LAS VEGAS SHIPYARDS

My current client build is the AMT/Ertl U.S.S. Reliant as seen in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  The build is an out-of-the-box basic buildup and no aztecking (per the client) will be applied and no aftermarket parts will be applied.  I will, however, be applying J.T. Graphics Miranda Class decals simply because the kit decals are 1.) very limited and 2.) it is nigh impossible to find a 15 year old kit that doesn't have yellowed decals.

My approach to this kit is to assemble the Saucer Section and the Rollbar/Pylon/Nacelle assembly sepearately.  This will make it much easier to paint, detail and apply decals to.

To start, here are some initial pictures of the hull.  To join the pieces, I use Tenax 7R, a styrene solvent that literally fuses the pieces together.  After curing and sanding this technique results in there being no visible seams where the parts are joined.  With practice this a much easier and less messy technique than using putty.  I'm not saying it's always perfect but it works most of the time.

 Click images for larger versions:

Here's an example of why you should always refer to the direction sheet at least once or twice.  When I assembled the pylons and warp engines I put the starboard pylon on the port nacelle and vice versa.  D'oh!

The solution to this problem, (thankfully was simple).

There is a recessed panel line between the upper pylon section and the lower pylon section that I simply used as a guide for my razor saw, cutoff both top sections and used Tenax 7R to fuse them to their counterparts.

As you can see, it's completely unnoticeable.

The only issue was that it took a lot of time and tinkering to adjust the joint so that the nacelles were straight when attached to the saucer.

BTW: is it just me or does the nacelle on this ship (especially with the pylon) look like submarine?

The other minor screwup with the nacelles (again, from not referring to the directions) is that it is recommended to add weight to the aft end of the nacelles to keep the ship balanced so it doesn't tip forward when complete.  Unfortunately,  I remembered this tip after I assembled the nacelles.

To solve this I simply superglued a whole ton of BB's to the aft section piece of the saucer.

 Impulse deck before fixing.

I had to play with this a little because there a big gap on the pylon between the hull and where it's supposed to rest on the pylon and to make matters worse, it's angled.  So I used a styrene shim, a Dremel sander, sanding sticks and a lot of trial and error to make the hull and the pylons come to gether evenly.  The pictures are a little washed out but you can tell where I put the shims.

Rollbar, no seams

Finished Rollbar/Pylon/Nacelle Assembly

Finished Saucer Section

Next up, priming and painting...

PART II: PAINTING

Well, after assemblies were complete I used a rattle can of Armory Gray Primer to prepare the model for painting.  A note about primer:  Primer isn't always necessary on styrene, I just happen to prefer it for the most part.  Aside from the obvious effects of making paint adhere to the model better, primer also has the added benefit of making surface flaws such as seams are obvious so that they can be fixed before painting.

Fortunately, any flaws I found were either so minor that it would have been pointless to attempt to fix them or they were in spots that will be completely covered once the ship is completely assembled.

After applying primer, I spent a few hours sanding it down that probably wouldn't had been necessary if I had applied it a bit smoother.  I started off with a medium snading stick and gradually worked my way through finer grades until I finally had an ultra-smooth finish suitable for painting.

Another reason I used primer instead of applying the paint directly to the model is that after some consultation with the client regarding base color, instead of going with white, we decided to go with my favorite color, Dolphin Gray.  The problem with this particular color is that it's not a model paint.  It's an acrylic craft paint by Apple Barrel that is a lot thicker than regular model paints.

I discovered the Apple Barrel Dolphin Gray Matte in the late 1990's while searchng forthe pefect color to match Starfleet hulls as seen on-screen.  I have never found a paint that gets the same results as far as color is concerned.  I had been able to find it at Wal Mart and Michael's Crafts for many years but in the past few years I haven't found any retail store that carries it in the Matte (they all carry the Gloss... the color is not the same).  So, now I just order it direct from Plaid, the parent company.

To get past the problem of the paint being very thick and therefore impossible to apply with an airbrush, it has to be thinned.  In the past I have experimented with using water, thinner and rubbing alcohol to thin the Apple Barrel paints all with mixed results.  This time I tried Future Floor Polish instead. 

I've mentioned Future before and for those who don't know, Future (now called "Pledge with Future Shine") is a well-known secret among model builders.  Calling Future a floor polish is a bit of a misnomer as what Future really is is liquid acrylic, nothing mor,e nothing less.  What modelers normally use it for is as a gloss coat for a model before applying decals.  Decals should not ever be applied to a flat or semi-gloss finish as those types of finish have microscopics pits and valleys and highs and lows that cause airbubbles to form in betwen the surface of the model and the underside of the decal carrier.  Have you ever seen a model built with decals where you can see the outline and they look more like stickers than they do decals?  This is the result of decals being applied to a non-glossy surface and we call this effect "silvering "(as those edges appear to look silver).  Gloss finishes, whether they be lacquer or acrylic are self-leveling and by their very nature fill in those pits and valleys allowing decals to adhere without any silvering.  What makes Future so special is its price (less than $6 for a bottle... I'm just finishing one up now that I bought two years ago) and the fact that it is much safer (non-toxic) and easier to use than a lacquer gloss coat.  It's water-based so it can be easily thinned (if you must... it's not really necessary)  and is very easy to clean up and correct any mistakes you've made with it. 

Taking this a step further, I realized that the only real difference between acrylic paint and Future is that one has pigments and dyes and one doesn't, so I mixed it at a ratio of about 1:1 or 3:2.  Both were pretty good.  The real trick was air pressure in my airbrush.  Someone once told me to never go above 40 psi when airbrushing.  This may be the absolute worst advice I've ever received.  I cranked the pressure valve on my air compressor up to 60 psi and got PERFECT Results.

Then, I started working on the details which leads me to a rule I have: Always use acrylics for your base and enamels for your detail.  The reason is simple: If you've used acryilics for your base color, any mistakes that you make with your detail colors can easily be cleaned up with a cotton ball or cotton swab and some mineral spirits (basic hardware store paint thinner) without affecting the base color at all as mineral spirits will not act as a solvent on acrylic paints.

 Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the primer and base paint pictures but... I forgot to take them.

 Next, I moved to the underside of the main saucer and as I noted, I am trying to get the colors as close to what was used on-screen as possible.  The instructions (yes, I actually looked at them) call for Intermediate Blue which is what I thought it would be.  Intermediate Blue is more of a gray than a blue and would have worked for the Reliant but my Intermediate Blue had dried up and could not be salvaged.  Luckily, I had a bottle of Intermediate Gray that had never been opened and is very close to the blue and looks just as good if not better.  I used the Intermediate Gray on both the top and underside.

I masked the heck out of it which took way longer than the actual painting itself.  I used Post-it notes, Parafilm, Scotch Tape, 3M Blue Painters Tape, Premium Electrical Tape and Pactra Modeling Masking Tapes.

Keeping with the theme of using enamels for details and acrylics for your base...

As noted in the picture I messed up and missed a spot when I masked.

No problem.  A little bit of thinner on a cotton ball and a cotton swab and it's like it never happened.

 Stay Tuned...