Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 9

Continuing on with the engines... They're looking pretty good.

I cut out some pieces of a high density foam and stuffed layers in behind the electric motors. It really cuts the sound down.

I put some teflon tape around the dome unit so it will friction fit nicely.

What I would like to do eventually is wire in a button to turn the motor on and off in each nacelle so that it could be displayed with lights only (quiet mode if you will). The rear off each nacelle could be removed to access a button. I really should have gone ahead and run the wire to the rear while it was easy but I didn't think of it. Still, with both the front and rear of the tube accessible it will be easy to add this enhancement later.

These detail parts hold the front assembly in place pretty securely. I used Micro Kristal Klear to attach them so they can be easily removed. 

There's just a couple small details to do yet, but these are basically done and ready for decals. 

This image shows the (original) setup of the warp engine effect on the actual studio model. I have read that this was updated to LEDs with the latest restoration.

You really have to hand it to the guys that built the 11 foot Enterprise.

See all the posts for this project here.

Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 8

The warp nacelles feature a lighting effect for the front ends of the engines; the Bussard collectors. This cool thing about this kit is that it allowed for building it with the engine effect designed almost exactly the way the studio model works.

There is a panel of lights, Christmas lights originally, with blinking effects. Over that is a rotating inner dome with vanes, all covered by an outer dome.

These lighted panels can be simply painted silver. But many builders use reflective foil to enhance and defuse the light. 

I have read that the studio model used random pieces of broken mirror glued around the lights. So that's what I did.

These bits of broken mirror are available as a crafty item. I got them cheap on Amazon, enough for 20 Enterprise models.

I just glued them in used Micro Kristal Klear.

Here's the components with an electric motor to turn the vaned inner dome. Shown is the LED panel with blinking effects, the "Christmas lights" and the domes. The domes have been scuffed on one side (outside on the inner dome and inside on the outer dome) with fine steel wool.

I struggled with coloring these parts. The whole thing has an amber tone on screen that was either on the original parts, or was all the lighting. After trying several things I finally used a metallic copper ink on the inner dome. The color looks very accurate and it is translucent giving just the right amount of diffusion. As an added bonus it is somewhat reflective.

 

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Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 7

On to the engines for awhile...

On the "vents" on the inside sides, I did an elaborate alternative assembly that didn't work out as well as I was hoping.

I have solid molded pieces, clear pieces, and photo etch (PE) for these vents. The clear pieces are meant to be used when lighting the engines, which I am not doing. The unlighted alternative is intended to be the solid parts painted in silver, with or without the PE.

Instead, I attached the clear parts to the internal side and painted their fronts, which now became the insides. Thus the clear part is silver on the other side of the clear. I installed the PE grills, painted silver on the outside, over this. This was a delicate task since there is nothing directly under the PE grill to support it. 

I was hoping to get a depth effect visible through the grills. This didn't really happen as the grills pretty much cover it all, and the silver pant on the clear plastic, viewed through the clear, is rather metallic grey looking and does not reflect light much. I think I would have been better off using the clear parts on the outside with the PE over them. Oh well, never let it be said that I wouldn't go to extra efforts given the slightest opportunity.

I think I've got eight different colors on the warp nacelles so far. As far as I can tell, this is pretty authentic. As is always the case with these things though, it is known that the studio model changed in small ways all through the production of the original series. There's the restored model at the Smithsonian of course, but even it represents certain choices. Looking at still from the series we see all sorts of variation.

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Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 6

Working on the pylons...

I'm using photo-etch grill works, but I want to improve the look. I painted the recesses dark grey and cut a set of fine steel wire rods to just fit along the long interior sides of the recesses. This gives the grills about a 50% more height above the grey. The standoff gives a nice depth to the completed parts. 

The grills themselves are primed and pained with the hull trim grey.

With a matte finish applied these are ready to go. It has a nie Star Trek look to it.

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Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 5

After several false starts and start-overs I think I'm close on the bridge. This will show through the clear top dome of the ship, as it did in the pilot (they only did that effect once in the series.

There's still work to do, and lighting will be tricky. I don't want it blinding bright in there. 

The bridge will be visible inside the upper sausar section. I worked on that part next. The kit allows for this part to be friction fit to the sausar for a little access to the electronics. I'd hate to have to fix anything in there, but it does fit really nice and snug with no gaps. 

I went ahead and completed the piece decals and all. Everything is done here except two red lights. 

I think I can get away with doing all the models major subassemblies this way.

See all the posts for this project here.

Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 4

Completely flush windows that completely fill the openings are a great look. I did install the clear pieces the kit provides, but as one might expect they are not perfect. The clear does not completely fill the openings, and it tends to be slightly recessed. 

I filled each window, where the clear parts were in place, with a U/V activated clear recine. A added multiple layers in each window until they were slightly domed above the hull surface. 

Next I used a series of sandpaper grits to smooth the surface. It's necessary to start with a fairly aggressive grit because the recine is extremely hard, much harder than the plastic. I stopped at 800 grit I think it was. It's enough to return the windows to clear and leave the surface completely smooth.

I sprayed the inside of the pieces with a matte clear to slightly fog the clear plastic of the windows. On a model this big it would be otherwise possible to actually see inside.

These windows will be masked for primer and final color paint.

See all the posts for this project here.

Polar Lights 1:350 Scale Star Trek Starship Enterprise, Part 3

After many problems with the lights, and much diagnostic effort I realized that the Polar Lights lighting kit has plus and minus reversed not on a few components as I thought previously, but on the entire set. The +/- leads are reversed clear back at the socket that connects to the AC wall adaptor. 

Fortunately, my circuit boards seem OK (so far). I lost three LEDs and had to redo the entire thing in order to undo the polarity reversals I had already done. I also destroyed one of the sockets on the board and had to solder directly to it. 

Well... It's working again. I'll be replacing some of the LEDs anyway. I want brighter light for the red and green blinking lights on either side of the saucer section.

Meanwhile, the impulse engines look pretty good.

See all the posts for this project here.