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ALL SCI-FI The place to “find your people”.
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17170 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2021 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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Steve, reading your highly detailed technical descriptions of your work on this beautiful model is enjoyable even when I'm not familiar with the terms and procedures.
Why? Simple!
It gives me a better appreciation for the hours of hard work and careful thought which is needed to created this gorgeous work of art!
Furthermore, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the knowledge that you've taken the time and effort to carefully describe your work to the members of All Sci-Fi!
It's like being invited into someone's home and having them conduct themselves as the perfect host — inviting you to sit comfortably on their sofa while they offer you a cold beer, a bowl of pretzels, and a wide hassock to put your feet on in front a crackling fireplace!
Steve, I can't actually visit your home on the West Coast — but your friendly posts almost make me want get pet cat of my own!
Or maybe I'll get an Eskimo Spitz like my late beloved AJ, who was my best friend from 1971 until 1986 (through two ex-wives) when I finally had to put him to sleep.
_________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Gord Green Galactic Ambassador
Joined: 06 Oct 2014 Posts: 2948 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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Well, your posts certainly don't put me to sleep !!!
As a modelmaker with a fraction of the talent and expertise you display I'm amazed and encouraged by them!
It's so encouraging to see that craftsmenship and dedication to detail is not a lost art!
I can't thank you enough for your revelations and dedication to detail and perfection! _________________ There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17170 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:34 am Post subject: |
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Gord Green wrote: | Well, your posts certainly don't put me to sleep !!! |
Hey, I didn't say they put me to sleep! I just said they gave a warm and fuzzy feeling!
However, I'm in complete agreement with your kind remarks to Steve. I've reassured him often that ALL our members (and many "guests") enjoy his detailed updates concerning his spectacular model projects.
The lack of frequent replies is only because his threads are a bit like the reference books at the library; lots of people enjoy them, but they can't be checked out.
In the case of his updates, lots of people enjoy them, but they aren't the kind of posts that inspire back-and-forth debates, for example.
Steve, keep 'em comin'! And after this beautiful model is finished, you might decide your tired of looking at it. If that happens . . . my birthday is on August 16th!
(Right . . . in your dreams, Brewster! ) _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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trekriffic Starship Navigator
Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Posts: 593
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2021 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Bud! It will be another 1 year model I think when I’m done.
Anyway, work proceedeth forth...
It took me awhile to get the stripes right, I even went back and stripped off some paint layers after too many touch-ups. Finally got it smooth and no brush strokes showing. What a chore:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Cousteau Captain’s Yacht by Steve J, on Flickr
After a few iterations I finally sorted out the Captain’s yacht using some black decal film and a fine liner brush for the black and grey strips.. I did fill in most of the recess around the black arrowhead on the top (actually the bottom of the yacht) with AVES before adding the two trapezoidal black pieces on each side of it using black thin sheet styrene I then used thin white styrene sheet to make what appear to be two small doors, possibly for landing gear, painted medium grey to match the grey stripe. I also repainted the whole assembly of the photorp launcher and the yacht with a slightly darker shade of the light grey I used for the hull. The three rectangles aft of the black arrowhead and fins are black decal material trimmed to fit.
The quantum torpedo port got a little more attention too as I found some more masking tape blocking half the opening. After cleanup the port now has the right shape when lit by the blue LED. This yacht took me 2 days to get done to my satisfaction:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Cousteau Captain’s Yacht by Steve J, on Flickr
Almost done with painting the details that the wallpaper decals don’t address. After I finish painting over the bussard stripes I should finally be ready to do some serious decal application:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Current Status by Steve J, on Flickr
The grey cowlings atop and between the bussard collectors on each nacelle are medium light grey enamel brushed on. The grey stripes that frame the red bussard domes were cut to fit from some light grey stripe decals I had leftover from a previous starship build. I will let them dry after a coat of Solvaset to get them down tight. Then a few coats of Future before I go back and paint over them using a fine liner brush to match the grey enamel of the cowlings. After I finish all the other aztec decaling I will apply the black “tuning fork” decals to the cowlings in the center between the red domes:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Bussard Detailing by Steve J, on Flickr
I used black decal material to make these, what I presume to be, vents on the aft edges of the nacelle struts. Technically they should have rounded ends so I will attempt to punch out some half rounds from the leftover decal I used for the vents. If that doesn’t work I will punch a hole of the correct diameter in a piece of Tamiya tape, cut the holes in halves, and apply them carefully to the ends of the vents before brushing them with flat black enamel:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Pylon Vents by Steve J, on Flickr
I painted over the striped grey decals framing each Bussard collector with a medium grey enamel applied freehand with a fine tipped brush:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Bussard Stripes Painted by Steve J, on Flickr
Detail brushwork on the aztec patterns present on the upper three levels of the saucer superstructure is mostly finished. Now I have masked off the front of the bridge dome before painting it a darker grey aztec. The sides of the bridge structure will also get a aztecing with the same color grey. The two decks below the bridge got a light grey aztec pattern hand painted loosely with little masking to match the look of the aztec pattern shown in the CGI images:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Bridge Aztec Masking by Steve J, on Flickr
I used a mix of the hull color and a dark neutral grey for the darker grey aztec patterns on the bridge. I had to paint the fiber optic flasher strand with hull color then wipe off the tip. The horseshoe aft of the bridge dome was painted with Gunship Grey mixed with black. Have a few windows to clean up on the upper decks then final touch ups before the wallpaper decals go on:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Saucer Aztecing by Steve J, on Flickr
The window ports will look better once they are filled with Krystal Klear. Still I went back and did some minor cleanups, the camera picks up any imperfections of course no matter how small. I have to say I am quite happy with how the bridge aztecing went:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Saucer Aztecing by Steve J, on Flickr
Next up some painting on the nacelle pylons. |
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trekriffic Starship Navigator
Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Posts: 593
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trekriffic Starship Navigator
Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Posts: 593
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Gord Green Galactic Ambassador
Joined: 06 Oct 2014 Posts: 2948 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2021 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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When you're done you'll have a museum quality showpiece!
Thank you for the step by step tutorial! _________________ There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17170 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2021 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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Steve, when you get it finished and you've worked out all those pesky problems that had to be solved, I wonder if you'd mind whipping out one for me!
I know it will take you a week or two — but hey, I'm willing to wait!
And I'll gladly pay as much as twenty dollars, in cash! I'll even through in an autographed picture of me in my All Sci-Fi T-shirt, suitable for framing!
____________________
I know that sounds too generous, Steve, but I know quality when I see it, and I'm willing to pay top dollar when I want something.
Let me know when you ship it so I can make sure the motorized track in my ceiling is installed in time — the one that will fly the ship around my living room, into the kitchen, and then back again with a cold beer from the fridge, hooked to the underside!
"Beer me up, Scotty!"
_________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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trekriffic Starship Navigator
Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Posts: 593
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:49 am Post subject: |
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Bud Brewster wrote: | Let me know when you ship it so I can make sure the motorized track in my ceiling is installed in time — the one that will fly the ship around my living room, into the kitchen, and then back again with a cold beer from the fridge, hooked to the underside! |
I’d need to install a metal framework inside the hull to support the stresses of beer hauling but it’s doable.
And you’re right, your offer is much too generous; so generous in fact that I cannot accept it.
I would feel I had taken advantage of someone in a weak moment of extreme generosity and I would never want to do that. |
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trekriffic Starship Navigator
Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Posts: 593
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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After removing the Tamiya tape wrapped around the midsection of the secondary hull for handling purposes, I inspected for areas where paint had gotten worn a bit of which there were a few.
Fortunately I was able to mix up new batches of the primary hull light grey and the darker secondary hull/nacelle light medium grey to match the colors on the model when brushing up some areas around the shuttle bay.
I have also masked off the bussard domes in preparation for the clear gloss lacquer coat to come:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Upper Secondary Hull Touchups by Steve J, on Flickr
After unmasking and minor cleanup/touch up with an exacto knife tip, thinner and a micro brush, I am pleased with how these medium grey aztec panels at the bases of the struts turned out:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP- Bottom Strut Aztec Panels Done by Steve J, on Flickr |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17170 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:09 am Post subject: |
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trekriffic wrote: | And you’re right, your offer is much too generous; so generous in fact that I cannot accept it.
I would feel I had taken advantage of someone in a weak moment of extreme generosity, and I would never want to do that. |
Okay, how 'bout just $10 and a wallet-size photo of me to show your friends and relatives? _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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trekriffic Starship Navigator
Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Posts: 593
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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Hope you guys haven't lost interest in this build.
I know it has been a long time since my last post but, take heart, I can see the finish line now.
Thanks to everyone who has replied with comments and suggestions.
Here we go...
Finally got warm enough to apply a coat of Glosscote lacquer. Now is time for some serious decal work:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Glosscoted for Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
Light test after first Glosscote:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Glosscoted for Decals Light Test by Steve J, on Flickr
Bow port quarter. I see where some small spots along the rim will need a little hull color touching up when I'm done decaling and before sealing coats:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Glosscoted for Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
When she's all done she will have a satin to more flatter finish:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Glosscoted Ready for Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
Above aft ready for decals:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Glosscoted for Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
Various tools/supplies used for decal application. Most are well used:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decaling Station by Steve J, on Flickr
One new addition I made recently was the purchase of a coffee cup warmer.
Warm water makes a big difference getting the water slide decal adhesive to release the film from the backing paper prior to sliding it into place on the model; reducing this process from an average 10-15 seconds using room temperature water to a mere 5 seconds or less.
Considering how many decals are involved this is a significant time savings.
Another item recently purchased is the long metal tray which I got mainly for longer aztec decals like the ones for the nacelles and along the sides of the secondary hull.
First wallpaper decals went on without a hitch...
The deflector trench looks great:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Trench Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
The upper strut decals went on fine except for a blotch on the starboard strut near the nacelle.
I fixed that by brushing the decal with liquid decal film under a coat of Future:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Strut Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
The lower strut decals weren’t a perfect fit but close enough for government work:
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Strut Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
Next time I should have pics of the lower saucer which I figure to touch the least after decaling.
I'll do the secondary hull last, at least the area forward of the nacelle pylons, as I am more likely to grab the model there when changing its position.
I must remind myself to wear gloves when doing that.
Last edited by trekriffic on Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:53 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Gord Green Galactic Ambassador
Joined: 06 Oct 2014 Posts: 2948 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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Decal work has always been the toughest thing for me. You're right, warm water is the key! I always get bubbles that I have to pin-prick and smooth out, so I'm in awe of your technique!
I can't wait to see your final pictures of the ship resplendant with full lights against a dark starfield! _________________ There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17170 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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Wow . . . I mean, like . . . wow.
It occurred to me while looking at your images above and reading your text that absolutely nobody who studied your finished model first hand would have the slightest clue as to just how much effort, skill, and raw talent it took to create this masterpiece!
It would be like expecting someone who was admiring the oil portrait of my father from several feet away would realize how many tiny brush strokes it took to create final painting!
For example, here's the full portrait.
__________
And here's a close-up of the eyes!
_________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:09 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Gord Green Galactic Ambassador
Joined: 06 Oct 2014 Posts: 2948 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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There are some that would just throw it together with a tube of Testors , hang it from a thread and blow it up with a Cherry bomb....And then there are "ARTISTS". The precious few who believe that they are producing true art.
Thanks Trek....For showing us how ART is made. _________________ There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child. |
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