Thom Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 1 hour ago, derex3592 said: Base painted and ALL wiring now tested and done!!! Can't wait to see that in the all together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobber Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Dr. Pepper, Top Gear, and a Star Destroyer. You’re my kind of guy. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Ok, so this thing is turning out to be more of a nightmare than I was expecting. I guess in Grade 8, I mashed this thing together with tons of glue, didn't care about seam lines or color accuracy. I think if I'm going to get through this build without stressing the hell out, I'll have to aim for "just better than my grade 8 build", rather than perfection or screen accuracy. I don't know who at AMT thought this would be a good idea. It's absolutely bonkers they did this. Test fit shows the pylons have this much give either way, lol! No wonder these things wouldn't line up....then eventually break. I love how the instructions warn how extra care is requir d when assembling them. It says that model glue can cause the plastic to soften and warp if used excessively and they recommend some sort of instant bond type....guessing super glue or crazy glue. Interesting way to cover up their engineering deficiencies. Anyway, I didn't have time to go to the local hobby shop to get brass rods, so I dug through my tool cabinet and found some spare hex keys. Filed a channel for them. I have no idea what I'm doing. The parts fit horribly, like the halves of the secondary hull were never meant to fit together. The Navigation Deflector pushes the hull apart even further. This kit is actually going to need putty and a lot of sanding. I wonder if the newer 1/350 Polar Lights kits have better fitment right out of the box? Oh well, in this far already, and got the decal set so I guess I better just plow through it and hope for the best, hahahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobber Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) Yuuuup, that’s what I was talking about with the already tiny tabs having nearly a third of them removed to make room for wiring. INSANE isn’t it!? Chris Edited July 19, 2020 by Dobber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derex3592 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) @peter Welcome to the horrible world of Star Trek kits! Putty and sand, putty and sand, putty and sand, and THEN putty and sand some more. I've heard VERY good things on the new Discoprise kit, apparently it was designed to actually be fun to put together and look great at the same time! What a concept right?! @Dobber Yeh man, I only allow myself one little can of Dr. Pepper on Saturday and one on Sunday, the rest of the week I don't drink any soft drinks or caffeine. Top Gear is probably my favorite show of all time, and I almost always have it or The Grand Tour on when modeling, it's just comforting for some reason. Edited July 19, 2020 by derex3592 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, peter said: Ok, so this thing is turning out to be more of a nightmare than I was expecting. I guess in Grade 8, I mashed this thing together with tons of glue, didn't care about seam lines or color accuracy. I think if I'm going to get through this build without stressing the hell out, I'll have to aim for "just better than my grade 8 build", rather than perfection or screen accuracy. I don't know who at AMT thought this would be a good idea. It's absolutely bonkers they did this. Test fit shows the pylons have this much give either way, lol! No wonder these things wouldn't line up....then eventually break. I love how the instructions warn how extra care is requir d when assembling them. It says that model glue can cause the plastic to soften and warp if used excessively and they recommend some sort of instant bond type....guessing super glue or crazy glue. Interesting way to cover up their engineering deficiencies. Anyway, I didn't have time to go to the local hobby shop to get brass rods, so I dug through my tool cabinet and found some spare hex keys. Filed a channel for them. I have no idea what I'm doing. The parts fit horribly, like the halves of the secondary hull were never meant to fit together. The Navigation Deflector pushes the hull apart even further. This kit is actually going to need putty and a lot of sanding. I wonder if the newer 1/350 Polar Lights kits have better fitment right out of the box? Oh well, in this far already, and got the decal set so I guess I better just plow through it and hope for the best, hahahaha! Yeah, those connections look horrifying. Looks like a nice solution for the nacelle sag though. I have a couple of these on the Shelf o' Doom without plans of doing any of them yet. If I did though, I'd probably putty over all those grid lines. Life size they'd be like stepping into a ditch! Edited July 19, 2020 by Thom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derex3592 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 This mornings progress! All LED strips coated with clear frost, full LED light test on the stand and custom holder pylon for the Blockade Runner and teeeny weeeny Falcon made and installed into the base... In the words of the great Morpheous... "He's beginning to believe..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 I bought this Bandai kit for my brother 20 years ago for ¥6000, the details were amazing.....sort of falling apart now as he didn't use glue or anything, but I planed to get my 1/537 to look like this. Figured the Bandai was a smaller kit, so it would be easier with the 1/537 since it's bigger. Wrong. I should never have set the standard so high, lol! Sanding/puttying the extra grid lines should be fun. I wonder if I should hose the thing down with Mr. Surface or Tamiya Surface Primer first just to see what I'm dealing with. This might be the first model I ever used primer, lol! With my history of sanding experience, I usually lose the details or panel lines I want to keep because I'm a bit sloppy when it comes to sanding. I'm horrible at scribing too, but I decided to scribe the lines I wanted to keep. I tried scribing from a blank once and ended up with a jagged zig-zag that looked more like battle damage than a panel line. Anyway, we'll see what happens with this thing. I feel like I've embarked on a 5 year mission to finish this thing, but I doubt I'll have the patience to build it past a week, hahahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 I think this post sums up this kit: https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/a-better-way-to-build-the-1-537-amt-1701-refit.304033/post-4649007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 I built about 20 of those or so during my lifetime (kept trying to get it right!) and I absolutely HATED the tab system for the nacelles! In fact, there's an entire build on starshipmodeler's main site that someone took and corrected most of the flaws: http://www.starshipmodeler.com/trek/cz_ertl_refit.htm I REALLY wish they'd resize the 1/350 down to a 1/537-size version! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Cross Air - Your build looks like how I wanted mine to look back then Derex - I was going to mention too about you always having "Top Gear" on your computer Peter - Have fun rebuilding that thing! I can't believe they engineered those kits so badly! - MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 3 hours ago, peter said: I think this post sums up this kit: https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/a-better-way-to-build-the-1-537-amt-1701-refit.304033/post-4649007 So, I still have my Star Trek VI version of this kit from the early 90s. It's still painted solid white, and has never been finished. It was dropped off several shelves, nearly destroyed many times, and in the end, I screwed the pylons on from the inside, after finding a properly sized screw. Funny enough.. I had it up in the closet during the big Ridgecrest earthquake last year... the kit didn't break. I was astounded. It caught itself against a box, and was hanging by the nacelles from the shelf when I got back to my house. While the glue around the bases of the pylons crackled, and the pylons wiggle now, the screws held them on. That kit is a disaster that desperately needs a redo. The version from TMP, before they engraved all the random panels, I think actually sells for more now, because it's less work than filling in all the incorrect details. I would go for the 1/350, but I think that's just too big, which is what spurned on my collection of 1/1000 kits. The Bandai one is almost ideal, but good luck finding it... I wish they would reissue all of those. Right now, what I would actually sort of recommend for an affordable Refit Enterprise? Go pick up one of the Art Asylum/Diamond Select versions, and strip it down to rebuild, sand, and repaint. It would actually be less work than that old AMT kit. While the craftsmanship on the Diamond Select releases is a disaster, the mold for that ship does something that I sort of wish more of the Trek kits would have done: texturing the aztec panels. Note, I didn't say engraving or raising. There are no hard panel lines for them. They manufactured the mold so that the aztec panels are very slightly raised, and made a rougher texture than the surrounding space. You could still mask off and paint them if you desired, but the beauty of the texturing is that they will reflect light differently, and show up even if you paint the whole ship in one color. I know that would probably wind up just irritating a lot of folks who wanted a completely smooth hull though, so you really can't please everyone. It's a much simpler solution than painting or decals though. The other benefit of the Art Asylum mold is that, while the pylons are a little too thick, they are also rock solid, and make for a very sturdy construction. I have one of the Undiscovered Country edition Diamond Select releases, and the paint and glue smears are enough of a disaster that I feel like I should just strip everything down, and rebuild it from the ground up. Might be a little difficult finding decals for that scale though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duymon Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 been working little by little on the 1/48 VF-1. l love how the kit is mostly snap-fit-ish allowing for a lot of dry-fits. Just wish Hasegawa made closed landing gear doors for their fighter models Instead of building some complex plasticard structure underneath to support the doors I got lazy and just kneaded up a bunch of milliput and then gently pressed the trimmed doors into the milliput until they were aligned as best as they could be. after it cures I can do a little more filling / sanding to make it all flush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Oh goody, I thought I was the only one who thought the 1/537 was a disaster and I was starting to sound whiny. The goal I keep telling myself is, just make it look better than I did in grade 8. Let's see, hahahaha!! Might end up worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 2 hours ago, Duymon said: been working little by little on the 1/48 VF-1. l love how the kit is mostly snap-fit-ish allowing for a lot of dry-fits. Just wish Hasegawa made closed landing gear doors for their fighter models Instead of building some complex plasticard structure underneath to support the doors I got lazy and just kneaded up a bunch of milliput and then gently pressed the trimmed doors into the milliput until they were aligned as best as they could be. after it cures I can do a little more filling / sanding to make it all flush. Jeez, I thought the 1/48 would be better for the doors. I mangled all my 1/72 doors. That's why I try not to show picture of the doors, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Part of the issue is just that the VF-1 has so many doors. I haven't built anything like that in a while, but I think the last method I used mostly amounted to gluing the doors together into one piece, backing it with a small sheet of styrene, and then mounting that into the gear bay with a few sprue clippings in the corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Oh man that Enterprise brings back so many memories and the horror. I was so much more simple then, I had the one with the rainbow stickers and the grain of wheat lightbulbs back then, didn't paint it or anything just slapped it together and zoomed it around the room. I think it survived a month or so, then the bulbs burnt out one by one and it just started to fall apart in my hands. They were great memories and its still my favourite design of all spaceships. If only I could afford one of those QMX minatures, I just love the flashing nav lights and the strobe lights, but now I want it all - its the only time I ever thought seriously about committing that kind of cash to my favorite design, but then I had my daughter and that knocked some sense into me. However if I won a lottery, that QMX Enterprise would be the first thing on my list! I love watching you attempt yours, please keep posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 35 minutes ago, wm cheng said: Oh man that Enterprise brings back so many memories and the horror. I was so much more simple then, I had the one with the rainbow stickers and the grain of wheat lightbulbs back then, didn't paint it or anything just slapped it together and zoomed it around the room. I think it survived a month or so, then the bulbs burnt out one by one and it just started to fall apart in my hands. They were great memories and its still my favourite design of all spaceships. If only I could afford one of those QMX minatures, I just love the flashing nav lights and the strobe lights, but now I want it all - its the only time I ever thought seriously about committing that kind of cash to my favorite design, but then I had my daughter and that knocked some sense into me. However if I won a lottery, that QMX Enterprise would be the first thing on my list! I love watching you attempt yours, please keep posting! Ohhhhh.....I couldn't find the price on those QMX ones.....scared to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) Found the remains of my highschool build: I'm hoping the new one will turn out a bit better than this, hahHa! Edited July 20, 2020 by peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, peter said: Oh goody, I thought I was the only one who thought the 1/537 was a disaster and I was starting to sound whiny. The goal I keep telling myself is, just make it look better than I did in grade 8. Let's see, hahahaha!! Might end up worse. I have a 1/537 that I'm STILL trying to finish: Edited July 20, 2020 by pengbuzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 2 hours ago, pengbuzz said: I have a 1/537 that I'm STILL trying to finish: Oh wow, it looks like you are actually correcting the errors. I'm not going to bother accuratizing mine, lol! That's a can of worms I don't think I want to open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 11 hours ago, peter said: Ohhhhh.....I couldn't find the price on those QMX ones.....scared to ask. I think they were $11K-$14K usd when they first were offered. I they were pretty limited run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derex3592 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Get TrekWorks on YouTube to custom build you a 1:350. His name is Boyd and he does amazing work. I have no idea how much he charges, but the 1:350 build he put on YT was the most amazing paint job I've ever seen on an Enterprise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 1 hour ago, peter said: Oh wow, it looks like you are actually correcting the errors. I'm not going to bother accuratizing mine, lol! That's a can of worms I don't think I want to open. Yeah, i went "all-out" and actually reshaped hull parts. I even widened the pylons and redesigned the pylon/secondary hull connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) Lovely fit right out of the box: Sarcasm. Some of these fit certain parts of the saucer better than others. Most require fitting though Beforr After. Will still require filling once fitted. Grade 8 me used a thicker, more viscous cement, so I think my method back then was goop on the glue and use the glue itself as a jig to hold the part in place. Anybody here remember this stuff? All my Macross kits were mashed together with this stuff. Edited July 20, 2020 by peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derex3592 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 I didn't know any other type of model glue even existed from 1980-2010. When I got back into the hobby and the MW forums, I learned so much! Tamiya liquid cement? WTH is that?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 1 hour ago, derex3592 said: Get TrekWorks on YouTube to custom build you a 1:350. His name is Boyd and he does amazing work. I have no idea how much he charges, but the 1:350 build he put on YT was the most amazing paint job I've ever seen on an Enterprise! Yes I saw his stuff on YouTube, amazing! It would be at least $5K-$8K I would guess (maybe more). I've got to replace my crumbling deck at my house... 32 minutes ago, derex3592 said: I didn't know any other type of model glue even existed from 1980-2010. When I got back into the hobby and the MW forums, I learned so much! Tamiya liquid cement? WTH is that?! SAME HERE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 3 hours ago, peter said: Grade 8 me used a thicker, more viscous cement, so I think my method back then was goop on the glue and use the glue itself as a jig to hold the part in place. Anybody here remember this stuff? All my Macross kits were mashed together with this stuff. I still keep this stuff around for certain applications. It doesn't run anywhere, so can make a decent filler for small gaps. I'm getting more into using CA or liquid cement, but that dries too quickly for some larger assemblies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 4 hours ago, peter said: Grade 8 me used a thicker, more viscous cement, so I think my method back then was goop on the glue and use the glue itself as a jig to hold the part in place. Anybody here remember this stuff? All my Macross kits were mashed together with this stuff. I think I still have half a dozen half used of those in a drawer somewhere!. But yeah, when I came back to the hobby, it was Tamiya Cement and Model Master cement with the metal applicator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 3 minutes ago, Thom said: I think I still have half a dozen half used of those in a drawer somewhere!. But yeah, when I came back to the hobby, it was Tamiya Cement and Model Master cement with the metal applicator. Still use that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grayson72 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, pengbuzz said: Still use that. That stuff still has its uses and makes a very strong bond because it chemically melts the plastic together. If I’m gluing something together that I know is gonna have to be filled and sanded anyway I glop this stuff on so there’s less filling to do. I’ve been using it since 1978 lol Edited July 20, 2020 by Grayson72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobber Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) Yeah that Testor’s stuff is still good for large assemblies. The tamiya liquid stuff is great in a lot of applications but does dry in the air really quick which makes it difficult for say the saucer of a starship etc. Oh, and to this day the smell of Testor’s cement takes me back to childhood...and no I’m not talking about sniffing glue! Lol Chris Edited July 20, 2020 by Dobber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 I'm with Grayson. I was using that old Testor's stuff since the 70's! Then in the late 80's I worked for the now defunct Hobby Shack and learned about all the Zap a Gap glues and accelerators. Then I learned about Micro Weld (Micro Sol, Micro Set). Their HQ was practically next door! I've been in a holding pattern with both of those glues since. For a great thin cement, you GOTTA try Micro Weld. It's non-toxic, but works as good as or better than solvent glues! It's not like the Testor's Blue tube junk either! - MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grayson72 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 33 minutes ago, MechTech said: I'm with Grayson. I was using that old Testor's stuff since the 70's! Then in the late 80's I worked for the now defunct Hobby Shack and learned about all the Zap a Gap glues and accelerators. Then I learned about Micro Weld (Micro Sol, Micro Set). Their HQ was practically next door! I've been in a holding pattern with both of those glues since. For a great thin cement, you GOTTA try Micro Weld. It's non-toxic, but works as good as or better than solvent glues! It's not like the Testor's Blue tube junk either! - MT Ack! The blue tube WAS useless along with grey tube of Testors putty. At some point they wouldn’t let me buy the orange tube by myself anymore and needed my parents there to authorize such hazardous purchase lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duymon Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 oh god, i have horrible memories of the useless blue tube. I always went right for the red tube at kmart back in the day :0 I didn't use a better cement for about 15 years and then I discovered Testors model master thin cement..... used that for a few years before discovering the joy of Tamiya thin :0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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