# Lighted 1/2500 TOS Enterprise



## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Well, ST Into Darkness really got my Star Trek fever kicked into high gear. I've only ever watched the movies from all the generations, but I'm in the process of fixing that. I'm working on TNG right now, then next will likely be Voyager. I've had the 3 E set from amt in 1/2500 that I've always wanted to do with lighting, but never trusted my skills enough to try it. I changed my mind a couple weeks ago and dove right in. 

TOS Enterprise isn't my favorite design, I much prefer the Constitution Refit, so I started with TOS E to get things figured out. The first task was getting the lighting figured out. I'm using 4 white 3mm LED's in series to light the whole model. 

The first thing I had to do was make enough space inside the nacelles to accommodate the LED. 
 

Because of the diameter of the wires, I just decided to use the wires themselves with JB weld as support for the pylons. I think for future lit nacelles, I will just strip the wire and try to mold them into the pylons, because this method has been a headache. 
 
 

And the nacelles lit up... 
 

Thanks for looking! If anybody has any tips or tricks I would love to hear them, this is my first Sci Fi model. I've also never put decals on a model before so I've got a few things to figure out and get mastered. For the Refit I plan to have an airbrush, but this one will be rattle cans.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Nice start! I just built this tiny Enterprise without lights. One thing, be sure to sand off the crude windows on the secondary hull and neck. The kit decals are also a bit fragile. 

It may also be easier to work with the 1/1000 TOS ship as that kit is more or less designed to be lit, even though its fairly small.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

djnick66 said:


> Nice start! I just built this tiny Enterprise without lights. One thing, be sure to sand off the crude windows on the secondary hull and neck. The kit decals are also a bit fragile.
> 
> It may also be easier to work with the 1/1000 TOS ship as that kit is more or less designed to be lit, even though its fairly small.


I'm past the point of being able to sand off the windows you referenced. I've already got fiber optics installed in the hull, otherwise I would do that. 

Any tips on the decals? I was reading in another thread that it helps to do a clear coat before the decals as far both application and appearance, then after they're on put whatever type of finish over everything that would be the final look. 

I may try the larger scale models later, but I have a bit of an obsession with cramming as much detail as I can into as small of a scale as I can. I'm already starting to plan my Constitution refit. Thanks to some minuscule LED's that slotcarman12078 talked about on the lighting board, I'm going to try and squeeze in an open hanger bay, the botanial gardens, and possibly even the officers lounge...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Man if you really can try, remove those windows. They are awful ! The raised outlines are huge, incorrectly spaced, and don't match the decals. Plus the kit's decals are thick and don't snuggle down over the raised windows very well. 

In most cases decals apply best over a smooth, glossy surface. You can always clear coat a model afterwards with a flat or satin coat. IIRC the kit decals have a rather matte/dull finish to start with so you might want to do something to take care of that. 

Oddly the new Polar Lights decals are rather nice and of a good quality. However the similar AMT decals are pretty poor.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

I'll see what I can do, but I think I'm already at a point of no return with those. I don't have any intention of using the window decals though as I've got fiber optics lighting the windows instead of decals. 

Here's some pictures from when I was testing the wiring fit of the saucer to the primary hull.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

How do you have fiber optics for the secondary hull and neck windows? 

I think the LEDs I used in my 1/650 kit had thinner lead wires. They were real thin actually.

For someone NOT putting lights in the model, where you will want to paint the interior black or silver anyway to prevent light leaks, make sure to sand off the annoying printed copyright notice. It will even show through plastic, primer and white paint otherwise !


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

djnick66 said:


> How do you have fiber optics for the secondary hull and neck windows?
> 
> I think the LEDs I used in my 1/650 kit had thinner lead wires. They were real thin actually.
> 
> For someone NOT putting lights in the model, where you will want to paint the interior black or silver anyway to prevent light leaks, make sure to sand off the annoying printed copyright notice. It will even show through plastic, primer and white paint otherwise !


Thank you for the tip on the copyright notice! 

I've got a 4th LED in the secondary hull and drilled holes with a pin vise for the fiber optics. The neck windows I used my dremel with a fine engraving attachment as well as needle files and cut grooves to run fiber optics up into the neck. They have almost a 90 degree bend in them to then go out each side. I've got pictures of all that stuff that I'll try and get up today. 

The LED's I mentioned before will have much thinner wires that should make this much easier when I do the Constitution Refit. Trying to cram these giant wires and resistors in was the biggest headache ever. Tiny wires, tinier LED's, and resistors in the display base should relieve some headaches and help bring even more light to the table with the next one.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Here's the upper half of the saucer with the holes drilled for the fiber optics 
Top
 

Bottom 
 

And my first lighting test... 
 

And this was a test to check the light intensity for the impulse engines


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Nice ! If its not glued yet, be sure to add the three very obvious forward windows on the saucer edge.


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

You guys just never stop amazing me with the things you come up with to modify these kits! Just stunning!


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Thank you guys! 

Nick, I've got the 3 forward windows. Because the saucer has such a thin edge it would have been hard to drill at 2 different levels consistently. Because of that I tried to put the windows that were at a lower level on the bottom part of the saucer half and the windows on the higher part on the top saucer half. 

I'll try and get more pictures up today that show this.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

I used JB Weld to build pylons around the wires for the nacelles
 

You can see all the three grooves for the 3 front windows in this picture 
 

And this is painting the inside of the hull for light blocking then drilling for fiber optics. I put a quarter in there for a little size comparison...


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Testing 3 of the 4 LED's all wired up... 
 

And testing the fit of the secondary hull with all the wires in place and nacelle pylons attached. You can see the fiber optics I've begun to fit for the windows.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

I am tempted to quote "Juliet" Jake Blues when he understands his divine purpose, but I realize that this is a family friendly site.

Failing that phraseology, I will just say Holy Cow! Awesome!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Man what ba labor of love this is. So much effort crammed into such a tiny thing. I'll be applauding you as the ambulance arrives to wrap you up and take you away to the funny farm.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

This little model is quite an undertaking to light up.
I'm impressed. Thanks for letting us watch this.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Trekkriffic said:


> Man what ba labor of love this is. So much effort crammed into such a tiny thing. I'll be applauding you as the ambulance arrives to wrap you up and take you away to the funny farm.


I've seriously felt that way with this at times lol. I have to lean back in my chair and catch my breath sometimes from concentrating over the tiny parts. Trying to sand the tiny pieces with those fiber optics is seriously frustrating. 

I've got a bunch of the SMD LED's on order as well as magnet wire and a few other micro electronic related stuff. I'm really excited to tackle the Constitution refit with the new, smaller stuff. I've already got some ideas to go more detailed with it thanks to the smaller wires and lights. 

Thanks Kurok! I'll try and get more pics up either tonight or tomorrow...


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

First test with all 4 LED's 
 

Getting ready for final assembly... You'll notice the secondary hull seems to have a gloss inside it. I did some testing with LED's prior to assembling and discovered that the Realistic Water I had would help diffuse the light throughout the interior, as well as serve as extra glue to hold everything in place, and solidify the overall structure. I filled both the saucer section and the primary hull with the Realistic Water. On the Constitution Refit, I don't think I will go to the full length of filling up the whole interior with the stuff, but it does help to give some extra strength to the fiber optics after their initial gluing. I also used bare metal foil in a few locations to work as a combined light block and reflector to help spread the light around the interior of the saucer. 
 
 

Assembled and initial filling and sanding


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Testing the lighting before painting. The blue on the bridge and sensor domes is liquid mask. You can see the light leaks in the saucer where I don't have bare metal foil. I'm not worried though because after primer, sanding, and more primer, I'll be putting another coat of black to help with any additional light blocking I might need. 
 
 

Sanded off the primer on the bussard domes. After the picture, I went back and scraped what was left off with an exacto knife to get a better line. 
 

Did a little putty work and sanding, and painted the bussard domes red. After the picture I covered the domes with liquid mask. 
 
 

And after the final coat of primer. 
 
 

I'll be putting a coat of black on for the couple tiny spots that still could use a little extra light blocking. After that, 2 coats of Model Masters Gloss Gull Gray. I'll be cutting the fiber optics after the main hull color is applied and putting on a clear coat for the decal application. After the decals, another coat of clear, then a coat of Model Masters Lusterless to get rid of the shine. 

If anybody has any tips regarding the decal application I would love to hear them! I've never applied decals to any models I've built before so I'm quite intimidated after all the work I've put into this little guy...


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

What a crazy ambitious build!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Lookin good !

The kit decals went on "okay" but definitely benefit from the use of Solvaset or Micro Set/Micro Sol to help them snuggle down.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

djnick66 said:


> Lookin good !
> 
> The kit decals went on "okay" but definitely benefit from the use of Solvaset or Micro Set/Micro Sol to help them snuggle down.


What does the solvent stuff do? Forgive my ignorance, but I've seriously never used decals before.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Forgive me if you already mentioned this but how did you do the rectangular windows?


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Trekkriffic said:


> Forgive me if you already mentioned this but how did you do the rectangular windows?


Well... I didn't do anything. I was more focused about providing light than them being shaped correctly. All the FO is round, I just used 3 different sizes throughout the kit. You've got my brain working now as to how to tackle rectangular windows instead of circular in the future...


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## jgoldsack (Apr 26, 2004)

harristotle said:


> Well... I didn't do anything. I was more focused about providing light than them being shaped correctly. All the FO is round, I just used 3 different sizes throughout the kit. You've got my brain working now as to how to tackle rectangular windows instead of circular in the future...


honestly I would not worry about it at that scale....

If only they released the 1/2500 in clear... omg....


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

jgoldsack said:


> honestly I would not worry about it at that scale....
> 
> If only they released the 1/2500 in clear... omg....


Clear... or white would work to.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Clear would probably have helped things. I'd rather have the Constitution Refit in clear though. Because of using rattle cans on this, the paint is thicker than I'd like with all the coats that ended up going on this and the maskings for the windows on a clear model would have been a flipping nightmare. Yet another reason to bite the bullet and get my airbrush. I won't be doing any exterior painting on the Refit until I get my airbrush. 

A shot of the top secret stealth Enterprise as I try to finish off any possible light leaks...


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

I gave her two coats for the hull color. I used Model Masters Gloss Gull Gray. I'm sure it's not canon, but I think it looks the way it should. Pictures don't do the shade of gray justics. 
 


Next I'll be removing the masking, cutting the fiber optics, filling any damage from the fiber optic cutting, and painting major detail color differences like the triangles on the bottom of the saucer and the details on the nacelles. After that it'll be a clear gloss coat for decals applications, then another coat of clear over the decals, and finishing it off with a dull coat to get rid of the shine.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Trekkriffic said:


> Clear... or white would work to.


It is in white, or at least mine was. I bought the TOS ship set with the Enterprise Klingon and Romulan ships and the model was cast in light grey. In the 3 ship set, my Enterprise (all 3 actually) were in white plastic.

But the plastic is sooooooooooo thick. Im not sure how effective an inside light would be given the small size of the model and the thickness of the plastic. When you glue the halves together, its pretty much solid.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

djnick66 said:


> It is in white, or at least mine was. I bought the TOS ship set with the Enterprise Klingon and Romulan ships and the model was cast in light grey. In the 3 ship set, my Enterprise (all 3 actually) were in white plastic.
> 
> But the plastic is sooooooooooo thick. Im not sure how effective an inside light would be given the small size of the model and the thickness of the plastic. When you glue the halves together, its pretty much solid.


You're correct on the plastic being white and crazy thick for the size. The dremel helps remedy that though. I had to grind out quite a bit of plastic in the domes on the saucer to allow the light to get through the plastic there.


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## Carl_G (Jun 30, 2012)

This is insane. But magnificent. 
And MM gull grey is pretty spot-on actually.

Somewhat OT: Is that a Kelvin in the background? I'd love a kit of that ship. One of these days...


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Carl_G said:


> This is insane. But magnificent.
> And MM gull grey is pretty spot-on actually.
> 
> Somewhat OT: Is that a Kelvin in the background? I'd love a kit of that ship. One of these days...


Thank you for the compliments, I'm having a blast with this build! Looking forward to all my new LED products getting in so I can start tackling the Constitution Refit. 

Indeed that is the Kelvin. I fell in love with that design after ST09. Hot Wheels made a model. While Hot Wheels has some nice Star Trek models, the Kelvin is not one of them. The proportions are off with the nacelle, the secondary hull is misproportioned and incorrectly shaped, and the primary hull is probably a bit too large. 

There is a 1/2500 resin kit of the Kelvin on the market, but it's a bit expensive (as all resin kits seem to be), and I have no real desire to tackle a resin kit due to the work involved to light it up. 

I do plan on doing a kitbash to achieve a lighted 1/2500ish Kelvin, but I've got a few more Enterprise variants to build before that... 

I can try and get some pictures up today or tomorrow if you'd like.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I built my 1/1400 scale _Space Ship Set_ Enterprise using MM Gull Gray awhile back. It's an excellent choice for those wanting a slight olive gray tone without having to do a custom mix.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

The masks are coming off... 
 

I'm working on cutting the fiber optics now. I'll do some detail painting as well, then a gloss clear coat for the decal application.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Excitement ensues!


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

The kit decals do not include the triangles on the underside of the saucer so I painted those on. 
 

I know these are blurry, but you get the idea for now. I'll have to get a stand for the camera to get decent pics. If I don't turn the flash off it just drowns out the lights. The blue you see on the nacelles is masking for painting the end caps. 
 
 

A little more detail painting and touch ups from the fiber optic cutting, then a gloss coat for the decals.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

One last update on this one before I call it a night... 

I added a small piece of wire to the deflector dish for the antenna, as the kit only has a little round bump inside the dish.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Pre-decals... 
 
 

And post-decals 
 


I'll be painting the area behind the deflector dish tonight, then gloss clear coat to seal everything tomorrow night.


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Great looking ship ! :thumbsup: You must be a man with a lot of patience to do this.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

DCH10664 said:


> Great looking ship ! :thumbsup: You must be a man with a lot of patience to do this.


Thank you! Building models over the years has taught me a great deal of patience. It's relaxing and enjoyable to me to work on these. 

It just occurred to me the other night that I've been working on this tiny little starship for almost 2 months... doesn't bode well for how long the refit is going to take me lol


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

A quick little update for tonight. Got my two finals done earlier this week, so I have a little more recreational time. I'm JB welding some aluminum rods on either side of the main power cables coming out of the secondary hull. After that I will will give it a light sanding tomorrow, then spray paint it black. Once that's done the whole thing will get painted with a dull coat. 
 
 

I still need to figure out what I'm going to do for a base. I'm not thinking anything elaborate for this one, just a simple black base with a small switch for the lights.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

I still need to put together a base for her, but the ship itself is complete! 

I had a blast building my first Trek ship, and have many more planned. This build also helped me to appreciate the beauty of the original big E. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I need to work on getting better close ups, but I think I'm limited by my camera for now. 

And onto the next project (disregarding the base for TOS E for now, of couse lol)...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Congratulations! I think this may be the first lit TOS Enterprise I've seen in this scale. 
You had more courage than I to even attempt it.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Trekkriffic said:


> Congratulations! I think this may be the first lit TOS Enterprise I've seen in this scale.
> You had more courage than I to even attempt it.


That was my goal was to do something that hadn't been done before. Though, I can't claim the first on this one. I found one other one online that was lighted. I must say, I like the way mine turned out better though. 

The refit, now that's one I haven't been able to find lighted at this scale. If it weren't for the SMD LED's that I just got, it wouldn't even turn out decent at this scale. I'll be using probably 10 LED's in the refit, vs the 4 that I used in TOS E.


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## ThomasModels (Mar 8, 2000)

Looks great!

Built in 2007 for Starship Exeter fanfilm, not the Enterprise, but close enough!
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex1.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex2.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex4.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex5.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex6.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex7.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex8.jpg
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/miniex9.jpg


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

ThomasModels said:


> Looks great!
> 
> Built in 2007 for Starship Exeter fanfilm, not the Enterprise, but close enough!


Awesome, now I know of three of these little guys. How did you go about lighting the saucer rim windows?


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