# Romulan TOS Bird-of-Prey 1/1000 Scale



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*Romulan TOS Bird-of-Prey 1/1000 Scale-FINISHED PICS!*

Looking for something easy to work on after some minor burnout out on my "Christine" movie car build and wanted to get back to Trek modeling so broke out this bad puppy from the stash...

Box art...

Box cover:
Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Back of box:
Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Side panels with some nice angles:
Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Kit contents:

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Assembly instructions:

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Pretty basic but, then again, there aren't that many parts eh?

Paint and decal guide:

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Paint guide closeup:

Romulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

I'm pretty sure I'll be deviating from these recommendations. Still on the fence about lighting her. Gotta cogitate on that for a bit...

Stay tuned!


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Great little kit.
I'm trying to decide as well about lighting.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

OK Hobby Talkers here we go...

I went to the hobbystore today and got some 5/16" and 1/4" O.D. aluminum tubing to replace the plastic nozzles at the ends of the nacelles. The 1/4" tubing will slip inside the 5/16" tubing so I will have to cut one narrow section of 5/16" for the first ring and then a longer section at an angle for the nozzle itself with a small gap in between where the groove is in the kit plastic. Both sections will slide on over the 1/4" tubing. 

I also bought two colors of ModelMaster enamel in the jar for the top and bottom of the hull and wings. 

And I've pretty much made up my mind to drill out the windows so I got four extra size 80 bits to drill holes for fiber optic strands. 
If I get all the holes drilled without breaking at least one or two bits it will be miracle! 
To that end I made copies of the decal sheets on the office copier so I can cut out the bow windows and tape them to the model for use in where to locate the holes. I also noticed the decal sheet includes two options (all lit and only some lit) for bow windows so I could also apply one set of decals for use in drilling out windows (which would probably destroy them) then sand those off and apply the other set once the model is all done and painted. 

Still need to figure out how I'm going to get power into this bird; ideally it will be some type of power plug and jack arrangement in the stern so the model can be removed from the base. 

Another consideration is hull plating and/or aztecing.

Decisions, decisions...


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

You cold use a 2.5 or 3.5mm phono plug as both a stand attachment and power feed- I have done that before and it works fairly well. A stereo plug gives you the option of two circuits.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

I'm very interested to see what you can do with this one. 

Whatever you do please post photos!


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## Proper2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Will love to see this beauty take shape! I'm a sucker for anything TOS! 

Did the filming model have lights of any kind? Not sure…


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Proper2 said:


> Will love to see this beauty take shape! I'm a sucker for anything TOS!
> 
> Did the filming model have lights of any kind? Not sure…


I believe so. You can see what appear to be a pair of twisted wires exiting the studio model in this photo:

bop2 by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Richard Baker said:


> You cold use a 2.5 or 3.5mm phono plug as both a stand attachment and power feed- I have done that before and it works fairly well. A stereo plug gives you the option of two circuits.


Yes that would work. The best place for such a plug would be in the stern of course but then you need to take the base of the tail into consideration too. 
I used a size K plug and socket when I build my bigger AMT BOP:

Romulan Bird-of-Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan Bird-of-Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Finished the new metal exhaust nozzles last night...

Unfortunately I discovered the 5/16" OD x .014" thick tubing I bought was too small in diameter when compared to the kit part so I opted to use some 3/8" OD x .035" wall aluminum tubing instead. The .035" wall thickness was too thick though so I ground it down using a grinder and some round files, one of which was diamond coated. I thinned it until the 1/4" OD x .014" tubing I'd bought would fit inside it:

Grinding Down the Wall Thickness by trekriffic, on Flickr

Looks to be just the right size:

Aluminum Tube Replacement Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Two rings were cut from the 3/8" tubing and slid on over the 1/4" tubing leaving a small gap between each of them and between the first ring and the metal nozzle. This matched the grooves on the plastic kit nozzles. Not bad, not bad:

Plastic versus Aluminum Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

The kit nozzle was sawed off and the rear locator pin and socket were removed to allow the aluminum tube to fit into the back of the nacelle. The inner tube is perfect for mounting a 3mm LED inside for lighting:

New Nozzle Test Fit by trekriffic, on Flickr

The nacelle with it's new metal exhaust nozzle in place. I won't actually glue them in until the model is almost done:

New Metal Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

New Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

After the succesful test fitting I polished the nozzles with some polishing compound to remove any minor surface scratches and such:

Polishing the Nozzles by trekriffic, on Flickr

I'll probably go for something like this with the lighting:

Romulan Bird-of-Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Next up will be drilling out the windows. I made 3-4 copies of the decal sheet and cut out the bow windows. Here you can see where I used double-sided scotch tape to afix the templates to the bow of the ship as a drilling guide:

Templates for Window Drilling by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Proper2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Holy cow that's meticulous work! That kit is pretty small. Amazing work as always!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Proper2 said:


> Holy cow that's meticulous work! That kit is pretty small. Amazing work as always!


Thanks for the "Proper" compliment! Small can be harder to work on than big that's for sure. 

More progress on the power connection into the stern of the model...

I did find a small size H DC power coaxial plug at Radio Shack but oddly enough they did not carry the size H female jack to fit it so I looked online and found a 1.3mm ID plug and jack at All Electronics. They weren't expensive at all but they wanted 8 bucks MINIMUM for shipping so I passed on that. Also their web page, although it had an image of the jack shown, did not give me any dimensions so there was no way to know if it would even fit into the back of the ship. I ended up deciding to go with a male-female power coupler arrangement I'd gotten from Modeler's Brand Hobby Supplies awhile back.

First I had to remove the locator pin and socket from the rear of the upper and lower hull and carve out a slot for the coupelr to pass thru:

Removal of Material by trekriffic, on Flickr

Slot by trekriffic, on Flickr

First test fit:

Power Connector Test Fit by trekriffic, on Flickr

The plastic power coupler was trimmed at an angle to match the angle at the stern then glued to the hull using Plastic Surgery CA glue:

Female Power Coupler by trekriffic, on Flickr

Since the plastic of the coupler looked to be vinyl I was worried paint might not stick to it so I left it recessed a little and framed the opening with styrene strip which will take enamel or lacquer based paints:

Framing of Power Coupler Opening by trekriffic, on Flickr

The male part of the power coupler slides into the stern for a good tight fit. The bottom of the tail fin did have to be filled off a small amount to allow for clearance with the the connector. Mounting the male connector to the brass display stand arm will be a neat trick:

Male Power Coupler Inserted by trekriffic, on Flickr

A new curved display arm made from rectangular brass tubing was fashioned to fit the rectangular power connector. A short length of round brass tubing was soldered to the underside to fit into the dome stand and wires were passed up it and out the top of the arm:

New Stand Arm by trekriffic, on Flickr

The display arm can turn but I will probably glue it into the top of the kit provided dome base:

Dispay Base In Progress by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next...

More window and sensor port drilling goodness (and drill bit breakage frustration)!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

As promised... more fun with drilling holes!

In keeping with designations used on blueprints I found on the internet back when I worked on my large AMT BOP, I'm calling the square framed openings observation windows and the round openings sensor ports. 
Here's the bow of the ship after drilling out both. I used a pinvise with a micro bit to fit 20 mil diameter fiber. The paper templates worked great, all holes lined up nice and straight:

Window and Sensor Openings Drilled by trekriffic, on Flickr

After drilling out all the round sensor ports and square observation windows in the upper hull (aside from the sensor ports in the cupola itself) I flared the end of some 10 mil fiber optic strand using a BIC lighter and inserted it into one of the holes:

Fiber Optic Test by trekriffic, on Flickr

The fiber strand with its flared end can be seen in the hole at the upper left in this photo. It lights up nicely as you can see in this test when compared with the empty ports:

Sensor Ports and Windows Drilled and Fiber Test by trekriffic, on Flickr

That's it for now. Drilling out the openings in the upper hull cost me another drill bit so hopefully I can finish drilling out all the sensor ports on the cupola with the remaining three bits I have left... Wish me luck!


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

You're doing GREAT Steve!:thumbsup:

Much more patience is required to work on such a small model.
But seeing you past builds, I *know that you can handle* it.:woohoo:
-Jim G.G.


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## edge10 (Oct 19, 2013)

Brilliant as always.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

STEVE! Another not out of the box model! If you did not build it with all of the works, I would think you are about give up models. Your build is shaping up to be another awesome build!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

edge10 said:


> Brilliant as always.


Thank you! I try! :thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> You're doing GREAT Steve!:thumbsup:
> 
> Much more patience is required to work on such a small model.
> But seeing you past builds, I *know that you can handle* it.:woohoo:
> -Jim G.G.


Thanks Jim!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Small update for today.

Completed drilling out the cupola sensor ports using the size 80 bits. Only broke three of the four doing this so not bad lol...

Internal View:
Cupola Holes Drilled Out by trekriffic, on Flickr


External View:
Cupola Holes Drilled by trekriffic, on Flickr

I took some extra time after drilling to clean up any plastic crappy bits made by the drill. I just like to keep things neat and tidy I guess.

Almost forgot to drill out the plasma launcher! Here I'm using a .030" bit to drill out the center hole. I used a .020" bit to drill out the two smaller holes that flank it:

Plasma Torpedo Launcher by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next step is light blocking the inner hull surfaces. Before priming and light blocking I like to mask off the edges where the glue will go. Beats having to scrape it off later lol:

Edge Masking Prior to Priming/Light Blocking by trekriffic, on Flickr

The interior hull halves were given a coat of Duplicolor filler primer, then a coat of Tamiya black lacquer, another coat of primer, then a coat of Tamiya Matt White for light dispersal.

Getting back to the display base I was able to mount the power plug into the brass display arm with some CA glue after a bit of filing to get the plug to fit:

Power Plug by trekriffic, on Flickr

The fit is very good into the stern of the ship as you can see here:

Power Plug Test Fit by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Looking at the bow rim I was bothered with the lack of any framing on the round sensor ports and square observation window so I decided to add my own using .025" diameter round and .030" square styrene rod. Holes were drilled into the rods using a #78 (close to .020") drill bit before slicing off each individual frame. Talk about tedious work with a magnifying light:

Window Frames for Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bow windows and sensors all framed up. I used a small droplet of Testors tube glue applied with a toothpick over each drilled out hole to glue the frames on. Once the frame was placed using tweezers I took a #80 bit and inserted it thru the frame and out the hole in the back to ensure everything lined up:

Framed Ports Added to Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bow Window and Sensor Port Framing by trekriffic, on Flickr

Once the glue dried I took a small flat needle file and a fine grained sanding stick to the frames to make them all level with one another as there was no way to get them all the exact same height when cutting them off the styrene rods using an exacto knife. 

Well folks that's it for now. 
Think I'll do some work on the nacelles next!


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Trekkriffic, that looks like a hell of a lot of finger-cramping work, but I'm sure the effect will be worth it. Looking good!


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

As usual, you are knocking this one out of the park! Looking forward to seeing the finished product!


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

:thumbsup:Ba-u-ti-ful:thumbsup:
-Jim G.G.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks guys.

Worked on the nacelles some...

Nacelle wiring:

Nacelle Wiring by trekriffic, on Flickr

Nozzles with my own riff on Federation inspired "balls": 

Nozzles with Balls by trekriffic, on Flickr

Ship's ball assembly:

Nozzle Ball Assembly by trekriffic, on Flickr

Ball components:

Metal Balls by trekriffic, on Flickr

Nacelle dome light test:

Nacelle Dome Ligth test by trekriffic, on Flickr


Warp nozzle light test:

Nacelle Nozzle Light Test by trekriffic, on Flickr

More to come...


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

That nozzle light effect with the ball looks outstanding. Excellent work. :thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Fozzie said:


> That nozzle light effect with the ball looks outstanding. Excellent work. :thumbsup:


Thanks! As mentioned previously, I did a similar effect on the engines of my big (1/350?) scale AMT RBOP but I added the metal bead this time around. The "balls" aren't canon of course but I just decided to take some artistic license to reinforce the idea that this ship was a prototype based on stolen Starfleet design plans.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

More details on this past weekend's work...

Shuttle bay hatches were scribed into the upper hull matching the locations of the ones shown on the blueprints here:

http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/romulan-bird-of-prey-sheet-3.jpg

Shuttle Bay Hatches by trekriffic, on Flickr

Call me crazy but I'm toying with the idea of opening one of the hatches and building out a tiny shuttle bay complete with a really small shuttle craft but am still on the fence on that. It would also be a good place to mount a tiny pushbutton switch to operate the plasma torpedo LED in the bow. I'd like to be able to display the model in both firing and non-firing mode and would rather conceal the switch than have it visible somewhere on the outer hull. 

Anyway, moving along...

The wings were glued together after running a pair of red and white 30 AWG solid Kynar wire up each wing. I did have to grind out a narrow channel in the lower wing halves to allow for wire clearance. I remembered after making a bit of a gluey mess that Kynar wire, being teflon, doesn't stick to CA so I used a piece of mylar tape to hold the wires in place until I could glue the wing halves together:

Wing Wiring by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here are a few images of the grills I made out of some leftover photo-etch fret material. After marking where the holes would go on a piece of Tamiya tape I drilled out the holes using a pin-vise:

Nozzle Grill by trekriffic, on Flickr 

Nozzle Grills Made from PE by trekriffic, on Flickr

The wings were glued to the lower hull. The ship's "balls" look good don't they?

Wings wth Nacelles Attached by trekriffic, on Flickr

Last thing I worked on yesterday was the housing for the LED to power the plasma torpedo launcher in the bow. I had a package of red 2mm high brightness diffused (flat-topped) LEDs from Lighthouse LEDs that were tailor-made for this:

Box for Plasma Torpedo Launcher In Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

Took a bit of test fitting but here is the housing ready to be glued in. I had to carve a slot in the top front of the lighting box to accomodate the rectangular panel in the upper hull that mates with the kit molded cavity in the lower hull:

Test Fit of Plasma Torpedo Box by trekriffic, on Flickr

Well that's all for the moment. Let me know what you guys think about including a shuttle bay. It would be interesting to know if anyone else has done this or is considering it. I'd also like any suggestions on TOS era Romulan shuttle designs you guys may have.


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

Trekkriffic said:


> The wings were glued to the lower hull. The ship's "balls" look good don't they?
> 
> Wings wth Nacelles Attached by trekriffic, on Flickr



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GPdEP_fFQhk


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Opening the shuttle bay is a really cool idea.

I was planning to leave mine shut but since the panel lines on the kit are so far out of scale, I was going to put sheet plastic or metal over them to represent a tighter door.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

KUROK said:


> Opening the shuttle bay is a really cool idea.
> 
> I was planning to leave mine shut but since the panel lines on the kit are so far out of scale, I was going to put sheet plastic or metal over them to represent a tighter door.


Actually I scribed the hatches myself. I don't see any panel lines to which you are referring on this kit.


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## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

wow, keep it coming


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

*Great work as always Steve!:thumbsup:
-Jim G.G.*


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Steve, awesome work!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

I'll be glad to give you a comment about it when she's finished.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I think as far as the pushbutton switch in the shuttlebay, I'm going to build the bay first before I cut out the door in the hull. 
If the switch won't fit in the bay with the shuttle craft I may abandon the idea. 
I have an idea for incorporating the scout/shuttle into the switch which might work pretty well if I have enough clearance. 

Anyway, here's a rather boring group of photos for today's update...

After installing the plasma torpedo light box I did a test fit and the hull halves went together just fine after some minor tweaks and adjustments: 

Test Fit of Upper Hull to Lower Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

I selected a 7000 mcd ultrabright LED for illuminating the windows and sensor ports.
The LED was mounted inside a spool taken from a pack of Glide dental floss. 
The translucent plastic of the spool acts like a lampshade to spread light evenly around the inside of the model. 
I glued the LED and spool to a small round section of styrene sheet using 5-minute epoxy:

7000mcd ultrabright LED by trekriffic, on Flickr

The ultrabright white LED was Installed in the middle of the lower hull. Black Tamiya epoxy putty was packed around the front plasma torpedo LED box for blocking out the red light:

Main LED by trekriffic, on Flickr

A size M power jack was wired up. This mates with the M-size plug of the 12V wall adapter:

Size M Power Jack by trekriffic, on Flickr

The size M power jack fits inside a short length of Evergreen tubing. A hole was drilled and ground out of the dome base to accomodate it. 
I wanted the jack to exit out horizontally rather than allowing the power cord to stick up at an angle when plugged in. Hence the oblong hole. 
The tube with its power jack which will be installed in the dome base using AVES Apoxy Sculpt:

Dome Base Modifications by trekriffic, on Flickr

The base was primed with Duplicolor grey filler primer after holes were drilled and filed out for two slide switches. 
One switch will operate the internal lights in the ship, the other will operate a small spotlight at the end of the display arm pointing up at the bottom of the ship:

Base Sprayed with Primer by trekriffic, on Flickr

A short length of brass tubing was soldered to the lower end of the display arm:

Display Arm Modification by trekriffic, on Flickr

A diffused white LED will illuminate the underside of the Bird-of-Prey. 
Wires from it run to a second slide switch in the base so it can be turned on or off independent of the lights in the model:

Display Arm Spotlight by trekriffic, on Flickr

That's all for now. 

If I don't post anymore this week I hope all of my Hobbytalk brethren have a very Merry Christmas! 
May you all receive the kit of your dreams this holiday season.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

As always, you have it all mapped out on the lights, looking good!


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## crowe-t (Jul 30, 2010)

Incredible work Steve, on such a small ship! :thumbsup:

I love the brass tubing and the 'balls' look great!

Mike.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks Lloyd! Thanks Mike!

Got a lot of work done on the shuttle bay and shuttle/scout ship...

First thing was to install the pushbutton switch I pirated from a Dollar Tree pushlight:

Pushbutton by trekriffic, on Flickr

The starboard side bay door was cut out from the hull using one of my Tamiya photo-etch saw blades I got awhile back at my LHS. I used piano wire to make the hinge pins:

Shuttle Bay Door Open by trekriffic, on Flickr

The walls for the bay were made from syrene sheet and PE:

Starboard Wall of Shuttle Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Starboard Bay Painted and a Screen Added by trekriffic, on Flickr

Port Wall with PE Screening by trekriffic, on Flickr

I found this part from an old Snap-Together F-15 Falcon kit. It will make a nice little scout ship for the bay:

Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

The bay walls were installed using 5-minute epoxy:

Shuttle Bay Walls Glued In by trekriffic, on Flickr

Feet were added to the underside of the scout/shuttle using the heads from some little pins that I have:

Landing Legs Installed in Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I added a fin to match the one on the mothership:

Fin Added to Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

LED light test. The pushbutton is wired in series with "hot" pink and cool clear LEDs for the bay and the red LED for the plasma topedo launcher:

Light Test of Bay LEDs by trekriffic, on Flickr

The hot pink LED is connected to fibers that will light up along one side of the bay. I bloomed the ends with a BIC lighter before installing them. I wanted to capture the look of the lighting seen on the bridge in the Balance of Terror TV episode. Lots of pinks and purples among other things. 

Components for the floor of the bay. The clear piece gets sandwhiched between the styrene and PE brass pieces:

Shuttle Bay Floor Components by trekriffic, on Flickr

Windows and "racing stripes" added to the scoutship:

Decaling the Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Shutttle with Red Stripes by trekriffic, on Flickr

The scout is piloted by two crewmen and measures 3/8" long. That works out to 31' 3" at 1/1000 scale. 
A single mini-plasma torpedo can be launched from the opening in the nose afterwhich the scout must return to the bay for reloading. It also has disruptor cannons.

Fiber and floor installed in Bay:

Fiber Optics and Floor Installed in Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

All wires were soldered and the solder joints coated with liquid electrical tape:

Wiring and Soldering all Done by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Hull light test. Eureka!

Light Test by trekriffic, on Flickr

Shuttle in Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear of Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Blue Pushbutton in Forward Section of Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

The hull was glued together with Testors cement and clamped to dry:

Hull Glued Together by trekriffic, on Flickr

I think I need to straighten up my workbench pretty soon:

My Workbench by trekriffic, on Flickr

Now comes the fun stuff with painting of the hull!

:woohoo::woohoo:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

WOW! You outdid yourself on details in the hangar bay and shuttle. 

Are you sure you don't want to put lights in the shuttle....I dare you!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

More pictures! Awesome work! I do have one thing that bothers me, the thickness of the hangar bay door, it looks out of scale. I'm surprised you let that go.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

:thumbsup:Love the work that you are putting into this Steve.:thumbsup:
-Jim G.G.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

You are not totally kidding with this model,you really are putting a
lot of uuhhhmp into it!!!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks guys!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> I do have one thing that bothers me, the thickness of the hangar bay door, it looks out of scale. I'm surprised you let that go.


Ummmmhhhh... well Lloyd.... I could rationalize the thickness by saying that since the BOP is a ship of war built to take a pounding it has to have thick hull plating along with thick shuttlebay doors to match. 

I could say that... 

or I could quit making excuses and thin the door to make it look more in scale as you have pointed out. My main reason for not doing this earlier was concern for the hinge pins; removing too much material could expose them and that would not be a good thing. 

So... 

I carefully shaved down the thickness and added a piece of PE screen to finish it off...

Shuttle Bay Door Revised by trekriffic, on Flickr

Shuttle Bay Door Revised by trekriffic, on Flickr

The revamped door is about 30-40% thinner which is still thick enough to provide good armored protection for the bay and the scout ship as it enters and exits when it is most vulnerable to attack. 

Once I'm done painting I'll have to redrill all the windows and sensor ports to remove the paint that's clogging them. Here's another quick pic with the lights on; I temporarily installed the bussard dome on the engine to the left:

Another Light Test by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Very nice indeed!
-Jim G.G.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Steve, the door looks much better. :thumbsup:

I did not mean to create extra work for you, and I bet you like it now, since it looks so good now. The lights look perfect. I always enjoy seeing you build!

Admiral Lloyd :wave:


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Looks much better. One thing to remember is that in 1/1000 scale, .040" sheet is a metre thick.


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## oggy4u (Sep 27, 2007)

Really impressive work . I love the shuttle bay . Can you name the source for the PE brass for the shuttle bay floor , please ?


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

oggy4u said:


> Really impressive work . I love the shuttle bay . Can you name the source for the PE brass for the shuttle bay floor , please ?


K&S Metals. I got it from my local HobbyTown USA before they closed the store here in Fremont.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

The fit of the parts is very good with this kit, in particular, the seam at the root of the wings is flawless. Still, just for good measure, I decided to go ahead and give every seam a going over with AVES followed by some white Tamiya putty.
Afterwards, I sanded everything nice and smooth in preparation for some light panel line scribing using a strip of brass from some leftover photo-etch fret as a guide.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

You can see in the attached photo how I have drawn the lower paneling on in pencil to make sure I have everything lined up properly before scribing.

The scribing is very light and will probably be even more subtle after a few coats of primer and basecoats. The main reason for doing it is to use as a guide for the aztecing style pattern I plan to paint the ship with. Something akin to the paneling seen in the last image taken from a video I viewed on the net. 

Here's a link to the video by wjaspers on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/-BiAVyMDWT4

The video is pretty cool although this bird displays a lot of more weathering (including some major space rust) than I am going to show. The music is awesome too.


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## larskseme (Sep 2, 2014)

This just looks amazing! I'm looking forward to seeing your panel work once done. I was excited on mine to just use two different silver tones

Also, just a great little kit: Mere mortals like me can build something quite nice over a long weekend, while a master like you willing to spend the time and attention to detail can also do something unbelievable with it.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Steve, you know how I feel about the re-mastered TOS look of the ships, so I am not thrilled where you are going. Then again, it is your model, so whatever makes you happy, it won't effect my excitement on seeing your model, it is that I had to voice my opinion. AND, YOU DON'T HAVE TOM TO BACK YOU UP!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Steve, you know how I feel about the re-mastered TOS look of the ships, so I am not thrilled where you are going. Then again, it is your model, so whatever makes you happy, it won't effect my excitement on seeing your model, it is that I had to voice my opinion. AND, YOU DON'T HAVE TOM TO BACK YOU UP!


Not going for the remastered "checkerboard" look Lloyd. There will be some subtle paneling but it will be muted beneath the overall gray color scheme. I want the first impression to be of an overall grey hull with the paneling only becoming noticeable when you get closer. I won't stray completely from my TOS roots believe me. 

BTW.. Tom never backed me up! :jest::jest::jest:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

That's good to hear, I hate the remastered look. 

WELL, Tom backed me up....not his favorite, I see.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Got most of the hull scribed. Still need to sort out the cupola and wing panels but she's gettin' there...

I used the needle of my compass to scribe concentric circles on the upper hull:

Scribing Circles by trekriffic, on Flickr

The compass and a circle template worked well for the lower hull. A metal ruler served as a guide for the straight line scribing. 

Ventral Hull Paneling Scribed by trekriffic, on Flickr

Upper hull paneling almost done. Have to sort out the cupola and the wings:

Upper Hull Panel Lines by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I got to admit, it does look good with the scribed lines.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks Lloyd. Here are some of the tools I used for scribing:

Measuring and Scribing Tools by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Whoa! This is the 21st Century, you are still using stone knives and bear skins!


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Well,whatever gets the job done as long as it still works.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Whoa! This is the 21st Century, you are still using stone knives and bear skins!


Sorry. I forgot one tool...the chisel...

Chisel by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## RICHjm (Jun 14, 2010)

whatever gets you through the night- its all right!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks RICH! Lloyd has always been my toughest critic but he means well and usually offers good advice. 

A few pics from yesterday and today...

Finished up the scribing with the upper cupola, wings, and nacelles:

Scribing Nacelle Panel Lines by trekriffic, on Flickr

Cupola Panel Lines by trekriffic, on Flickr

I decided to revise the location of one of the arcs on the underside so I filled it in with PPP and rescribed it:

Revised Panel Line by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here she is after a wipe down with an alcohol wipe and her first spray of Duplicolor automotive primer:

After Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

After Primimg by trekriffic, on Flickr

After Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

After Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next I'll plug her into power and see if there are any light leaks.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

It does look real good!:thumbsup:

Opps....it looks like there was more than light leaks.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

RICHjm said:


> whatever gets you through the night- its all right!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

RICHjm said:


> whatever gets you through the night- its all right!


Oooh! A John Lennon lyric! Sweet!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Today I wired up the stand:

Display Stand Wiring by trekriffic, on Flickr

Display Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Plugged the ship in, pushed the slide switch and she lit up! Niiiiiiiice...

Ship on Stand Powered Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

Slid the slide switch for the spotlight on the end of the arm and... yeah... it lit up too!

Test of Ship to Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Pushed the button in the bay and the shuttle bay lights up! Very nice!

Ship on Stand with Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Whew! Now that the stand works I'll tackle the paint scheme. 

Let's see two or three shades of grey, gold, steel, aluminum panels... then overspray to blend...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

No, BOOM? You are doing something right...and I was wanting to hear a BOOM!


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Really nice work!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Small update... I found out that the primer was still not enough to eliminate all the light leaks so I sprayed her with a coat of Tamiya black lacquer. Once that dries I'll give her another shot of primer. She does look pretty cool all in black.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Go wild, leave it black! Black ship, bird design on belly, terror!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Go wild, leave it black! Black ship, bird design on belly, terror!


You don't know how tempted I was to leave her as a black ship Lloyd: 

The Black Ship by trekriffic, on Flickr

Of well... In the end I decided not to. 

Here she is right now with her second coat of primer. She has successfully passed the light leak test and I can now move on to airbrushing the base coat followed by some paneling. For that I think I'll break out my new Iwata Neo with its finer needle:

Second Primer Coat by trekriffic, on Flickr

Watch this space!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Looking forward to the painting of it.


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## MLCrisis32 (Oct 11, 2011)

This build is inspired. It's amazing what you can do with a small kit.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MLCrisis32 said:


> This build is inspired. It's amazing what you can do with a small kit.


Thanks! I think adding the miniature shuttle bay really sets this model apart from some others I've built but, then again, I added a lot of extras to the Saratoga and it turned out pretty well too:

IMG_9182 by trekriffic, on Flickr

This one had a lot more lights including strobes and running lights and wallpaper decals. It was a real chore just to get the hull together with all the wires:

Jig for Soldering by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## BOXIE (Apr 5, 2011)

Totally awesome build.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Steve,

I have to tell that I am totally IMPRESSED with you builds!:thumbsup:
I think I just need hands of a 2 year old to accomplish what you have done.
P.S.
Did you my XCV 330 Enterprise completed post?
Thank you for showing us your build as well as your previous builds as well.
-Jim G.G.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> Did you see my XCV 330 Enterprise completed post?
> -Jim G.G.


This one? :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/...XCV/Getting There XCV-330 004_zpsrrko11at.jpg

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/...XCV-330/XCV/XCV Completed 001_zpsjmomv0kh.jpg

Now THAT is what I call AWESOME work! I absolutely love what you did with this. All the little details-AMAZING! And the size...Wow! 
Tackling a subject in this scale is just magnificent. I know all the things you went thru to get there, trying one glue after another to make the rings was a daunting task but you never gave up. 
I am seriously impressed Jim. Cudos to you sir and to your wife for standing by your side thru all the travails of this true labor of love. 
She's a beauty!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Steve just can't build a model out of the box, untweaked!

Then again, it would not be as interesting to see the build, if he did not.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

BOXIE said:


> Totally awesome build.


Thanks BOXIE! :thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Steve just can't build a model out of the box, untweaked!


Well you've certainly got me pegged Lloyd! 

Honestly, if I can get lights into it, it will never be straight OOTB. 
Just gotta do it!


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Trekkriffic said:


> This one? :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
> 
> http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/...XCV/Getting There XCV-330 004_zpsrrko11at.jpg
> 
> ...


*Thank you Steve.* I appreciate the kind remarks. Makes me feel appreciated.
P.S.
P.M. Sent.
-Jim G.G.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

JGG1701 said:


> *Thank you Steve.* I appreciate the kind remarks. Makes me feel appreciated.
> P.S.
> P.M. Sent.
> -Jim G.G.


You're welcome Jim. Did you send me a PM? I didn't get it yet.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Trekkriffic said:


> You're welcome Jim. Did you send me a PM? I didn't get it yet.


Just now...
You should have it by now.
-Jim G.g.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Small update...

After spraying the primered hull with Tamiya Ghost Grey and allowing a day to cure I started in on the paneling. I gave up trying to airbrush using frisket paper as it was too messy and labor intensive. I found I could do the job just as well with thinned paint and a fine tipped brush. Once I got rolling I was able to go faster than I could have with an airbrush. Any rough edges are cleaned up easily using a white mircobrush dipped in thinner. Painting enamel over lacquer works well because the tired thinner I use won't affect the Ghost Grey Tamiya lacquer :

Panel Painting by trekriffic, on Flickr

The first panels are metallic silver:

Silver Panels Brushed On by trekriffic, on Flickr

This is not a true aztec as I am pursuing a completely randomized (albeit balanced) panel pattern; much like the underpainting I did on the Enterprise B some years ago.
Once I'm done with this color I'll paint steel panels. Then brass or gold. 
Then I'll do a custom mix for the final hull color, take some and add a lighter color, then take some more and add a darker color, to make paint for two more layers of grey panels. 
Then the whole thing wil get oversprayed with more of the thinned down hull color. 
Once that all cures she'll get lightly sanded/polished to knock down any paint ridges; although I may leave some to give the impression of raised panels. 
Then I may give her a shot of gloss transparent pearl metallic to impart a metallic finish. Then apply some masking tape randomly (perhaps over the metallic panels just visible under the hull color). 
Then shoot her with Dullcote, remove the masks, leaving the glossy metallic panels glinting visibly in the light when viewed at an angle. 

Or not...


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Very nice.:thumbsup:
-Jim G.G.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

What Jim said!


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

You really aren't kidding with this kit aren't you,you really
are putting your heart and soul into this one!Very few people
ever have the passion to do that!


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

Yeah, but, he does it all the time, so I think he's gotta run out of heart and soul, eventually.


...right...?


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

Don't bet on it!!Not as long as you still have the guts and the determination
to do so!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks WOI. Thanks Gregatron. You are very kind.

Christopher Walken voice...

"Guys! I gotta say... at the risk of sounding cocky... I just do... what I always do... try to give a styrene kit... a fighting chance... to survive."


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

OK. Here's the latest...

I went ahead and roughed in the silver panels on the rest of the upper hull:

Upper Silver Panels in Progress by trekriffic, on Flickr

Then I went back in with implements of construction (microbrushes and pointed cotton swabs and weakened thinner) and neatened up each panel so the edges are a little straighter and cleaner:

Upper Hull Silver Panels Touched Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

Now working on the underside. This time I cut some shapes into pieces of Tamiya tape to use as templates. Later I'll go back and augment them adding and subtracting so as to preserve the random asymmetrical aztec pattern appropriate to this model's idiom:

Lower Hull Silver Panels in Progress by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

OK folks, here are some new pics. Pretty boring stuff I'm afraid. Just painting lots of little aztec panels... :freak:

Finished painting the metallic silver panels on the main hull and moved on to the wings and nacelles. 
I took a shortcut and cut panels out of one large piece of Tamiya tape for the upper and lower wing surfaces. The pattern is the same for the port upper and lower starboard wing surfaces as I just flipped the tape over and around to do the opposite side. So not sure if this violates the assymetry rule or not as far as the wings are concerned but I'm not too worried about that to be honest :

Wing Masking for Silver Panels by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here's the upper hull, wings, and nacelles all done as far as the silver paneling:

Dorsal Silver Paneling Complete by trekriffic, on Flickr

And the lower surfaces:

Ventral Silver Paneling Complete by trekriffic, on Flickr

Working on the next layer of steel/gunmetal panels:

Starting on Steel/Gunmetal Panels by trekriffic, on Flickr

I mixed in some gunmetal to darken the panels a bit and provide more contrast with the metallic silver panels.

Almost done with the upper hull steel/gunmetal panels. Need to work on the cupola next. She has a very flat finish now as I found the silver panels were rubbing off onto my fingers while I gripped the bird whilst brush painting. 
So I sprayed her with Testors Dullcote to seal the enamel paint layer after I went back in and fixed the rubbed off areas. That seems to have fixed the problem thankfully:

Upper Hull Steel/Gunmetal Panels Almost Done by trekriffic, on Flickr

After I finish this layer of panels top and bottom I'll proceed to painting of the brass panels.

Thanks for following along!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I'm still here. I know you got a plan, just waiting to see it come together.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Are you still working on it? The panels overworking you? YOU DIDN'T DROP IT?


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Are you still working on it? The panels overworking you? YOU DIDN'T DROP IT?


Drop it???? I can't even find it! It cloaked when I had my back turned! 

Patience Admiral... patience...

Here are a few more pics of current progress with the "aztec" paneling.

Masking tape template in use. I probably have about 8 or 10 different patterns I use:

Masking Tape Template by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here I finished all the lower surfaces with the second layer of steel/gunmetal panels:

2 Color Aztec Done by trekriffic, on Flickr

And here's the lower hull after the third layer of gold panels:

3 Colors Done-Underside of Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

And the upper hull after gold panels:

3 Colro Aztec Done-Upper Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

I still need to finish the gold panels on the nacelles and the sides of the ship. Also the fin has no paneling done yet so there's that to do too. 

For any out there who think the paneling is overdone please don't fret. 
I have a plan as Admiral Lloyd has alluded too. It will be much more subtle when I'm finished. 

Thanks for your patience folks!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I'm glad you are making progress. It looks now like a camouflage pattern, no wonder you could not find it! 

Patience! If you got it to paint it, then I got it to see it finished. Keep up the good work!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Started in on the gold paneling for the nacelles. Before that I masked off the rest of the ship so as not to rub away any existing hull paneling. Then I used some thin stripe masking tape prior to hand brushing the stripes/panels:

Nacelle Masking by trekriffic, on Flickr

After removing the masking tape:

Nacelle Unmasked by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here I have added the gold panels to four test zones I created on a sheet of thin styrene sheeet for trying out different layering effects prior to airbrushing the model:

Test Patches by trekriffic, on Flickr


Tomorrow I should finish the other nacelle then the fin....


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Oh! Look, an update. You are getting there, just go faster, you are over budget already!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Oh! Look, an update. You are getting there, just go faster, you are over budget already!


Aye, aye Admiral! :thumbsup:


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

All done with the gold paneling now.

Here's the dorsal fin:

Aztec Paneling on Fin by trekriffic, on Flickr

Also the bow rim:

Aztec Paneling Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

The stern and sides are done as well. Mulling over the idea of overlaying the metallic panels with two shades of grey aztecing thinned with ModelMaster clear enamel so the metallic panels show thru. This aztecing would be larger panels alternating darker with lighter grey panels like those seen on the Enterprise D. This would be brushed on and lightly sanded before doing the final overspray with the airbrush.

Anyway, while the paint dried I decided to do something I'd been thinking about for the bussards, something I'd seen in a SOTL calendar image showing a BOP flying low over the Romulan Capitol. I added some spokes to the rim of the domes. This further cements the notion this ship is influenced by Federation tech. Here's a test shot with the blue LED lighting one of the domes on the front of the nacelle:

Bussard Spokes by trekriffic, on Flickr

Before I could get started on the other dome; however, I noticed this:

Cracked Bussard Dome by trekriffic, on Flickr

Crap! A large crack halfway across the dome!? As the part is still on the sprue I'm calling this a factory defect. The only thing I did with the part was to brush some Floquil flat base on the inside of the dome for diffusion purposes. No other stress was placed on the part that would have caused it to crack. So I'll be mailing in my UPC/Date code off the box with the parts replacement request form to Round 2. Hopefully they can ship out a new dome to me within the next few weeks.
In the meantime, I'll continue working on the paint job.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

After mailing my replacement parts request form off to Round 2 this morning for a new bussard dome I came home from work during lunch and gave her an overcoat to mute the aztec. I found a 50/50 mix of ModelMaster Clear and HellBlau was about right to brush on over the aztecing. For areas where I obscured too much aztecing I dipped the brush in airbrush thinner, dobbed it on a rag to remove most of the thinner, and dragged it over the surface to thin the Hellblau mix and expose more of the paneling. Once this first coat fully cures in 2-3 days I'll go over it lightly with sanding films to bring back even more of the aztecing before the final very thin airbrush coats. Still deciding on the colors I want to use for the final coats; one thing I know is it will be a darker shade of grey on top than on the bottom. And the area behind the feathers on the stern and trailing edges of the wings underneath wil be even lighter, a mix of insignia white with the grey color of the underside. 

Here is the ship as she appears right now in direct sunlight:

' by trekriffic, on Flickr

Overcoating with Hellblau by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

I like it!


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Isn't that a lovely thing. Very nice.

Thanks for the tips on dialling back the overcoat ... with no "undo" command on a model kit, I've been a bit gun-shy to spray an overcoat over a complex paint job.

Just confirming, so far, all the paints are enamel on this model?


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

I've been wondering what was going to be done to tone down that aztecing.

Personally I wouldn't bring it out any more, but I guess if you sand and then apply some more thin coats it should end up about the way it is in those images.

I still haven't taken mine out of the box, haven't worked on any models since the early fall, still have to finish up the 1:1000 refit I started last year.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

SteveR said:


> Just confirming, so far, all the paints are enamel on this model?


The primer and initial grey basecoat were lacquer. The aztecing and overcoats are enamel.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Sorry to hear about the cracked bussard dome, but good to hear about you getting a replacement. 

I know how you work on painting, and it is shaping up to be awesome. Keep up the good work, Admiral!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Sorry to hear about the cracked bussard dome, but good to hear about you getting a replacement.
> 
> I know how you work on painting, and it is shaping up to be awesome. Keep up the good work, Admiral!


Thanks Admiral! These complex paintjobs take some time and effort but I think it's worth it to create that unique look I want with my builds.

Anyway, did some more work on it this morning...

Sanding film was used to thin the brushed overcoat after allowing 2 days for the paint to cure. This revealed more of the underlying paneling. As mentioned earlier, this is all in preparation for the final airbrush coats so the aztecing doesn't completely vanish in the process:

Light Sanding of the Brushed Coat by trekriffic, on Flickr


Standing on my driveway for these shots. It's a nice sunny day here in Fremont, CA...
Here's the underside after sanding:

Bottom After Light Sanding by trekriffic, on Flickr

There was a patch near the bow where, while brushing with the 50/50 Hellblau/clear mix, I got a little carried away trying to smooth out brushstrokes and removed some of the underlying aztec paneling. Doh! So, after allowing a day for the overcoat to dry, I went back in and restored the aztecing with a fine brush. After another day or so for the new aztecing to cure I'll reapply my Hellbalu mix to cover it up and blend it in with the rest of the paint. 

Here's the top surface:

Top After Light Sanding by trekriffic, on Flickr

Same issue with the one patch near the bow as regards restoration of the aztecing. She'll get her touchup with the brush and then a final sanding before final airbrush coats. 

All the handbrushing with the Hellblau/clear mix had left a mildly rough texture behind but that's no longer the case. She's nice and smooth now. 

Anyway, thanks for reading along!


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Even though you already know what I think about your work on this project just wanted to pop up here and say hi. :wave:

This is looking very cool. I love the effect you are achieving so far. :thumbsup:


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## jcd132 (Jan 13, 2000)

Beautiful job! I'll have to try that.


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

You're not the only one,I am planning to do that with the one I will get
soon.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so... you guys are making me blush! 
I really hope some of you do try this technique. 
Just pace yourself and take a break now and then, it's easy to get a stiff neck.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

...and headache, nerve problems, the cat to hate you, etc.

Admiral, you are really getting better at it, and I am waiting to see it done.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Guess what I got today? Not one, but two replacement bussard domes from Round 2! That's great service! Now there are no obstacles to finishing this bird. Woohoo!


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Woohoo is right! At less than 10 days for delivery I'd say pretty quick as well.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Trekkriffic said:


> Guess what I got today? Not one, but two replacement bussard domes from Round 2! That's great service! Now there are no obstacles to finishing this bird. Woohoo!


That is good news. Qapla'! :tongue:wrong bad guys.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Short update...

Now that I had the replacement outer dome for the second nacelle I set about stretching some clear plastic packaging to make the inner domes for the "spokes" to be applied to...

The thin plastic was heated with a heat gun then quickly stretched over the round end of a paintbrush handle to make the domes that will fit inside the kit provided bussard domes:

Stretching Clear Plastic to Make Inner Bussard Domes by trekriffic, on Flickr

Clear Plastic Dome by trekriffic, on Flickr

After cooling, the dome was cut from the plastic tray. Eight thin pointed strips of adhesive backed aluminum mylar were then laid around the perimeter spaced evenly to create the spokes. 
After that the dome was slid inside the kit dome which had been brushed with Floquil Flat Base the night before. This gave the bussard a nice even glow. The spokes really turned out nice I think:

Bussard Dome Lit with Inner Dome in Place by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bussard Domes Finished and Lit Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

After this light test the domes were removed and placed in a ziplock bag to protect them until I'm ready to glue them to the front of the nacelles near the end of the build.

Moving along I took a photocopy of the decal sheet and cut out the lower raptor decal. The double-side scotch tape was applied to the underside along the rear feathers:

Bird Masking Template by trekriffic, on Flickr

The raptor mask, now sticky with tape on the back, was positioned on the lower hull. Once I am sure the edges are well sealed I'll mix up a batch of the lower hull color, add a little white to it, and airbrush the aft underside of the ship and wings to give it some contrast with the area of the lower hull and wings forward of the raptor decal:

Bird Mask Appled to Lower Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

These are the colors I'll be thinning and airbrushing for the final hull coats:

Hull Colors by trekriffic, on Flickr

Paints for Final Hull Coats by trekriffic, on Flickr

Mix ratios will vary. My goal is for the upper hull to appear darker in value than the lower hull with the lower stern of the ship even lighter than the front.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

The light test looks excellent!


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Very cool bit of progress here. Love those spokes in the bussards. That's a cleaver method to make them.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Hagoth said:


> That's a cleaver method to make them.


Actually I used an exacto knife not a cleaver to make them but thank you.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

At that scale an exacto knife IS a cleaver. 

Clever.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Today I airbrushed the underside...

The area aft of the feathers was airbrushed after masking with a 50/50 mix of Light Sea Gray and Dark Ghost Grey. To this mix was added an equal amount of Testors Flat White. Model Master Gloss Clear was then added for more transparency. This was then thinned with airbrush thinner to the consistency of milk before spraying:

Underside of Stern Airbrushed by trekriffic, on Flickr

After allowing a half hour to dry the raptor mask was carefully peeled off the underside. Some of the Hellblau paint layer stuck to the tape but that was of no concern since it would eventually be covered by the raptor decal:

Masking Template Removal by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here's the aft area after mask removal. The painted area appears more white in this photo than it actually is. Basically it's a very light neutral gray color. 

Aft Underside After Mask Removal by trekriffic, on Flickr

After reapplying the mask the area forward of the raptor was airbrushed with the 50/50 Light Sea Gray and Dark Ghost Gray mix to which an equal amount of Model Master gloss clear enamel was added. No white was added this time though since I wanted it to be darker than the stern:

Forward Area Airbrushed on Underside by trekriffic, on Flickr

You'll notice I didn't airbrush the area that will be under the raptor decal; I wanted to leave the aztecing more pronounced there in the hopes some of it might show after applying the decal. 

Soooooooo.... I'll let this dry overnite before airbrushing the top tomorrow. 
Then I might go back with sanding films to smooth the finish and reveal a little more of the aztecing before sealing with Glosscote. 
Once that's dry I'll poke out the windows and sensor ports that got clogged with paint so I can install fiber strands for lighting. 
Then it wil be time for decaling this bird.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

This is impressive.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

So, over the weekend, I tried lightly sanding the top layer of paint fore and aft on the underside but it looked like crap; I really didn't like how the final paint coats was covering over all of my aztecing so... I tried wiping it off with thinner to start over but, as I was afraid of, it took off the underlying aztecing too so... I ended up repainting the aztec over the entire underside of the ship using what was still visible underneath as a guide when possible. Only took about 3 hours to do. Now I will apply an even thinner layer of the Hellblau mix to match the hull color currently on top. Then I'll try some thinner layers of the final two colors underneath once the Hellbalu dries. That should allow more of the aztecing to show thru. Ooooophda! This little ship is killing my neck and shoulders!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Please be more careful, I want to see it finished.


If you do decide to throw it at a wall, can I do it? I'm good at throwing models, and blowing them up, too!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Well after the light coat of Hellblau mixed with Flat Base was good and dry I airbrushed more of my final colors fore and aft. The only difference this time was adding Flat Base and just a little Hellblau to the mix before thinning with airbrush thinner. I am much more pleased with the results the second time around:

Stern Underside Redone by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bow Underside Redone by trekriffic, on Flickr

Second Try by trekriffic, on Flickr

The aztecing is subtle still but clearly visible from less than 4 feet away. Beyond that and the main impression is of a grey hull which is what I was shooting for.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I mixed the following enamels for the upper hull and nacelles:
40% Gunship Grey
30% Light Ghost Grey
20% Hellblau
10% Flat White

After mixing in about the same amount of Flat Base I set to work with the airbrush:

Stern Upper Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bow Upper Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

The effect is very subtle, the paneling is only visible from about 3 feet away. Once the paint is fully cured I'll give her a light going over with polishing film before applying the Glosscote.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Nice recovery! I like how that is looking.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I like it better now, not over powering Aztec pattern, just a hint.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Lloyd Collins said:


> I like it better now, not over powering Aztec pattern, just a hint.


Thanks! It gives the hull some texture. More than being just a featureless gray expanse.


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## pagni (Mar 20, 1999)

The DST version is coming out in October....12 inch wing span.
and yes, it's accurate. This is what we should have received.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

That really makes it pop. Excellent job and brilliant idea!

I've always had a problem with those darn 'portholes'. They just seem so clunky and out of place. I finally resolved the issue by assuming they're actually somehow connected to the cloak, either emitters or cooling vents for the energy pathways or something. I'm sure I'm not the first to have considered that.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

You guys are going to think I'm nuts but I still wasn't quite happy with the aztecing so... I went ahead and did a third round of handbrushed aztecing this time using copper instead of gold for some of the panles. I also used two shades of light and dark grey along with metallic silver. Afterward I airbrushed a new mix of Neutral Grey, Navy Blue, Gunship Grey, and Ghost Grey. Mixed that with some Floquil Flat Base and thinned to taste. Afterward I was finally satisfied. The silver panels really show up nicely when you tilt the hull at various angles to the light: 

Hull After Third Round of Aztecing by trekriffic, on Flickr

Hull with Silver Panels Visible thru Overcoat of Grey by trekriffic, on Flickr

After drying overnight I started in on the fiberoptic installation...

Fiber Optic Strand by trekriffic, on Flickr

With the fiber still on the spool I carefully heated the end of the strand using a BIC lighter. The fiber bloomed into a tiny bulb:

Blooming the Ends by trekriffic, on Flickr

The strand was cut to length and dipped in clear parts cement:

Clear Parts Cement by trekriffic, on Flickr

Using tweezers I placed the fiber strand into the hole I'd drilled out for each window and sensor port:

Placing Strand in Sensor Ports by trekriffic, on Flickr

The flat end of a microbrush was handy for pushing the fiber optic bulb on the end of the strand into the hole. The fiber was a little undersized for the hole but the bulb was just the right size for pressing into the opening so the fiber was flush to the frame:

Pushing the Strand Flush with a Microbrush Handle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Any glue residue was cleaned up with a moistened brush:

Cleanup by trekriffic, on Flickr

Continued...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Here's some eye candy with the lights on after I finished installing all the fibers:

Light Test after Fiber Installation by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bow Lights by trekriffic, on Flickr

Light Test Complete by trekriffic, on Flickr

I'll give the enamel paint another day to cure before I hit her with a few coats of Glosscote before applying the decals.


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## Proper2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Wow! Holy lighted Bird of Prey! Beautiful!


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## pagni (Mar 20, 1999)

I think this is the definition of turning a sow's ear into a silk purse. 
amazing work !:thumbsup:


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

When you are happy with your work it just means that it will be great looking for the rest of us. The results so far do not disappoint. That looks awesome.

The details on how you accomplished this are much appreciated.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

The Aztec turned out just right! The lights look amazing! Keep up your awesome work, Admiral!


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## ecs05norway (Mar 19, 2016)

Wow. That is seriously awesome.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Today was decal day! 

Got all my tools and decal setting solutions out and organized:

Decaling Tools by trekriffic, on Flickr

Decal Setting Solutions by trekriffic, on Flickr

Did the upper hull and wing decals first. One decal on the tail fin broke in two as did one of the scalloped decals on one of the wings but I was able to match the edges up precisely so you can't even see where the breaks occurred:

Upper Hull and Wing Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

The big BOP decal that always makes me nervous was successfully applied. Having it printed in three sections really was a stroke of genius on the part of Round 2. It makes it a lot easier to apply the decal without wrinkling and tearing it; it also makes it much easier to squeeze out any trapped water. I took the advice from the instructions and cut the nacelle parts of the wing decal loose too to apply them last:

Lower Hull Bord-of-Prey Decal by trekriffic, on Flickr

One problem with the thin decal material was fragility. There were some places where the edges of the decal fragmented. Such as this area here:

Decal Fragmentation by trekriffic, on Flickr

I resolved to repair the boo-boos using a sheet of old military aircraft decals I keep in my stash for things such as this:

Using Spare Decals for Repairs by trekriffic, on Flickr

Piece of Black Decal Material by trekriffic, on Flickr

Applying Spare Decal Material to the Model by trekriffic, on Flickr

Cont'd...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

The repaired decal:

Completed Reapair by trekriffic, on Flickr

This big feather was missing its tip:

Feather Missing it's Tip by trekriffic, on Flickr

A new tip was overlayed and covered iwth a coat of liquid decal film. All the repairs were brushed with Micro SOL followed by a brushing of liquid decal film:

Repairing the Feather Tip by trekriffic, on Flickr

The reapaired tip:

Reapaired Feather Tip by trekriffic, on Flickr

Another featehr was missing achunk from the side of it:

Another Feather to Repair by trekriffic, on Flickr

A short piece of spare black decal was laid on. looks good enough for government work eh? 

Feather After Repair by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here's a famous angle of the BoP from Balance of Terror to wet your appetites:

Famous Angle from Balance of Terror by trekriffic, on Flickr


Oh one other thing I did was add this mounting point to the port aft end of the ship:

Port Mounting Hole by trekriffic, on Flickr

That's all for now. I'll let the decals dry overnight and seal them tomorrow with more gloss clear. Then she'll get a coat of matte flat before I go in with some pastel chalks. 

Stay tuned my fellow centurions!


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

Those decals really make that thing come alive. Fantastic work all around.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Very nice decal application. Looking sweet!

That is great skill with the fixes. I've logged that tip for future use.


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Really looking nice!

Guess I'll be extra careful when I do my decals, after doing the 1:1000 refit I don't want to see another decal for a while, but at this point I'm still deciding what color to point my BOP. Some kind of grey metallic, somewhere between chrome and titanium maybe? I'll have to get a few bottles of chrome and experiment with adding a tiny amount of black at a time.

Also have an idea to put crinkled up aluminum foil behind the clear domes for a different type of bussard collector.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I gave the bird a rubbing with gunmetal and silver Tamiya pastels last night over the Dullcote. 
Very light, subtle weathering overall to make her look a little used. 
Then I went back in with "soot" around the wing mounted torpedo ports and main plasma emitter to add some weapons residue. 
Once I'm satisfied I'll seal with one more shot of Dullcote and glue the bussard domes in place. 
At that point she'll be finished. 
Then I will set up for photos.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Small udpate...

After applying Tamiya pastel chalks for some minor weathering I sealed with Dullcote. Still need to attach the bussard domes and unmask the rear of the nacelles. I also made an arm with a power plug at the tip for use during photography sessions.

Just a little exhaust soot on the wings from firing her atomic missiles:

Weathering on Wing by trekriffic, on Flickr

Same for the plasma torpedo emitter on the bow:

Plasma Torpedo Emitter Scoring Under Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

Weathering on Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

Arm for photography which I need to cover with black velvet for shooting against my black velvet backdrop for "space" shots:

Photography Arm by trekriffic, on Flickr

The long arm plugged into the back of the BOP:

BOP on Photography Arm by trekriffic, on Flickr

You may note in these photos an unfortunate casualty of applying two coats of gloss for decaling and a few more coats of matte for weathering and sealing was the loss of the reflectivity of the paneling under the final grey layer which I really liked. I don't know if using a frisket with rectangles cut out to use in brushing on some Future would look as good or not. The nice thing about the subtle silver panels under the overlying grey color was just that, it was underneath not on top which would be the case if I added some paneling back using Future. Also the Future would not be nearly as subtle. I'll have to think about that; the paneling is still discernible however muted it may be.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Well using Future to restore some of the paneling effect worked the trick. After brush painting panels all over the ship I thought the glossiness was a bit too strong so I sanded lightly with a fine grade polishing film (something finer than 600 grit) to take some of the shine off. Then I oversprayed with Dullcote. It turned out really well. The panels still glint when holding the model at an angle under a light but when looked at straight on in medium room light they are almost invisible. All in all I am quite pleased with the results. It's nice and subtle; I think light sanding and overspraying with a matte finish really kept the glossy Future panels from being too strong.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Steve,

Your work here as well as your other modeling projects are so inspiring 
I only wish I had at least 1/2 the talent & $$$ as well as _time_ to show for it.
*GREAT WORK* as always.:thumbsup:
-Jim G.G.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Looking awesome! Really looking forward to your final display shots.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks guys but...

Hearken now to my tale of unbalanced terror...

Had a fairly traumatic accident with my wee birdie this morning. I was futtzing around with ideas for the bussards with the ship plugged into the base and the lights turned on. I was so involved I forgot about the power cord dangling over the edge of the workbench near my left foot which I had crossed over my right knee. Well I went to uncross my legs and my foot caught the power cord and yanked the model and it's base right off the table! It crashed to my left on the concrete floor of my garage with the bird taking the brunt of the impact as it landed upside down on the nacelles. 

AIEEEEEE! WHAT HAD I DONE!!!??? 

With a sick heart I bent and picked her up; the bussard dome I had temporarily put in place had flown off the nacelle due to the shock of the impact. It was somewhere on the floor probably underneath the Camry. Putting the bird back on the table I went looking for the dome; after a few wasted minutes I backed the car out of the garage (making sure the dome was not behind the tires or anywhere where the tires could roll over it) I found it, it had landed about 6 feet away dead center under where of the car had been. It was undamaged fortunately as was the base. The bird though had some minor cracking of the putty at the root of the port wing and some spots on the tops of the nacelles near the front where the paint has rubbed off on the concrete. Some of the bottom layer of lacquer paint had chipped off in a few spots at the stern adjacent to where the wing putty had cracked and the bird bird decal had a couple of small rips where it covered the root of the port wing but other than that she was unharmed. I was able to fix the decal tears using clear parts cement gently brushed under the ripped edges which worked really well. No tears are visible at all. The cracked putty joints were filled with AVES Apoxy Sculpt and allowed to dry for an hour afterwhich I went back and smoothed the mostly cured putty out a bit more. Little or no sanding was needed after that. Later I took what remained of my custom paint mixes and touched up the tops of the nacelles, the wing joint, and the underside near the stern where the paint had cracked off. AVES worked well to even out the layers of paint so you can't see any divots after painting over the damage. All in all I was very lucky. Once the paint dries I'll give the repaired spots a quick once over with sanding films to smooth any uneveness out before spraying her with Dullcote so the finish all matches again.
So now I can breathe again...barely...


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Oh man! So sorry to hear about your brush with disaster. Just about gave ME a heart attack reading about it. Sounds like you are on the road to recovery. :freak:

In the end my previous comment remains unchanged and unretracted. :thumbsup:


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Ugh! Sorry to hear about the damages. Looks like u have a great repair underway.


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## Proper2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Oh, man, I can just imagine the horror that you must've felt at that crashing sound, Steve! It doesn't surprise me though that if anybody could salvage her, it's you.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks for your confidence guys. If there is one thing I've found it's that correcting modelling mistakes and making repairs is what separates the men from the boys in this hobby. I mean, really, if there was a school for modellers it would have to devote at least one semester to how to recover from mistakes, accidents, and screwups. 
Anyway, moving along...

The bird underwent successful repairs in spacedock and, as is usually the case when a model is subjected to even closer scrutiny than before a debacle such as the one I had with the neutron star that is my garage floor, I was able to correct a few other minor imperfections unrelated to the accident. 

Here she is hanging in my makeshift paint booth after a shot of Dullcote:

The Bird Hanging after Spraying with Dullcote by trekriffic, on Flickr

She looks great, even better than before IIDSSM. 
Later on I'll re-weather the areas that were touched up before restoring the Future aztec panels. 
Then she'll get her final coat of Dullcote. Heck, before that, I may even add a whole 'nuther layer of Future aztecs but mix it with some Tamiya flat base this time so they are more semi-gloss for a slight contract with the glossy panels.

Switching gears, I also covered my photography arm with black velvet and soldered the wires from the plug to a size M power jack:

Photography Arm Ready to Go by trekriffic, on Flickr

Anyway, it's time for now for some eye candy...

I mentioned before that I was futtzing around with the bussard domes on Friday; I was trying to do something really spectacular and I think I may have succeeded. 

You'll all recall I had made a set of domes to nest inside the lit domes that had strips of adhesive backed mylar foil attached to them to simulate fan blades. 
They looked like this with the domes lit up: 

Bussard Dome Lit with Inner Dome in Place by trekriffic, on Flickr

Well they looked alright but I had seen something on another forum once where someone did something a little different with the bussards on an TOS Enterprise model. 
In a moment of crystal clarity I ended up ditching the fan blade inner domes for something that ended up looking like this:

New Bussard Dome Lighting by trekriffic, on Flickr

A better view with the lights down:

New Bussard Dome Effect by trekriffic, on Flickr

So can anyone guess how I came up with the final effect? There's a one word hint included in this posting if you can find it.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Put a crystal between the light and the dome?

Looks awesome!


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

You certainly have become an artistic inspiration to me from this,when I
get my own 1/1000 scale TOS Romulan BOP kit,I am certainly going to
implement my own quality of work in it.I have been keeping close eye
on your progress in building it.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Hagoth said:


> Put a crystal between the light and the dome?
> 
> Looks awesome!


Right! You nailed it. Give that man a mug of Romulan Ale!

I found these crystals at _Michaels_:

Components for New Bussard Dome Effect by trekriffic, on Flickr

First I had to grind the round tip of the LED down flat using my dremel to make room for the crystal under the dome:

Blue LED after Grinding Down by trekriffic, on Flickr

Light test after grinding:

Ble LED Lit after Grinding Down by trekriffic, on Flickr

The crystall was glued to a short length of clear tubing sliced off a paintbrush protective sleeve and then glued over the LED with CA:

Crystal Glued in Over LED by trekriffic, on Flickr

I have to say I really like the new effect.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

So I weathered the repaired spots on Sunday and found a crack I'd missed when doing my repairs. This one was the worst actually as it cut right across the bird decal on the outboard side where the wing meets the starboard nacelle. I ended up having to scrape away the cracked decal/putty then apply some Perfect Plastic Putty to repair the joint. After using a narrow sanding stick to smooth everything out (not much sanding was needed as the PPP went on real smooth) I mixed up some red and yellow enamel to match the color of the decal and repainted the repair zone. Tricky work that was. Once the paint was dry I sanded lightly with fine grit sanding film to smooth and feather the paint into the rest of the decal. Then I cut some more black decal material from my stash and laid in new black strips to restore the borders of the feathers. Solvaset was brushed on later to set the decals on tight afterwhich I applied some liquid decal film to seal everything. After spraying with more Dullcote I reweathered the repair to match the weathering on the opposite wing/nacelle joint and sealed with a final coat of Dullcote. So she's FINALLY finished! 

Oh, before I forget, here's a fun story...

While working on the bussard domes on Sunday I dropped one of the domes on the floor. It was right at my feet so I didn't expect there to be a problem finding it on the concrete floor but... after 5 minutes it was nowhere to be found. This was actually the second replacement dome I had worked with as one of the two domes Round2 has sent me for replacement of the cracked kit dome had also cracked so I had no more replacement domes. Scratching my head I started searching over a slowly expanding area thinking perhaps it had landed just right and rolled on its edge. I even backed the car out in case it had rolled under it. No good. Feeling desperate, I broke out the broom and swept every corner of the garage. Again, no luck. This was driving me NUTS! I mean, IT HAD TO BE SOMEWHERE ON THE FLOOR RIGHT!!??? Finally I decided to take a shower and let my frustration ebb before making one more attempt at locating the elusive bussard dome. As I toweled dry I uttered a small prayer to the modelling gods for direction when an idea popped into my head that the part had to have bounced and ended up somewhere above the floor. So I went back out and grabbed the blue plastic recycle bins that nest together adjacent to where I had dropped the part and banged them sharply on the floor. Just like that the dome popped free and bounded to the floor next to my foot. It must have gotten lodged underneath the lip of one of the bins, something that I could probably never do if I tried to do it on purpose of course. Anyway, flooded with relief, I carefully picked the dome up and placed it in a plastic bag for safekeeping; later on I glued it and it's mate to the front of the nacelles, Dullcoted them, then gave them both a good rub with light gunmetal pastel chalk before sealing with a final shot of Dullcote. They look pretty awesome with a pearlescent sheen and I no longer have to worry about them trying to escape... at least I hope I don't...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Couldn't resist. Here are some quick pics of the finished ship on my workbench.

Finished by trekriffic, on Flickr

Finished by trekriffic, on Flickr

Finished by trekriffic, on Flickr

Lots more to come!


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## Proper2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Wow, that looks amazing! Definitely much greater than the sum of its parts!


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## edge10 (Oct 19, 2013)

I wasn't a fan of the early aztecing look but you found a way.

Very nice as always.

That said, in the bow shot above, the torpedo launcher looks like it is out of alignment with the hull.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

edge10 said:


> That said, in the bow shot above, the torpedo launcher looks like it is out of alignment with the hull.


Oh man you got a good eye edge. I took a real close look and you were right. It was tilted just a knat's eyebrow's width to the left. I managed to straighten it out by gripping it ever so gently with a pair of flat jawed needle nose pliers and twisting ever so slightly to the right. Now it's straight. Had to touch up a little of the pastel chalk in one spot but that was all. Then I handbrushed the emmitter with some clear flat lacquer from the bottle to seal the deal. 

Anyway, I should have more and better pics taken over the weekend. 
Thanks for the comments!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I'll start taking photos tomorrow. In the meantime, I thought you guys might like to see the square brass mounting tube I'll be using for some of the photos. It inserts into a square brass tube I mounted in the aft of the ship on the port side just for taking photos from the stern angle. 

Brass Arm Inserted by trekriffic, on Flickr

Brass Display Arm by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Took 75 pics Sunday. Here's a couple in recognizable poses from "Balance of Terror"...

Romulan Bird of Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan Bird of Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr

More to come...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Here are the finished pics guys!

IMG_0740 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0741 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0742 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0743 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0744 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0745 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0748 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0749 by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

IMG_0750 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0752 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0755 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0756 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0759 by trekriffic, on Flickr

Lit pics!

IMG_0760 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0761 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0763 by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

IMG_0764 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0766 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0767 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0772 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0775 by trekriffic, on Flickr

Shuttle Bay!

IMG_0776 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0777 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0784 by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

IMG_0787 by trekriffic, on Flickr

Last of the stand pics...

IMG_0788 by trekriffic, on Flickr

And the requisite directly above and below shots...

IMG_0792 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0789 by trekriffic, on Flickr

To see this model in action versus the Enterprise visit my Balance of Error thread here:
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=524218


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

Absolutely gorgeous!


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## WOI (Jun 28, 2012)

You have made a real modeling work of art with this 1/1000 kit!
you wouldn't happen to still have the template patterns that you 
used to carve the patterns on the hull for it do you?


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

WOI said:


> You have made a real modeling work of art with this 1/1000 kit!
> you wouldn't happen to still have the template patterns that you
> used to carve the patterns on the hull for it do you?


You mean the panel lines? I didn't use any templates. Just drew the lines on in pencil using a compass and protractor then scribed them using either a metal 6" ruler or a piece of Evergreen strip along with a Squadron scribing tool for the straight lines and a compass with a sharp metal tip to scribe the semi-circles. I also used Dymo labeling tape as a scribing guide in some spots.

Go to page 4 starting at post 53 in this thread for more information about that.


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## Hagoth (Mar 12, 2015)

Awesome final shots there. This little ship really turned out nice.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

A few space shots...

Romulan Bird of Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr

Romulan Bird of Prey by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0806 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0811 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0821 by trekriffic, on Flickr

You can see some of the aztec panels reflecting in these next two shots....

IMG_0849 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0856 by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Low Light images...

IMG_0883 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_0885 by trekriffic, on Flickr

More with the lights on...

IMG_0892 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_1001 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_1019 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_1037 by trekriffic, on Flickr

IMG_1044 by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Gotta wonder about the soot around the Plasma Weapon emitter. This isn't a black powder cannon, it's a high-energy plasma cannon, and there are no combustion residues to stain the panelling...


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## MartyS (Mar 11, 2014)

Space dust and debris on the emitter sublimating and spreading out due to the intense heat of the plasma ball? Also the plasma must be made of something, plasma is a state of matter, not a thing by itself...


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

MartyS said:


> Space dust and debris on the emitter sublimating and spreading out due to the intense heat of the plasma ball? Also the plasma must be made of something, plasma is a state of matter, not a thing by itself...


I couldn't have put it better myself. There is such a thing as radiant heat in space as well. Think of the heat of a small sun emerging from the bow of the ship, it can scorch the paint. Also, even if the BOP had deflector shields, a big if, they may have only offered protection against energy weapons and done nothing to protect against thermal radiation.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

The model and photos turned out just great! You should be proud!


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

*Another GREAT build Steve!!!:thumbsup:*
-Jim G.G.


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## larskseme (Sep 2, 2014)

It is amazing what you can do with these small scale ones! Just stunning!


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks a lot guys! She was a labor of love for this old original trekker.


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