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Star Trek 50th Anniversary Group Build

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  • Member since
    January 2016
  • From: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Posted by iSteve on Thursday, September 15, 2016 10:47 PM

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up for me Gamera. I thought the pylons might have been separate. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help. It just seems so weird how they could twist so much like they did.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 15, 2016 10:31 PM

Steve thanks for the help!

I'm not sure how clear this photo of the instructions is but I don't think you can put the pylons on backwards since it's all one big U or V shaped piece. Unlike the AMT the grills aren't molded on the pylons but come as decals.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    January 2016
  • From: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Posted by iSteve on Thursday, September 15, 2016 10:18 PM

Gamera

No sure how clear these photos are on the rotated nacelles but here they are. I don't know why they're like that, it wouldn't have cost anymore to have designed the kit so they fit properly.

As said I just cut off the tab, replaced it with paper clip wire, and then epoxied the whole thing in place. This fixed one has the rubber band on it holding it place. The rotated one is the other.

  

Gamera, I've never owned that kit but I think the problem might be you have the pylons reversed, judging by your photos. Are there not four rectangular grills on them? If so, they should be facing inward, not outward. My apologies if I'm completely off base here.

  • Member since
    January 2016
  • From: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Posted by iSteve on Thursday, September 15, 2016 10:05 PM

Beans

Gotta share...

My wife gave me a sheet of Star Trek forever stamps she picked up from the post office yesterday.

Cool huh?

Very cool. Canada Post has a couple of sets available too that I'd like to get. Check out canadapost.ca

 

  • Member since
    January 2016
  • From: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Posted by iSteve on Thursday, September 15, 2016 9:50 PM

Ok I'm in. AMT Klingon Cruiser from Star Trek: The Motion Picture modified with JT Graphics resin parts for accurization.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 15, 2016 8:43 PM

'Aye lad, sometimes ya just need to whack the bloody thing with a hammer...'

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Thursday, September 15, 2016 7:43 PM

Thanks, Gamera.  I had one of the first issues, too, back in the '60's.  Don't think mine turned out too well.  One of the later releases--maybe '69?--came with lights, but I don't remember if I got it to work.  I built the '79 release just after I finished up college.

I can see what you mean with your project.  "They" should have known better, and never let this thing off the production line the way it is.  The fit flaw is so obvious.  

Looks like you did a good job of repairing the port nacelle and engine--and it didn't take a chimpanzee and two trainees to accomplish it.

Qapla'!

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 15, 2016 7:10 PM

No sure how clear these photos are on the rotated nacelles but here they are. I don't know why they're like that, it wouldn't have cost anymore to have designed the kit so they fit properly.

As said I just cut off the tab, replaced it with paper clip wire, and then epoxied the whole thing in place. This fixed one has the rubber band on it holding it place. The rotated one is the other.

 

 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 15, 2016 7:05 PM

She's beautiful CMK02! And code 1701- useful too!

I had two of those kits back as a youngster. I cut one up trying to open all the portholes and then melted a second one with interior lights. Those were the good old days, no cool-burning LEDs, I used big fat bulbs I bought at Radio Shack!

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Thursday, September 15, 2016 6:53 PM

Thanks, Beans!

I used gradually lightened shades of orange and yellow, sprayed on with an airbrush. Started with the darkest orange, then moved up to pure yellow, sort of feathering the colors.  Finished with a clear gloss.

I had a book titled something like the Star Fleet Technical Manual that had a page with colour chips.  I used that for determining colors, but references were pretty hard to come by back then.  If I remember, I think it called for the ship to be "Platinum" or something.  I used some sort of silver metallic on it.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Berwyn!
Posted by Beans on Thursday, September 15, 2016 6:06 PM

checkmateking02
And just for conversation, here's my 1979-vintage AMT USS Enterprise hanging from my office ceiling at work.

It came in useful years ago.  We had a copy machine in the office at the time that required a pass code to operate. We chose "1701," so when anyone forgot it, they could check out the Enterprise for a reminder.

Nice and clean. I like that.

I really like the paint job on the Bussard Collector Assembly. How'd you do that?

It's cool that they let you hang your model at work.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Thursday, September 15, 2016 5:45 PM

And just for conversation, here's my 1979-vintage AMT USS Enterprise hanging from my office ceiling at work.

It came in useful years ago.  We had a copy machine in the office at the time that required a pass code to operate. We chose "1701," so when anyone forgot it, they could check out the Enterprise for a reminder.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Thursday, September 15, 2016 5:28 PM

Yeah, this is really NOT good news to hear! If you can bring yourself to do it, Gamera, I'd like to see photos of the issues and your fix. It's frustrating that the producers don't address these issues and make these problems go away for subsequent releases of the kit. I don't think they have much excuse for perpetuating major fit problems after the problems are found to be so widespread. I suppose it's $$$$$. Or would that be gold-pressed latinum?

I used to have the FASA rules and stuff, too. I think I sold them on eBay years ago, but I kept the figures. Too much invested in painting them to get rid of them. I found them in storage and took a look at them. They still look pretty good, although some of the casting was a little crude.

I'll see if I can find time to take photos and post them this weekend. I forgot over the years that I had Klingons and Romulans and Talosians and Andorians and Tellerites, etc., along with the Federation crew.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 15, 2016 9:58 AM

Right Beans, photos.

I hate posting photos of stuff I've messed up but maybe someone can learn from my mistakes.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Berwyn!
Posted by Beans on Thursday, September 15, 2016 9:42 AM

WIP pictures...

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 15, 2016 7:52 AM

Alright, maybe I spoke too soon here... I went to attach the warp nacelles to their struts on my 1/1000th Polar Lights original Enterprise last night and WTH!?!? The tabs did not fit as inserted, they would if forced. But even then they rotated the nacelles out of alignment- the two radiator fins that should be evenly spaced on the sides near the top ended up rotated out with one on top and the other almost horizontal out on the outside of the engine. The inner cooling grills were canted up at a 45% angle toward the top. 

No amount of sanding or carving would get the nacelles straight. So I ended up cutting the tabs off, drilling some holes in the struts and sticking some wire in them. Then I just epoxied the whole thing in place and set it aside to dry. I hope when I look at the kit this evening everything is still straight. If so I guess I'll be doing the same to the starboard nacelle and strut. 

I wonder if I somehow messed up the kit, though it's pretty simple I don't see how. Matt Usher in his review stated that he cut the pins off and super-glued his together. Several other online reviews list problems with them. 

I mean it's not something an experienced modeler can't deal with but this is marketed as a snap-fit kit for kids with stickers along with decals. I just wonder how this got though and into a production kit. And now I'm almost scared to think what kind of issues the big 1/350th kits might have... 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 10:38 AM

Oh that's cool. I have the FASA Trek RPG and the wargame. I never could find anyone to play the RPG with but I played about a zillion battles with the wargame playing both sides. 

I'd love to see the figures and ships. The figures had been taken off the market when I bought my games but the ships were still out. I ended up just using the cardboard counters though and never bought any. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 4:24 PM

Good information, Gamera. Thanks! I like the idea of the constant 1/1000 scale for these. Hope Polar Lights puts out even more.

I still have an AMT TOS Enterprise hanging from my office ceiling at work. Picked it up back in '79 in Stone Mountain, GA, just before the premier of ST: TMP. After all those years, it's never had a "droop" issue.

Can't say the same for some of FASA's old metal gaming miniatures, from the '80's. Eventually, the Enterprise's engines and nacelles looked a lot like the ears on a beagle.

But the figures were good. A couple of companies put out gaming figures for Star Trek role-playing games: Heritage and then FASA, in the '70's and '80's. Still have them painted up. Maybe I'll dig them out of storage and post some photos.

My Enterprise and Reliant arrived in the mail today, but I have about three other GB's to finish before I can start in on them. Enterprise comes with aztec decals, but they have to be purchased separately for Reliant.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 7:28 AM

CMK02: It's a very good kit as is the Polar Lights Klingon Battlecruiser in 1/1000th. Just you'll use a bit of putty on them. Though it's more work I like how they did the nacelle struts. Instead of just having them stuck into the secondary hull like the AMT kit they're molded in an U-shaped section together with a slice of the secondary hull. I guess I should post a photo to make it clearer. It is more work to fair the whole thing in but it's way stronger and should get rid of the floppy droopy nacelles on the AMT kit and be much less likely to break off. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Monday, September 12, 2016 4:14 PM

Gamera

Cool OWOF, great to see someone working on the vintage AMT kit. 

The nacelle support struts are much stronger on the Polar Lights 1/1000th kit but I'm having issues getting them fared in so they don't show a depression where they fit the secondary hull. 

 

 
That doesn't sound good.  I was considering getting the "Space Seed" version of TOS Enterprise, that comes with "Botany Bay."  
 
It will be useful to see your fix.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2016
Posted by OWOF on Monday, September 12, 2016 10:04 AM

Yeah I did that kit not too long ago and probably spent two weeks puttying and sanding that spot. 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Monday, September 12, 2016 7:30 AM

Cool OWOF, great to see someone working on the vintage AMT kit. 

The nacelle support struts are much stronger on the Polar Lights 1/1000th kit but I'm having issues getting them fared in so they don't show a depression where they fit the secondary hull. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2016
Posted by OWOF on Sunday, September 11, 2016 8:05 PM

Yes, I've been working on mine. The AMT 18" Enterprise is a pretty simple build but there is plenty to do to get it right. Working on the saucer and still trying to decide whether to replace the b &c deck section or just leave it as is, out of the box. 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, September 11, 2016 6:13 PM

Anyone else started? I'll post photos when I've got something not covered in putty... Wink

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    July 2014
Posted by modelcrazy on Friday, September 9, 2016 11:23 AM

There was a 2014 Star Trek build in rememberance of Nimoy

Steve

Building a kit from your stash is like cutting a head off a Hydra, two more take it's place.

 

 

http://www.spamodeler.com/forum/

  • Member since
    August 2011
  • From: Earth, for now
Posted by BashMonkey on Friday, September 9, 2016 10:42 AM
Where was this last year when I was building DY-500s left and right? I'll play. I'm planning to add a 1/1000 Leif Ericsson for my pre-Federation fleet, I also need to finish my 1/1000 Daedelus (decals) and 1/1000 NX-01 Enterprise Refit (paint and decals) For the GB my Official entry will be the Leif Ericsson

 ALL OF YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!

  • Member since
    September 2016
Posted by OWOF on Thursday, September 8, 2016 9:38 PM

I'm in for this. I have the amt tos enterprise that I picked up a few weeks ago, seems like a good project

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Thursday, September 8, 2016 3:54 PM

That's already very dramatic, falconmod--the starship facing off with the Doomsday Machine. Looking forward to this!

Beans: hope there's room in the space station for both tribbles and Quadrotriticale--in scale, of course!!

Didn't have any suitable kits in the stash, so ordered mine from Tower on Monday. Hopefully it'll ship soon. Also ordered USS Reliant; couldn't pass it up.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2011
  • From: Milaca, Minnesota
Posted by falconmod on Thursday, September 8, 2016 12:21 PM

I'm gonna have to hit the post office! Big Smile

On the Bench: 1/72 Ki-67, 1/48 T-38

1/144 AC-130, 1/72 AV-8A Harrier

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Berwyn!
Posted by Beans on Thursday, September 8, 2016 12:16 PM

Gotta share...

My wife gave me a sheet of Star Trek forever stamps she picked up from the post office yesterday.

Cool huh?

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