# Polar Lights Refit Enterprise Being Attempted By Complete And Utter Novice !!!



## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Hi. First time modeller here who has splashed out on the Polar Lights as my first project. Anyone who tells me I'm doing it for me and not my 7 month old son....well, they may be a little bit right! Have I taken on too much with such a large kit as a 1st timer? Searching the net has brought up so much information regarding accurizing, aztec paint, colour schemes etc I feel way out of my depth. And what tools and materials will I need?! Also, I would very much like to hang the completed model from the ceiling in my Son's room (see, it IS for him!) and possibly have it lit. Can it be hung or will it need to be strengthened beforehand? Thanks all in advance! Regards, Falken


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## justinleighty (Jan 13, 2003)

Falken, welcome to the board and to the hobby!

To do a basic build, you just need paint and glue (you can get the Testor's liquid cement, which is the most common and simplest approach, though you can also use super-type glue, a.k.a. cyanoacrylate, or two-part epoxy glue).

From what I've gathered, consensus seems to be that the kit is pretty tightly engineered when it's all put together. That means it should be easy enough to hang from the ceiling.

You can go as detailed as you wish with the paint job, or just do a basic paint job. It's all a matter of what you feel comfortable with. Frankly, you can drive yourself insane with this model, so for a first attempt, I'd recommend just doing a basic paint job.

While you're in the process, feel free to ask around here when you run into specific questions/problems. There's a ton of experience around here!


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## Ruckdog (Jan 17, 2006)

Good luck! I've been working on one of my own the last couple of months. I've started a thread about it and posted links to the website I've devoted to her progress:http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=146939

Hopefully something there will be helpful!


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## Flux Chiller (May 2, 2005)

Hi Falken, 

For the overall base paint job, make life easy for yourself and get some spray cans from Halfords for priming (I recommend a grey undercoat primer, and they also do a thick yellow filler primer which is excellent when you are filling seams with P38 car body filler) and for the top coat use a white primer, that will be smooth enough, and gives an overall white/grey finish if you apply it in thin coats over the base grey. Do not waste your time trying to hand paint the overall colour.

Then detail paint all the other bits and pieces by hand or airbrush

There are lots of links on the site, have a dig into some of the painting guides. Use Tamiya acrylics as these are available very readily in UK. Worth investing in an airbrush and lots of Tamiya masking tape if you really want to attack the thing. Cheap airbrushes can be bought quite readily, but the best ones are Paasche and Iwata if you have spare cash. Ask if you need advice.


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

Not a bad choice for a first kit. Parts are large and well engineered. Much better than the old original Enterprise from AMT that I cut my spacecraft modelling teeth on. ( Ah....memories of blue plastic and orange-smelling glue come flooding back...)

If you choose not to go with the excellent recommended advice above, I have an alternate, though possibly 'sacreligious' suggestion: Leave the base plastic as is and get yourself some Testor's paint markers. You can make the basic 'Aztec' using the base color and alternating panels with the Testors' White.

Right now, your biggest focus should be on fitting and assembly. More advanced finishing will come in time.

This is not to say don't try to get the best look you can... Simply...no matter which avenue you choose, please be sure to test any technique on a piece of scrap first to see if it will work or if you'll like the effect.

On assembly, test fit subassemblies first to see how they go together and to get familar with their placement. If you're using regular tube glue, go easy on it. Just put a small drop on places like locator pins and then tape the parts together with small pieces of tape if you don't have clamps...or you can use rubber bands to hold some things together until the glue does its job.

Don't get wild taking small parts off the sprues ( runners ) until you need them. Cut ALL parts off carefully with either small scissors or nail clippers. You DON'T want to twist and pull. Odds are you'll leave more of the part on the sprue than more of the sprue on the part!

Good luck and please keep us all posted! :wave:


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

I wouldn't do any aztecking -- just spray the thing an overall white or pale gray, with maybe some detail painting here and there if you like. Build this one solid and simple to feel the satisfaction of finishing a nice big build.


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

I had fun with the aztecing. There are great templates out there by Aztec Dummies and Arthur Pendragon. The aztecing is a laborous task. One that will add scale and beauty to the ship. 

My build
http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b391/Raist3001/?sc=1&multi=5

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. There is a great bunch of folks here that go above and beyond in the help department.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

*Cheers !*

Thank you for your friendly reply. Whilst I'm at it, I may as well confess to being a discussion/forum/blog virgin as well. Cheers for the confidence boost and I'll let you know how I get on. Regards, Falken.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Thank you for your friendly reply. And wow! So much info and UK specific also. Thanks so much. Whilst I'm at it, I may as well confess to being a discussion/forum/blog virgin as well. Cheers for the confidence boost and I'll let you know how I get on. Regards, Falken.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Thank you for your friendly reply. Your site looks good and very informative as well. The finest compliment is copying! Whilst I'm at it, I may as well confess to being a discussion/forum/blog virgin as well. Cheers for the confidence boost and I'll let you know how I get on. Regards, Falken.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Thank you for your friendly reply. So much information. My confidence is much better now. Thanks again. Whilst I'm at it, I may as well confess to being a discussion/forum/blog virgin as well! Cheers for the confidence boost and I'll let you know how I get on. Regards, Falken.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Thank you for your friendly reply. Whilst I'm at it, I may as well confess to being a discussion/forum/blog virgin as well. Cheers for the confidence boost and I'll let you know how I get on. Regards, Falken.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

WOW. So many replies! Thank you so much for your friendly reply. Whilst I'm at it, I may as well confess to being a discussion/forum/blog virgin as well! Cheers for the confidence boost and I'll let you know how I get on. Regards, Falken.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Falken! Cut it out, dude! All of us can read every reply! It doesn't go to just one person! Just reply once, putting any user-specific comments into that reply! Please!  Then when somebody says something different, if you have something new to say, feel free to post a reply to the board.

Now then ... good luck with the kit. We've all been novices, and the thing is to build and learn. Build and learn. There can be no refinement without repetition. Onward! And feel free to post ...


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Welcome to the forum Mr. Falken. :thumbsup:


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

DOH!!!


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

I think that the fellow explained that he was new to using the forums as well. Let's give him a break and he'll figure it out.


Welcome, Falken!


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

A sense of humor is definitely required.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Hence the use of "dude", and the encouragement that followed.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

Greetings Professor Falken.

If you do light the model, paint the inside black. 
This will help block the light from bleeding through the styrene.
(It's kind of thin.)

You may want to use Light Emitting Diodes (L.E.D.s). They 
are small, cool to the touch when lit, and use little power. 
A couple soldered wires, some batteries, and you have a lit model! :thumbsup:


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Welcome! I'm coming out of "lurk" mode to say that I too am a relative novice buiilder who is just getting underway with my PL 350 Enterprise. 

I bought the model two months ago and have spent that time gawking at this and other forums to see the beautiful jobs that people are doing. I'm interested to read how many people are so intimidated by the possibilities of what they can do with this kit that they have left it sitting in the box for more than a year. This week I decided it was time to start!!

Here are a few lessons I have learned already:
(1) Figure out how far you want to take the model in terms of detail before you start building.

(2) If you want to light it, pick a technology and stick with it. In the past two months, I would see something that I liked, buy the parts, and then see something else that might work better. Now I have many LEDs and CCFL lights, half of which I will not use for this kit. (Perhaps I should start a second one to build in parallel?)

(3) Be aware that the basic kit is probably going to be the least expensive thing you will purchase as part of this if you decide to make it prettier! The $50 kit...then $70 worth of paint...then an airbrush...then a compressor...now the parts to make a cheap spraying booth...$50 worth of LEDs...$30 worth of CCFLs...$50 for the Aztec Dummy kit...$25 for a "wall wart" transformer power supply...$15 for parts to make a dual-voltage regulated supply... It can get out of hand very quickly. 

Falken, let's start a "B Level" Enterprise builders' league! We can post pictures of what "mere mortals" can do with this kit as opposed to our more highly-experienced brethren. I'm sure you will build a beautiful model no matter what route you take. The main thing is just to enjoy the opportunity to build something with your hands!!!

I'll post a photo of my arboretum tomorrow, as well as a picture of the power supply I built for operating the LEDs and CCFLs.


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

Welcome, Ilbasso!


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Ooops. Told you I was new to this Forum/Thread/Blog/Chat stuff. My apologies. And thanks Ilbasso: A Group B sounds just fine to me. The lighting I may well leave for this time and I'm not even considering getting an airbrush; cans and a steady hand will have to suffice. But now I understand what it means, I really want to attempt some form of aztec effect. I take it one paints the thing before assembly? Cheers all, Falken.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

From what others are saying, they recommend assembling the model before exterior painting. Apparently there are some gaps where the big pieces join that may require filling and sanding. If you paint it first, you'll have to do some of your painting a second time near the joins. I haven't checked this out myself.

Another lesson learned: be very careful with the decal sheet! I am colorblind, and I did not see several of the small white decals until I was just about to cut the sheet to get to some of the cargo bay decals. Luckily, I saw them glint in the light as I was bringing the sheet closer to my eyes before cutting into it. You'll need some very sharp scissors to cut around some of the small decals.


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Cheers Mr Ilbasso. What's that name mean by the way? I've been Falken on the web for years now; I took it from 'Professor Falken' from the film "Wargames", in case you were wondering. What you say above makes sense; I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and crack on! Have you modelled anything at all or are you a complete Newbie like myself? Maybe if I do ok at this, I'll splash out (for my Son!) on the Fine Molds Millenium Falcon. That looks a marvellous thing - 900+ parts apparantly. Yowzer. 
Cheers again. Falken.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

*Arboretum*

Here's my attempt at the Arborteum. 









At my local crafts store, I bought some MindCrafts Ground Cover-Green, Gravel, and Evergreen trees. (see http://mindcraftsprojects.com). Total cost was under $8. 

I painted the ponds with the specified Testors blue paint and let it dry. I poured a small amount of the 'gravel' into a plastic lid and rattled it a bit to sift the large particles from the small ones. I tried to use the smallest particles that I could since the big ones look like boulders at this scale. I put down small patches of rubber cement on the arboretum deck and smeared it around with a toothpick to match the contours. Then I sprinkled on the gravel over the glue. I did all the gravel first, then the grass. 

For the trees, I pulled the flocking off of the Evergreen trees and crumbled it between my fingers. I put a glob of glue over the molded-on trees on the arboretum and sprinkled on the tree bits. They weren't as fine as the gravel or grass, so they tended to clump and I had to use more glue than I thought necessary. Pushing them around with a toothpick was frustrating becuase the glue would stick to the toothpick and pull the flocking off the trees. I didn't use the fruit trees that came with the kit. The overall result doesn't look too bad!

Right after I took the picture, I picked up the assembly instruction sheel, forgetting that the arboretum was resting on top of it, and dropped the arboretum onto the kitchen floor. GRRR!!!! I needed to do a little touch-up, telling myself that this was actually a GOOD thing...they do shake tests on real space vehicles to ensure there are no loose parts rattling around before they button everything up again. I have subsequently dropped the arboretum YET AGAIN but nothing fell off if it. (Thinks: Must be more careful handling the big pieces!)


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

"Il Basso" - is a name I've used on the web for a while. I'm a classical singer in addition to all the other stuff I do. I sing bass with The Washington Chorus. Il Basso is basically Italian for "Mr. Bass Man."

I used to build models when I was a teenager. I took a hiatus for many years (okay, 30) and just this past year have been overwhelmed with nostalgia, midlife crises, etc and decided to take up modeling again. The technologies are so different now and there are so many more possibilities!!

Here are snaps of a few projects that I have worked on this Spring to get myself back into the hobby:

Monogram 1/48 scale "Tranquility Base" kit with some added scratchbuilt details. Dealing with all the Mylar foil on this was a major pain!
http://globaleffectiveness.com/lm1.jpg
http://globaleffectiveness.com/lm2.jpg

Buzz Aldrin at the foot of the Apollo 11 LM (using the Dragon Buzz Aldrin 1/6 scale figure and a scratchbuilt LM leg using PVC pipe, leftover Mylar from the previous project (save all your spare parts!!!), wooden dowels, and other materials):
http://home.comcast.net/~ilbasso/buzzproject.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~ilbasso/buzzplaque.jpg

Keep telling yourself you're doing this for your son if that makes it easier to justify!! I'm going to the beach next weekend with my brother. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm taking along a model kit for us to work on together, one that he first built back in 1963. Model building doesn't have to be a solitary hobby.

Cheers,
Jonathan


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## cinc2020 (May 10, 2004)

Good job on the arboretum, Jonathan. I look forward to your next installment!

I've been somewhat delayed on my end, but resumed last night. Sometimes my models just sit there, waiting for me to come back. When I do, it's with gusto...


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Love your display of the Dragon Buzz figure, I've been trying to find a good deal on one on @bay without much success to use in a similiar diorama.


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## mikephys (Mar 16, 2005)

Ditto on the Buzz Aldrin model. I didn't know that model even existed. Beautiful job!

Now, please show us more pictures of your refit progress! :thumbsup:


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## ArthurPendragon (Jan 4, 2004)

Falken said:


> Hi. First time modeller here who has splashed out on the Polar Lights as my first project. Anyone who tells me I'm doing it for me and not my 7 month old son....well, they may be a little bit right! Have I taken on too much with such a large kit as a 1st timer? Searching the net has brought up so much information regarding accurizing, aztec paint, colour schemes etc I feel way out of my depth. And what tools and materials will I need?! Also, I would very much like to hang the completed model from the ceiling in my Son's room (see, it IS for him!) and possibly have it lit. Can it be hung or will it need to be strengthened beforehand? Thanks all in advance! Regards, Falken


Feel free to take what you need:

http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/cz_mask.htm


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

Wow. Thanks. Have downloaded EVERYTHING! Went and got my first bits today; Glue, frisket-type paper, knife, sprue cutter, tweezers and am now Good To Go (TM Jodie Foster). So you're meant to start with this arborteum thing first then? Ok, but I don't intend to light this model - for now at least - so will it even be seen? And I really don't remember a garden in any of the movies. Why is there a garden? 
Also, I'm not too sure on the colours that PL suggest. They may be authentic to the studio model, but they look far too bright in the blues and greens on the ones I have seen. Especially in TMP, the ship looks metallic. Only in III did it look plasticky white. Am I committing heresy here? Any suggestions would be appreciated, although it will be a while before I start painting! 
Falken
Just because you're not paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

You could see the garden in the last shot of TMP, and it's been indicated in those tech books about the Enterprise, like Mr. Scott's guide. 

Heh -- don't take the PL colours as Gospel. If you search this forum, you'll find reams of text on the different colours of the movie Enterprise. We all have to make choices when choosing a look for the kit:
- which movie?
- which shot?
- onscreen or offscreen (e.g. Cloudster) look?
- how much of my life do I want to dedicate to this thing?

If you want it to match an image (still or movie), you'll probably have to mix paints. If you want a pearly TMP look, you can use flat white/pearl white, or a combination of pearly paints such as Pearl-Ex pigments or taxidermy paints to get the colours. Of course, it looks more like gray in the movie, so consider that if you want to match the movie. 
If you really want to do the aztec, I recommend the Aztek Dummy self-adhesive templates. Faster than frisket. If you want a more accurate aztec though, start with Arthur's grids and stare at the movie and cloudster shots to create a pattern for your own friskets.
Also, according to some, the TMP ship had a greenish section above the engineering hull, but later ships had more bluish colours there. But I'm rehashing a lot of stuff from these forums. According to Andrew Probert (one of the designers), this shows the accurate colours there for TMP. They may be a bit dark, but the _hue _ is supposed to be accurate.

In short, there's no one way to paint this thing. The miniature was mostly white (with pearly colours for TMP), but looked pale gray or silvery onscreen. It's your model, your choice. 

To get anything approaching the look of the miniature, you need to do a fair bit of work on your own, and if you're a novice, I can see your getting stuck at a number of points along the way (like me), and maybe never finishing this until your son goes off to college. I don't know. This is why I recommended painting the thing pale gray and doing a simple, clean, solid build, so you can have the satisfaction of finishing it, then going all anal on the next one. 

(by the way, sorry for jumping on you for the posting thing)


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## Flux Chiller (May 2, 2005)

I spent ages on the arboretum, but you can barely see anything through the windows. Also, the supplied trees look ridiculous. Paint it if you must, but without lighting it, it really is not worthwhile.

You have to remember that the PL colour instructions are based on shots of the model taken in 'natural' light. If you check out some of the making of commentaries where you catch a glimpse of the model just out of the crate, it looks very white. If you want it to look like it does on celluloid, use the spray cans and avoid completely over doing the white top coat. 

The opening shot pass from ST3 looked almost over-exposed, it always jarred with me. The shots later on in the film look far from plasticky with all that damage. Try knocking down the brightness on your TV a bit too, that helps make things more sinister!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

I had my first experience with Future this week and again it was a learning experience! I have not used Future before (even on floors), but I heard so many great things about it that I wanted to try it...especially given the cost savings over buying many cans of clear coat.

Anyway, what I learned was: If you intend to put Future over a large area, then the underlying surface MUST either be sanded smooth or spray painted. 

I brush-painted the cargo bay deck in the kit's recommended color. (I'm still a novice at airbrushing, and have not had any luck with airbrushing enamels so far, so that's why I went the brush route.) When I applied the Future over it, every brush stroke from the paint job stood out in agonizing detail. I removed the Future with window cleaner and sanded down the deck. Getting out all the brush strokes took the paint down to the underlying plastic in a few areas. So, I spraypainted the whole thing with a rattle can of gray primer. Not canon colors, but smooth...and it looks a lot better now with Future over it.

I bought a compressor on sale at Home Depot this weekend, $59. It will pay for itself in just a few cans of the airbrush propellant avoided! This Enterprise project is filling up my house!

Falken, you said you wanted to hang your Enterprise from the ceiling. Any thoughts about how you were going to do it? The thing must weigh several pounds when completed. I used to have the AMT Enterprise (and a Constellation [Doomsday Machine]) hanging from fishing line in my room when I was a teenager, but those were much smaller models.

Falken, where in Derbyshire do you live? I did some consulting work at Rolls-Royce's training facility in Derby a few years back. Very lovely countryside and wonderful people!
--Jonathan


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## Falken (Jul 5, 2006)

JEEZ LOO-EEZ! So much information and help. Thanks to all. I am not going to splash out on the Atzec Dummy kit; I can't justify the expense on my first build. I think it'll just be the case of experimenting with colours and then going for it. I can always paint over, again and again and again! The garden can go swing as I'm not going to light it. As for hanging it, I had thought of getting some form of high tensile wire and feeding it through as I build. Two on on the saucer and one near the shuttle bay doors would, with strengthening, suffice I thought. Good plan or bad plan? As my son is not yet 8 months old, it will have to be out of his reach for a few years! 
I live very close to Derby Ilbasso. Do the places Duffield and Allestree mean anything to you? That's where I run my business. Yep, beautiful people and gorgeous country. Great pubs and real ale also!
Thanks again to all. If any of you play online pool, check out flyordie.com. I can be found there at times, same name.
Cheers, Falken.


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## guartho (May 4, 2004)

Hey! I've been to Derbyshire. Long story short, we have friends in Belper. And..... he worked at Rolls-Royce. He's been retired for at least 10 years now though.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Quick update for tonight. Here's a fit check in the cargo bay area--nothing finished yet, just checking how the pieces will look together and to get an idea how it will look with the decals on the deck. Yes, I know I need to enlarge the deck holes so the turbolift tubes and walls will seat properly!!

I frosted the turbolift tubes and I need to add some vertical stripes. I may just do the stripes in the front since the back will be invisible to the human eye.









Falken, if you're going to hang up your model, you might decide just to glue the closed hangar bay doors onto the model and forget the innards. However, you can still experiment on the cargo bay as a separate project from your displayed kit to help build up your modeling prowess!

Also here: my homebrew power supply. Using spare parts from another project, I made this power supply with separate regulated +12V and +9V taps. The 12V supply will run the CCFLs I'm using for lighting the saucer and warp nacelles; the 9V supply is for the LEDs everywhere else. I'm driving it with a Radio Shack wall-wart 12V, 1500ma transformer. The Radio Shack transformer was actually putting out close to 16V!!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Powered up a test late last night of the circuits for the LED strobes, running lights, torp launcher, and nacelles. They weren't actually installed in anything, just sitting on my desktop...but I got chills when I turned out the room lights and started picturing what my Big E is gonna look like when it's fully lit!!! I hope I can do something that at least approaches the great work that so many of our builder brethren have posted on this forum.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Okay, here's an update. I have been working almost exclusively on the shuttle and cargo bay in the past month. I spent a week at the beach and took my LEDs, soldering iron, and cargo bay with me. I lighted the ceiling and also the turbolift shafts. After soldering together this Rube Goldberg lattice of LEDs, I found that 3 of them had burned out...must learn to watch for short circuits. All of these photos are lit using the LEDs in the ceiling. Also, please note that the walls and ceiling are still dry fit for now, so don't mind the gaps.

The "naked" cargo bay wasn't too exciting. That's why I decided to add some of the Arsenal 1/350 figures and the Pendragon add-on cargo bay bits. I didn't use the Pendragon workbees, since I had already painted the ones that came with the kit, but I did use his decals. Frustratingly, several of the decals shredded before I could get them off the paper. I worked around that by only putting the side windows on one side or the other of the workbees, since you can only see one side from the hangar bay opening anyway. I didn't bother with modifying the workbee bays...maybe next kit!

I used two of the Pendragon transfer pods. I built all four and used the two that came out cleanest. The one with Kirk and Scotty got the place of honor in the shuttle bay. The other is on the elevator and is pretty much invisible from the only viewing angles that will be available.









I was really happy with the way the cargo bay came out. The Pendragon cargo containers and the Arsenal figures really make the place come alive. I also put one of the workbees on the bay floor. Next model, maybe I'll suspend a workbee hovering with the cargo pallets like in STTMP. Here's a side view:









Finally, here's the only shot I could take that will simulate the best view from aft once everything is buttoned up.









FYI, I'm using a Canon A80 digital camera. I am using manual focus and the AF mode, so that I can manually set the f-stop to f8 to get the maximum possible depth of field. I'm also using a tripod. I like the way the shots came out! They make this seem like a very spacious room! I only wish there were a way to see the cargo bay better once the model is complete. Maybe put a fiber optic viewscope through one of the engineering docking ports...


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

I like seeing the forward bay brighter than the other bays (as you've done it), because it draws the eye into the scene. Looks good!


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## nx-o1troubles (Jul 20, 2006)

Dont know if this will help or not, or if its too late, but here is some advice for hanging it to the ceiling:

I had the eleven inch snap together original Enterprise, and was able to hang it by the bridge and the end of the nacelles. I know yours is different, but you should be able to follow the same principle. Just be sure to use a strong but not so conspicous string or line and just tack it to the ceiling. But use whatever precautions necessary to prevent it from falling...I tried hanging my bird of prey once, and it broke several times in spots that were hard to fix. Hope this helps!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Busy day!! I finished the cargo bay this evening. I toyed briefly with putting several different types of clear or translucent acetate "force fields" in the force field emitters between the elevator and the cargo bay, but I couldn't get an effect I liked. Would be nice to have a very clear and non-distorting window there with some tiny blue flecks to look like the energy emissions of the force field...maybe next time.

Had some minor heart stoppages as things came together. Trying to squeeze the roof on to prepare for cementing, a turbolift shaft snapped off and wiped out several of the Arsenal guys standing nearby. The roof fit in the cargo bay wasn't as clean as I was hoping, but the Mylar I am using for light blocking should cover the sins.

The detailing for both the arboretum and cargo bay assemblies is now *complete*.

I started the warp nacelle inserts this evening, too. I used Krako's technique of black Pactra tape on the raised grilles and purple food coloring/Future on the inside. I'll frost them tomorrow. 

Question for y'all on wiring LEDs: do you solder a resistor to every LED at the LED itself, or do you make mini boards with several resistors on them and then run wires from the resistors to the LEDs?

Have I told everyone lately how much I admire your work? This board is truly an inspiration and a fantastic learning tool!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Lots of progress today!!

I finished the wiring for the cargo bay. I added the thruster LEDs to the interior of the deflector dish and drilled out teeny holes so that the yellow light will shine through to the outside. 

I spent the bulk of the afternoon building the officers' lounge. Man, is that a tiny little thing! It was hard to believe I spent 4 hours on a 1-1/4" square little room. Although it's not up to the highest standards, I was pretty happy with the way it came out considering it was the smallest thing I have ever built. (Made me want to work on my 1/6 scale Buzz Aldrin again!!) I toyed briefly with putting different pictures on the viewscreen, but my inkjet color printer is dead and the Big E crewman deserve something better than balck and white. Here's a picture of the finished piece:









I frosted the grilles for the warp nacelles, too. I decided to try a light check with the blue/UV CCFL that I purchased for this kit. Here's a comparison of the two, with an exposure setting that yielded a shot about as close as possible to how they look "live." The top is the blue CCFL; bottom is the UV. I'll stick with the UV, as it gives a less garish light.









Finally, I started uploading images to my Hobbytalk gallery, so they'll all be in one place.


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## Roguepink (Sep 18, 2003)

Ilbasso, you have done what I think is one of the most convincing cargo bays to date. For the first few moments I saw the image, I did not know what I was seeing, I totally lost a sense of scale... until I saw the piece of painters tape next to it.

Very impressive.

Suggestion: take a fresh #11 X-Acto and clean up the paint detail on the turbo lift tubes. A very light scraping to clean and even up the paint edges and then brush them in Future floor finish to even out any scrape marks. Understood if you cannot get to those parts, and you wouldn't see the fix from any real final viewing angle.

Is anyone building this in a way that the side walls can be removed to reveal the interior detail?


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for your kind comments! I did try to even out the paint before buttoning things up. I hadn't thought about using Future on it; will do that next time.

I really wish there was a way to get to see the cargo bay more readily. It's a neat room and it seems such a waste to have it practically invisible in the completed model. There must be something that could be extended from the docking port through to the doorway in the bay - you could put a peephole in there with a fisheye lens or something. Something like this http://www.advanced-intelligence.com/optics.html?1586, but I ain't willing to shell out $580+ for one.

I also had a thought about putting a miniature CCD webcam in the officers' lounge facing out toward the back of the ship. Problem is that the minimum focal length on those is usually 10", and it would be hard getting the windows clear enough not to cause undue distortion.


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## cinc2020 (May 10, 2004)

ilbasso -

Good job there! I look forward to the completed model. Maybe I'll get off my butt and finish mine


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Great work, Ilb!

I especially appreciate the way you've switched the green colors for the red colors in some places and vice-versa--gives it a really artsy, surreal look. 

(JUST KIDDING! :jest: )

Seriously, you detail is amazing and dead on. The cargo bay is incredibly well done--the tiny ships look 350 times as big as they are.

I also liked your Buzz Aldrin--max realism there on the paint job and the use of mylar.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for the heart attack, Perfesser! 

Actually, I painted the lounge without any outside assistance from color-sighted persons. (the non-ocularly chromatically impaired?) That'll give you an idea of what I do if left to my own devices. There must be a cheat-sheet somewhere that says, "this color goes with that color; never mix orange and gray," etc.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

ilbasso said:


> There must be a cheat-sheet somewhere that says, "this color goes with that color; never mix orange and gray," etc.


There are indeed color mixing charts for pigments that will give you a good idea of what colors to mix. You'd have to be very careful to keep track of what color is what if you use a pallette. The problem is that some colors will lean one way or another (have more of one color than another in the mix) and when it is mixed further, there may be an odd color result. Otherwise, it's very easy to mix them.


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## Roguepink (Sep 18, 2003)

I guess I'm leaning towards a removable section, much like the classic "cutaway" 1701. Some clever use of panel line and positive pinning could make it work. I think some supplemental support material would be needed for the warp engine.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Hmmm....you could do a 1" core section and reduce the loss of structural integrity...maybe line the space connecting the two holes (through the hull and through the cargo bay wall) like a tunnel, unless you wanted to add in other decks and walls and such. This mod is feeling like it's beyond my capabilities. I'm already "highly anticipatory" about the external painting that I will be facing ere long. Maybe a few slugs of Romulan ale will steel my resolve...


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

I do my best painting when I'm drunk--at least I think so until I sober up.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Quick update - hard to get much work done in the evenings this week.

After test-fitting the officers' lounge in the saucer and noticing that what you primarily see is one big blank white wall, I decided to spruce it up a bit. The quick and dirty solution was this replica of the Apollo 11 plaque. I shamelessly stole the technique I used on my "Buzz Aldrin at the LEM ladder project" - I printed the image of the Apollo 11 plaque onto silver contact paper. I thought this was an appropriate historical theme for a vessel of exploration. I also added a few more people and moved the guy who was too close to the windows.









Also have attached two 3mm superbright blue LEDs to the aft of the shuttlebay as tractor beam lights. Those suckers are sure superbright! This is the initial light leak test. Three coats of flat black paint and glass frosting weren't enough to control the light leaks. Next step is Mylar, I guess. 









The tractor beam windows are frosted on the back, painted flat white on the front, with the raised portions scraped clear.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Holy Frak, dude! That's sweet!


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

Everything looks great. Try shaving the head of the LED down flat. It will disperse the light evenly and tone down any hotspots 




Tony


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> I do my best painting when I'm drunk--at least I think so until I sober up.


This is how I feel about my carpentry. But even after I sober up, I realize that the trick works!










* Disclaimer: I never, never, never use power tools when inebbriated, so kids...don't construe this as a positive endorsement of imbibition and workshop use.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Raist3001 said:


> Everything looks great. Try shaving the head of the LED down flat. It will disperse the light evenly and tone down any hotspots
> Tony


Thanks, Tony, that helped measurably. I'll still have to add another coat of black, but the hot spots are definitely toned down.


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

No problem Ilbasso

Glad it worked out for you.

Tony


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Here's what I have been up to this past week. My daughter and several of her friends took over every flat surface in the house this weekend to piece together her wedding dress, so I was forced to do modeling stuff in places other than where I would normally work. 

Since I was experiencing light leaks in the primary hull and the engineering hull (the first lightproofing I tried was still letting light through), I added another 2 coats of flat black and one of silver to the interiors of those sections. They're good and opaque now. I tested for light leaks in the primary hull with the 4 CCFLs that I'll be using for illumination, and nothing leaked through. I also primed the exterior of the engineering hull so I could start adding the windows. 

I added four pairs of LEDs to the exterior of the cargo bay--one pair facing forward and another toward the stern, on each side of the bay. I used strip styrene as a holder for these LEDs and CA'd them to protuberances on the sides of the bays. I painted outboard parts of the LEDs white to minimize hot spots next to the hull. 

Here's how the structure looks at the moment. Don't laugh!!! As Chief O'Brien said in 'Trials and Tribble-ations', "It's all patched and cross-circuited...I can't make head nor tail of it." Well, actually I can, but it ain't pretty.









Tonight, I added LEDs to the spotlights on the engineering hull bottom and to the strongback. Here's a picture of the spotlight test for illuminating the warp pylons, taken entirely in its own light:









Ignore the yellowish light on the left - that's the rubber housing for one of the alligator clips lit up by the spots. The pieces are just dry-fitted at the moment for the aiming test.

This week I'm going to put in the wiring connector on the bottom of the hull. I plan to use a DB-25 connector, since I'll have a large number of sets of lights that can be individually powered. 

I am realizing that I do not know what kind of base I will put this on. I have no woodworking skills or tools. I'll obviously need something pretty solid to support the weight of this beastie. Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Jonathan


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I just now started to check out this thread, and ilbasso your are doing a fantastic job. My favorite inside job, is the cargo bay. Just like the photos I have seen.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Yes! Fantastic work! (A lot of HARD work, obviously--you make me tired just looking at the photos!)

Thanks for the detailed explanations for what you're doing. It is very helpful. :thumbsup:


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

^^ Thanks - I know the detailed explanation is probably old hat for you pros out there. I just wanted to share my experience with other novices.

I'm REALLY happy I started this project. It's very rewarding to see it come together. I feel like I'm getting more in the swing of things now as I learn what I'm doing, and it's going faster. I'll be able to solder LEDs and resistors in my sleep before too long!


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

ilbasso said:


> ^^ Thanks - I know the detailed explanation is probably old hat for you pros out there. I just wanted to share my experience with other novices.


Everybody does these tasks differently. It's nice to see different techniques. So far, yours are at least in the top 2% in terms of thoroughness and quality. :thumbsup:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

^^ I agree! With all the different ways they have been built, you never get bored seeing and reading about them.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> ...So far, yours are at least in the top 2% in terms of thoroughness and quality. :thumbsup:


Wow, that's a frightening thought! I feel like I'm making it up as I go along. 

Actually, that's not entirely true. There's a vast body of knowledge that I'm tapping into. I am EXTREMELY grateful to this Forum and all its members, as well as Starship Modeler and CultTVMan - great tips, techniques, ideas, and visions for what can be done. I enjoy learning from others, as well as learning by doing. I can't imagine what the results would look like if I had done this kit 15 years ago! 

My biggest learning so far: Take Your Time. Research, test, go slow - the antithesis of how I used to build models when I was a teenager!

We'll see what happens when I get to the seams and the aztecing. I have zero experience with an airbrush, so this will be a real learning experience. I admit to being intimidated - well, scared.


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

> My biggest learning so far: Take Your Time. Research, test, go slow - the antithesis of how I used to build models when I was a teenager!


Amen!

I'm still unlearning some of the bad habits of my own youth when it comes to this. You're doing a Man's Job, sir, on your refit.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Yeah, but don't you wish you had the energy of a teenager when it comes to these projects?


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> Yeah, but don't you wish you had the energy of a teenager when it comes to these projects?


That, sir...is called 'Coffeeeeee'. Black. 

I _will_ find the energy. Build now. Sleep later. 'Edison' if I have to.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

GLU Sniffah said:


> That, sir...is called 'Coffeeeeee'. Black.


:lol: I, of all people, should have realized that!


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> :lol: I, of all people, should have realized that!


I thought about that as I composed my prose. :wave: :thumbsup:


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Come to think of it, progress has been much faster since I switched to Raktagino!


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

ilbasso said:


> Come to think of it, progress has been much faster since I switched to Raktagino!


Your real name wouldn't be 'Arne Darvin' would it??

Tribble Test! NOW!!!!


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Squeal like a tribble! Squeal like a tribble!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

We still sing songs of the Great Tribble Hunt.

[I am an opera singer, but I do not sing Klingon opera, unfortunately.]


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

^ I shall look for your statue in the Klingon Hall of Heroes....

After you finish your Enterprise.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

My colorblindness struck this afternoon. I was priming the rest of the ship, using a rattlecan primer from Wal-Mart. I was spraying it on lightly, trying to do it in several light coats, but then realizing it was a little too light each time. Some dark smudges that had gotten onto the saucer hull the other day (when I was adding more lightblocking) weren't being covered up. I gave it another shot of what I thought was just a little bit...then I saw a drip of paint running down the hull. Frack!!! I hadn't been able to discern where I had painted and where I hadn't, so I laid on too much primer in that one spot. 

I soaked a paper towel in paint thinner and ran it over the heavily-sprayed area to wipe off the excess before it had a chance to dry, so that there were no large lumps to have to sand off later on. That seemed to work - everything sanded down nice and smooth tonight. 

Whew!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I have always had good luck with Wal-Mart Primer, but you might want to try auto primer.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

My primer of choice is Rust-oleum Automobile Primer. Goes on smoothly and also dries pretty quickly.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Worked on the photon tubes tonight. First, I gave the piece a coat of Flat Euro Gray so I could see what I was working on. I also drilled holes into the two neck pieces to accommodate the wires coming back from the photon tubes. 

Then, I ground two 5mm superbright red LEDs into about as small an obelisk as I could, and wrapped the sides in aluminum tape to reduce light leaks. 









Next, I drilled into the plastic photon tube piece from the back to slightly widen the rectangular holes to accept my LEDs. Here are the LEDs inserted into the photon tube assembly.









Finally, I lit them puppies up! Wow, I LOVE the sinister look of those red lights! If nothing else but the photon tubes and the deflector dish work, I'll be happy man. This is going to be a cool kit!!









The only electronic effect in this kit that I am not building myself is James Roberts' (user name jwrjr) photon torpedo flasher. He uses a PIC to simulate the alternate charging and then firing of each photon tube in sequence. I tested it on 'naked' LEDs when I first purchased the module from him, haven't tried it with them in situ yet. It's a great little module, comes with clear instructions, and I highly recommend it.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Cool looking test!


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

Looking great ilbasso.....looking great.

Here is what my photon tubes look like.










I purchased the same circuit from James awhile back. Here is my test....

http://www.zippyvideos.com/8126671053558036/photont_output/


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## Ruckdog (Jan 17, 2006)

Wow, those look pretty good. I didn't actually alter the shape of the LED's on mine, instead just lighting the launcher from behind. After looking at these pics, I'm starting to wish I had!


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

Ruckdog said:


> Wow, those look pretty good. I didn't actually alter the shape of the LED's on mine, instead just lighting the launcher from behind. After looking at these pics, I'm starting to wish I had!


The only altering of the LED I did was to flatten the heads of the LEDS. This helps to disperse the light better and you do not get that bright hotspot.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for the photo, Tony. I couldn't find any clear shots of the launcher on the various movie captures I have seen. The instructions aren't even clear which side is "up" on that part!


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## MartinHatfield (Apr 11, 2004)

illbasso, your enterprise is coming along very nicely. Between you and Ruckdog, I am getting lots of good ideas for mine.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Here's how I'm passing the power connections through the hull - a DB25 connector placed in the keel. I cut out a hole for it, and also had to cut an archway in the stiffening bulkhead to accommodate the back of the connector. This connector uses crimp-style pins, so I won't have to solder in close quarters. The mounting plate is on the outside of the hull, so that the weight of the ship will press down on it and tighten the seal when it's seated on its stand. I will probably also add bolts and nuts to the mounting plate to further add stability. 










At the moment, I'm intending to have separate switches for: nav lights, strobes, docking/tractor control, impulse engines (two colors), sensors, spots and "always on" lights, cargo bay, arboretum, hotel lights, warp engines (two colors), photo tubes, thrusters, and deflector (two colors).

Oh - and the lesson for the day: let your Dremel's drill bit cool down after every couple of holes when you're drilling in styrene. I drilled too many holes at a time, and now the drill bit is encased in melted plastic!


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## Garbaron (Apr 23, 2004)

First off I want to comment on your work Ibasso .. its great so far! Keep it up and you will have one of a kind Refit sitting in your living room 

Regarding the connector…that’s about the plan I have but I’ll use circular connector rather then a square one. I hope to find one that has the size of the yellow circular marking at the belly of the Ent-A (TOS marking). There are caps you can put on those connectors to protect them from dust. I’ll apply the yellow decal to it and in case I do not want to use the electronics I can hide the connector with the cap and the counterpart inside the display stand


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Hey boys and girls, today's secret word is...
*ARRRRRGHHHH!!!* 

I wanted to avoid getting a second PL Refit kit, just to keep expenses down, but it has become an unavoidable necessity now. In my trying to get the torpedo launcher into its snug little receptacle on the neck section, the cathode lead from one of the torp launcher LEDs got bent one too many times and snapped off, at the base of the LED. While I was trying to see if I could possibly solder a lead to it, the cathode lead on the other LED snapped, too. Of course, both LEDs are irretrievably CA'd into their little holes and won't come out.

Did I mention *ARRRRRGHHHH!!!* ??

Well, this lets me take a Mulligan for the deflector dish, too. I had sprayed the Rustoleum frosting on it too thick, and the little "ring of lights" indentations got overfilled, preventing light from coming through them at all.

At least it's a nice day for a drive out to Hobbytown USA.

_Later, That Same Afternoon..._ 
All better now... Son of Photon Launcher went together very well. This time, I soldered wires very close to the base of the leads and let the wires do the bending. I also fed the wires through the holes in the neck now, and will cement the LEDs into the launcher later. I am not putting the foil around the LEDs this time, at least not at first. I'm a little concerned about light leaks from the hotel lights in the neck into the photorp launcher. I'll have to test that tonight.


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## Ruckdog (Jan 17, 2006)

Wow, sorry to hear that you had to get another model. I thought I was going to have to buy another kit myself after one half of my neck came up missing, but fortunately Perfessor Coffee was able to help me out on that one. At least your local Hobbytown has them in stock!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

It was nice having the luxury of a do-over. I'm glad to have the chance to do the "ring of lights" properly! I'm sure I can find a use for this extra Enterprise I have now!

The new photon tubes are installed and tested. For those learning from my mistakes, I did not use the aluminum tape light blocking for this set, and it made absolutely no observable difference compared to the first attempt at building the launcher. Also, there's virtually no light leakage from the hotel lights through the openings in the hull behind the photon tubes. It was still difficult to get all the wires from the LEDs pushed through the openings I drilled in the hull, but nothing broke this time.









The neck is glued together as of tonight. Man, there are a LOT of wires coming out of there, mostly because of the flasher circuit for the photon torp launcher. I had to drill out some big holes in the strongback to accommodate all the wires passing through.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

You know if you really think about it, if you were not putting lights in it, you would be finished by now. But it will look so good with them.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

^^You're right! You could probably put the whole ship together in one afternoon and paint it white (with the fantail closed) and have a good-looking ship. Adding the aztecing adds another level of complexity. 

And then the lights! You have to figure out how many you need of what kind, how you're going to power them, order them from somewhere, grind them down, solder on resistors, test them, light block them, connect them, cement them in place, run the wires, build flasher circuits, etc. 

It's going to be worth it, though. When I first saw pics of the fully-lit model on this site and others, I was blown away by how realistic it looked. That blue deflector - I HAD to have it!! I have lit other models before, but with no more than half a dozen lights. This is by far the most complex ship I have built. 

Each model has its own challenges. I built the Monogram 1/48 "Tranquility Base" lunar module this spring as my first foray back into modeling after 30 years. I did a lot of research, and I think I spent a good 2 months working with little teeny bits of Mylar - that was the big challenge with making that kit look good.

Yesterday, I was noticing all the little tiny details all over the Big E and thinking, "My God! When am I ever going to be done with this?" There's so much you could do to super-detail it. Deciding when to stop is going to be a tough call.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Lloyd Collins said:


> You know if you really think about it, if you were not putting lights in it, you would be finished by now.


And if guys like me weren't planning on lighting it, or giving it an aztec, we'd have _started _ it by now!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Today's update: I installed the navigation and running lights in the lower saucer section, as well as the CCFLs that will be powering the hotel lighting in the primary hull. The CCFLs run on +12V and the LEDs are +9V. 









I insulated the bottoms of the inverters as a precaution, in case the chrome paint inside the hull was at all conductive. The inverters are epoxied in place. After tests this weekend, I determined that 3 CCFLs worked just as well as 4 for spreading the light around inside the hull. The support pegs behind each of the nav lights act as natural light blockers, so there was almost no light leakage from the CCFLs through the LEDs and into the nav lights. As a precaution, I still added a little black paint around each LED after these pics were taken. I was also happy to see there were no light leaks through the hull even though the CCFLs are very bright.









Sensors are not yet installed - may wait to do that after I paint the saucer.

The nav and running lights will eventually be on a flasher circuit that I built using Joe Creighton's flasher circuits. The thrusters will be on a separate control, linked to the thruster LEDs on the nacelles and the deflector dish.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Working on the impulse deck now...

I built a "sealed beam" unit for the impulse crystal, with both a red and a blue LED. The inside of the impusle crystal is frosted with Rustoleum Frosted Glass, and there is aluminized Mylar inside the ring of strip styrene cemented below the crystal. This helps lightproof the assembly and also to spread the light around. The LEDs are aimed to the side rather than straight up, so that you can't tell that they're not centered in the unit. I drew the raised lines on the crystal with a couple passes of a black Sharpie rather than trying my hand at painting those tiny lines.









I built a light box for the impulse deck using strip and sheet styrene. There is one central red LED and two blue LEDs, both mounted on a piece of strip styrene. Each is connected to its counterpart color on the impulse crystal.









Here are the light tests. The impulse engines will be finished off with the Pendragon parts, once they arrive in the mail!!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

You are doing an awesome job! But how much is this going to weigh?LOL
Yea, I know, silly question. Somebody had to ask.


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## fokkerpilot (Jul 22, 2002)

Nicely Done! Lloyd asks about weight; if I remember, and that' getting tough at my age, mine was pushing close to 12 pounds.


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## Ruckdog (Jan 17, 2006)

Looks nice! I haven't begun lighting my saucer yet. I've been working on finishing the detail painting on my engineering section today...it didn't go as well as I had hoped. Looks like I'll have some touch ups to do tomorrow!

Anyway, I really like the way you did your impluse crystal. I've decided to frost mine too, but I hadn't even considered the "sealed beam" idea.


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

Looking great ilbasso!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

I passed a milestone this week...the 25-foot spools of red and black 25-gauge wire that I purchased for this kit both ran out. So, I have more than 50 feet of wire in this sucker now!! I also have about 15 feet of green and blue wire in there as well...

With the bottom sensors and the warp nacelles still left to be built, I have wired in 83 LEDs and their associated resistors, plus 3 CCFLs and their inverters.


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## GLU Sniffah (Apr 15, 2005)

^ That's some serious spaghetti.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Haven't done an update in a while, but here's a quickie with more to come this weekend.

I just test fitted the major components, and ... wow! That's one BIG model! As I worked on each subsystem, I knew it was a big thing. But until I got all the parts fitted together at one time, I just had no idea how massive this thing is going to be!!

Still filling seams and sanding. I did some of that for each subsystem. Many of you told me that I should get the whole thing assembled, filled, and sanded before I prime and paint, so that's what I'm doing. I hope to assembled the secodary hull top and sides this weekend and begin connecting all the wires.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

*The Nacelles*

Here's an update on my last major subsystem, the warp nacelles.

As described by Krako in another thread, I used the purple food color/Future mix on the inside of the grilles, and black Pactra tape on the raised ridges on the outside of the grilles, then covering inside and outside surfaces with Rustoleum Glass Frosting.

I originally purchased two color blue/UV CCFL's to use as the warp engine lighting. After trying lots of fittings, I discovered that the only place I could put the inverter for the CCFLs was in the bottom of the secondary hull. Problem was, the high-voltage leads from the dual CCFLs were a few inches too short to reach from the nacelles to the bottom of the hull. Call me stubborn...I should have given up on the CCFLs at that point and gone with LEDs. But I didn't want to wait for a shipment of blue LEDs, and I really liked the UV CCFL color! I also didn't want to tempt fate by trying extend the high voltage wires myself.

I popped by my local MicroCenter and found 12" blue and UV CCFLs on sale, so I picked up a package of each. The leads on these tubes were long enough to go to the hull bottom...but now that there were going to be 2 CCFLs in each nacelle, I would need two inverters in the hull, one for the blue tubes and one for the purples. I also had to bevel off the corners of the mounting cubes at the ends of each tube so that they would fit inside the nacelles. The fit is so tight that I didn't need to glue them into the nacelles.

Here's a shot with the blue and UV CCFLs side by side.









I started actual construction with the LEDs. One thing I have noticed is that it's not clear what color the lights should be on the piece protruding from the outboard rear of each nacelle. I have seen some people make these yellow, as thrusters (and as they are shown in "Mr. Scott's Guide"), but the kit instructions show them as running lights (red and green). On my DVD of STTMP, they appear white to me. I opted to make them running lights. I shaved down 5mm red and green LEDs and light blocked all but the tip of them. I drilled two holes next to the mounting holes in the nacelle wall for the leads to come through. 









Other LEDs were pretty straightforward. The LED next to the purge vent was a shaved-down 5mm white LED, also light blocked.









I used aluminum tape to enhance the lightblocking and reflectivity of the outboard nacelle halves. This tape also was a convienient way to hide and hold down the leads from the LEDs at the rear of the nacelles. It also covers the purge vent so that the warp engine lights don't show through it. All grounds were commoned up so that there is only one ground wire exiting the nacelle. The running lights and strobes will be connected inside the secondary hull to their counterparts from the other nacelle and from the primary hull. There is another wire that powers the spots, purge vent, and bussard LED. 









(A larger version of this image is available in My Gallery)

One caution if you decide to use UV CCFLs - any unpainted plastic on the kit glows in UV light!! Be sure you have painted over every exposed piece of styrene inside the nacelle!

I routed out two channels at the narrow end of each pylon, one for the LED leads and one for the high-voltage CCFL leads. I held the wires in place with aluminum tape while I was fitting the bottom pylon half to the nacelle, and then gluing on the top pylon half.










Oh, and I'm getting antsy to get on with the construction. You'll notice a copy of the instructions from DLM's upgrade parts in one of the above photos. I opted not to replace the warp grille piece with Don's replacement part. Not a single one of my friends and family will notice the difference!!!! I humbly beg your indulgence and forgiveness for this inexcusable departure from canon!


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

SUPERB! Great post... although it makes me shake in my boots... I've got such a long way to go on mine! Thanks for the clear and informative photos.


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

Looking great Illbasso. Looking great!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

The learning curve definitely works in your favor. It took me weeks to figure out to do with the first nacelle. I did the other one in an afternoon.

As I look at this massive model on my desk, I realize that you could literally devote years to detailing every possible spot on it. The trick will be to know when I have gotten to "good enough". I can confess to you all right now that I'm not at all happy with the saucer section. The pieces didn't fit together well. There are places where the walls bulge out and it definitely wouldn't pass muster here with "the best". But again, I'll go for making it look as good as I reasonably can.


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

> I can confess to you all right now that I'm not at all happy with the saucer section. The pieces didn't fit together well. There are places where the walls bulge out and it definitely wouldn't pass muster here with "the best".


Ilbasso, I had the same problem with some of my window pieces bulging. I shaved a bit off each end and they fit perfectly. Then filled with putty. Also, if a window does not fit flush with the end of the saucer rim, shim with some strip styrene.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks, Tony. I guess I'll have to file that very handy tip away for the next build - everything is glued together at the moment.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

A hammer will loosen a glued up model up.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Sometimes I think I should take a hammer to my head!

I think I am within a week of my first major goal: finalizing the wiring and getting all the lights on at one time. Here's a shot of the wiring as of last night, which is everything in the saucer, warp engines, sail, photon tubes, and strongback. Yet to be added are the cargo bay, deflector, and the strobe on the keel. I'll need to further common up the related wires, trim them back, and only run one lead down into the keel. I'm concerned that there won't be room for the cargo bay!! 










You can see that I epoxied the JWRJR circuit board for the photon tubes into an out-of-the-way place in the strongback. The circuit boards that I built for the strobes and running light flashers will be in the base, not physically inside the ship.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Is that model wiring, or are you trying to disarm a bomb?


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

One idea I'm exploring is to connect a control panel (housing the switches, flasher circuits, and power supply) to the display base with a DB25 cable. I thought of using a Radio Shack 8"x6"x3" project box. I was playing around with using this for a panel overlay. The circles represent the switch locations.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

What is the sound of one beer popping?

All internal wiring completed and connected!! Now to button everything up... :hat:


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## dgtrekker (Jul 23, 2001)

What size wire gauge did you use?


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Most of the wires are 28 gauge. The thicker white wires are the high-voltage lines from the warp engines to the inverters, which are mounted in the keel (you can see the yellow transformers and blue capacitors in the photo).


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## dgtrekker (Jul 23, 2001)

I hope it goes well, it looks like to weighs a ton,


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I noticed that you have the wrong colored capacitors, and transformer. That will greatly affect the weight.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

I'm using the inverters that were supplied with the CCFLs. The caps and transformers were part of the PCB. 

My power supply is external to the model, and it provides regulated +9v and +12v power. I have connections passing through a DB25 connector in the keel. I have separate outputs for each set of lights shown in the diagram above, plus two ground connections. The control lines for the primary hull and warp engines are +12v, to power the inverters that are in the keel (for warp engines) and primary hull. LEDs are powered from a +9v source.

The weight doesn't appear to be an issue. I'm not having any trouble with nacelle droop or saucer sag. Kudos to Polar Lights for designing a kit that has stood up to so much bashing!

If I had it to do over again, I would use lighter gauge wire for the LEDs. FokkerPilot suggested using telephone wire.


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

> If I had it to do over again, I would use lighter gauge wire for the LEDs. FokkerPilot suggested using telephone wire.


I agree with Jack. For all LED wiring, I use CAT5 cable. You know the cable that wires your PC to your router, or DSL modem.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

That was the one other tip I wish I had known about before I started this! Jack was kind enough to send me an email, but only after I had already installed nearly 75 feet of wiring in the beastie. It would definitely have made the secondary hull easier to close up. At this point, I'm too proud/stubborn/lazy to take it apart and change the wires to a lighter gauge where they enter the secondary hull. It's a tight squeeze, with some pressure needed, but it looks like she'll close and hold. Good news is that other than the pics above, no one else need know what's inside this thing!!


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Backing up a step, here's a view of the inverters for the warp nacelles in the keel, and the DB25 connector in the center.









You can see that I cut holes in the bulkhead, first to make space for the DB25 connector (center), then later to slide the inverters through. There was really no other place in the ship to put the inverters. They're epoxied into place. The one on the left is for the blue CCFLs (one in each nacelle), the one on the right for UV CCFLs (also on ein each nacelle). There are two 12v connections and a common ground wire going through the DB25 connector. These will be connected to a center-off SPDT toggle switch in the control base. 

Each control wire has a crimped on connector that goes into the DB25 connector. I keep track of all the connections on an Excel spreadsheet. Here's a picture with the cargo bay sitting (loose) in place, before the crimped connectors were put on.


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## Garbaron (Apr 23, 2004)

I want to use ccft too.. what about the heat of the converters? Any problems there? After all I don’t want my lovely Refit to melt under the heat.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

I have not had any problem with heat. The tubes are warm but not at all hot to the touch. I did take the inverters out of their plastic boxes so they would fit in the model. Don't do the stupid thing I did, which was to accidentally touch the underside (printed circuit board and solder connections) of the inverter when it's powered on! I got a nasty little shock which got my attention.


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## Garbaron (Apr 23, 2004)

Ok.. thx for the answer and... GREAT work there dude


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

*Lighting my birthday cake!!!*

One of my unannounced goals was to get my Big E in shape that I could do a complete light test in time for my 50th birthday - today! 










I wired the temporary control box last night. I made a disappointing discovery - I had built my strobe and running light flasher circuits so long ago, before I started assembling the model, that I had fogotten that the flashing LEDs' cathodes aren't supposed to go direct to ground. Unfortunately, all the LEDs' ground wires are commoned up inside the ship, and the flasher circuits were waiting to be installed in the control box. So, I'll have to redesign the flasher circuits to send a pulse over the control line. That's why the running lights and strobes aren't illuminated in these photos. 

I took these shots this afternoon, in a mostly darkened room. There are still some light leaks and gaps to be filled, and I haven't attached the impulse engines or the hangar bay stern piece yet. But you get the idea.

Here's a picture with "low beams"- deflector, impulse engines, and warp engines on low setting.









And here's a picture on high beam -









Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me from the crew of my Enterprise....
Happy birthday to me!
:hat: :hat: :hat:


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2006)

Outstanding!
The big '50' and your big 'E' lights up, i'd call that a successful birthday :thumbsup: Anything else is most certainly a bonus.

Nicely done and many happy returns !


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## Raist3001 (Oct 23, 2003)

Ilbasso, first....A very Happy birthday!!

Second, that's some mighty fine work my friend. Really great!!


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

Happy Birthday and NICE WORK!


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## Garbaron (Apr 23, 2004)

Happy B day afterwards Ilbasso. 

Love your purple warp nacelles.. the blue ones are just too bright for my liking.


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone!

I designed and tested two flasher circuits last night and I'll hardwire them today. I know very little about electrical theory but I have been learning a lot on the Net, in trying to discern what to do about my accidentally connecting all the ground leads from the flashing LEDs to the other LEDs. Turns out that in the circuit I had built (from Enterprise LED design), the output from the 555 IC "sinks" current on the output pin (i.e., the cathode from the LED goes into the chip's output pin rather than to a ground connection). I was able to figure out how to get the 555's output to "source" the output, so I could use that to send a +9v pulse to the LEDs. I used a 556 chip (a dual 555 timer) to run both the running lights and strobes from a single chip. I can post a diagram if anyone is interested. 

This'll be the last work on this project for the coming week. My daughter is getting married on Saturday, so I should be devoting my attention to father-of-the-bride stuff (i.e., writing checks).


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## fokkerpilot (Jul 22, 2002)

Happy 50th Ilbasso :hat:

Good work on that EA too.

Regards,

Jack


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## rachel (Oct 27, 2006)

Are the click together millenium falcon kits ( no gluing or painting required ), any good? Does anyone know if they have an opening cockpit etc... to allow it to be played with the figures?

Rachel


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Not sure, but welcome to the forum, rachel!

Where are you from? 

Do you have a manufacturer/stock # for the specific kit you are talking about?


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