic. I'm very happy with the test reults so far. In these models you will not be able to see any LEDs in the warp grills like you could with the PLE version I did. When All of the components are added into the nacells, I will be able to seal them up and begin the finall touches on the seams and cracks and dings that are in the hull by doing some extensive putty-work along with sanding and filing. After this I will be able to opaque the engines and start there final paint jobs. Talk with you next update.

Mark
http://www.NemVia.net


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Aouwww! Jump back, kiss myself! Ugh!

:roll:


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Too cool Mark!:thumbsup:
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Nacell Update*



JGG1701 said:


> Too cool Mark!:thumbsup:
> -Jim


Thanks Jim!

What a month this has been! A lot of problems encountered with these builds, but eventually they were smoothed out and fixed. I've added a couple of pics for the Enterprise this month. I have to tell you it's been a tough month though. First I had problems with an order of 3mm yellow LEDs that I needed for the thruster effects. They kept sending me the wrong size and the wrong color LED which was becoming a problem and putting me seriously behind on my updating. Next I had one of the lighting circuits go out on me and it was difficult to isolate the problem, but I managed to finally find out what was going wrong with it an repaired that with no problem. I also managed to break 2 of the fluorescent tubes that light the warp engines..... GAAAAAH! Now I'm in the process of epoxying the engine halves together which is no easy task because of the nature of the epoxy and it's curing time. At first I tried to epoxy the entire engine pieces together in one shot, but found this to be way too messy and cumbersome and it left a few gaps I didn't count on. So in order to avoid the mess I decided to epoxy only small sections at a time. First, I'm epoxying the fron't and rear of the nacell then clamping those together over night to ensure agood bond. Then with 2 exacto blades I apply the epoxy to the top seam only. I use one knife to hold the seam apart then apply the epoxy with the other knife, clamp it together and let it bond over night. I repeat the same with the bottom seam. This allows me to avoid a lot of mess by doing it a little at a time. The pictures I've added show that I've used an abundance of epoxy to make sure the seam is over-filled. This will minimize the need for a whole lot of putty later on. But at least now I have the Warp nacells assembled. I will begin smoothing these out and preparing them for opaquing and their final paint job.

I really should have gone over the assembly instructions a little slower. It does say very clearly that this is not a model to be rushed or assembled in one night. Not that I've been trying to go that route, but I would have thought maybe just that tiny iota molecule sized bit of "faster" progress would help just a wee bit. Sometimes you have to step back and tack a breather or two to collect your thoughts and strength to re-group and get back into it again.... which I have.... Feel much bettrer now that I've solved a few problems.

The real problem with these kits is there are no guide tabs to line up the pieces so you have to be very careful when assembling this type of kit. I've read in other forums about those who have built these models and have had the same reaction as to the dificulty level. Some of the pieces don't line up exactly so there is some improvising to be done. I'm not complaining... Just venting. I myself can't wait to see them finished that's why I keep plugging along. Any thoughts on this are welcome. I should be ready to start putty work and a lot of sanding by the next update, then I can start opaqueing and final painting on these warp nacell pieces. See you soon!

Mark.
http://www.NemVia.net


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## Landru (May 25, 2009)

JGG1701 said:


> Yes, I know what you mean.
> Not much to work with is there?
> -Jim


That scene is on the extended video release of the movie....scaffolds and all!


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Mark you are really outdoing yourself!
It is truly looking good!
Hey don't forget me if ya happen to have a spare one laying around!





Landru said:


> That scene is on the extended video release of the movie....scaffolds and all!


Yes, and don't forget the stagehands too!:freak:
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Landru said:


> That scene is on the extended video release of the movie....scaffolds and all!


Yes, That is one scene I wished they would have finished just to finish it for the DVD like George did with The Clone Wars, Even if they didn'e put it in the movie just to have it in the Deleted scenes would have been awesome.

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

WARP NACELL UPDATE FOR - 06/11/11 
It's been a crazy month for the Reliant and Enterprise. The Nacells are quite a job to get just right. The problem is with the seams on the top and bottom of the nacell. They do not join together in a nice straight and even seam unlike an injection molded kit. I've had to do a lot of sanding on almost all of the engine pieces. Remember that there are 8 engines total for 4 models, so it's a lot of work. I've only been able to opaque 3 of the engines so far and am still working on the final sanding for the other 5 engines. I do have 4 pics in the Enterprise Album, #'s 129-132 and 3 new pics in Reliant #'s 34-36. 

As I've stated in my last updates, there is a problem with the grills on all of the models. The filming miniature has 5 lines of lighting effects on the warp grills whereas the DeBoers only has 4. The Polar Lights model has 5 grooves rather than 4. To me this is a huge mistake that would take a monumental amount of work to fix the problem so I'll just have to allow for the difference. Also, the pictures I have of the Warp grills show that the lighting effect only goes back so far on the engines and not all the way to the end of the grills. There is a little bit of difference in opinion as to which part of the grill actually lights up. I'm sticking with the deep grooves since it matches up with the movies stills I have. It's too bad this error is so obvious, at least to me. But what can I do. It will still look sharp when they are finished.

By my next update I should have the base colors started on the engines. See you then!

Mark.


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Warp Nacell Update for 07/31/11 
I Apologize for not posting anything for a while, but let me assure I have been extremely busy on these ships. As of now I am working on the most difficult part of building these models and that's the starting of the AZTEC Pattern for the Engines. In the DEBOERS ENTERPRISE update I've sprayed the basecoating of FLAT WHITE on all of the endines and pylons, then I began with the first of up to 5 different colors I will be using for the AZTEC patterns. I have also started on the basic "Lightning bolt pattern" for the support pylons as well as the masking off of the first color that will be needed for the complicated shading of the engines and so forth. It takes about 3 hours per engine just to start this pattern off. To date I've completed the masking of all of the Port Side engines on the Enterprise models. Now I will be doing the reverse pattern on all of the starboard engines. I had a tough time deciding on what exact pattern would be for the pylons because even though there are many great pics of the filming miniature's details around many different parts of the ship, there are very few clear ones of the support pylons. So I had to scour the movies again, finally finding a good or at least a half way decent shot while the Enterprise is in Drydock. (Thank gooness for ST:TMP) The shot is about 3-4 seconds long but it showed enough of what I needed to get started. There are 5 new pics in this album #'s 133-138.

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Model Man said:


> It's not possible to be disappointed with your work!:thumbsup:


Thank you! Hope you like what's coming up!


Well, this month has sure been a productive one! I've spent the last 30 days or more doing nothing but masking and painting the Aztec patterns on the Warp Nacells and support pylons of the (3) Enterprise models. I've put 4 different colors on each of the engines so there were three different maskings that needed to be done. After all four colors were finished I had to removethe masks which takes about an hour and a half per side. There are 6 of these engines, so I will be doing this a little at a time over the next week or so. I will need to do some minor touch-ups to these engines, fix a few cracks and chips in the seams and paint, then I can finish all the flush vents, intakes, control thrusters and other parts that need detailing and paint. I will also be adding some small domes for the strobes on the top rears of the engines. Then I can add the decals that go on the back ends of the nacells. All around, the paint jobs are turnng out well. Please feel free to leave feedback and let me know what you think!

After the engines are finished I will begin work on the engineering hulls which I think will be a lot easier than the engines and there are only 3 that I need to finish rather than 6. See you next update!

Mark

http://www.NemVia.net


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

In this update, I've added 15 new pics to the Enterprise album. It took about 2 weeks to mask off all of the engines for the detailing work. I've added 3 new colors as you will see, plus I did touch-up work on the warp nacell grills. I think the pics turned put good. Next I'll have to paint the front nacell grills copper, the inside stripe on the pylons will have 2 more shades of gray added to finish off that detail. There is some putty work that needs to be done on the basses of the pylons then I will put a very thinned out off-white color over the Aztec pattern to tone it down just slightly. It will look sharp when it's finished. Then I can add the decals to the rear of the engines. I've made my home page so that you can access the DeBoers Enterprise project from the side bar on the left. The new pics are on page 3 pics 149-163. Let me know what you think!
Mark

http://www.NemVia.net


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

What can I say that has not been already said!:thumbsup:
When do you find the time to do this?:freak:
Absolutley flippin awesome!
-Jim


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

That's a lot of masking but... Wow!


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Warp Nacell paint job Completed!!!*



Trekkriffic said:


> That's a lot of masking but... Wow!


:freak::freak::freak::freak:
Yep! All I see are strips of blue in my sleep!

Big update this month! I have added 16 new pics to the Enterprise album! A lot of energy and work have gone into these engines and I'm happy to say that other than a few pieces that will be added later on, the Engines are all basically done!

In the Enterprise update, I've had to spray the entire engines with a very light and thinned out coat of off white. This will tone down the Aztec colors just a little bit but will allow the sublte shapes of the Aztecing to show through. I've also painted up all of the misc. details such as the inside stripes that run up the support pylons. This took 3 different colors to make the stripe look perfect, Then I've added the decals which in this case are only 2 decals to the rear of the engines. The only thing I need to add to these now are the small domes for the warp crystals and the strobes on the rear ends of engines. So now I can finally put these in mothballs for a while and start working on the next part of this project, which I'm looking forward to, and that will be the "Engineering Hull". At least in this case there are only 3 pieces to work on, so the updates might be a little closer together.The new pics are on page 3 of the Enterprise album pics 164 - 179. 

See you next update!!!!

Mark 

http://www.NemVia.net


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Last update for this year...*

Well, everyone! This has been a busy year for me. The projects are coming along nicely and I feel I'm gaining some momentem. Unfortunately because of my peak season which will be starting sometime this week, I'm afraid I won't have much time or energy or the will to do much on these projects for the next two weeks or so. However, I've been able to get a lot of things accomplished since the last update. Noteably:

In the Enterprise build: I've added 26 new pics starting on page 3 slide 180 thru page 4 slide 205. I've begun working on the engineering hull. Like the warp engines there is a ton of putty and sanding work that needs to be done and redone. The bottoms of the hulls are the worst parts. They have a little bit of a valley in them which makes it very difficult for a nice smooth and rounded finish. I've had to fill in the old mounting holes on the 2 shipd that will be mounted from the saucer section in the drydocks and the other ship needed a larger bore hole for the mounting rod that will be used for the Mutara Nebula diorama. I have also added some new nacell mounting holes for when the engines are finally attached to the hull. I'm also going to add the lighting effects that are seen on wither side of the travel pod docking ports. To do this I had to drill out the old hatch doors and have rebuilt my own doors so that I can re-cast them in clear resin to allow for the small but interesting lighting effect.

Recasting a LOT of parts. This model was not inteded for lighting that is for sure. That is why all of the port holes need to be drilled out. But also, there are other pieces that need to be redone. So far I've recast the torpedo launching tubes, the lighting housing for underneath the fantail, the strobe light covers or domes for the flashing light effects, the airlock piece which I built at the begining of this project and have now finally got around to casting it into a single piece. I only need two of these pieces, that's why it took so long to get to. And finally the largest piece I've had to cast: the main deflector dish and the dish housing. This too was originally to be done as two seperate pieces, but I didn't like the way the hole drilling was turning out and I do not want it to look like a drilled them out either. So I recast these two pieces into one clear resin piece. I will then follow a technique that was used while building the Spacedock in STIII:TSFS where the entire plexiglass model was first painted over and then all of the spots that were supposed to be windows or portholes where lightly scratched off to allow the interior lighting to come through. I tried this on a scrap piece and it works out beautifully. I will have pics of this later on.

I just have a few more small things to add onto the engineering hull by way of detailing and then I will be ready to begin the painting which I am looking forward to doing. 

Well, that's it for this update. Please be safe everyone. I will see you in 2012!

Take care, Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For January 2012*


As mentioned in my last update I have updated some of the features on my site to help make it easier for Members and Visitors to find my latest updates without having to search though too many photos. Starting this month, you will be able to go directly to the current updates by clicking on the UPDATES FOR JANUARY 2012 page on the left hand sidebar. I will probably leave 2 or 3 months worth on the homepage and then move them to the appropriate pages later on.
Also thanks to everyone who has visited my site. Last month My 100th member joined in. Don't be afraid to join up! More are always welcome! 

Now for my first update this year, I've been doing some refining of the details on the secondary hull. I've added all of the re castings of the Travel Pod Doors and epoxied them in place, next the will be prepaired for opaqueing and painting. I've also started working on how to put the lenses on some of the lighting effects. In this case it will be the Lighting ouside the Hanger bay. My solution was to drill the holes out, then add clear resin into the cavities. Not a very easy process, but after the work is done it looks pretty sharp. I've taken a couple of pics to show what the lighting effects will turn out like in the secondary hull. The same goes true for the Thrusters. I've decided to cut out the wedges on the tops and bottoms of the saucers and re-insert them with clear epoxy resin pieces. Right now I'm still making the molds for these parts and I should have the first of them done in a few weeks. In the meantime, I've also been casting several clear and white resin shuttle craft that I will be using for the hangers and also the Drydock model for when I start on that project. So stay tuned. I will be opaquing the secondary hull in the up-coming weeks and then I can start on the Aztecing for the Secondary Hull.

See you next month.

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For February*


I have 16 new pics in the February update. I have spent a lot of the last month trying to smooth out the Engineering Hull. Ive been re-shaping a lot of the viewports and adding places for new lighting effects both to the Travel Pod Air-lock doors as well as the Hanger Deck. All of this is done in preparation for the Aztec patterns that will soon be added. To help protect some of the etched lines in the hull as welll as add some detailing I have begum masking out all of these lines and details. This process takes about 2-1/2 hrs per side. The pics in this months update show all of the detailed masking. I will then begin adding different shapes to different parts of the hull to begin some of the Aztec work.

Other updates this month include the spraying of the Main Deflector dish and housing piece which will also have some Aztecing put into it. Also I've sprayed the Bridge pieces in preparation for their detailing work. By the next update I hope to have at last 2 more color shades added to these pieces. See you in next months update.

Mark


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Always good to hear updates from you Mark.
Thank you. :thumbsup:
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> Always good to hear updates from you Mark.
> Thank you. :thumbsup:
> -Jim


Thanks Jim! Glad you're keeping up! (LOL)

Update for March 2012 - 17 new pics!

Greetings everyone! Well, it's now March. Time is flying by quickly! This past month I've been working on the masking for the 4 different shades of Aztec paneling for the entire Engineering Hull. So far I've been able to do the first 3 shades and 2 seperate masks. I was able to spray the 3rd shade on this morning. After the paint has set for 24 hrs I can begin the masking for the final shade on the hull and do some minor masking for the Strongback features as well as the housing for the main deflector dish and the dorsals front and back. On a few parts of the hull, some of the small masks have come off or have moved a bit due to the handling and from what I'm seeing the painting is turning out very well. Unfortunately we won't get to see what it all culminates to until the final colors have been added, the paneling is toned down and then the masking can all be removed. I've also begun some more masking for the main deflector dish piece (that is not connected to the engineering hull). The Deflector housing and stronback will be done in slightly darker colors, but they will not stand out too much. I'm really trying to shoot for the look in ST:TMP where everything is more subtle. From WOK onward there have been different and duller finishes added to the miniature for filming purposes. After the painting is all finished for the Engineering Hull I can finally add the Nacells to the hull and start working on some of the wiring and lighting. I feel real good about how things are looking so far and even I am looking forward to my own future updates. It's getting there my fellow modelers. Just hang in there! To view the pics go to my site below!
See you next update, 
Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For April 2012*

This has been an extremely busy month. All of my work has centered on the Secondary Hull and the Strongback detailing. There are 4 different colors added to the Aztec pattern on the engineering section and then they were oversprayed with the final off-white color that will be the ships signature look. The Strong back was a little different though. I used about 6 shades on this part as well as the deflector dish housing. Although the final colors are not on these parts, the Secondary hull is now completely Aztec-ed. There are 26 new pics in the Updates For April page on my website. I mounted the engines on the hull as well as the saucer to get an idea of how everything will look together. Check out the pics and let me know what you think. I will be finishing up the Strong back as well as the front part of the Deflector dish for next month's update. I will start assembling the Hanger deck, the botany Deck and some of the wiring for the engines. I will also finally begin to work on the Saucer section. So stay tuned and I will see you next month!



Mark


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

As always, awesome work!


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For May 2012*

For the Enterprise update this month, I have been able to finish up most of the work on the strongback and the deflector dish detailing. I still need to scrape off some of the paint on the outside ring of the dish to allow for the lighting effects, but for the most part the painting is finished. I will now start decals on the engineering hull. There are only a few to worry about. I should have an update for this by next month. For this month I have started doing the prep - work for the saucer sections. The first thing I needed to do is to make sure all of the viewports are nice and even, then cut out all of the thruster pieces and replace them with clear re-cast pieces so the lighting effect will look half way decent. I will also be adding the bottom saucer domes. I've cut out all of the holes for the lighting effect and will replace them with some clear pieces. I will be adding the bridge pieces to all of the saucer top halves at this point as well as adding the warp crystal domes on the back end of the saucer. All of this is in preparation for the Aztec pattern to be added on the top and bottom halves of the saucers. The latest pics are now availible in the "Updates for May 2012" page.

See you next update!

Mark.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Thank you Mark.:thumbsup:
Inspiring work as always.
-Jim


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Hello Mark, I'd like to ask, if you don't mind, are you useing transparent pearlescent or opaque pearlescent paints for the Aztec? And what brand?

I also wondered about when it comes to putting the decals down, don't you have to gloss first? Then matt/satin after that? What will this do to the Aztec effect? Wont everything then be the same sheen? This is something I just can't wrap my head around. Any clarification here sure would be appreciated!

hal9001-


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

hal9001 said:


> Hello Mark, I'd like to ask, if you don't mind, are you useing transparent pearlescent or opaque pearlescent paints for the Aztec? And what brand?
> 
> I also wondered about when it comes to putting the decals down, don't you have to gloss first? Then matt/satin after that? What will this do to the Aztec effect? Wont everything then be the same sheen? This is something I just can't wrap my head around. Any clarification here sure would be appreciated!
> 
> hal9001-


Hey hal9001!
I'm not using pearlescents with this build just flats. I don't have the brands with me but I do know that you do NOT need a whole lot of them to make this job look spot on. In fact when the filming miniature was being done I remember them saying that they had 4 jars of these paints and barely half of each of these colors were used because they were thinned out and an extremely thin layer was used on each. I'll find the brand name I was looking at and post it they were not too unreasonable in cost as I recall.

For the decals, yes I will be adding a gloss coat to the paint finish, apply the decals then satin finish the final layer to seal the decals in. The gloss coat and satin coat will only enhance the look of the Aztec patterns so Iwill not worry about it doing anything to the paint job. The only parts I will not be adding the gloss coat to are the Strongback and the other darker detailed areas. If you look at ST:TMP especially the drydock sequence you'll see very little sheen on those areas. It will look very nice when finished.

Mark


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Thanks Mark! Didn't realize you were not useing pearlescent paints. They have a unique sheen and that's what I was wondering about when the final clear coat was applied. Where there would be a difference between the pearls/Aztec and the base color sheen.

When I see pics of the filming model and ones others have built, I see a distinct sheen difference. That's what I was refering to and how they keept it distinct after the final coat.

Thanks for the info and don't worry about looking up the brand, I thought they were pearlescents.

hal9001-


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

hal9001 said:


> Thanks Mark! Didn't realize you were not useing pearlescent paints. They have a unique sheen and that's what I was wondering about when the final clear coat was applied. Where there would be a difference between the pearls/Aztec and the base color sheen.
> 
> When I see pics of the filming model and ones others have built, I see a distinct sheen difference. That's what I was refering to and how they keept it distinct after the final coat.
> 
> ...


No. No pearlescents this time. For these models I am just going to create an illusion of the pearlescents. Certain parts of the hulls will have the sheen to it while other parts such as the strongback and other darker details will remain flat. This is escpecially noticeable in the drydock sequence. Personally I don't believe that applying a gloss coat will have much effect on the pearlescent appearance. I have held off on the pearlescents for now so that I can observe others who have used these paints on their models to get an idea of how I want to persue using the pearlescents. However, even though some of these models are painted up real nice, I keep seeing same mistake with the Aztec patterns and that is they are just a little too pronounced for my taste. Mind you I'm not trying to put down anyone's efforts or bashing anyone work. Everyone has their own approach to building these models, including myself, but what I see on the screen in the movies is a lot more subtle and that's more of the look I'm going for at this point.

Also, as I recall, the pearlescents that I saw on line have a gloss finish to them anyway, so my thought was that using a highly thinned out gloss finish sprayed on very lightly would be enough to seal the decals in place. I did this with the flat paints I've been using on my current build and it seems to have worked out very well.

Thanks again, Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For June 2012*

I've added 15 new pics for the Enterprise Update.

For the Enterprises it has been quite a month of work. The first tough part was to add the new re-cast thruster pieces to the tops and bottoms of the saucers. Some were exact fits while others needed a bit of sanding and puttying, but all this effort will produce a very nice lighting effect later on. I've had to cut out some wiring holes in the saucer section to allow the wiring to go from the saucer to the Dorsal. I've also had to remove a section of one of the framing braces to allow room for the crew rec-deck assembly for later on. I have also opened up the rear of the upper saucer to allow for both the epoxying of the warp crystal/impulse engine piece as well as the lighting effects for that area. I've made the hole large enough so I can epoxy these pieces into place well enough so they won't move at all. To epoexy them into place and take care of the putty work at the same time, I line the entire rim of the Warp crystal piece with the putty, then press it into place, then I immediatly epoxy the piece into place with 5 minute epoxy. When this is set I take an exacto blade and remove the excess putty from the outside. This alows for sanding to be kept to a minimum. Next I mask off the Warp crystal dome as well as the impulse engines so that I can opaque the entire hull top and bottom. I let the Flat black set for at least a day then spray the entire top and bottom with Light Neutral Gray. I've been finding it better to start with the darker colors first, then mask off the smallest details and work my way up to the lightest colors. By next month I should have most of the first masking done and hopefully the second one for most of the saucer pieces. Hope you enjoy this update and I'll see you all next month.!

Mark


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

*Outstanding* work Mark!:thumbsup:
-Jim


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*August Updates*

This months update is very picture heavy!

For the Enterprise update, unfortunately I was not able to get too much accomplished on the Aztec Painting because of spending so much time on Reliant. But it has been started and is going good as well. Although the Aztec pattern is different from Reliant I am still using the same painting technique. First I've sprayed the entire saucer sections, top and bottom Neutral Gray and now I'm in the process of masking of smaller areas of the hull to create the first color of the Aztec pattern. These maskings will then be removed after spraying the next color "Light Gray" and then lightly spraying over that to soften up the harshness of the Neutral Gray color. Then for the final Aztec Pattern I will overlap different parts of the first color with the masking and painting to give the hull the appearance of several different shades of color in the Aztec pattern. There are 5 new pics of this process in the August updates. As of this update I have two of the Enterprise upper saucers masked and ready for painting. By the next update I should have all of the base colors finished.

See you next update! Enjoy! And as always comments and New members are always welcome!

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates for September 2012*

Hey everyone! There are 26 new pics for this month's update! Please check them out! Comments are always welcome.

It's been a very busy month for the Enterprsie models! I've now begun working on the Aztec patterns! And hooooweee! that is sure a lot of work.I've decided not to use any friskette to make the patterns because I've found that the widths of the grids vary slightly from one another. Some are wider and some are narrower. This can be very frustrating when using a friskette template. So in this case I measured the widest grid and use that for the basis of my pattern, then for the narrower grids I just make slight cuts and do some minor overlapping for the narrower grids. So all of the patterns for each individual grid are now matched up more perfectly with masking tape than they ever could be with a stencil or friskette. It takes about one hour to do one entire grid circle on each of the saucers. All of the upper saucers Aztec patterns are completed and I've got 4 rings of the grids done on the lower saucers. So, yeh, do the math... yes, about 30 hours to get what I did, done. But the pictures will speak for themselves. Everyhting is turning out very nice at this point.

I've also had to tweek a few things with the engineering hull and deflector housing. As I re-watched parts of ST:TPM and ST: TWOK I realized that something did not appear to be right and it turned out to be the Strongback and deflector dish housing. In ST:TMP when the Enterprise was in drydock, I was not seeing any of the strongback details that I painted on the ship that I was seeing in the movie. There was way too much definition to the colors that I had used and there is a slight sheen to the surface of the ship indicating she was basically "BRAND NEW". I began to rethink what I did and it turns out that I had been following pictures of the studio model details as the model was repainted for 1701 - "A". I became very distrought and realize this needed to be corrected befor I add decals. The solution was quite simple though, I took some light Neutral gray and thinned it out a lot. Then with a very light spray setting on my airbrush, I resprayed over the entire strongback with this color and guess what. It worked. You can still see the details but they have been toned down quite a bit. I will be spraying the Engineering hull as well as the other parts of the ship with gloss to give it just enough sheen to not only add the decals, but to give it the new hull look as well. 

I should be able to have the rest of the masking done by the next update and hopefully all of the decals will be finished, then I can finally start putting these babies together and begin the lighting and wiring.


So, that's all for this update. I will see you again next update! Take care,

Mark


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Mark, so the strongback in TMP isn't green-ish like I've seen on all these decals? I'm too lazy to pop in the DVD at the moment but will soon to see the grays in the SB. Well then, is the "A" strongback in blues or not?

I've tried to follow on the Aztec, but I lost my way trying to follow bread crumbs! I did find it interesting to see the way you laid down random light gray 'squares' before the actual Aztecing. But I also find it interesting that you're not useing pearlescent paints. I can't wait to see the effect you've come up with.

Decals next! You're getting close...er. Are these commision work? I guess this is kinda a dumb question, unless you '_need_' three Enterprises.

This is getting darn interesting Mark. Keep up the good work.

hal9001-


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

hal9001 said:


> Mark, so the strongback in TMP isn't green-ish like I've seen on all these decals? I'm too lazy to pop in the DVD at the moment but will soon to see the grays in the SB. Well then, is the "A" strongback in blues or not?
> 
> I've tried to follow on the Aztec, but I lost my way trying to follow bread crumbs! I did find it interesting to see the way you laid down random light gray 'squares' before the actual Aztecing. But I also find it interesting that you're not useing pearlescent paints. I can't wait to see the effect you've come up with.
> 
> ...


Well, this could be quite the debate for many model builders, but I do believe I've read in one of the threads in this forum that the colors that were used by the original model builder were in face a sage green. There is one shot in ST:TWOK where I can actually tell the color is some sort of green and that's after Reliants attack on the Enterprise. The interesting thin though is that I can see it only on the dark area of the upper part of the dorsal where it connects to the saucer section. It is definately a grayish green color. It's a little more difficult to see the strongback colors, though, mainly because of the lighting of the miniature. Just before the end of ST:TMP you get to see that great beauty pass of the Enterprise from underneath. You can see the details, but they appear to be a gray-ish color. There is also an underneath shot of the Enterprise in Wrath of Kahn when the Enterprise is trying to escape from Reliant before she blows up. This too appears gray... at least to me and on the screen. I'm sure there is a greenish color to them but because of the lighting on the miniature it appears to be some sort of gray so that is why I decided to just use a gray finish on the Strongback. but the one thing I can say without a doubt is that the current look of the strongback on the miniature was updated on the model because the ship was now NCC-1701-A for ST:TVH. Just slight changes to the miniature and you have a brand new ship. If you watch the drydock flly-by scene again and look at the strongback, there is no indication of multi-colored detailing. There are a few other scenes that show this to be true as well. But the decals are definately reflective of the 1701-A look. And they are Blue colors to answer your question. At least for me, though this gray look solves the problem.

The random squares are a way to solve a very difficult problem. For one thing I don't have the time at the moment to do the wonderful detailing work that was done on the original miniature. As it is I have been working on all 4 of these models for about 2 years now, but that is mainly due to the building of interior rooms for these models. Anyway, When I was building the Engines on these builds, I used about 4 different paints to give it the multi colored look, but wen I was finished I discovered that these colors where way too pronounced. So with the lightest color I was using I oversprayed all of these colors very lightly and it wound up giving what I considered to be the perfect look for these starships. Then when you add some gloss for the finish, it makes it look even more like some sort of metal. The idea of the Aztec look is that of different sheens in the metal used to build it. You can even see this look on some modern ships (Not the Aztec pattern specifically, but mis matched painted sections due to the different metal textures in the materials used to build the ships) The effect is realistic and allows for the look of a large scale. So when the random squares are masked off partially over and not over it will give the appearance that there was more work done than actually was for the Aztec look.

As for the Pearlescent paints, I do want to try using them eventualy but I really want to practice with them before I do anything with them. I've seen several builders use them and while their models look terrific they somehow appear too overdone. When I talked this point over with my client he agreed with me that the Aztec look should be very subtle. Like, it's there, but it isn't there. If you look at the Aztex work on my other build the Reliant, you'll see how using the different shades of gray and a gloss finish can work out almost as good as the Pearlescents. But as I said, the Pearlescents will be for a future build.
BTW I also seem to recall that for the 7' miniature that 4 jars of pearlescents were bought to paint this model and only about half of the jars of this paint were used overall, which means the paints were very thinned out and only enough of them were used to give only the Pearlescent EFFECT on the miniature paint job. That is Talent. The model is a beautiful piece and that along with the drydock represents everything that I got into model building for. It was totally worth the time and effort.

And finally (sorry about the long winded comment) these 4 models are comissioned builds. They are fun to do so keep watching, you may actually see them finished! Thanks for your comments.

Mark


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

You never did tell me when you find time to do this........
-Jim


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## Garbaron (Apr 23, 2004)

Since am doing a TMP styl 1/350 Refit I need to chime in.

The Refits (TMP) definitely had a different strongback Aztec as compared to the Ent-A. And sorry to tell you NemVia your strongback pattern is that of the A not the Refit. On the A the lower forward section of the strongback Aztec goes in to some kind of broken up rectangle,

http://www.modelermagic.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/KG_MD_PL_1701-A-002.jpg

While the Refits continues the interlocked >->-> shapes all the way to the front.

See here 










and here

http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/tmp2/tmphd0325.jpg


Also, despite the light conditions, a slight green hue for the strongback is noticeable in both TMP pictures. 

As far as I was able to determine the lower forward secondary hull Aztec as well as most of the deflector housing are still the original TMP colors on the Ent-A. You can tell by comparing the small details and Aztec pattern of the B&W TMP pictures to the Ent-A color pictures. For the lower section they match, at the upper there are some changes, caused by the strongback repaint following the "battle damage sticker" incident that forced ILM to repaint portions of the ship. I used the colors seen at the lower secondary hull to reverse engineer the TMP colors. In case you have not seen it in the other threat, my results for the secondary hull Aztec: 










Not 100% accurate either, I agree, but without color pictures of the Studio model at the time of TMP no one can be 100% accurate.


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

Garbaron said:


> Since am doing a TMP styl 1/350 Refit I need to chime in.
> 
> The Refits (TMP) definitely had a different strongback Aztec as compared to the Ent-A. And sorry to tell you NemVia your strongback pattern is that of the A not the Refit. On the A the lower forward section of the strongback Aztec goes in to some kind of broken up rectangle,
> 
> ...


I totaly agree with your comments Garbaron. The second pic you posted was the basic reference pic I used to paint all of my details on the strongback not thinking there would be a great difference in the movie versions of refit vs. 1701-A. The thing that convinced me was when I re-watched the drydock scene and saw that there were hardly any of those details that I painted on there that were that pronounced. My goal here was merely to tone it down some and the easiest way to correct this was to do the light overspray. I usually pride myself on catching small details, but this was a huge overlook on my part. The correction I made is satifactory to me, but I have always been aware of the slight differences in the SB Aztec patterns. The pics I've included here are just a few of the reference shots that I've been using and while you can see the colors around the dish housing and SB are much darker and less colored than the 1701-A paint job. You will also note that you can still see the different shapes of the details on these parts of the ship, but they are not jumping out at you like the original way I had painted them. I do agree with you also with the point that there is a green hue to these colors, but as you said until we see the original paint job there is no way to see this very clearly. Too bad. Eventualy in my future builds I will attempt to be even more accurate, possibly even going all out with the Pearlescent colors as the ship should have. Maybe when the BIG BOY Enterprise is fully developed that will be my ultimate masterpiecel. Who knows.....? That is certainly in the future! Thanks for your input!

Mark


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Mark, you absolutely right, I agree with you 100%! Most custom Aztec you see on models are _way_ over done. You should have to make an effort to even see the Aztec, and I'm talking pearlescents here. If you're viewing the ship, say at a 3/4 view, you shouldn't really be able to see all of the Aztec at once. As you walk around it the other parts become visible. Kinda like these "Gangsta" cars are painted, the ones that change colors viewed at different angles. I don't know if that's the best analogy, but I think you see my point.

I've seen pictures of the filming model shown at different angles that make my point, just wish I had one off hand. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying also is in order to see the pearlescent Aztec you really have to see the ambiant light reflecting off of it. Sure, if you walk up to the model you're gonna see it of course, but it really shows off when light strikes it just right, it shouldn't pop out at you. Then you get the proper effect. If you stand back and see all of the Aztec at once, then it's over done in my opinion.

I just hope when the time comes for me to build mine I can practice what I preach! I've yet to do any testing of my theory so it may not be as easy to get the effect as I think it is. I don't mean to say doing Aztec is easy, but I think the pearlescent paint should be farly easy to work with to get the desired result. That is, after _lots and lots _of tests!!!

Three things Aztec needs: subtlety, subtlety and subtlety.

hal9001-


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates for October 2012*

This month I've been concentrating on finishing up all of the major painting and/or Aztec patterns on the Enterprise Saucers. I have to say I am super Glad this is now pretty much behind me now. Just some minor touchups that need to be done, but most of these will be finished when the models are completely assembled. The next phase of these kits is the DECALS of both the upper and lower saucers as well as the engineering hulls. I was kind of taken aback with these kits when I finally realized that there are several decals that are not included with the decal page namely, the yellow areas for around the phaser turrets along with their Red outlines. I had to paint all of these on instead. I also had to paint on the Red stripes that go along the outside of the bridge area. But all of these colors are now painted on included the gray stripes where the dorsal meets the saucer and the gray stripe that encircles the bridge area back to the officer's lounge. The area around the windoes was painted Intermediate blue. After everything set, I then Gloss Coated all of the Painted areas with 2 coats to first seal all the paints so that it would be easier to handle the model pieces and also prepare the surface for the massive decaling that needed to be done. The upper and lower saucer and the engineering hulls all needed to be decaled. I believe when I counted up all the decals that needed to be applied and there were about 283 individual applications. Many of the single piece decals had to be cut as individuals, namely the ships name and registry numbers. The decal sheet has great graphics but the backing used is extremely thin and for some reason I needed to soak them a few minutes extra in order for it to seperate completely from the backing. But everything went on very smoothly. After the decals were added another light coat of gloss coat was then spritzed on and left to dry for about an hour, this will prevent the decals from sliding if the coat is too heavy. Then after another hour or so I put on the final coat and this sealed everything in place. There are 38 new pic in this months update.

Now I will be able to start on the interior lighting and adding the interior pieces to the model. I will first need to build some cradles to hold the models in place while I'm working on these areas. But the ships are finally going to be assembled during the next month. Even I'm looking forward to the update for next month! See you then!

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*November Updates Posted*

Hey Everyone!

This month was not a good month for productivity, I ran into a very nasty problem with the Hanger Decks... All three of them actually. While they were in storage the very ends of the flight decks started to warp (no pun intended) upwards. I finally realized there was no chance of getting these pieces to fit into the model properly, so I was going to have to re-do all 3 flight deck pieces. Apparently the resin I used, which was supposed to be a very hard and durable resin, was not as hard and durable as was promised, So I had to cut off all of the flight deck pieces and use what I originally wanted to use in the first place but was afraid that the paint would not adhere to it very well, and that is pieces of window quality plexi-glass. I first had to trace the old piece shapes onto the plexi then cut them and reshape them until they fit perfect inside the models. Then I wanted to add some more detailing to the flight deck namely, more and clearer landing and take off lines along with parking position lines for the work bees. The best way to do this was to first mask off the areas where the chase lighting effects would go, then spray the entire top of the deck piece flat black to make sure no stray lighting would come through the deck. Then I sprayed the same entire pieces yellow so I could mask off the lines I wanted on the deck. I didn't want to do this the other way around because I was afraid the masks might peal off some of the deck paint. Anyway it was easier to cut small strips of masking tape and get all of the yellow lines nice and straight. Then I sprayed the flight deck Intermediate Blue. Then removed all of the masks and finally sprayed the entire deck pieces with gloss cote. This gives the deck a nice sheen to it. Check out the pics in the November update page and you'll see what I mean.

After this huge delay I started adding the porthole glass which for the most part is .005" clear styrene #9005 and then the exterior lighting and wiring for the secondary hull. This proved to be quite a challenge because the Engineering hull comes pre-assembled and if you have large hands, it can be quite cumbersome getting all of these LEDs in there. Plus there is the matter of getting all of the spot lights aimed properly, then carefully putting the hanger deck piece inside without bumping anything. I have several Lighting TEST pics in this update and from what I'm seeing it looks pretty good so far and I can move onto the Deflector Dish lighting and start on some of the saucer lighting.

Also in this update I've been able to add one of the botany decks inside the engineering hull. This deck will be lit with some EL lighting. I really like the effect this stuff does on a piece like this. It lights the deck up very evenly rather than the sharp light points that an LED gives off. It was also a challenge to get this deck into the hull. It can not be done assembled. I had to first put the lower half in first, then the top piece. They are both very tricky to get in there. The corners of the pieces had to be fed up into the dorsal (Thank goodned it was hallow otherwise I would've really been stuck) then slowly turned so that the pieces were parallel to each other then one more 90 deg turn to make them fit into thier final postion.

Just one more note: Because of the redoing of the flight deck pieces, I was only able to accomplish all of these updates on only one of the models, so I will need to repeat these on two more of the kits and portions of this on the Reliant model. I apologize for this mess up, but sometimes these things happen, but actually I'm kinda glad it did because I like how the flight decks look much better than I did before. Well that's it for this update. Please feel free to make comments! See you in 1 month!

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For January 2013*

Hi Everyone! Sorry this update took so long to get uploaded. December was a very rough month for my secular work so very little was done on Enterprise x 3. I have 22 new pics in the Updates for January page

For Enterprise updates:

I needed to get all of the viewport glass in place as well as the wiring and lighting for some of the spot lights and the warp engines in place before I could put the Hanger and Botany deck pieces in place. So I added the clear pieces into the hull first. This included the Botany Deck Viewports.

I was then able to add the exterior lighting on the other two engineering hulls and get all of the spot lights aimed to their proper locations. There are 7 Spots on each of the hulls. To insert them and secure them in place as well as aim them took about 2 - 3 hours each. No easy task because of the limited amount of room to work in with each of these models. In the November update I was able to get the first model done, but I learned from that one what NOT to do on the other 2. With the polar Lights Enterprise you can work on one half of the hull at a time, then assemble the 2 halves together. With the DeBoers, the hull is already one piece so you have to try to get your hands into that limited space. So it is very time consuming.

I was also able to finally put the saucers back on so all of the ships are basically assembled. I also added all of the upper and lower saucer spot lights and they are all in place. I was able to get one of the saucer Interior lighting in place this month. I'm using some 4" fluorescent tubes that run off of ballasts and require 12v. to operate. I just have 2 more saucers to put the lighting into, but I do have a good pic of the lighting tests with these fluorescent mini lights on. There are also a couple pics with the warp engines on. By the next update I should have all of the lighting done in the saucers as well as the torpedo launcher effect and other lighting effects such as the impulse engine effect. I am looking forward to sealing up this ships and getting ready for the next phase of 2 of these builds.

That's all for this months update. We'll see you next month.

Mark


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

*Updates For February 2013*

Greetings!

For this month's update I've spent much of the time adding all of the clear plastic for all of the windows and viewports, plus I'm adding the interior lighting for the Officer's lounge which, by the way is turning out fabulous. There are some great pictures of this lighting in the UPDATES FOR FEBRUARY page. Check them out.

In other areas I have had to scratch build and paint all of the interiors for the open hatch version of the Enterprise that will be in the Drydock. I wanted these hatches to be able to open and close, unlike the ones I made for the PLE version which always stayed open. I was originally going to make all of the hardware out of copper plating and tubing, but the problem I ran into was how to connect the hardware to the hatch doors without it looking like it was cemented together. I decided to scrap that idea and use styrene parts instead of copper so there would be less mess. It worked out better this way. I have 14 new pics in this month's updates.

For the next update I will be adding some updates for the plans for my new Drydock Builds. I've started blueprints for this build so that I can get the proper scale of this build to match up with the DeBoers Scale Enterprise. I'm estimating the length of this new version to be about 56". This larger scale will be good for adding even more details for this build. That and the fact that I was able to see the original Filming Miniature in person and I will be able to work off of that model to make some corrections and changes so that these models will be even more accurate to ST:TMP filming miniature.

That's it for now. Check out the pics, let me know what you think and I'll see you next month.

Mark

http://www.NemVia.net


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

I know it's been a long time since I've added to this topic, but I've finally have something to update on this build....
FEBRUARY UPDATES - 2020



I've finally put together another video of my Enterprise in Drydock. It took several tries and several reshoots of certain scenes, but it's all together now. This is my version of the flyby scene in ST:TMP minus the dialog and intercuts with the travel pod. I had to extend some of the shots to fill in those gaps. I could insert the scenes to combine my footage with the movie, but the video is primarily about the Drydock model. Also because of the size of my video shooting equipment I added a different of the shot by filming it from a different angle. I also had to match the scenes to specific parts of the musical score.
This is my personal homage to one of the greatest filming miniatures ever made for the big screen: The Star Trek: The Motion Picture Drydock and of coarse the DeBoers Refit Enterprise model. To make this video, I tried to match as many of the same camera angles that were the movie as possible. There's no dialog except for a little treat at the end to finish the video clip off with.
The flyby video was filmed using a JVS Everio HD camcorder and was mounted on a Andoer camera dolly track system. The video was edited together using Wondershare Filmora9 editing system. Some of the shots where accomplished by mounting a selfie-stick to the camera dolly to get into the more cramped areas of the dock. Most everything was shot against a black velvet background, except for the long shots. I just didn't have enough velvet material to do this. I just had to hide the source lighting out of camera view and film with the room totally dark, except for the models own lighting. The long shots didn't come out as clear as I wanted, but as we zoom into the model for the closer shots, the details become very clear. I would have loved to add all of the work bees, travel pods and space walkers into the shots, but that will have to wait for some time in the future when I have the ability and time to do all of that. This was never meant to be the high quality Cinemamatic version of this now famous scene in the movie, but rather a way to show off the model. I hope you enjoy the video. Sorry about the long intro, but I needed something to fill in the beginning. Jerry Goldsmith's theme just has to be played in it's entirety. Also ear-buds or headphones are recomended for an awesome viewing experience. (click the youtube link below)





Likes and comments are welcome.

Mark
http://www.NemVia.org


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome back! ?


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Mark, I have been keeping up with this since the beginning. Words can't describe how much of an outstanding job on this! I know that it took so long of your time and energy to accomplish such amazing build(s). I'm proud of you sir. You deserve some kind of award. Really!
-Jim G.G.


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## daytime dave (Jan 14, 2017)

That was AWESOME! I thoroughly enjoyed it. You have many talents sir.


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## NemVia (Jan 6, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> Mark, I have been keeping up with this since the beginning. Words can't describe how much of an outstanding job on this! I know that it took so long of your time and energy to accomplish such amazing build(s). I'm proud of you sir. You deserve some kind of award. Really!
> -Jim G.G.


Thanks Jim, that means more than anything to me....


daytime dave said:


> That was AWESOME! I thoroughly enjoyed it. You have many talents sir.


I was hoping you would like it... It was one of my favorite scenes in the movie. I just had to recreate it somehow.
Mark


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