A little treasure - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A 1/537 scale from Star Trek IV, Star Trek 20th Anniversary Edition

Greetings!

It's been a long while...longer than I expected.  Life is amazing!  Work is amazing!  Model building has taken a backseat, and that's ok, it is a hobby after all.  That said, I'm still plugging away at my 1/350 build which has a name now, "USS Olympia".  A 24th century Constitution Class Starship.

This entry isn't so much a build update but a retro review of a kit, one that came out 30 years ago and something I feel ties into the current Star Trek 50th Anniversary and the new Star Trek film, Star Trek Beyond.

A hobby shop I frequent recently had its 30th anniversary and many specials on all of their kits.  I found a 'Holy Grail', a vintage 1986-87 AMT/Ertl 1:537 scale USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.  I couldn't resist it, I bought it!

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was released theatrically on November 19, 1986.  

Side box art

'Authentic decals for 1986'

screen shot on the Enterprise-A bridge at the end of Star Trek IV - I always wished this was used in Star Trek V and beyond, but the reality is it was heavily modified for Star Trek The Next Generation as the Battle Bridge.

There were seven editions of these Refit Enterprise kits, each from the first six movies and a 'Light And Sound' Edition which was released between Star Trek V and Star Trek VI.  In each edition there were subtle changes, except from 'The Motion Picture' 'to 'The Wrath of Khan', where the surface of the hull changed from month to this awful random hull plating which is grossly inaccurate and remained in every release of this kit since.  I was privileged to once own a 'smoothie'.  The smoothie kit also didn't have 'phaser bumps' or any detail on the photon torpedo launcher (which is not terribly detailed in the later versions).

Out of the box

The original decal sheet.

The overall condition of the kit is really good.  

Decals

First the decals. This is a very simple decal sheet as what standard at the time.  There's no pinstriping, (other than the Starfleet Pendant which is inaccurate).

Star Trek IV decal sheet on left, Star Trek III on right

Star Trek VI & Star Trek V(used) on left, Polar Ligthts 1/350 on right

Overall, the registry is really good on such an old decal sheet.  Here I compare Star Trek IV vs. Star Trek III sheets.

Star Trek IV - Enterprise-A

Star Trek III - Enterprise-Refit

Other than the registry (NCC-1701 vs. NCC-1701-A), the rest of the decals are the same, reworked. In this case, the same illegible marking for the docking port (sigh).

Star Trek IV

Star Trek III

And of course the Star Trek 20th anniversary commemoration decal...still hard to believe that was 30 years ago...

Differences between the kits

The major difference is stand.

old stand on the left, new one on the right

Apparently, this style of model stand had been a mainstay of AMT from the 60's up until this point in 1986.  The original TOS Enterprise, TOS Klingon Cruiser, Star Trek TMP Vulcan Shuttle, TMP Klingon Cruiser and lastly the Refit Enterprise all used this stand.  It looks 60's-ish.  And that's ok.  I really like it!  The only problem with it in reference to the refit Enterprise is the model is too heavy for it.  The newer stand is quite robust.  The 'light and sound' kit was even bigger and more robust (to make way for the circuitry).

The change in the stand meant a change in secondary hull:

Star Trek III on left, Star Trek IV on right

Star Trek III on top, Star Trek IV below

Here is a composite of both the old and newer hull together.  The slot on the old hull was for a switch.  The original STTMP smoothie version of the kit had a lighting system, which only lit up the saucer windows, bridge and sensor array at the bottom of the saucer.  No blinking lights, secondary hull lighting at all, and the secondary hull was the battery compartment, much like the original Star Trek AMT model released in the 1960's.  This new mounting system allows the ship to be removed from its stand unlike its predecessor where it had to be glued on.

This kit was still factory sealed when I bought it, as were the parts.  The only deterioration was the mold release and the plastic yellowoing.  I have three of these kit currently and this is the most yellow sadly.

Conclusion

Granted, these models are horribly inaccurate to the 8' studio model of the Refit USS Enterprise.  That said, it is 100% bang on accurate to the 2' model used in Star Trek II, Star Trek III and Star Trek VI because, ILM built one of these models, lit it up and used it for the far away shots.  So, Trek model builders, you can say you can build a 1:1 studio build of the 2' model of the USS Enterprise-Refit or -A.  And that's my plan with one of these models, build an accurate, if not crude studio accurate recreation of what was used on screen in long shots.

It does sadden me that Round 2 has decided not to re-release this model kit (along with many other models like the Klingon V'orcha Battlecruiser from Star Trek The Next Generation or the Runabout from Deep Space Nine).  Some of the reasons I've heard were, there's too much wrong with this kit.   I do agree on some levels, but they recently re-released (thank goodness) the USS Excelsior.  The mold was permanently changed when AMT/Ertl made their Enterprise-B kit over 20 years ago, changing the molds forever.  Round 2 built a new set of replacement molds for the new Excelsior.  I'm convinced if there is a will, there is a way.

For those who may come across this model in hobby shops, or online, buy it if you want a piece of history.  If you want a 95% accurate model of the refitted USS Enterprise (-A), buy the big kit, which I'm still working on, or get the smaller 1/1000 kit which is an awesome model!  I've built one of them so far, building a second and looking to get a few more for kitbashing.

Dummies Guide to Fixing the Ertl kit

First fill in all of the panel lines...not at all accurate and the detail is soft, while preserving the gridlines and hatches.  Options include using a high fill primer and sanding.  I did this as a kid with rough sandpaper, and moving up to very fine sandpaper.  It's not impossible, it just requires some work.

The ship is missing a 'landing pad on the lower saucer', re-scribe it.

The windows on the saucer rim are off.  Drill out a new window, and fill in the old one.  Also the aft section windows are not drilled out at all, which include the Rec Deck.

Consider purchasing aftermarket parts like the set Don's Light and Magic offer.  Great work!  (I'm not affiliated with DLM, but I've used his products before and I think they're fantastic).  Also consider upgrading the decals, and geting a masking set to create the Aztek Effect on the hull.

Consider kit-bashing a set of Reliant Nacelles with Enterprise Nacelles.  The reason why, is the grills should be slanted, like they are on the Reliant, but aren't done on this kit.  The front on both nacelles aren't accurate at all.  That said, I have when I was a kid, I filled in the front ends to a similar shape to the 8' studio model.

In consideration, this makes a good sized model.

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 #14 - Finishing the Saucer: Part 3

Greetings!

Well, this has been an interesting build to put it mildly.  I've had to repaint 90 percent of this model, I've had electronics die on me and broke a piece of the pylon break off on me.  C'est la vie!

As I work on the secondary hull to repair the pylon, I figure I will bring you up to speed on the state of the saucer.  Here it is as it was back in July:

https://fordosmodels.blogspot.ca/2016/07/constitution-class-refit-polar-lights.html

What I didn't post, or take pictures of was the fact that a rattle can gum up and spray out globs of paint on the underside of the saucer, and of course the dorsal side of the saucer was peppered with black paint.  If this was a Star Wars model, it would look cool, but this is a shiny Federation starship from Star Trek.  So I masked off the bottom of the saucer where I wanted to protect the paint.

Ready to be repainted...

Although I didn't photograph it, the paint job went well and I was able to move on to painting and fixing details on the B/C deck.

....and fix some scratches as well.

Then while I was applying new masks to the B/C deck, the model slipped out of my hands and fell to the cement floor...insert explicative here!

What that meant was the seam where the lower saucer meets saucer walls, the seam split open around  half of the model.  So I had to glue it back down.

Once I glued down the saucer, again, I then turned my efforts to fixing the upper saucer's paint finish and repainted it with a light coat of white primer followed by pearl white.   I didn't photograph it unfortunately.  Once I was done that, my attention then turned to the lower saucer again.  The centre of the lower dome's paint had wore down to the bare plastic, so I had to repaint it.

Also, the surface of the lower saucer wasn't entirely smooth, so I sanded it down with steel wool to smooth out the bumps.

In the process of touching up, I also repainted the centre of the lower dome silver with a dusting of pearl white.

Ready to repaint it, again...

All of those extra steps were worth while to get an even coat.  But there are still light leaks around the edge of the saucer.

Once I looked at the saucer in the dark, I could then see the light leaks and where to fill them in with red putty.

This is my first pass at filling the seams that split open.

A bit further refined.

At this point I decided I am going to sand down the outer wall and repaint it entirely.  The sensor bands were too dark.  Looking at the studio model, the sensor bands are actually the same colour as the base coat with dark groves (I've got a decal set for that).   Maybe a shade, just a shade darker, but the hull between the sensor bands is actually quite reflective (as the studio model was painted in a 4 tone pearlescent paint scheme).

Once I was ready to paint, I applied the window masks, something I should have ordered from the start of this build.

I am only painting the outer most ring/wall of the ship, so I need to mask the inner section.

Both top and bottom.  That is the first coat of grey primer which also helps to light block the exterior. Another technique is to use Tulip Black Fabric paint.

Once I finished with the grey coat, onto white primer.

That will wrap up this entry.  I am working concurrently on both sections of the model.  A new entry will follow soon.

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 #13 - Secondary Hull - Part 5

Greetings,

After the last entry, I managed to light block the entire fuselage successfully and then return it to white primer.  I then masked off a section of the model on both sides, this represents where the panel removes on the studio model for the armature mount.  It's going to be a different white than the rest of the hull, like before.

First coat is Tamiya Pearl White.  This is the base coat for this model.

Pearl White is a translucent paint, so it's crucial to have an even coat of whatever colour is underneath of it.

The next section to mask off is the 'strong back'.  It's called that because 'in universe', it is a reinforced section of the ship where engineering is located.

There is a bit of debate on what the colour of this should be.  It appears grey onscreen.  It was original painted with green undertones for Star Trek The Motion Picture.  It got repainted for the Enterprise A, twice I believe.  First to restore it from the battle damage as seen in Star Trek III The Search For Spock, but also between films, the model got repainted on one side for a theme park ride video.  The area was then painted in blue tones, and other areas of the ship were added with blue as well.  At the time, the USS Excelsior had blue accent colours and the Enterprise D was painted blue.  My theory is this became an established colour scheme for the Federation:  red, white and blue (more accurately: white, blue and red pin stripes).  For Olympia, I went with a TOS grey base coat for the strong back and deflector housing.

Surround the deflector on three sides, there are these protrusions, which are on most starships (TOS Enterprise, Enterprise-C, Enterprise-E, Voyager) which in universe I'm not sure what they do.  I've hear they're sensors and I've heard they're the clamps which hold the deflector to the hull.  Either way, they are distinct.  I chose to repaint them metallic silver.

Final reveal - of this part of the model

The ground work is here to lay down the wallpaper decals.

There is overspray however...not a big deal.  Next entry will cover that.

And a bit of bleed.   Again, that's an easy fix.

....and here too.

Now the process is to carefully remove the window masks and prep for painting the phaser banks (next entry).

I was prepared to say my traditional closing, 'Happy Model Building'...then I noticed this!

WTF?

I've been trying to figure out how this happened??  I'm wondering if I dropped it??  I might have.  Did I break it off while taking off the wrapping??  I searched my trash looking for the busted piece to no avail.  It really doesn't matter at this point...after all this is just plastic and I can conquer this.  (Mental note - reinforce this on future builds.)  

What is really fortunate is I have two more of these kits unbuilt (I'm going to kit bash a 'Stargazer' one day.)  I thought about replacing that part of the model...I may still do that.  But first, I know I could probably make a mould off of an unbuilt pylon.  I could splice in the section as well...whatever happens, I will fix it.

The more I look at it, I could graft other part onto the pylon, or at least the outside pylon corner (blue section).

Then a bigger issue...a crack in the seam where the pylon meets the fuselage.  Well, there was bleed in the paint and this was going to be needed to be repainted anyways, so I used a bit of science to squeeze liquid glue into the seam.

An overhead view of the damage and a missing pin.  I've been contemplating replacing each pin with brass rod and epoxying them in.  I guess I'm committed now.

That wraps up this entry...more fixing and painting on this 'beastie'.  Well if it was easy, it wouldn't be fun!

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.