Building a PL 1/350 Enterprise Refit...

[s.s.bought-on-eBay]

hi everyone! i'm brand new here and this is my first post so bear with me.

i'm about to begin construction of a Polar Lights 1/350 Enterprise Refit and i have like a million questions. i've spent the last few days reading as many topics as i can here on the forums for help, but i was wondering how many others here have built this model?

admittedly, i haven't built a model in like 10 years. so i'm a total novice here. i know this ship is gonna be a huge task. but the Enterprise Refit is my absolute favorite ship of all time. i love her as much as Kirk does. the first time i saw this model i knew i had to build it and wanted to make it as authentic as possible. i'm willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that so i would greatly appreciate any help, advice, or suggestions any of you might have for me.

i need help with EVERYTHING. like i said, i've been reading up on lots of other threads learning about types of glue, primers, paints, painting, airbrushing, thinning, everything. but of course there's so much to learn it's all pretty overwhelming. i'd love some expert advice from people who've built this particular model.

right now, i'm waiting for my lighting kit to come in the mail before i start building anything. in the meantime, i'm trying to determine what all i need to buy. i'm gonna go ahead and aztec her with paint and not decals. that's just a must for me. should i hand paint or airbrush her? what type of airbrush is best? what types of paint should i use? i'm going for a more screen look than the filming model, so what colors are recommended?

what kind of glue works best? should i prime her first? if so, what should i use? Mr. Surface? these are just some of the many questions i have, and while i've answered a lot of them reading through the wealth of knowledge here, i'd love to have a single resource like this post from which to refer to using specific advice from people who've built this same ship.

again, any information anyone has for me would be greatly appreciated. and you can bet i'll be pouring through the forums at the same time. thanks so much!

[photoguy]

Welcome to the boards. Here we go...
1. The PL 1:350 Refit is a HUGE project. It should not be your first project after a ten year break from the hobby. It sounds like you have some very high expectations for this build, but very little experience in the skills required to complete a project of this magnitude. (Not trying to offend you, just spelling it out)
2. Even though you are buying the plug and play lighting kit, I would still strongly suggest putting together a couple of simpler projects as practice/learning to grow your skills a little before jumping into the "deep end"
3. Said "learning projects" would be an excellent place to start with your painting and general construction skills as well. With the re-release of so many of the old AMT kits forthcoming, you should be able to pick up a smaller project that you could work on, or look around on Evil-Bay for the old AMT 22" Refit model Not near as good of a replica with lots of accuracy issues, but would serve very well as a practice model to get down your construction and painting skills - especially the airbrushing and aztec work.
4. As far as airbrushes go, I have used a Vega 2000 for almost ten years now, and it is a great all around brush. I have heard some less than wonderful reviews about the new ones though - Badger is really getting bad about quality it seems, and the needle and cone assemblies are now nickel plated instead of stainless steel and chrome. I have tried the new Iwatas, and have to say they seem VERY nice, and well worth the cost.

Again, I don't want to discourage you, but I also want you to enjoy the experience of building this beast, and not end up with something you are less than proud of, or worse yet, walk away from it in disgust. You have come to the right place to get input and knowledge, but you need to learn the practical part too.

BTW, here is a site I have been using pretty much as the bible for this model build. http://showcase.netins.net/web/marc111c ... _WIP_1.htm
I don't plan on going into EVERY little detail that the author does, but this gives you the general idea of the kind of work that you need to do if you want to make this kit really shine as the piece of art that it deserves to be.
Good Luck!
Anyone else want to jump in here?

[s.s.bought-on-eBay]

yeah i understand completely what you're saying. it would be a good idea for me to try and take on some smaller builds first before trying to tackle this one. actually, to be technical the last models i built were about 5 years ago. they were the Bandai Enterprise and Enterprise E light-up model kits. those of course were pre-painted snap kits and didn't require any kind of real skill at all so i don't really count them.

however, if i do attempt to put together some other smaller kits before the PL 1/350 Enterprise, i'd still need all the same kinds of help and advice on the basics. like i said, i've learned a lot just reading through the many great threads here. what i really need is a tutorial of some kind. is there anything like that here? or any links to something that can take you through the basic building process from start to finish and maybe suggest the kinds of paints, tools, glues, etc that are needed?

anyway i appreciate your advice. hopefully some more people will lend me a hand as well. thanks again!

P.S. i actually came across that very same link you provided above before i had even found these forums. i didn't get a chance to read through every page (since my connection is REALLY slow), but i skimmed through a lot of it. and yeah, the author is VERY precise about detail. i won't be going into nearly as much detail as he does. it was all a bit daunting. but it did give me an idea of the level of work this kit requires.

[photoguy]

Check out the tips and techniques on the main site www.starshipmodeler.com
I know there are others, but our local IPMS club web-site also has a listing of helpful techniques www.ipmstristate.org
Here's a quick synopsis of what I do for every model project I build.

Model Building 101 - 13 Quick and Dirty model building steps
1. Wash parts with mild grease fighting dish soap.
2. While that's drying, read the directions thoroughly.
3. Use an X-Acto knife, or parts nipper to remove the parts from the tree as needed in each step of the directions.
4. Use Tenax or some other liquid plastic solvent cement to put together sub-assemblies. Some modelers find CA or super-glue effective as well. Do NOT use either of these on clear parts (it will craze them). I usually wait until the last possible minute to add clear parts to avoid overspray of paint, then use white glue or Testors Window cement. (Clear parts should be masked until painting and clear coating is complete)
5. Use Squadron green or white putty to fill any gaps or seam lines, and use 400 - 1000 grit sand paper (incrementally) to smooth. Now is also the time to address any panel line issues (fill and sand inaccurate ones, and use a Squadron scribing tool to LIGHTLY scribe new ones. If you mess up, you will need to repeat the fill, sand, scribe steps until you get it right. Use a strip of Dymo label tape as a straight edge)
6. As you complete sub-asemblies, spray with in-expensive $1 spray bomb primer or flat white enamel.
7. I usually paint in sub-assemblies, as it is easier to paint things like interior details while everything is still in parts. My paint of choice is Tamiya, or Gunze, whichever your LHS keeps in stock. (Gunze does offer a wider color selection, and is practically the same as the Tamiya. Thin with denatured alcohol to a "milky" consistency, and spray through your airbrush at about 25 psi. (Lower psi, will allow you to achieve a thinner line, but if you go too low, you will start seeing spattering. You can use Tamiya masking tape to cover areas you do not want to paint, and achieve hard edges and lines. For Star Trek ships, I print a copy of the aztec pattern onto frisket film, cut out using my trusty X-Acto knife, and use this as a painting mask for the pattern. Krylon just released spray cans of some nice "Pearl" colors that work really well with a very light coat.
8. Hand brush any details with un-thinned paint and a 000 size "spotter" brush.
9. Spray with a generous coat of Future floor polish (basically pure acrylic base)
10. Apply decals as directed in the instructions, and brush on a coating of decal set (Microsol or Testors - they both work fine)
11. Apply a second coat of Future to seal the decals, followed by your final clear coat of whatever finish you desire (Testors Dull Coat, Semi-gloss, Wet Look lacquers)
12. Weather with acrylic or oil washes (super thin paint) to simulate grime in crevices, dry brush lighter colors to pick out high points of details, and use the Tamiya Weathering pastels to achieve faded paint, rust streaks, and soot effects. (Pack #4 is my favorite)
13. Put together the sub-assemblies using Tenax or, in known weak joints such as the neck and saucer of the Enterprise Refit, - 5-min. Epoxy.

Lighting needs to be handled during steps #3, #4. This is why it is important to have that planned out and tested before installing in the assembly. You will need to leave enough leads to solder your final connections before final assembly in step #13. Once everything is glued together, it is a total Pain in the nether regions to find out you have a bad solder joint.

That should get you started. If I left anything out, I'm sure someone on here will jump in with a correction.
Now Go Build Something!

[s.s.bought-on-eBay]

thanks for the tips photoguy!

i went ahead and picked up one of the old AMT Enterprise Refit kits. i got the special edition version with lights, since i plan to install the lighting kit on my PL 1/350 Refit. and i'm gonna pick up the Aztek Dummy templates for it. all this i hope will make for some good practice.

you mentioned some good airbrushes before. where's a good place to pick one up? we don't have any good hobby shops where i live and the only thing Michael's carries is Badger, which i've heard good and bad things about. is there a website or a certain brand/model you could recommend?

also, you said to use epoxy on certain weak joints like the neck and saucer. i read the same thing on another post for the 1/350. i've also read that you guys get a lot of your stuff from Wal-mart. i know they sell epoxy there. is there a particular brand you recommend or will just any generic stuff work? thanks again!

[Captain Riker]

Wow, exactly in the same situation as the OP. Saw mention of the refit on trekmovie.com and really got into the idea of building it.

Hopefully we can share some experiences here for 'renewed' modelers.

I'm starting with an old AMT Defiant kit which supposedly has a lot of 'flaws' to fix and then I got a hold of a TOS enterprise re-release.

Given the amount of documentation and information on the TOS Enterprise, it seems like a good place to start to redevelop skills and practice.

[s.s.bought-on-eBay]

hey Crikerat, take a look at this...

http://www.trekmodeler.com/services/ent ... 01_PL1.htm

these guys are amazing. for $3,000 they'll build the ship for you and install all the lights and everything. but of course that takes all the fun out of it. not to mention the fact that that's a lot of money. but they have a lot of great pics on their site there for reference as well as showing just how amazing this kit can look when put together properly.

i'm glad i'm not the only one here who is starting over after a long absence from building. i feel like a total beginner. and all this stuff, a lot of which is totally new to me since i was an avid model builder back in the late 80s/early 90s, is pretty overwhelming. the tools, the techniques, the terminology. all of it. but i'm learning. and like i said, the first time i saw the 1/350 Refit kit i knew i had to build it myself. so if i have to get some experience with other kits first to make the Refit the best i can, then that's what i'll do.

the thing i'd say i'm most concerned with is painting. i've never been a good model painter, even back when i did it all the time. plus, like i said there's so much stuff like different kinds of airbrushes, different types of paint, etc. back when i was building models, i just hand painted everything with the old Testors stuff. i've heard people say good things about Tamiya brand paints on here. i just wish i knew which colors to use for this kit. the basic colors are flat white, pearl white, flat black, gray, dark gray, duck egg blue (at least so i've read), and some others. but which kinds and brands are best? i have no idea. hopefully some more people will jump on here with some good advice.

[CanabisRex]

Hey there,

I just got purchased the kit last night on ebay for a totally inflated price. And I knw it's going to be re issued this coming May, but I had to have the kit before then.
But I share the same love for the starship as many other do, as I'm beginning to find out. Anyway, you've got to let me know how the kit is coming along.

[s.s.bought-on-eBay]

hah, actually i haven't even started yet. i've been waiting for my plug n' play lighting kit to come in the mail before i start any construction and it just arrived yesterday. i'm also still in the process of getting all the other equipment i need, like an airbrush (i really like the Iwata Eclipse), drill, paint, etc. i MIGHT even wait until May and buy one of the new reissue kits before i begin (i got a great deal on my mint/sealed PL 1/350 Enterprise Refit on eBay, but as the kit has been OOP for a few years now, a few parts were broken in the box, which happens). so i'd kinda like to have another one on standby just in case something goes wrong or i need spare parts. that and i'm putting together one of the AMT/Ertl 1/537 Special Edition Enterprise Refit models first so i can get some practice in before i attempt the PL 1/350. yes i know, the AMT Enterprise Refit is well known for its inaccuracies and all, but i just want the practice.

i sure do love this ship though. a lot of people love the TOS Enterprise because they grew up with the original show. even more people love the Enterprise D because TNG was their era. but for me, the TOS movie era will always be my favorite. imo, those were the salad days of Star Trek (especially from II-VI). and the ship i grew up watching was the Enterprise Refit and the Enterprise A. believe it or not, TMP is one of my favorite Trek films right up there with TWOK. so many people hate TMP or just didn't get it. i love that movie. even the Enterprise flyby in dry dock. people always complain that scene is too long or too boring. not if you love that ship. imo, it will always remain the most beautiful ship ever built. which is why i can't wait to get started on this kit. of course, once i begin construction i will try to post pictures (and probably tons of questions) on here as i progress.

[The Master]

I just got purchased the kit last night on ebay for a totally inflated price.

Oooh, shame. Cos if you'd got here sooner, coulda told you where to buy that kit for less than £30. You see, in the UK it was (mostly) distributed at the retail price which was around £29. But you gotta wonder why the internet exists, or Google for that matter. Because this kit is widely more available at the price I give above. Still, everyone rushes off to Ebay and pays the price.

For some reason, right now, after reading this thread I keep thinking of 'Unholy Trinity' or just the one. ;):D

[The Master]

I just got purchased the kit last night on ebay for a totally inflated price.

Oooh, shame. Cos if you'd got here sooner, coulda told you where to buy that kit for less than £30. You see, in the UK it was (mostly) distributed at the retail price which was around £29. But you gotta wonder why the internet exists, or Google for that matter. Because this kit is widely more available at the price I give above. Still, everyone rushes off to Ebay and pays the price.

For some reason, right now, after reading this thread I keep thinking of 'Unholy Trinity' or just the one. ;):D

[s.s.bought-on-eBay]

Unholy Trinity? whaddahyah mean by that, mate? the song by The Who perhaps?

anyhow, there's nothing wrong with eBay if you know how to buy. i picked my kit up mint/sealed for $70 shipped. the purchase price alone was $60, which i believe is roughly 30 quid anyway. i've been using eBay for almost 10 years now. and i've only been ripped off once when i was a noob. personally i always shop around and research as much as i can before i make any online purchases. figure out the going rate before you overpay. but if i can find a better deal on eBay, i go for it. just gotta know where the deals are.