Constitution Class Refit USS OLYMPIA Polar Lights 1/350 scale UPDATE #20 - Secondary Hull Final Repairs

Greetings!

I've been spending a lot of my time detail the saucer section.  It's been easier handling a 16" saucer rather than a 36" assembled model for detailing.  The fuselage or secondary hull (engineering section) likewise is easier to handle as seperate entity, especially as I need to repair some damage done to it.

Last time I worked on the engineering hull, I was still fixing the broken pylon tip.  Update #16 November 30, 2016.

STARBOARD NACELLE PYLON

This tip, as I had previously mentioned completely broke off in the middle of the the pattern.  I used epoxy to 'weld' a piece of steel rod in the hollow pylon to give it rigidity and casted a new piece onto the old one using resin.  It's good but not perfect.

I have decided this is not going to be a 'new' starship, like the USS Enterprise Refit as seen in Star Trek The Motion Picture, but will have some weathering (subtle) and I will draw some attention to this area, by weathering it.  Or I should say, I hope it doesn't draw too much attention.

It's still somewhat blotchy on the ventral side, this is where I will have to weather it.

Once I removed the masking (both Frog Tape and Green Painter's Tape) from the pylon, you could see the paint buildup around the vents.  It may not always seem obvious, but paint will leave a build-up around a masked edge.  That's why I like to glue as much as I can of the main parts of a model where strength is needed and mask off areas to be glued later.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes, not so much.

Dealing with the rest of the starboard pylon, I noticed there was a blackened mark, I have no idea where it came from.  So I decided to repaint the vent.

I just can't win!  In fact, I ran out of my mixed paint and had to mixup another batch and it turned out to be blotchy.  I'm living with it, for now.

Now that the remaining vents have been fixed, time to restore the rest of the pylon to it's pearl white finish.

I then decided, so these vents don't show the imperfections, I'd cover them in flat clear (Tamiya).  I masked off each vent on both pylons and sprayed them separately.

PYLON CONNECTION WITH THE HULL

Previously as I mention in entry #13, the pylon connection where it meets the engineering hull split at the seam.

I reinforced the seam with liquid cement.  In hindsight, I would have used epoxy for this connection.  It worked wonders on the neck.  Once I let this cure, for weeks (as I continued work on the saucer, and just working in general), I sanded both sides of pylon connection, I filled them with red putty and sanded smooth.  Then I prepped for painting...again.

In the interim, I also ground down the metal rod that gives strength to the new cast part so it can mate with the nacelle.

I then turned my attention to fixing up this connection.

Which in turn meant repainting the this section of strong back.

And finally with some more touch-up the section is complete...again, like it was before the split.

SHUTTLEBAY

This section just needed some touch-ups, especially where there was over-spray around the shield emitters (or whatever those grey things are to the sides of the opening).

DECALS

This was also a perfect time to test out the decal I am planning to use.  It's slightly different, intentionally, than the normal pendant that goes here.

The big difference is the TNG styled arrowhead.  I put this on one of my spare Refit kits.

TEST FIT

Now that everything is as close to ready as I can get it, time to do a test fit.

(that is a 1/350 TOS USS Enterprise in the BG - unbuilt)

The wiring proved to be challenging, pulling it through the opening.  That will have to be modified with a larger hole.  To test fit this, I have to use my hand to hold it together.  The saucer is WAY too heavy without the balance of the nacelles.

Below is a rare balancing act, using an unbuilt TOS sistership to lean on it.

That wraps up this entry...time to connect and make this ship whole!!

Happy Model Building!

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan blog (production) is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made blog intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.

Constitution Class Refit USS OLYMPIA Polar Lights 1/350 scale UPDATE #19 - Finishing the Saucer: Part 7

Greetings!

This will be the last entry, I promise on this saucer section as a separate entity.

When I last left off, I thought the saucer was basically done (it is, except for those extra details/decals).  I also was not happy with the way the pinstriping around the B/C deck was looking, so I removed it.

I went through one set of decals from one kit regarding the pinstriping, I didn't want to waste a second set, so I decided to use the ones I previously made.  There's a bit of bleed, but it will look consistent.  If there's one type of decal I hate doing, it's pinstriping.  They easily tear.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Since I am finding that the decals tear so easily, I decided now would be a good time to test the lighting system one more time.  From the saucer, there is a main trunk of wiring (9 leads) and a secondary set for the impulse deflection crystal.  The following are pictures from early in the build...

(main wiring from the saucer)

(mains joined together, before sealing the saucer) 

(feeding the wiring through) 

(secondary wires - impulse deflection crystal)

(as installed)

Also in this bundle are the lights for the neck...that plus overspray on the wires makes it difficult to tell which wire does what (also I lost my notes, or they got absorbed in my messy work bench).  So I've had to figure out each wire separately.  I have many black wires (return current), but the switching of the different functions are colour coded.  Red does the main lights, yellow lights the spot lights, green the RCS, etc.  What I couldn't remember was the flashers, so some sleuthing through my pictures and using low voltage  (just in case, everything is resistored to 12V DC), I found them!!

I lit flashing lights surrounding the impulse engine area with red flashers, much like the Reliant is lit in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  On the studio model, these are warm white or tungsten (probably lit with grain of wheat bulbs, common at the time).

And from below.  Despite my efforts, the green doesn't show as well.  The 'bulbs' are actually hot glue, formed from when I glued the bulbs in place.  Paint doesn't stick well to them, but then again, neither did bits of tape I used.

With a bit more investigation, I found the leads to photon torpedo launchers broke off.  I am going to leave this until I'm ready for final assembly.  I don't want them to break again.

BACK TO DECALS

Placing the pinstripes around the B/C deck for a third time, I took my time.

In the interim, I made more decals, this time, details for the neck and more geometric shapes.

These details are specifically for the neck.

And more pinstripes.  The red hash tags are to go around the innermost ring of the upper saucer.

Then I added the rectangular markings on all of the access panels on the lower saucer.

And seperation markings on the lower docking port doors.  In Star Trek The Motion Picture, both Spock and Kirk emerged from the portside door to gain access to V'Ger in a space walk.  The soundtrack calls it 'Spock Walk'

Here are the red hash tags on the upper saucer.  Just an interesting detail featured on the Reliant, I chose to duplicate here.

I used a pencil to draw in the gridlines, but it tore a few decals.  I was prepared to paste in new ones, but I came up with the idea of using a fine black Sharpie marker to fill in the tears in the decals.

One final detail, I used a sharp pencil to outline the B/C deck to show some weathering and filled in the markings around the bridge with an ultra fine pen.  It just helps to define the recesses.

I have since clear coated this model so the decals won't tear or fall off.  I didn't take a picture of that, or that I added some more geometric shapes to the B/C deck to blend it in to the surrounding area.

That wraps up this entry and more importantly the saucer.  Ready for connection to stardrive section Number One!!

Happy Model Building!

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan blog (production) is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made blog intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.