# Model Master Light Ghost Grey USS Enterprise



## Gluetogether27 (Jul 7, 2021)

I've been working on this TOS Enterprise, and I'm wondering if the shown model paint is an accurate color. Has anyone used this before, and if so, how accurately does it portray the ship color as seen on-screen?


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

In your photo there, it looks darned close to the actual model color discernible in many of the special effects shots during the course of the series. I'd say go with it. 👍


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Rick Sternbach just posted on FB that he usually tells folks to use Light Ghost Gray for the overall hull color. Considering he worked on Next Gen, DS9 & Voyager and was part of the TOS Enterprise restoration team, I imagine it'll work on the Enterprise as well!


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## StarCruiser (Sep 28, 1999)

The only issue I have with this is the brand... If you run out, good luck finding another bottle!


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## Trekker8472 (Jun 4, 2021)

I recently built this, and felt the color of the plastic right out of the box was too green-gray and too glossy. I used a Tamiya gray surface primer spray and was happy with the color as it was and never went over it with light ghost gray. You can see a few pics at these links...



https://www.hobbytalk.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down//media/tos-1-650-bottom-saucer-jpg.54818/full





https://www.hobbytalk.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=1920,fit=scale-down//media/1701-jpg.54816/full





http://web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/tam/tam87042.jpg


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## Gluetogether27 (Jul 7, 2021)

I have a can of white primer. I'll use that first, then decide whether I want to leave it white or use Light Ghost Grey for the primary color. Many thanks!


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

StarCruiser said:


> The only issue I have with this is the brand... If you run out, good luck finding another bottle!



When (or if) you do run out of a particular paint color and cant find another bottle - be sure to keep the bottle and cap. That 'dried' paint surface can be scanned and very closely - if not exactly - matched by an automotive paint supplier. You may have to purchase a life time supply of the mixed paint though depending on the individual shop rules.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

LGG is my go-to color for the TOS E. A screen-accurate color should have a tinge more green to it, but I don't care because it looks fine to me. Here are a couple of kitbashes I did using MM LGG:


Kitbashed Starships




Kitbashed Starships



Tamiya rattlecan LGG is a bit bluer than MM, but I think looks GREAT:


Polar Lights 1/350 Enterprise (TOS Series Version)




Star Trek Fanon - Saladin Class


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## Gluetogether27 (Jul 7, 2021)

I've seen a few almost plain white models of the ship. Could I possibly prime it white, then add a thin layer or two of LGG? The kit comes with two pieces of unusual shape, I'm guessing they're for practice?


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## LGFugate (Sep 11, 2000)

Those pieces are the "stand" that comes with that kit...

Larry


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## FlyingBrickyard (Dec 21, 2011)

That's what I used on mine after eyeballing the color off the pre-'restoration' studio model hanging in the NASM back in the early 1990s.


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## 509bathellcat (Dec 31, 2021)

Gluetogether27 said:


> I've been working on this TOS Enterprise, and I'm wondering if the shown model paint is an accurate color. Has anyone used this before, and if so, how accurately does it portray the ship color as seen on-screen?
> View attachment 320001


A little medium blue and silverWith ghost Gray
That's the way it looks to me. Try it out see what happens 80% ghost Gray 10% medium Gray10% silver try that see if it works in light coats of paint I used tamiya paint.


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## garyseven (12 mo ago)

Went looking for the Light Ghost Gray today at my local hobby shop. Nadda.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

The Model Master paints are out of production. 

Try True North paints.









TRUE NORTH Precision Paints


True North Precision Paints, Oil Enamel paints created by modelers for modelers.




www.truenorthpaints.com





Very high quality enamel paints, very close to the Testors Model Master product. 

For my paints I use Mega Hobby, Amazon, or CultTvMan. All have very fast shipping. You can by direct from Tamiya also.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

mach7 said:


> The Model Master paints are out of production.
> 
> Try True North paints.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that link


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## garyseven (12 mo ago)

Gluetogether27 said:


> I've been working on this TOS Enterprise, and I'm wondering if the shown model paint is an accurate color. Has anyone used this before, and if so, how accurately does it portray the ship color as seen on-screen?
> View attachment 320001


Did you ever finish building it?


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## NTRPRZ (Feb 23, 1999)

To be honest, I like camo gray. It works best for me but like other Testors paints probably cannot be found.


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Tamiya makes Light Ghost Gray as a lacquer in both spray cans (AS-26) and jars (LP-37) if you want to airbrush it. I use it mostly for aircraft (along with Dark Ghost Gray) and it sprays beautifully and lays down a perfectly smooth finish either way.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

I like Tamiya Light ghost grey also, But Tamiya AS-2 Light grey INJ is my go to now.

To be honest, For the scales less than 1/350 I think the ghost grey is very close 
without mixing.


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## garyseven (12 mo ago)

mach7 said:


> I like Tamiya Light ghost grey also, But Tamiya AS-2 Light grey INJ is my go to now.
> 
> To be honest, For the scales less than 1/350 I think the ghost grey is very close
> without mixing.


Is the AS-2 the rattle can version of LP-32 bottle light gray IJN?


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

I believe so.


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## alensatemybuick (Sep 27, 2015)

That stand design was to ENSURE the model would fall at some point and break at the weakest spot - where the warp nacelle pylons where they attach to the secondary hull.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

alensatemybuick said:


> That stand design was to ENSURE the model would fall at some point and break at the weakest spot - where the warp nacelle pylons where they attach to the secondary hull.


That way you would have to buy another one, thus helping sales.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Guys,
The deluxe edition of Paul Newitt's Starfleet Assembly Manuals and Gary Kerr's article on the latest restoration of the 11 foot _Enterprise_ miniature can be found on the CultTVman website. Each have formulas for mixing THE original gray hue that the model was painted. But consider this: the 11 footer was repainted and touched up over the course of TOS, it's footage was run through a variety of optical processes, and we only saw it on our biased TV screens. So there can never be The True One Gray to paint your model. I say, if Light Ghost Gray or any other color looks right to you, then it's right.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Yes, I can only image the color renditions different brands of TVs had back then! And for those of use who still had the B&Ws sometime it took awhile for the picture to get to full brightness...


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

And here's something else - a competitive modeler might obsess over painting the _Enterprise_ in The One True Gray in order to impress contest judges. I have judged at many IPMS contests myself, and we judges are always instructed not to ding an entry because of its color scheme. That's because getting perfect color matches in hobby paints to the finishes on real life vehicles is almost impossible. Judges look at models for proper construction techniques, how well the paint and decals were applied, and so on - but not whether they were painted the "proper" colors.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Over the years, on many different TV's, staring with a 24in RCA color console through a 12 Sony all the way up to 
55 inch high def flat screen the only true color I ever saw was white to very light grey. As said the effects processing combined with VERY bright studio lights and our TVs changed the colors we actually saw. 

Then there is the effect of "scale" on color. 

Paint it what looks right to you. Have fun.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

mach7 said:


> ...Paint it what looks right to you. Have fun.


Absolutely!


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

It looks almost white here.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

mach7 said:


> It looks almost white here.


As a kid that's what I thought it was. There's amazing leeway here as to how to paint it.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

As an aside,

I'm off to DC for work tomorrow. Sunday I plan on visiting the Enterprise. No bloody A,B,C,o D!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Here’s a shot of my 1/1000 Enterprise which was painted with ACE “Shady Cove” tractor paint. It’s a light to medium, slightly olive, grey but you’d think it was almost white in this image. 


USS Enterprise NCC-1701 by Steve J, on Flickr

compare to this image where it looks more grey:


USS Enterprise Space by Steve J, on Flickr

it’s all about the lighting.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Trekkriffic said:


> ...it’s all about the lighting.


 Absolutely! Case in point: we've all struggled to paint the "washboard" rings just aft of the Bussard collectors on the space warp nacelles, right? Turns out they were painted the same color as the hull, it was the *lighting* that made them look darker. By way of illustration, I've attached a photo from Gary Kerr's excellent article on the Smithsonian _Enterprise_ restoration.








But again, whatever colors look right to you IS right.


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## Storvick (Jan 21, 2003)

Mark McGovern said:


> And here's something else - a competitive modeler might obsess over painting the _Enterprise_ in The One True Gray in order to impress contest judges. I have judged at many IPMS contests myself, and we judges are always instructed not to ding an entry because of its color scheme. That's because getting perfect color matches in hobby paints to the finishes on real life vehicles is almost impossible. Judges look at models for proper construction techniques, how well the paint and decals were applied, and so on - but not whether they were painted the "proper" colors.


I gave up on the IPMS contests. I put my Star Trek models in the Sci-Fi area and when the judging was done the model that won first place looked like a 4 year old put it togather. The Paint job was not good and there were huge glue seams and Glue flowing out of every where. (forgot to mention the judge was the father of the kid that put the model in.)


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

mach7 said:


> It looks almost white here.


I count myself among those who thought the ship _*was*_ white until the CGI versions were released and it was suddenly that grayish green color. 😕


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

The jokes on me, the NASM on the mall is closed until the fall for renovations.

😠


Storvick said:


> I gave up on the IPMS contests. I put my Star Trek models in the Sci-Fi area and when the judging was done the model that won first place looked like a 4 year old put it togather. The Paint job was not good and there were huge glue seams and Glue flowing out of every where. (forgot to mention the judge was the father of the kid that put the model in.)


I've never belonged to IPMS, I build models for me, not some judge.
But I'm not surprised to read what you posted. Years ago My wife and I had Bulldogs, we even showed a few of them in local clubs. It quickly became apparent that it was not about our dog, it was about the accepted breeders and who you knew. We did not last long in the show circles.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Zombie_61 said:


> I count myself among those who thought the ship _*was*_ white until the CGI versions were released and it was suddenly that grayish green color. 😕


I have a few 1/1000 PL kits and old AMT kits. I might paint one white just for old times sake.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

mach7 said:


> I have a few 1/1000 PL kits and old AMT kits. I might paint one white just for old times sake.


i have one of the collector tin box AMT 1/650 TOS kits from a few years back. The model plastic is a lovely light blue shade. I’ve considered building it unpainted, it’s such a pretty color and not far off of the color we saw on screen in certain shots.


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## edge10 (Oct 19, 2013)

mach7 said:


> The jokes on me, the NASM on the mall is closed until the fall for renovations.
> 
> 😠
> 
> ...


Isn't the Enterprise at Udvar-Hazy? I tried to figure it out, but couldn't.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

edge10 said:


> Isn't the Enterprise at Udvar-Hazy? I tried to figure it out, but couldn't.



It was at the Mall location in 2019 the last time I was there. It may have moved with the renovations.


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## edge10 (Oct 19, 2013)

Knock me over with a feather. I thought it went back to Udvar-Hazy.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Storvick said:


> I gave up on the IPMS contests. I put my Star Trek models in the Sci-Fi area and when the judging was done the model that won first place looked like a 4 year old put it togather. The Paint job was not good and there were huge glue seams and Glue flowing out of every where. (forgot to mention the judge was the father of the kid that put the model in.)


That sort of [email protected] will happen, but it's usually rare. If you're an adult, then why was a kid's entry in your category? Most chapters have a Juniors category at their contests.

I have had bad experiences in the past, but against that, there has always been the opportunity to see the work of other modelers and exchange tips with them. We Sci-Fi/Horror modelers are in the minority at contests as it is. Our models on contest tables can inspire others to consider building in our genre as well. Can't hurt, might help.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

mach7 said:


> I've never belonged to IPMS, I build models for me, not some judge.


My two cents' worth (adjusted for inflation) is that competitions have helped me improve my modeling. Some of that came from the judging, and some from seeing the work of other modelers. Ours is a solitary hobby by its very nature, so I enjoy getting out and seeing what other modelers are doing.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Good points Mark,

This Forum has helped me improve my skills over the years. The generally positive feedback, suggestions, and seeing others work has helped very much.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

There ya go. Plus, at contests you can see others' models up close and personal, as well as visiting the vendors rooms. And there's also the bragging rights that come with the $2 trophy you won in the contest it cost you $10 to enter and 2 hours to drive to!


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## mb1k (May 6, 2002)

One year anniversary of this post and we're all dying to see @Gluetogether27s finished model!


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

mb1k said:


> One year anniversary of this post and we're all dying to see @Gluetogether27s finished model!


And here we are having waited for over 10 years for you to make your next post. Welcome back!


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## mb1k (May 6, 2002)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> And here we are having waited for over 10 years for you to make your next post. Welcome back!


 I've been here! Just dusting off some projects and checking for references again !


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