The Starfleet Museum group build

Hey Andrew nice progress there. I'll have to remember the spoon thing, after scratching one into something all the left over bits can go into making the Woody goop. Now that is truly maximizing the use of materials.

Matt

I'm not trying to show Ketr up or anything, I just thought I'd share what I did in about 30 minutes the other day. It's the Wasp Class that I'll be working on as soon as I get my materials from Plastruct.


My Daedalus would be close to finished if I could ever get the conic section on the front of the engineering hull done, and done right...

Dude! Woody, that looks awesome! I haven't been able to even get the saucer section looking right yet. How did you go about doing it? This really is my first scratchbuild and any advice would be appreciated, from anybody. Anyways, I'm still trying. I left the saucer section aside for now and moved to the nacelles and am making those out of balsa and then thinking of vacuum forming them. How does balsa hold up to vacuum forming anyway? Will it crush or distort? Well, gotta get back to work. Great work from everyone so far. I hope to have something up soon.

The Syko Ward

I have a starcrafts USS Pateur w/ base and decals for teade or sale(prefer trade for maschinen Kreiger).
It is the same scale as the Excelsior and Enterprise B.
If interested email me at stipps@ntelos.net

Here are a few more pics of the dorsal hump that houses the shuttle bay. It looks better when it's not in three different colors of paint.

QUOTE: Originally posted by The Syko Ward Dude! Woody, that looks awesome! I haven't been able to even get the saucer section looking right yet. How did you go about doing it? This really is my first scratchbuild and any advice would be appreciated, from anybody. Anyways, I'm still trying. I left the saucer section aside for now and moved to the nacelles and am making those out of balsa and then thinking of vacuum forming them. How does balsa hold up to vacuum forming anyway? Will it crush or distort? Well, gotta get back to work. Great work from everyone so far. I hope to have something up soon. The Syko Ward

I first cut out two circles of 1/8th inch thick styrene. One circle at the diameter of the top lip of the saucer section and one the diameter of the bottom. I used a drafting divider to scribe the circles into the plastic. Not only did this give me perfect circles but it also left a small dimple at the very center. I then used that dimple to drill a hole that a two inch long bolt would fit in snuggly. Next I glued the two circles together so the center hole was in perfect alignment. I slipped the bolt back in so the bolt head was on the small circle side. On the other side I screwed a nut on so it all fit together snug but not too tight. I placed the bolt in my cordless drill. I then placed a course sanding drum in my Dremel. Holding the drill between my legs I rotated the saucer section slowly while using the Dremel to contour the area between the top lip of the saucer and the bottom. Light pressure and a steady hand is what you need for this part. After the unwanted material had been removed I took the bolt out of the drill. I used my homemade putty to fill the seam where the two sheets of styrene met. After this had set up good for about 48 hours I placed the bolt holding the saucer section back in the drill and turned the puttied edge againt a large nail file and then 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper untill it was smooth. After scribing the detail in it is as you see it.

As far as balsa as a vacuform mold, it will work fine. I soak my balsa parts with thin CA to harden them for casting or vaccumforming. I hope this has been helpful.

Very nice, Woody!

What are those tubey things for? :)

They are going to be the bulges on the conduits(?) on top of the saucer section. They need more shaping before I glue and blend them in. What are those for anyway?

Hey Woody, be careful with that drill between your legs. You could slip and be singin' Saprano real easy!!!

La La La...La La....La !!![:0]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Captain_Mills I'm not trying to show Ketr up or anything, I just thought I'd share what I did in about 30 minutes the other day. It's the Wasp Class that I'll be working on as soon as I get my materials from Plastruct. My Daedalus would be close to finished if I could ever get the conic section on the front of the engineering hull done, and done right...

Hey Captain_Mills, great mesh, what software are you using?

3DS Max for the modeling, Photoshop for the textures
Thanks...

Captain, I'm sorry I didn't say so before but that is a great Wasp pic.

Nice job on the Wasp Captain. Man thats it I gotta get some software! That looks like too much fun.

Woody, she is lookin fine! Are you still building it up in kit form?

Matt

Matt, I'm not sure. I'll continue as if I am.
I'm trying to finish up a couple detail pieces for the ole Baton Rouge right now. Unless something changes it looks like I'm going to have Starship Modelers store release it as a kit with decals and instruction.

I eagerly await its debut

Matt

Thanks guys... I just hope my scratchbuild version turns out as nice...

So I thoughI would post a little about my progress here. The balsa frames I'm working on are turning out better than my styrene ones, so I think I'll continue with this approach and then vacuum form the pieces later from the balsa masters for the final build. Time is becoming dfifficult as I started painting the inside of my house. Wife's been bugging me to do it. I will post later.

The Syko Ward

I hope you can post some progress pics. I'd like to see your use of balsa.

Sorry guys, I have not even started anything as of yet. I have been working close to 100 hours every pay period since Christmas (80 hour pay period). I also have been racking my brain trying to find a way to start the Dadaelus Class starship. I think I am going to try making a quick vacuum forming machine for the ball front end. When I have time. So far everyones looks great and I am very envious on your talents.

Profksergeev: I tried your link and have not been able to get any where as far as view progress. I was hoping to possibly get a few points on how you chose to do the living/work areas (front ball section).

Scott

I've been busy fitting the deflector housing. What do you think? Are the proportions OK so far?

Woody, it will be a crime if you don't kit that. Beautiful!

QUOTE: Originally posted by ProfKSergeev Woody, it will be a crime if you don't kit that. Beautiful!

Woody that is some amazing work my friend.

Matt

Lookin' great!!

Damn Woody! You are good. Definately kit material. I'm moving a bit slower than I had anticipated. Wife is has me other things when she sees me having fun. She's going to the mall a little later oday and that should give me some time. Keep up the great work.

The Syko Ward

Hey Mark, you can always come here and pull up a patch of kitchen table. My wife doesn't mind. I'm still gooping the Kestrel main hull. I need to find some warp engines. The shape almost looks like the nacelles from the TOS Rommie BOP. I thought of using an aircraft fusalage for the tail section, just need to find something that matches. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks StevenQ! I just may take you up on that one of these days. Can't tell ya what to use for the nacelles though, I haven't built to many aircraft models to know them well.

The Syko Ward

QUOTE: Originally posted by StevenQ Hey Mark, you can always come here and pull up a patch of kitchen table. My wife doesn't mind. I'm still gooping the Kestrel main hull. I need to find some warp engines. The shape almost looks like the nacelles from the TOS Rommie BOP. I thought of using an aircraft fusalage for the tail section, just need to find something that matches. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

How's my sprue goo working for you? As far as a donor for the tail...hmmm. How about an F-15 nose section? You could glue the two halves together and then remove a strip of plastic lengthwise to get the oval cross section. The front of a 500lb WWII bomb might yield the protrusion on the very tip of the tail.

Thanks Mark, and just let me know if you want to get together and brainstorm.

The Woody Goop is working great. You should market the stuff. I just applied another coat to both sides yesterday. I may apply a rib of epoxy putty to the edge instead so I can shape it easier. I'll check into the F-15 and bomb shapes. I need to dig out my old aircraft book for the profiles. Thanks.

QUOTE: Originally posted by StevenQ The Woody Goop is working great. You should market the stuff. I just applied another coat to both sides yesterday. I may apply a rib of epoxy putty to the edge instead so I can shape it easier. I'll check into the F-15 and bomb shapes. I need to dig out my old aircraft book for the profiles. Thanks.

Glad to hear it is working for you. I've used small diameter styrene rod stock to define an edge I'm puttying up to.

OK. Put me in, Coach! - er, I mean Woody.

I think I could actually build a Klingon D6: http://www.starfleet-museum.org/d6.htm

I am kitbashing a Polar Lights D7 as the basis for the model.
So far I have the engines beefed up and lengthened. Took the kit engines and glued them to quarter-inch plywood. Then I sheathed the wood in sheet plastic. Still a ways to go on them though. Gotta change the angle of attachement to the main body...

My first attempt at the main hull failed. Let's call it a near miss.
I will apply what I learned to my second go.

Masao. I might turn your bridge assembly the right way round by the time I am done. Or I might not.
Don't know yet. The Polar Lights bridge peices are sitting right here. They are tempting me...

I hope the model will end up looking something like this:



I will put Masoa's blueprints and all of the pictures from that first page in a blender and pray for a miracle
- in 1000th scale, of course!

I will keep you posted. Might take pictures. If it doesn't slow the build...
I am slow enough already.

Any advice would be helpful!
-Leelan