Back to the Modelling Board; Revell's Original Series USS Enterprise

Back in 2013 we were fortunate to review the Revell Star Trek Into Darkness USS Enterprise.

Now we can bring our sequel of sorts with the completion of the Revell kit for The Original Series' legendary starship. However this time, instead of having a bash at building her, I handed control over to someone with a ton more experience and a far steadier hand (and dare I say it about 200% more patience); my Dad.

A Star Trek fan since the original BBC TV airings back in the early 1970's, Dad is the reason I like the show and can be therefore blamed for me taking it to another level. In the past he's constructed the Enterprise-A from The Final Frontier, Enterprise-D, Klingon Bird-of-Prey (here, left) and the Vor'Cha attack cruiser, USS Excelsior from The Undiscovered Country and USS Defiant (personal favourite) so his credentials at the interview for this article were already enough to guarantee we'd be getting some top-notch material. When I said I'd received this kit for review though he did jump at the chance to tackle the starship since it was the mid-1980's when he completed the classic AMT release.

What I can say ahead of his review is that this is light years ahead of that and I can also be certain that the result will be a good deal better than my attempt on the JJ Abrams USS Enterprise. 

Right, let's get it started....

Opening Up

Saucer section ready for assembly

The Revell kit of the original USS Enterprise comes in an end-tuck carton which is useless for holding parts or sub-assemblies but, from this point, onward to construction. 

The parts come in four packs, one of which contains the clear items. The rest are in a light grey plastic which all look crisply moulded and the etched lines look a little heavy but not unacceptable so no re-scribing should be needed. The instruction booklet is in Revell’s standard format which is very clear and straightforward. I would say, at this point, I do not intend to use the kit windows because this will mean a significant amount of masking when it comes to painting; instead I will fill the apertures with Micro Kristal Klear  after completion.

The Build

Saucer section built and filled

Construction starts with the saucer section into which the navigation lights are inserted first. There is some confusion here because the instruction sheet illustration appears to show the tapered end of the bridge recess at the front of the saucer and it is only by looking at the impulse engine locating holes that the correct orientation is recognised. 

The saucer section went together well with no gaps needing more than a smear of filler. The only complication was the sprue gates which on parts A16, A18, A20 and A21 were rather thick and took some effort in cutting away. This is necessary because the location points in the saucer are inside the gate recesses – now onto the warp engines. 

Hull complete and warp engines attached

The warp engines are quite straightforward from a construction point of view. The complications are in the painting. Parts C29 and C44 were cemented in and the area painted silver. The clear parts A30 and A45 were more problematical because the main is clear orange but the ‘ribs’ in silver were tricky and needed a magnifying light and a steady hand. Parts B32 and B47 were left off until final painting along with A34, A37, A49 and A52 and, because these are the same colour which is a mix, they need to be painted at the same time to avoid shade differences.

Next, the pylons, which are quite ingenious in nature. They consist of a ‘V’ frame and two inner panels. When completed this sub-assembly sits like a saddle across the main hull. Cleverly this performs two functions - it fixes the angle from which the pylons come away from the hull and it means that there is no stress trying to pull the hull halves apart which was the case in earlier versions – well thought out Revell. 

Now I fitted the warp engines to the ‘V’ frame - all was good with just a touch of filler to tidy up the joints. 

Final Construction

Secondary hull complete with engines

Next, the main hull. I fixed the two bracing pieces (D102 and D103) and left them to dry overnight. The following day the shuttle door (E104) was added along with the 90 gm weight. Fortunately there is plenty of room in the hull to accommodate such a large volume. This was super-glued and taped to stop it moving around because there will be no possibility of securing it once the sensor array and the pylons are fitted. The hull went together very well and there seems little need for filler at this stage. This sub-assembly is now taped ready for final assembly.

Final assembly consists of the now-completed warp engine/pylon sub-assembly, main sensor and saucer. The warp engines were attached and left to dry overnight. The main sensor inner (D68 and D69) were assembled and fitted. The only difficulty encountered was the fit of part D68 which needed some material shaving from the main hull to let it fit but this was easily accomplished.

The sensor dish was left off to be painted separately to avoid masking. The saucer section was left off at this stage also because the primer will be easier to apply. Dependent upon fit, it may be that it will be given its final paint coat and attached afterwards. This decision is best left until after the next step - onto painting. 

By Numbers

B35 masked up

I painted all of the ‘non hull’ colour areas around the warp engines, impulse engine and main sensor. The main sensor array was painted gloss black because it is the most effective undercoat colour for the copper. When all of these areas have dried, they will be masked off for the overall assembly colour. At this point I painted the stand gloss black (also the most effective undercoat for the gold insignia). 

Having painted all of the supplementary colours the masking can be tricky. A tip in masking recessed areas such as found on parts B35/36 and B50/51 is to run the tip of a cocktail stick around the edge to give a clear area to trim off the tape. 

The final assembly now completes the hull with the warp engine covers and the main sensor being fitted. All good fits with no filler necessary.

I Name This Ship...

Awaiting final assembly

Decal fitting was achieved with no problems. Colour register is very good due to the depth USS Enterprise and NCC-1701 on the saucer, there is virtually no trace of pigment with no ‘show through’.

The carrier film is very clear and, even on the main I used a decal setting solution on the major pieces and the decals reacted very well. For note you do also get the option to mark her up as either USS Constellation or USS Potemkin.

The final step is a coat of satin varnish overall and putting in the windows with Micro Kristal Klear to which a dash of gloss white or gloss black is added (personal preference). The main thing I would emphasise is the benefit of keeping the hull and saucer sections separate until the last task. This has helped tremendously in the handling of the pieces which, due to the awkwardness of the shapes, would have been very difficult to paint easily. This is possible because of the very good fit of the saucer to hull joints which is tight with no remedial work needed on the joint. 

The project has gone together very well and I would thoroughly recommend that any Star Trek fan with a modicum of scale-modelling experience gives it a try.

Many thanks to Revell for their assistance in the production of this model review.

Massive thanks to Dad for the time to build and review the kit.

All build photographs courtesy of SB2014

Final hero model shots by SKoST with exception of starship with box below (top right image) also courtesy of SB2014

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We're Done! The End of the Enterprise Project

For my first ever solo model-making attempt I'll mark it at a seven.

Having slaved over the plastic frames, pots of white matt paint and finally an extensive set of decals I can tell you that the USS Enterprise model from Star Trek Into Darkness has been completed. If I'm frightfully honest I'm a little disappointed because I enjoyed the whole process.

Now I'm the first to admit I am NOT a modeller and never will I be but this has been a great kit to build and the final result is more than I expected. As I left it last time the saucer and secondary hull were linked and the engines were assembled. It was time to get the decals on. Get yourself a good pair of tweezers and a steady hand for this job!

There are a lot in the set. Some of them are a good size such as the NCC-1701, ship name and some of the lower hull and engine markings but there are a lot of fine lines to attach especially around the nacelles and the saucer edge. The three rows of detailing on the saucer are a precision art to align and even more delicate to avoid while you're attempting to put the rest of them on. Be warned.

I chose to use some kitchen roll and a cotton bud to help apply the decals and remove any excess water and creases. The cotton bud was a must through the whole process especially around the saucer edge and wherever there were fine lines. Indeed, both on the upper and lower surfaces of the saucer there were single circular lines to place which, again were very tricky to put on and keep in a circular shape. Patience is an absolute must at this point. I might add that the instructions for applying the decals aren't totally accurate at this point so refer to the box images for some of the positioning of the detail on the underside of the saucer. For note the two grey box-like shapes near the centre of the saucer (left) are not correct on paper. The additional grey details you can see in the centre were applied with a cocktail stick at the end of construction. This allowed for some precise detailing on the lower hull that I was having issues getting with a brush.

For the most part they all went on very easily, even those edging lines but the real test came on the two nacelles. The edging around the upper sections of the engines is, frankly, poor. Revell provide four straight lines in blue to trim the upper piece of the warp engines - which are curved. No matter how you bend and snip to fit there are two problems. One; a straight line doesn't bend and Two; they don't meet at the end. At first I thought I was making a mistake but by the time I'd completed the second nacelle I realised it was down to the quality of the decals and not my middling attempts at applying them. A further point to store in your memory for later is that you should apply the four horizontal strips that run the length of the nacelles LAST as they go over the top of a lot of other pieces that are running top to bottom or around the two cigar-like appendages. 

Another point to make in the decals is that the four that are supposed to wrap around the bottoms of the two pylons just don't fit. While they are curved it's a terrible join no matter what angle you attempt. After a short battle with the first two I gave up and hand-painted the grey stripe around the bottom and top of the struts. 

Oddly there is no decal for the tops. For reference, here (right) you can see the two painted stripes as well as the decals for the front and rear of the pylons. The decals for the edges of these areas were not the best either and I had to rely  on the clear matt to seal them to the spaceframe. You might also spot the out-of-alignment docking port bottom left. Be careful with those decals as they can slip even when you think they are set in place. With a dab of water and some delicate brushing I did manage to get it back where it belonged!

Attaching those pesky nacelles was the next obstacle. Luckily rolls of tape and paint pots were to hand to buttress against the Enterprise when they were slotted into place. They sit above the saucer so to get it levelled out and secure you will need to shore her up for a few hours. Happily they went on fine and have held up very well as has the saucer to engineering hull join.

The final step was to run a coat of clear matt (Revell 02) over the whole of the model with the exception of the clear plastic segments all evident from being in that watery blue colour that we applied right back on day one. This is more to seal the decals against damage, dust and greasy fingers than anything else and I hadn't been resting easy during the detailing because of the potential for a ripped line or a lost docking port. Fortunately the only slips were the docking port and a saucer line, both of which were soon resolved.

Setting her onto the stand marked the closure of The Enterprise Project for me. It has been a long and interesting journey to get her from box to full model and I certainly am looking forward to the next one - I'm not sure whether to try Voyager or the Prime Universe NCC-1701 from The Original Series at the moment. I would recommend this kit to fans of any ability but for younger Trekkies or Trekkers I would suggest some adult assistance would be good especially in the decalling stages which can be a little overwhelming at times and delicate at others (spot the gap on the backs of the nacelles to the right here). You can also see the red and green "lights" at the ends of the nacelles. These are repeated underneath and at the port and starboard points on the saucer. I used a fine-tipped permanent marker for these and also for the eight thruster points on the saucer edge which would have been too small to paint in with the brushes I had available.

But hey, there she is. Finished and sitting proudly on the stand. Be careful to only cut through the big blue decal you put on the bottom once the ship has been matt finished other wise you could end up ripping the detail at this late stage which would be a tragedy of galactic proportions. And why do you need to cut through it? Because the whole for the stand is right slap in the middle of it!

This definitely is a wonderful and not too expensive kit from Revell and is a million years away from the AMT kits that I remember from the 1990's. It fitted well (for the most part) and the decals went on easily (mainly). There are a few bits where more adept modellers will want to fill and smooth out but even with my limited abilities and two right hands I managed to come up with something fairly respectable as a solo effort (although the stand and some of the other painting did see me helped by my Better Half, Melissa). The finished product also made me think how odd a shape the Enterprise of the JJ Universe is - it sort of bends in the middle but I probably like her a bit more than I did having spent some serious hours pouring over a lot of plastic, paint and details.

So there should be no holding you back now. Go forth, buy it. Just make sure you have a decent length shelf to put her on once you've finished as the Enterprise is a lot longer than you might have expected.

The Enterprise Project: The End in Sight

We started this way back in May. In fact the box for the Revell USS Enterprise dropped on the day of the UK release of Star Trek Into Darkness.

Now, in August, the end is very much in sight; within reach. Considering where this was back on July 17th I didn't think it would ever come together - but it has and (personally) it's gone quite well in most respects. That's not to say there hasn't been incident but on the whole Revell should be proud of the kit they have produced.

We left off with everything painted and ready for assembly - and that's just what's been happening. I have acquired a nice thin, small brush for fiddly detail once the majority is painted and dried but a lot of time has been waiting for glue - not paint - to dry.

Let's take this in the three sections I'd originally planned to build her in, starting with the saucer. As we left her last time I'd managed to stick the two sections together and now we have managed to assemble the impulse drive and reactor top to fit to the rear. Again, great fitting and that pretty much rounded off the construction element of the saucer in one swift move. I've found it quite useful to dab glue on using either a cocktail stick or a pin as it's a lot more exact and saves wiping away oozing blobs. I still need to "dot" the white on some of the elements here and tidy up the edges however it's not too bad...!

The secondary hull wasn't quite so easy. Once it was painted up I also had to paint and fit a lower hull section which sits between the two larger segments. This was a combination of some of the clear elements and white sections. From an "historical" perspective it's something that doesn't appear on the Prime Universe Enterprise, 1701 or 1701-A. This is definitely worth a test fit as it's a delicate piece to put in place. I would also recommend something I didn't do. Take a look further into the instructions and you'll see that, on the decals page showing the underside of the Enterprise, it needs a coat of black matt. Best do this before assembly!

Once the lower section was in place, it was a case of placing the deflector dish mount into place and gluing the whole secondary hull together. Not that I need to mention it, but test fitting the deflector housing is advised. Also get the shuttlebay doors painted first before assembly. These pieces all need to be set in place before putting the other half of the hull on - and make sure they are aligned straight otherwise you might end up with a substantially wonky finish.

Wrapping the hull with elastic bands to ensure it stayed together I was disappointed with the fitting. There was a tiny gap between the two halves so have some filler to hand. As you might be able to see from this photo (left) there is a distinct gap along the centre line as well as around the lower edge of the secondary hull. A real shame as to this point I had been unable to fault the assembly and painting processes.

What I do like about this kit in comparison to the Enterprise-A model I had from The Final Frontier is that the pylons for attaching the nacelles are in three sections - half a pylon on each of the two hull halves and then a central piece which sits between the two. Once in place the two nacelles will slot into the top of them. Its another good, close fit when the rear upper hull section goes on. I would add that your collection of elastic bands will once more be called into use to pull the hull pieces together at the gluing stage.Word of advice - decide NOW if the Enterprise is going on a stand or not as you'll need to cut out a slot in the base of the ship (see picture at the bottom of this blog) and doing it after gluing the hull together will be a serious pain to do. I nearly forgot. Whoops.

Ok. Those steps bring two halves of the hull to a close for construction now for one piece I hadn't even looked at - the two warp nacelles. Aside from a coat of white nothing had been done with these two cigar-shaped engines. Snipping them from the frame and filing the sprue points from them was straight forward enough but this was to be one of the more fiddly operations of the construction process. A lot of clear elements go into the finished items and I'd painted these right back at the beginning of the project. I'd push to add the interior features first and then complete the two ends afterwards. 

The venting elements slot in very well and gluing is best with something very fine and pointed to get precision and avoid over-doing the adhesive. I would also suggest you construct both side by side but only take one element at a time from the clear sprue to avoid confusion as you do so.

The bussard collectors need to be assembled separately and then glued in place. The rear panels to these, as with the deflector mount, are in a metallic silver which is a bit odd as you can't see them when they are all put together. Also you'll need to cut out two circles from the decals sheet to fix inside to give the impression of the inner workings. With the blue being quite a strong colour however you can barely make them out when they are in place. They can also be flimsy before the whole structure sets so be careful where you stand them to dry as there are four pieces making them up. 

The bussard covers also have some detail in white on them. As with the lower piece of hull I mentioned earlier, get them painted up before putting it all together as they will need a couple of coats and when inserted you'll have a job getting to every nook and cranny.

As you can see here (above right), all the clear elements need to be placed into the nacelles before assembly. On reflection I'm glad I painted them all on the inside as it hides any nasty brush strokes. You can also see how the venting slots into place.

What you'll find is, like with the secondary hull, the internal pieces need to be glued and set before attempting to close the nacelles up. Once they are closed then there can't be any alterations so make sure you get them in the right place first time. It will pay off.

Again, grab some elastic bands and wrap the engines as tightly (left) as you can to ensure that solid seal and watch out for drippy excess which will give you lumps and bumps on the join line. Getting to this point and seeing all the sections now assembled was a big thing. It's not been a straight run through to build the ship but it has gone well bar one or two minor hiccups which seem to only have occurred in the later stages.

So one last thing to show you for this time - the two hull sections mated. Test-fitting was a little difficult as it was very tight but after a bit of "guidance" and patience the two hulls went together. If you can see here though there is a slight gap at the top of the neck. You might want to get the filler out again to cover this up although it's not that noticable. I've included this picture of the join for reference (below). 

Purposely I'm stopping here and leaving the final section around applying the decals for an entire post on its own. Trust me, it deserves it. You might have noticed that a couple of the images above do have some of the decals on. In the instance of those attached to the neck of the secondary hull, this was done due to ease of accessibility that would be lost after mating the engineering section to the saucer. I intend to go into more detail over the whole detailing and decalling process in more depth next time.

So just to leave you with one final shot of the model at this stage. Two hulls joined and ready for the final stage. What you should be able to see is the gap between the two hulls and also the inserted lower hull section which is recessed against the rest of the ship. You should also be able to make out the slot for the stand towards the front of the secondary hull.

As a side note, make sure you've ordered some clear matt (Revell number 2) as this will be essential to use after decalling. Covering the starship in a layer of clear matt will protect the finishing touches and save them from getting ripped. Mine is on order!

The Enterprise Project: We've Not Given up!

It might seem like an age since our last project update but I can assure you work has certainly not ground to a halt.

There was a minor delay as I ran out of white satin matt (Revell colour 301) but a recent trip out to a hobbyist store (slightly unplanned) meant my stock was replenished and we've slipped from impulse to at least warp one. Maybe even warp two.

First thing's first. I gained a rather useful modelling apprentice in the form of my partner, Mel. While she'd be the first to admit that Star Trek is far from her first love, her efforts on The Enterprise Project have been greatly appreciated. If you want to get up to date, check back through the label at the bottom.

The saucer ring in grey was not a great success and that might have been down to either a bad painting job on my part or a less than perfect masking job. Mel's more steady painting touch came in useful as she managed to get a much cleaner line around the saucer section (right). Coupled with that I painted up the raised sections in a darker grey (76) on both the upper and lower sections meaning that it might get assembled in the next couple of days. 

The two additional pieces in grey and white that sit atop the saucer are also now fully painted and touched up where necessary. These can now be set in place and glued. They were very fiddly to paint and in the end the edges were easier to colour freehand than using masking tape. I've had mixed success with masking in this project and it's even been varied within the same area. Some have come out really well and other bits have appeared frayed or the paint has bled. I know for the future it'll be an area of caution and I might need to invest in some more sticky or more model-orientated tape. Anyway, I've included the two sections alongside the saucer here for reference size. There's a clear section at the back of the longer of the two additional parts which you can barely see. It might've been a better idea just to have moulded it as a single piece.

One thing I also said I would do was build the ship in sections however I've reconsidered that process. Armed with a fresh tub of white matt, everything that needed to be white is now, well, white. This means I can effectively run three mini-project sections side by side as parts dry or set. In that respect there's been some good progress with the secondary hull. Having painted both sections with two coats over two days, I then set the clear window sections into place in both halves and fixed the two inner structural supports in place.

As you will notice from the sprue to the left here, there are several silver items which have also been painted including parts of the nacelle structures and the rear piece of the main deflector dish. This is all Mel's handiwork so I can't take the credit and it's come out very well. Again, two coats was essential to get a proper covering.

As with the window sections in the saucer, make sure that all the sprue flash and cut off is sanded so they will fit in place. Cleaning and painting the internal supports isn't essential but for peace of mind I'd still recommend removing excess sprue just to get the best fit possible. I've included a couple of images here of the supports in place in the starboard half of the hull and a close up of the painted window section in place within the neck of the secondary hull (pic below). All of them were good fits so I've not had one issue with fitting together any of the ship so far.

Just a reminder that when I painted the clear sections I used the white matt on the back of them which has added an angle of depth to the windows so it's not just a slab of Revell 301. Hopefully you get the impression of this from the image below left where the white is recessed against the hull.

All the sections had been painted on the sprues before assembly so they were all cut (good sharp knife required) and sanded the attachment points smooth to the bodywork. These will all need a quick paint later in the process. The silver section for the deflector dish as noted above was also cut, trimmed and sanded for assembly. The main blue piece for the dish however needed a slight retouching as some of the blue had come off since it was painted a while ago. Interestingly only the main saucer has needed a third coat. Everything else has been covered nicely with only two layers of paint.

The final piece for painting was the stand itself. In metallic silver and black I think it will look pretty awesome when finished. Mel was keen to get painting this so I left her to it and the result has been excellent. Using Revell silver 99 and black 302 (as we're using only the basic colours recommended on the box to build this and therefore give the amateur modeller/enthusiastic Trekker a chance) I'm more than happy with the result. Mel chose to mask one side and not the other for contrast on how that would affect the finish on the silver and hands down the edge was better without the tape. Bit of a surprise but it just showed patience and skill are a winner over three hours of taping stuff up! The image here is of the main stand base. There are also two vertical pieces which form the stand post to attach to the underside of the Enterprise. As with the centre of the base these have been coated in metallic silver.

OK. Quite a big update there. Biggest challenge so far is still the masking challenge of the grey strip on the saucer which we're only now close to being happy with. Going forward this week we'll be sticking that secondary hull together and maybe getting the saucer together. Glancing over the instructions it also looks like we might be seeing some decal action before we mate the two hulls. In fact I'm considering labelling the two hulls separately to make that process a lot easier. Oh - and we'll be looking at the engines as well if that all happens!

Top featured image courtesy of Revell
All other images courtesy of SKoST

The Enterprise Project: Learning Curve

The first "trial by fire" moment of the project has arrived.

Painting large areas in a solid colour is not a precision task and while it can get monotonous after a while, it's not an exacting art. The time has come however where I must apply a degree of skill and accuracy and just the prep took a while.

Masking up the curve on the bottom of the Enterprise saucer section was a difficult and fiddly one. You can't simply whack a strip of tape around and be done. Straight pieces of tape don't bend well so it was a gradual process to mark out the grey stripe for painting.

It was a two-coat job to complete the painting but it did come out well in the end using the basic light grey silky matt 371 to cover. The only challenge being that there's been some edge feathering from the masking off which I now have to remove before I can proceed to the next detailing job on the primary hull. Inside the lower section I've now also installed the clear (and painted matt white) porthole sections - make sure you clip and file the edges on these as they are quite a squeeze to fit and need to be flush with the hull or they won't look right from the outside.

In keeping with the plan I've now also painted and masked up some of the sections which are attached to the top of the saucer as well as test fit and glue the upper and lower saucer modules in place as these are now finished aside from minor detailing. I've used a slightly darker grey matt 76 for these areas. 

One thing I left off the last Enterprise Project update was an interior shot of these two pieces just to give you a better idea of how they stack together so the edges of each are concealed (left). Again, before gluing anything always make sure it fits as movement corrections could get a bit tricky and sticky.

With my current supply of white matt 301 running a bit low and not a lot of work to do on the primary hull I've applied a first coat to the secondary hull. This will get a chance to dry overnight and be reviewed in the morning. Should be fine but with physical construction on the saucer coming to a close, it made sense to start making some headway on Phase Two so to speak. Also, due to work commitments I'll have to take an enforced model-making break for a week which should give the paint time to arrive!

But before I disappeared off for a while, I managed to get a few extra bits completed. Firstly that grey curve on the lower saucer was painted up. The only problem that's arisen from that is the edges have feathered so I'll need to just touch them up to get that razor-sharp circle. As a first attempt at some extreme masking it came out a lot better than I had expected. 

Next up the two sections pictured above were fitted into the saucer sections, test fit and glued. They are both very snug when in place so there doesn't seem to be any need to fill any gaps (upper section pictured top). That image does suggest a bit of a gap at the back but I'm blaming the angle I took the snap. I've also masked off the two "T" markings on the upper saucer as you will also see there in preparation for painting as I will be doing on the lower section once the circle of grey is finished correctly.

Nicely the lower section (above left) has three guiding pins which mean it can only sit in one position. I also fitted the window panels into the lower section and here I would recommend that each of these has its edges filed before gluing into the sides of the dish. Why? Because if you don't they sit slightly proud of the surface and this will look a bit odd from the outside. For note, I painted these white while on the clear plastic frame before fitting (left).As you can see the flash from the sprue is still present and is raising the right end of the panel (more shadow visible).

It seems like this is one big trawl on painting doesn't it? True because I also had a couple of sections for the upper saucer which needed painting firstly in white matt and then required sections masking off for a darker shade of grey (Revell 76) than was required for the lower saucer circle. While the masking is not simple squares or rectangles they aren't curves. These will need some touching up and also some additional masking for smaller areas on each that require either a different shade or further painting. Both pieces will sit behind the bridge module on the upper saucer section pictured at the top of this piece. You can see the gap where the segment on the right of this image (right) will be placed when painted up.The longer piece came away from the sprue during painting as it was only held at two points but given that I had managed to complete painting the outer edges matt white it wasn't an issue.

To finish off I managed to get a coat of white matt onto the port side of the secondary hull (pictured left) just to see how it would cover. It's gone on very similar to the first coat on the upper saucer section so this shouldn't need more than a good second covering to plug all the gaps and streaking. It has a lot more nooks and bends than anything else so far but the result is looking favourable. I should be able to get started on the next step this weekend and complete the structures on the top of the saucer. This might mean that we can fix the two larger dishes together and tick off one third of the construction process.

To follow the progress of The Enterprise Project just click on the label below and you'll be able to catch up on this week's updates!

The Enterprise Project: Test Fit on the Kit

No major movement as we passed into Days Four and Five of The Enterprise Project.

My only real concern is the paintwork on the lower saucer section which might need some more touchup work to give it a smooth and even finish. The upper panel has come out a treat but its partner is providing the first bit of trouble.

As you can see from the photo of the finished kit above, you can go into a lot of detail and there's still a lot for me to do just on this section of the ship alone but we are getting there!

So while the paint set, I clipped out the various sections of upper and lower hull from the sprues and did a quick test fit. The lower sections are very snug and with guiding pins for the clear plastic dome, the molding and assembly are excellent. I'd definitely recommend testing the parts before gluing them even if it just settles your mind as to what it will look like. The upper sections aren't as tight fitting but there don't appear to be any worrying gaps to fill as noted yesterday.

I also realised that before we assemble the saucer sections there are some interior porthole segments that need a coat of our old favourite white matt 301. I'm going through this stuff like a wildfire so again, make sure you stock up!

These segments for the interior of the saucer are all clear and I've chosen to paint them on the inside for effect. There is also a clear "o" ring which fits inside the lower section again for the portholes (third piece down here, left) and was painted on the inner surface.

Each of the hull segments had their edges sanded and paint touched up although it's worth noting that the fit means that each piece fits inside a larger one and as such the points where it was joined to the frame are invisible - I'm just doing it for peace of mind!

Seeing as how I failed to update yesterday I've actually now done the next stage and assembled the two saucer structures ready to be set into the primary hull. They fitted like a dream and without any gaps (bottom)

A third coat of matt white was essential to the lower saucer and now this is streak and patch free. While coating that I also applied a coat of white to the clear porthole panels that will sit inside both the primary and secondary hulls (seen here, left, attached to the sprue). While I'm not looking at building anything below the saucer at the moment it seemed like the logical move! I also applied a coat to the impulse engine block and rear saucer structures which will be fitted once the two sections are mated.

The debate now is whether to add the detailing to the saucer before full assembly or wait until it's into one circular slab. At the moment I'm more inclined to do the former as it will be easier to rest the hull and paint rather than having to balance it not unlike a spinning top.

Now looking at the basic paints required/suggested and the painting guide on the instructions there doesn't seem to be a match on some of the colours suggested and those indicated on the Revell website (numbers indicated at the bottom of the page). It might now be a case of deduction to work out what will be needed in the stages and steps beyond.

To follow the progress of The Enterprise Project just click on the label below and you'll be able to catch up on this week's updates!

The Enterprise Project: Some Assembly (Soon) Required

Day Three and we've finished painting the sections that make up the saucer.

That means that (unless I've missed something obvious) we'll be ready for gluing tonight. A second coat of the white matt was needed on the lower saucer section and I'm still considering adding a third as it's not come out as well as I might have wished. The patchiness I was experiencing on the finish isn't anywhere near as bad as yesterday but I'll make a final call later

The second coat applied to the bridge and lower saucer structures (on sprue circled in red) went well and now I'm wondering if any of this is going to need filler to smooth out gaps at assembly. Fingers crossed that won't be the case. 

One note - make sure you have a lot of Revell white matt 301 to use. A 14ml tub won't go far so stock up! I reckon at least three of these small tubs will do the trick but I'll confirm after I've painted the secondary hull, the nacelles...and everything else which is white.

I've also dropped a couple of images of the two saucer sections (below) to show the difference in how the paint has finished. The upper section seems a lot smoother and less streaky while the lower section remains a bit glossy. I have zero idea why they are slightly different given it's the same paint, same application and same time. Again, I'll update as I continue the project.

To follow the progress of The Enterprise Project just click on the label below and you'll be able to catch up on this week's (very slow) updates!

The Enterprise Project: All White There, Captain?

Day Two of The Enterprise Project. Quick update.

Having cast a cursory glance over the blue yesterday morning post-breakfast I added a second coat last night which has done a lot to clean up the patchiness and give the clear plastic a lot better depth of colour. I don't think you can get a good sense of the difference from the pics but it is a lot cleaner than it was yesterday.

Second coat of Revell 752 applied

This also meant that I could enter the next step of the job - painting white matt onto white plastic. Not only is this massively time consuming it's also a difficult little task because of the matching colours so you need to be very careful and observant all the way through painting. 

I've decided to tackle the ship in three sections for construction and painting; saucer, secondary hull and nacelles. Small amounts of paint and steady work are best especially when hand-painting the saucer section. I'm not fortunate enough to be able to own a spray gun so this really is 100% hands on and a labour of love. Already I'm a lot more patient and not rushing to get the next piece complete which shows at least a level of personal progress!

Saucer painted - first coat of Revell 301
spot nacelle covers and deflector dish!

In fact this second hour of the project only saw me complete the second blue coat and then add a first coat of the white matt (301 in Revell terms) to the two saucer sections and the sections which make up the raised sections top and bottom (ie the bridge and the sensor platform below). I had a look at them this morning and the coat seems to have gone well. Tonight's plan is second coat on these pieces.

As with the clear sections I've tried to paint the saucer pieces while still attached to the frame - picture-wise this is nigh on impossible to show as it's white paint on white plastic. Anyway, I would get a stand or something to rest the saucer section on which does not come on a sprue and will need painting all the way round. I found a suitable tub to sit it on as pictured!

That's all for now. More painting awaits this evening, namely a lot of second coats of matt white.

You can keep track of my work by clicking on The Enterprise Project label below. This will give you the full list of blogs associated with her construction from box to shelf!