U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A

[Thomas E. Johnson]

Here is my most recent attempt at the 1/350 movie Enterprise. I will add some lighted pictures as soon as I take some later tonight. I'm not very happy with how this turned out. There are to many minor imperfections in the finish that really bother me, but Kurt requested that I show this ship off, so here she is.

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a79/NCC1976/Enterprise%20NCC1701-A/?start=0

[vaderman1701]

Excellent work. I can never get enough of that ship. And it is really nice to see it built up so well.

Scott

[The TrekModeler]

WOW! That Looks Beautiful! Well done Thomas!

[cougar184]

She looks great! is there a link to your build up?

[Griffworks]

I think you did a fine job painting her, from what I can see. I like the pearlescent effect you did! In fact, I like the overall job!

I do, however, have the following critique to offer:

Mask off your windows a bit better when painting them.

Get your construction skills a bit better nailed down. There are a few gaps in areas that are highly visible. One of the first, oldest sayings I remember hearing when I first started encountering model groups is "basic tecniques equals advanced results" or words to that effect. Basically, get the both of the basics in construction and painting down before you try get advanced in your painting techinique. In a contest, you can have the most beautiful paint job in the world, excellent decal placement and awesome diorama or did a great job in lighting the model, but you'll lose every time if you have gaps in the seams and/or imperfections showing in the surface of the model.

I'm not saying you have to build to anyone elses standards but your own, just offering that advice should you choose to start working towards entering contests. I'm one of those "I build for me and nobody else folks", having too often seen non-SciFi folks slam SciFi models w/o really looking at he effort put in to it, just bashing them 'cause of the subject not being "real"... So, that being said, feel free to tell me to shove off. :D

Again, tho, I think you did a fine job here, particularly with the paint job. The effect of the pearlescents if wonderful! That's something that I don't think I could do, given my current painting abilities. :thumbsup:

[Scorpius]

Dude, I think it looks spectacular, you did a great job.

[777]

Excellent paint job!

[Elkybaby]

Love the paint job, you did your research well on making it match damn close, I am a big fan of the movie Enterprise, its unfortunate that they engineered the model the way they did, I do not like the assembly of the secondary hull at all, it leaves you too much to fill and sand in key spots, when I see a sticker on the box that says " With over 150 parts" you know ur F--KED! I would rather have good quality major parts, so I understand you may feel your model has some imperfections but that PL's fault, you sir did a fantastic job, enjoyed seeing it thanks for sharing;) Marc

[Kuhn Global]

EXCELLENT Thomas!!! :D Thank you for posting this!!! :cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:

This is top notch painting in my book!!! I am really loving the subtle paneling and crisp lines!

A piece to DEFINITELY be proud of sir! :D

http://www.resinilluminati.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6986&d=1205443277

[Thomas E. Johnson]

Update: Lighted Pics.

The spot lights on the hull are much brighter in person. The camera didn't pick them up very well at all.

[Thomas E. Johnson]

I think you did a fine job painting her, from what I can see. I like the pearlescent effect you did! In fact, I like the overall job!

I do, however, have the following critique to offer:

Mask off your windows a bit better when painting them.

Get your construction skills a bit better nailed down. There are a few gaps in areas that are highly visible. One of the first, oldest sayings I remember hearing when I first started encountering model groups is "basic tecniques equals advanced results" or words to that effect. Basically, get the both of the basics in construction and painting down before you try get advanced in your painting techinique. In a contest, you can have the most beautiful paint job in the world, excellent decal placement and awesome diorama or did a great job in lighting the model, but you'll lose every time if you have gaps in the seams and/or imperfections showing in the surface of the model.

I'm not saying you have to build to anyone elses standards but your own, just offering that advice should you choose to start working towards entering contests. I'm one of those "I build for me and nobody else folks", having too often seen non-SciFi folks slam SciFi models w/o really looking at he effort put in to it, just bashing them 'cause of the subject not being "real"... So, that being said, feel free to tell me to shove off. :D

Again, tho, I think you did a fine job here, particularly with the paint job. The effect of the pearlescents if wonderful! That's something that I don't think I could do, given my current painting abilities. :thumbsup:

Trust me Griff, I got rid of as many seams as I could, and if I tried to anymore, I'd sand through the hull!:eek: I went through 2 tubes of Bondo on this thing!

I didn't keep a build up journal, as I never bother with them.

The imperfections that bother me are the little bits of debris that landed in the final finish. Well I was painting it, the wind picked up and scattered shit all over. I wet sanded away as much of it as I could, and touched up the areas with white paint, and re-applied the flat finish. If you look close at the hull in person, you can see where I did this. I suppose one could just say that its weathering, or wear&tear on the hull, since the Ent-A was already an old ship at the time of TUC, which is the movie I based this on.

[Thomas E. Johnson]

I've listed this for sale on E-Bay.:cool:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250225662927&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=015

[Kuhn Global]

Update: Lighted Pics.

The spot lights on the hull are much brighter in person. The camera didn't pick them up very well at all.

That is a BEAUTIFUL Site! :D

[Thomas E. Johnson]

That is a BEAUTIFUL Site! :D

Thanks Kurt. On future builds though I'm going to try direct lighting of the exterior of the hull with the floods/spots lighting. The bleed through effect still looks fake to me, even though it allows light to be placed where ever one wants.

[Boxster]

That is beautiful work and beautiful painting indeed! I really like it a lot!

B

[PixelMagic]

Could you elaborate on how you did the aztec patterns on the ship? It's very good. Also, I sent you a private message.

[Thomas E. Johnson]

Could you elaborate on how you did the aztec patterns on the ship? It's very good. Also, I sent you a private message.

Didn't get your PM, as my inbox is empty. As to how I did the effect, I used Shimmering Blue, Gold, Green, and Red Lacquer paints from Wasco (a Taxidermist supply company), and airbrushed the patterns on using various stencils cut from paper.

[Griffworks]

Glad you took my comments as they were meant - as a critique and not as criticism. I'd be very happy to display your Refit anywhere in my house where visitors would be able to see it. :thumbsup:

[Thomas E. Johnson]

Glad you took my comments as they were meant - as a critique and not as criticism. I'd be very happy to display your Refit anywhere in my house where visitors would be able to see it. :thumbsup:

She's listed on E-Bay if you want to buy it.;):D

I'm gathering up the material and parts for another go at the NCC-1701-A.

[U-boater]

Beautiful work!

I don't know...There's something about those "self illuminating" shots that
really creeps me out.

I guess it's that vaguely "ghostly" appearance.Kinda like a Flying Dutchman of space.

Still,you did a great job!

[Mastercaster]

First off, Thomas you have done a fine job of lighting the old girl. Did you use a commercially available lighting kit for the job, or did you come up with your own hardware? Either way she looks way :cool: being lit.

Second: As far as your construction is concerned, I'd have to agree with Griffworks. Although your painting technique looks superb from the shots you've posted, you still need to work on your construction techniques. We all grow as modelers as we grow older and get more experience with each model we build, and each new technique we try. I realize that the PL Refit kit is not a Tamiya model. In other words, you don't throw glue in the box and shake it and then have a perfect model come out when you open it. Even though I have a couple of these, I have not built one yet. I have, however, dry fit the whole thing and know that it is fraught with problems.

I've been a IPMS Nationals judge for close to 10 years. My main area of course, is Sci-Fi. I have argued with the treadheads, flyboys, and aquatics till I'm blue in the face about such things as authenticity, paint schemes, etc. Of course these days with the advent of CGI, it is impossible to say what is correct and what is not based upon a CG file. We do, however, have ships from the "old days" when a studio miniature WAS our prototype to build from. Just like their Sherman tanks, Hellcats, and Battle ship Missouri.

For many of us on this board, we build to suit ourself. That is perfectly fine and acceptable. That is what model building is about. This is a hobby for most of us. For some of us, it is a hobby during our "off" hours, but a vocation during the day. I can readily see the effort you put into building and painting your Refit and it really does make quite an impression. Always remember that there is room for improvement. Even the most legendary IPMS masters will tell you that. Your painting is excellent. Your construction stills needs some work here and there. As Griff said, this is a critique, not a criticism. I'm sure your next one will be even better.:icon_thumright: Lord knows everything I build needs some improvement here and there and I strive for perfection every single time whether it is at home or at the office. I try and learn from my mistakes every day. If I didn't, my boss would give me the heave ho in a minute.

The biggest pet peeve I have for boards in general, is the tendency for them to become mutual admiration societies (The Oscars for one). Telling each other that everything they build is a masterpiece. Are they? Of course not. Some are better than others, sure! I'll always tell a fellow modeler what I honestly think about their build and not tell them what "They want to hear". I always try and tell them what they've done right and what they need to do to improve. By feeding their ego, you've done them a disservice. We all want to improve our skills and build great models, and the best way is to listen to those who have gone before and mastered the pitfalls that we encounter.

Either way, you've done a fine job building your Enterprise Refit. You should be proud of the achievement.

[Thomas E. Johnson]

Beautiful work!

I don't know...There's something about those "self illuminating" shots that
really creeps me out.

I guess it's that vaguely "ghostly" appearance.Kinda like a Flying Dutchman of space.

Still,you did a great job!

I won't be doing the floodlighting with the bleed through technique again. It just looks to fake, and ghostly as you observed.

[Thomas E. Johnson]

First off, Thomas you have done a fine job of lighting the old girl. Did you use a commercially available lighting kit for the job, or did you come up with your own hardware? Either way she looks way :cool: being lit.

Second: As far as your construction is concerned, I'd have to agree with Griffworks. Although your painting technique looks superb from the shots you've posted, you still need to work on your construction techniques. We all grow as modelers as we grow older and get more experience with each model we build, and each new technique we try. I realize that the PL Refit kit is not a Tamiya model. In other words, you don't throw glue in the box and shake it and then have a perfect model come out when you open it. Even though I have a couple of these, I have not built one yet. I have, however, dry fit the whole thing and know that it is fraught with problems.

I've been a IPMS Nationals judge for close to 10 years. My main area of course, is Sci-Fi. I have argued with the treadheads, flyboys, and aquatics till I'm blue in the face about such things as authenticity, paint schemes, etc. Of course these days with the advent of CGI, it is impossible to say what is correct and what is not based upon a CG file. We do, however, have ships from the "old days" when a studio miniature WAS our prototype to build from. Just like their Sherman tanks, Hellcats, and Battle ship Missouri.

For many of us on this board, we build to suit ourself. That is perfectly fine and acceptable. That is what model building is about. This is a hobby for most of us. For some of us, it is a hobby during our "off" hours, but a vocation during the day. I can readily see the effort you put into building and painting your Refit and it really does make quite an impression. Always remember that there is room for improvement. Even the most legendary IPMS masters will tell you that. Your painting is excellent. Your construction stills needs some work here and there. As Griff said, this is a critique, not a criticism. I'm sure your next one will be even better.:icon_thumright: Lord knows everything I build needs some improvement here and there and I strive for perfection every single time whether it is at home or at the office. I try and learn from my mistakes every day. If I didn't, my boss would give me the heave ho in a minute.

The biggest pet peeve I have for boards in general, is the tendency for them to become mutual admiration societies (The Oscars for one). Telling each other that everything they build is a masterpiece. Are they? Of course not. Some are better than others, sure! I'll always tell a fellow modeler what I honestly think about their build and not tell them what "They want to hear". I always try and tell them what they've done right and what they need to do to improve. By feeding their ego, you've done them a disservice. We all want to improve our skills and build great models, and the best way is to listen to those who have gone before and mastered the pitfalls that we encounter.

Either way, you've done a fine job building your Enterprise Refit. You should be proud of the achievement.


I just used a whole lot of super bright white LEDs in her. No blinking lights or fancy effects, as I like to keep all my wiring and circuits very simple (less chance of a problem down the road), as I'm not fond of them on the Movie Enterprise. I think they take away from the beauty of the shimmering colors of the white hull. That sounds weird I know, but I think this particular design looks most attractive when its very static in its appearance.

As far as my construction techniques go, I'm only willing to use just so much Bondo and wet sanding before I decide its good enough! LoL

[Mastercaster]

Trust me Thomas, Bondo and I are very good friends at the office. I completely relate to the wet sanding sessions and the monotony that ensues.

[Peagis]

Very cool!!!