Constitution Class Refit USS OLYMPIA Polar Lights 1/350 scale UPDATE #28 - Navigational Deflector part three

Greetings!

Painting spokes and lots of intricate details on the deflector dish.  I think I might go blind!

This whole process took me about 12 hours over several nights, fighting a cold.

For the electronic portion of the dish, there are two main functions, the dish, and the reaction control thrusters (RCS) on four points of the housing.  For the RCS,  I had an epiphany!  I opted to use ribbon LED over traditional LEDs.  Main reason is it installs quicker and will sit closer to the hull.

For the dish, it appears as both blue and amber in Star Trek The Motion Picture (only time it ever appears amber, discounting the reuse of footage in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan).  I previously had a bi-polar blue amber LED which I've already used in this build, but decided to buy a lighting kit for it from Tena Controls.

A 9V system with a momentary switch to cycle from OFF to Amber to Blue with fading effects.

My plan to even out the lighting for the backside of the dish is to make the light source 'bigger'.

What you're seeing there is a clear Bussard dome from a 1/1000 TOS USS Enterprise model kit.

I have to say placing it in the housing, I can't help but say it has a passing resemblance to a HAL 9000 computer eye.

I'm replacing the supplied momentary switch with a larger one that matches the other lighting switches I have.

Now, onto painting!!

This is my paint!

I got the idea from a number of years ago painting 'lit windows' on a 22" TOS Cutaway AMT/Ertl model and it was quite effective.

The trick here is to use a new correction fluid and seal it up so it doesn't gum up.

I then scored around each rib with an X-Acto knife, slowly removing the 2mm tape.

The other reason for using 'White Out' is its light blocking properties.

From the back side of the dish.

I also moved on to touching up the paint on the deflector housing.

I then sealed it all with a clear coat, covering up the existing finishes on the sensors and behind the dish.

Here's the dish with its light blocking properties.  I also sealed it with Tamiya Flat Clear in a rattle can.  Correction fluid easily chips away.

And then front-lit.

That will wrap up this entry, until the next time!

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 #27 - Navigational Deflector part two

Greeting!!

Part one for this deflector section was all about my original efforts to build this section of the ship.  It is very detailed, especially trying to get the ribs painted right and the right amount of diffusion on the dish itself.  This section will cover where I've picked up since a few years ago.

As I was writing the last entry, I started work on this part of the project.  It is fortunate I have more than one of these kits, I actually have 3 of them.  I first bought the original Polar Lights model I bought in 2005, the Round 2 version I bought in 2015 for $80 (unreal, so affordable) and a 3rd one I bought last year, with the intention I will build it as a Star Trek The Motion Picture, 5 colour aztek.  The old kit will be a kit bash down the road, which I'm leaning towards building a 'Heavy Battlecruiser' which would utilize only the saucer, nacelles and the pylons.  To date, I've utilized the arboretum, the shuttle bay (see update #5 http://fordosmodels.blogspot.ca/2016/03/constitution-class-refit-polar-lights_12.html) and now the deflector dish.

This is 'take 2' on the painting of the ribs.  I again used Tamiya tape but this time I masked off all four sides of the rib, rather than cutting out around the ribs which is what I did last time.

Now for the paint test...

Not too bad.  I used liquid correction fluid, applied with a foam brush.

I've used this once before on a model in the 90's to paint white on a grey surface and it's quite effective and is a good light block.  Moving on to the painting of the rest of the part.

First layer of paint is white primer is to help reflect back the white into the clear part and is potentially visible from the clear dish.

I also masked off the backside...

...and primed it white as well.

Once I did that, I moved onto light blocking with grey primer and then re-primed the front with white again so I can easily cover it with the additional colours.

Now, the state of the original part, which hasn't been touched in about 2 years.

the small part inside the dish is the planetary sensor for my 1/1000 USS Enterprise -A which was kept in there for safe keeping.

It seemed like a good idea at the time to light block it first with gray primer and the paint it white, but there were clearly overspray leaks.

I am pleased to see how the different finishes on the 'bolts' turned out.

Here are the two dishes.

2005, reworked part on the left, 2015 part on the right.

And the the new dish mounted in the housing for the kit.

And here is the dish mounted in its original housing.  I can't help but notice this is reminiscent of how the part looks like during the early phases of construction on the studio model.

Here's a comparison of the two parts and a further illustration of how I was originally going to build the 2005 model back then and this current build.

2005 refit bolt covers on the left, the 'A' version on the right in this current build

I then moved onto to painting the accent colours on the dish.  Each ring is painted a different colour, the first being a custom light duck egg blue, which is throughout the model.

Next colour is aluminum on the outer ring, masking the inner ring and the outer flat section.

Now for the backside.  A bit of overspray.

To rid of the overspray, I coated the inside with a combination of mineral spirits and rubbing alcohol 70%, using a tooth pick to pick away at the paint.

you can see mineral spirits pooling inside the dish

And here are the results of multiple passes of doing this.

I also wet-sanded with a sanding sponge in the area behind the ribs.

And a look at the dish in front of a light source.

backside of the dish

front of the dish

Now, time to address the last part, the brass etched part, made by Paragrafix.

This ring recreates the effect of the glowing segments surrounding the dish.

The idea is you paint this then attach it to the clear portion of the dish.

Now for the first light test.

And to see how it fits into the housing.

I then moved onto primer and painting the part.

This test is with a warm white LED behind the dish.  I have to admit it looks quite 'sourcey'.  I will have to use diffusion to create an even lighting on this part.

Now to the fun bit...masking off all of the ribs with tape that is 2mm wide.

Getting there, that's after 3 hours work!  My tools are an X-Acto knife with a #11 blade, lots of toothpicks, jewellers magnifying specs, and a lot of patience.

Part Three of the deflector will be followed up next.  I still have to finish the Warp Nacelles and of course the base which is involved too.

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.