USS Enterprise E from Star Trek Nemesis

[trekriffic]

So while on vacation this past week I finally decided it was time to build the E.
I've had this model kit for a few decades I think.
Bought it at a Walgreens when they still carried plastic models; that, in itself, tells you how old this kit is.

Anyway, this is the 1/1400 scale Star Trek Insurrection kit but I will be building it as the Nemesis version...

Box Art:

USS Enterprise E - AMT/Ertl Kit by Steve J, on Flickr

Kit Decals. Ship registry, pennants, lifeboats, etc:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Kit Decals by Steve J, on Flickr

I also bought two aftermarket sets of decals some years ago from STModeler and Acreation Models. First I bought STModeler's then saw Acreation had come out with a set of aztec decals so I bought them too.

First up STModeler:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals STModeler by Steve J, on Flickr


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals STModeler by Steve J, on Flickr



USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals STModeler by Steve J, on Flickr


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decal Placement Guide by Steve J, on Flickr

 

[trekriffic]

Then we have Acreation...

Instruction guide:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals Acreation by Steve J, on Flickr

Decals for the warp nacelles, impulse engine vents, and deflector dish. And, of course, lots of escape pods:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals Acreation by Steve J, on Flickr

Closeup of deflector dish decal:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals Acreation by Steve J, on Flickr

Closeup of impulse engine vents:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Decals Acreation by Steve J, on Flickr

You get 4 pages of aztecs:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Acreation Aztec Decals by Steve J, on Flickr

Upper saucer:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Acreation Decals Page 1 by Steve J, on Flickr

Lower Saucer:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Acreation Decals Page 2 by Steve J, on Flickr

Secondary hull and struts:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Acreation Decals Page 3 by Steve J, on Flickr

Warp nacelles:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Acreation Decals Page 4 by Steve J, on Flickr

Decal placement guide:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Acreation Decals Placement Guide by Steve J, on Flickr

Not shown is the Paragrafix brass photo-etch I bought mainly for the deflector dish etch but we'll get around to that later on...

 

[trekriffic]

So... now to get started on plastic. First I took the parts out of the box. All there and accounted for:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Saucer Sections by Steve J, on Flickr


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-More Parts by Steve J, on Flickr

Just a wee bit of flash:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Flash by Steve J, on Flickr

Like I did with my USS Saratoga, this ship will get the Raytheon Effect treatment...

Using a soft lead pencil I trace the shape of the upper saucer floodlight on the upper saucer exterior hull.
I'll cut a section of masking tape to the same shape and apply to the inside of the hull for the Raytheon Effect:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Floodlight in Pencil by Steve J, on Flickr

I used this CGI image off Modelermagic.com to get the shape of the upper saucer spotlight right:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-CGI by Steve J, on Flickr

Did the same for the lower saucer:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Lower Floodlight in Pencil by Steve J, on Flickr

CGI image:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-CGI by Steve J, on Flickr

Next I applied Tamiya tape for the lower saucer floodlight. This is on the inside of the model:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Raytheon Effect Masking by Steve J, on Flickr

Same for the upper saucer floodlight. Again, this is on the inside of the model:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Raytheon Effect Masking by Steve J, on Flickr

 

[trekriffic]

Holding the upper saucer hull up to the light so it shines thru the plastic allows me to check the position of the masking tape on the inside:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Light Test by Steve J, on Flickr

Same for the lower saucer hull:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Light Test by Steve J, on Flickr

With RE masking done I primed the inner saucer halves with Duplicolor grey automotive primer:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Interior Priming by Steve J, on Flickr

Once dry I'll spray with black before a coat of white for even light reflectance.

So that's all for the moment.
Next time I'll show how I fixed the inaccuracies of the deflector trench using my handy battery powered hobby dremel, some styrene sheet and square rod, and AVES Apoxy sculpt.

Hope everyone out there is safe and sound during this scary time.
Thankfully, model building is a relatively solitary hobby so I'm able to cope with isolation better than most.

 

[Quaralane]

Looks like you're going to be busy for a bit with that one.

 

[trekriffic]

Looks like you're going to be busy for a bit with that one.

Yes. Been spending time watching a Youtube video from Nemesis, the one that just has the ships. The thing I noticed is that the running lights on the edge of the saucer at 3 and 9 o'clock don't flash in Nemesis, yet they do in First Contact. Torn as to make them flash or not. By rights they should but if I want to be accurate to Nemesis they don't.

 

[Richard Baker]

Quite a wonderful project!
Are you going to add the additional phasers and torp launchers?
I think thrre was an aftermarket kit out with new pylons to reposition the nacelles up higher and more forward to match the stance of the Nemesis version...

 

[trekriffic]

Quite a wonderful project!
Are you going to add the additional phasers and torp launchers?
I think thrre was an aftermarket kit out with new pylons to reposition the nacelles up higher and more forward to match the stance of the Nemesis version...

Thanks Richard. Yes, I'll be adding the additional photorp launchers. Shouldn't be too hard to scratch them. The phaser strips will be a bit more of a challenge since I don't cast parts (casting resin is expensive and I would only use a small amount so most would go to waste) but I'm pretty sure I can make them from leftover sprue or styrene rod. As far as the warp engine pylons I'm not sure I want to modify them since the difference is so minuscule. If I do, I'll use my heatgun to bend them upwards ever so slightly. Moving them forward should be easy. The trick is getting them to line up straight and level after the mods are done.

 

[Blackbeard]

This looks awesome, can't wait to see how the build progresses!

 

[Richard Baker]

Not sure which version I like better
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/schematics/sovereign-oldnew.jpg

 

[Blackbeard]

I like "First Contact & Insurrection" version...just seems...smooth and slick.

 

[dogfish7]

I'll follow along.

 

[trekriffic]

Update...

Finished the trench off with some brushed on Mister Surfacer:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Backside of Deflector Trench by Steve J, on Flickr


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Finished Deflector Trench by Steve J, on Flickr

Using a pinvise I drilled and filed out these slots in the ventral saucer indent. This represents the auxiliary deflector array according to an LCARS schematic I found online:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Aux Deflector Ports by Steve J, on Flickr

You always need to go at these ports from outside and in with this relatively thick plastic. So cleanup is a big thing when I drill my ports:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Aux Deflector Ports from Inside by Steve J, on Flickr

I gave the aux deflector array a few coats of thick primer to smooth over any imperfections during drilling and filing:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Mister Surfacer by Steve J, on Flickr

Not bad. I'll do a little more work to make the slots more uniform before final hull coats:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Aux Deflector Array Light Test by Steve J, on Flickr

Removed Tamiya tape and sanded clean the upper saucer floodlight shape for the Raytheon Effect:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Demasking Upper Saucer REffect by Steve J, on Flickr

Once you put a bright cool white LED at the root of the flood inside it will shine thru for a very nice effect from outside I think:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Floodlight Effect After Demasking by Steve J, on Flickr

Removed mask from inside lower saucer:

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Demasking Lower Saucer REffect by Steve J, on Flickr

Later on I realized I needed to include the small triangular areas even though they catch less light than the areas I had already made. You can see where they are missing in this image. Pie slices. So I went back and sanded the areas inside the hull to close the arc of illumination from the flood:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Floodlight Effect After Demasking by Steve J, on Flickr

After sanding off the trench shoulder triangles to complete the arc of illumination (the trench on the outside is a hump on the inside) I like the effect much better than before:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Lower Saucer REffect Test by Steve J, on Flickr

More to come with fun with aluminum tubing and power jacks/plugs.
Also more light blocking and white coats!

Stay tuned my fellow inmates!

 

[trekriffic]

New update...

I'll use an aluminum tube for the display base with a plastic tubing insert (had to modify a larger diameter plastic tube hence the slice and section removed).
It will slide into the aluminum tube almost flush leaving a tiny gap where the threaded barrel of the Size K DC power plug slides down into it.
The styrene tube is glued in with CA to help insulate the metal aluminum tube from the soldered positive and negative leads of the plug:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Display Rod Parts by Steve J, on Flickr

Now that I know it will fit l will shove it down further into the aluminum display tube before gluing with Plastic Surgery glue:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Insulating Sleeve Fitting by Steve J, on Flickr

Just a test fit with the Size K power plug.
Once the white sleeve is slipped inside and glued into the tube it will make for a very sturdy connection point for the base:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Power Plug by Steve J, on Flickr

Next I did a little work on the DC power jack inside the secondary hull...

I sliced off the end of the kit provided lower hull stand tube mount to accommodate a size K power jack.


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Internal Mount for Power Jack by Steve J, on Flickr

Test fit slipping the power plug up from underneath into the power jack.
I had to glue on a thin styrene washer to shim it for a snugger fit:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Test Fit with Power Jack by Steve J, on Flickr

That went pretty well. Next I went back and primed the secondary hull halves:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Secondary Hull Internal Priming by Steve J, on Flickr

I use these for the light blocking and reflectance layers on the inner surface of the model:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Primers and Paint by Steve J, on Flickr

Krylon flat white primer layed on directly over the Krylon satin black (black layer not shown here).
Only took a couple of coats:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Saucer Halves Sprayed White Inside by Steve J, on Flickr

USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Krylon Flat White Primer by Steve J, on Flickr

As I started masking the nacelle halves for priming I did a test and realized I would need to remove the plastic on top of the grey nacelle halves for lighting.
Dumb ol' me thought the top of the nacelles were open for lighting already. Doh!
So I cut off the clear nacelle cover part from the clear sprue using a PE razor saw after which I sanded off any remaining sprue stub.
I learned a long time ago not to use sprue cutters on brittle clear plastic parts.
Now I can fit the clear cover in place on the top of nacelle and trace where the outer rim of the clear part is onto the gray plastic using a mechanical pencil.
Then I'll know where to cut:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Clear Parts Prep by Steve J, on Flickr

The nacelle "cover" or whatever you call it that glows blue is fit to the nacelle.
A nice fit:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Test Fit Clear Part by Steve J, on Flickr

A soft art pencil followed by a fine tipped mechanical pencil make a tracing around the edge of the clear cover onto the grey nacelle plastic.
Now I know to keep my material removal about 1/32" inside the mark leaving enough for the clear part to glue to:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Pencil Tracing by Steve J, on Flickr

So next update I will be showing how the nacelles turned out after removing the pencil defined areas using either a hobby saw or most probably my dremel using a grinder bit.

As always, stay safe and happy modeling!

 

[Quaralane]

Definitely interesting watching this evolve

 

[trekriffic]

New update...

Took about 10 minutes to put things back where they belonged on what had become a cluttered workbench,
an old drafting table.
Then I got out my Dremel with the grinder. It would soon be messy again,
covered by small bits of styrene popcorn peeling off the plastic from the hot grinder bit:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Bench Decluttering by Steve J, on Flickr

The inner, darker pencil line is as far as I want to go. Just in case the line were to smudge I also went around and poked little holes using a pointy dental tool along the pencil line.
I initially thought to drill a hundred holes and cut the piece out with a saw but opted instead to hog out the tops of the nacelles using the grinder:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Grinder Guide by Steve J, on Flickr

The line I want to end up with. I'll grind down close to it but leave enough to easily file and sand to the final contour:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- The Grinder by Steve J, on Flickr

Plastic Popcorn. Not bad grinding IIDSSM. By the fourth nacelle half I could get one ground down close in under 15 minutes:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Plastic Popcorn by Steve J, on Flickr

The sanding stick made quick work of the somewhat rougher surface left behind by the grinder. An exacto knife edge run along the cutout also helped to smoothen it further:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Sanding Stick by Steve J, on Flickr

These sticks are spring loaded to accommodate different grit sanding belts. If your belt gets worn out or gunked up just squeeze the stick and rotate the belt to a fresh patch. Unsqueeze and continue sanding:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- The Detail Sander by Steve J, on Flickr

Looking at the inside of the clear part against the now open nacelle top it appears I got it right.
No gaps from removing too much plastic. Should glue together well:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Nacelle Cover Test Fit Inside by Steve J, on Flickr

A nice even edge all around. The pencil does not steer you wrong:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Nacelle Cover Test Fit Outside by Steve J, on Flickr

I am very pleased with how the grinding and sanding went. Only took an hour. I have a nice smooth edge to glue the clear covers to. Plenty of room now for LED lighting:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Mating Halves Open by Steve J, on Flickr

This should look great when lit. I have about three or four different ways I might light the engines. I have an Acreation deal for the blue lighting effect I'm seriously considering laying on the clear part. I think it would look great. Another option is to use the Paragrafix photo-etch warp grills. I remember them being a pain in the ass to attach on my USS Saratoga. The PE would require I sand off the molded lines from the clear kit part too. Ugh!:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Final Test Fit Clear cover by Steve J, on Flickr

More to come with exciting stuff like...



Sorting out the nacelle strut wiring channels!

Stay tuned and stay safe!

 

[urumomo]

 

[trekriffic]

Finished drilling and carving for the nacelle strut wiring...

I drilled these holes from the inside for wires to pass thru up into the nacelle struts:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Holes for Nacelle Strut Wires by Steve J, on Flickr

The holes match up to channels I carved out of the lower nacelle strut half:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Holes Outside by Steve J, on Flickr

Using a triangle, a mechanical pencil, a scriber, and my battery powered hobby dremel with a fine grinder
bit I dug out channels in the trailing edge of the two lower nacelle strut halves:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Making Wiring Channels by Steve J, on Flickr

I initially had planned to put the channels further to the right in this photo where the tab fits into the hull,
you can see how far I got before realizing the plastic was too thin because of the recessed vents (?)
present on the other side of the part.
The plastic was thicker along the training edge and I didn't have to deal with carving and possibly weakening the tab:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Wiring Slots by Steve J, on Flickr

Back to the nacelles...

Various stages of priming and light blocking the interior nacelle halves and the lower half of each nacelle strut:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Various Stages by Steve J, on Flickr

Krylon Satin Black is sprayed inside each nacelle half.
Hopefully it doesn't get under the masking tape:


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Nacelle Light Blocking by Steve J, on Flickr

So that brings us up to date on this build. Looking forward to getting my flasher/strobe board from Tenacontrols. Hopefully I'll get it later this week or early next.
In the meantime I can work on the rest of the lights.

Stay safe and try to restrict any "treks" outside.

 

[Belugawrx]

Thanks for taking the time to show the process Steve

 

[trekriffic]

Sorry for the long delay between posts but I've been spending a lot of time working on the nacelle lighting. I finally got them sorted out though and glued together. Unfortunately, my camera and work laptop aren't communicating. My company has clamped down on any use of the USB port (the one I plug the camera into) for anything other than company approved uses so all of the in-progress photos on my old Canon DSLR are not able to download, possibly until I get a new camera with wi-fi access and/or I get my own laptop.
So I'm relegated to uploading photos taken on my iPad to Flickr! I took this photo this morning though so you guys can see how the lighting effect looks...


USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP-Nacelle Lit by Steve J, on Flickr

Three amber/red LEDs light the bussards which were painted on the inside with Tamiya transparent red acrylic. I used cotton to act as a diffuser around the LEDs. The top of the nacelles are lit by hi-density blue LED strip beneath a strip of translucent milk jug plastic which acts as a diffuser giving the nacelles a nice even glow. I still have to attach the clear kit part on the top of the nacelles but I may want to attach the photo-etch brass grills first.
The camera washes out the colors to some extent; to the naked eye the colors are more intensely blue and orangish red.
There will be two flashers on the aft end of each nacelle (top and bottom) which will be lit by fiber optic strands fed by a single cool white LED mounted inside. You can see a separate set of wires in the photo, the pair nearest the trailing edge of the pylon. They will flash once I solder the wires to the Tenacontrols flasher board which I will mount in the saucer.

More to come as I start drilling out some, not all, of the windows on the rest of the ship.