USS Enterprise

USS ENTERPRISE

The latest project from my client is the USS Enterprise, again in 1/720 scale. This kit is quite a bit older than the others, and the detail on it is what we modelers call a bit 'soft'. It will need quite a bit of work to correct a lot of the molding flaws and seams from this early 80's kit. 


One thing about this model, unlike many newer aircraft carrier models it has no shortage of aircraft. Since this is the pre-refit version of Enterprise, the aircraft consist of some earlier planes that aren't in use anymore, including Phantoms, Skyhawks, and even a couple of A5 Vigilantes. It also has a pair of Hawkeyes and some Prowlers. No helicopters though.


This model also has very few decals - no markings for the flight deck lines or catapults and the aircraft have no decals either. The only decals that come with this kit are the large identifier numbers for the flight deck and island. Fortunately I have another carrier kit of the same class and scale I can borrow some decals from. With a little modification I think they can be made to work. If not, I'll have to paint them all.

This kit will need a lot of filler - the first layer will hide the worst of the seams and sink marks, but it will take several rounds of filling and sanding on the hull to get everything smoothed out and make the joints look good. 

The island went together without too much trouble, and a couple of rubber bands held it together to keep the seams as tight as possible. Because this assembly is a bit complex I tried to keep the gaps I'd need to fill to a minimum.

The stern will need a lot of work as well, as the different hull sections did not fit together particularly well. I had to use a lot of clamps and rubber bands to keep everything in place.

After the first round of sanding, the hull is starting to look a lot better. There are still a lot of small areas that will need work though. I wet-sanded the first layer of filler with 220 grit sanding pads. Once the water has completely dried I will be adding the next round of filler. I'm hoping I can preserve the straight seam for marking the waterline later, but with all the filler I'll be using I won't be surprised if it gets covered.

The island only needed a few minor spots of filler to fix some corner seams.

 

I shot a basecoat of Gull Gray on the island to check for any other problem areas. Not finding any, I set it aside until it is ready for final painting and assembly.

 

I continued to work on the hull, filling and repairing spots as needed, as well as putting a second layer of filler in some of the larger problem areas. 

On some sections where the gaps were very straight, I glued in small sections of .040 half round styrene stock. Once the cement is cured I can trim and sand these to shape without getting filler on small detail parts nearby. I also don't have to worry about filler breaking loose this way.

 I know this looks terrible right now, but once it's sanded and smoothed out it will look great. :)

The bow section had particularly large and deep mold flaws that required a second application of filler. Once sanded I think this will level everything out, or will at least be shallow enough to not be noticeable once painted.  

 

The second round of sanding is getting it really close...the model is really starting to look clean now. 

 The bow still needs a little more sanding, but there is enough filler in there now to even things out. 

I had to add some new detail to the bow on one side, as these pipes were sanded off in some areas. I remade them using some scrap styrene rod that I stretched thinner over a candle. 

I also added the propeller shafts and rudders at this time. The screws are very fragile and will be painted separately and added last. 

I laid everything out so I could see how I might arrange the aircraft once everything is painted. As you can see, there are quite a few more than the previous models. I had a few additional Phantoms in my spares box so I tossed them in too. Unfortunately this model did not include any helicopters or flight deck vehicles. I did find one extra crane truck that will be added as well. 

After a few more rounds of minor filling and sanding, the hull is finally ready for paint. I started by spraying the flight deck and hull with Model Master Gunship Gray. 

Like the earlier projects, this will be the color of the flight deck while the island, hull and railings will be a lighter shade of gray. The hull below the waterline on this kit is also different. Instead of red, this one will be painted black. Once this color has had a few days to dry, I will mask and paint the lighter colors and black.
While this was drying, I started work on the detail parts and aircraft. 

Sorry for the long wait - between traveling and the upcoming holidays it's been a busy few weeks. Progress is being made though. 


This week I worked on getting the hull painted and doing some additional assembly. I started by laying down frisket film over the whole flight deck and trimming it to shape. 

 

It's not easy to see but the frisket is on there. After the deck was masked, I shot the hull with Light Sea Gray. 

Once the model was dry enough to handle, I glued on the island and the first missile launcher.

To paint these aircraft, I had to lightly glue them to styrene stock so I could spray the basecoat colors. I could have left them on the sprues but there was a lot of cleanup involved in cutting them off, and I would have had to repair a lot of damaged paint. This way the parts are already clean and won't need more work.

Because there are so many aircraft this time, I'm going for a little more color variety. Each aircraft type will be a slightly different shade of gray, just to make things interesting and to add a little wear and tear.

 At this stage I also started a little weathering before adding the decals. The main reason I did this was to give myself a clear indicator of where the runway is. The markings on the deck are very light and tough to see, and I was worried they would disappear after I added the flat clear. I used light gray pastel to weather the deck, then sealed it with clear flat. I then applied the decals in the usual fashion with Micro Sol. I had to scavenge decals from another kit, but fortunately I had a kit of the same scale and ship class for a donor.

Once the decals were dry, I shot another coat of clear flat and then began the heavy weathering using dark gray and black pastel, as well as some more light gray in a few areas. Each coat is sealed with more clear flat. It takes a couple of applications to get everything just right, mainly because the clear flat can darken the lighter pastel and you have to build it up a bit to see it.

My technique for this is simple - I just get the pastel stick I want to use, and scrape a razor blade over it to release some pigment on the model where I want it. I then use paintbrushes or a makeup blender to get the look I want.

Once I was happy with the weathering, I shot a final coat of clear flat and masked the upper hull and flight deck so I could spray below the waterline. I once again used Insignia Red and will add a black stripe after it dries. I also got to use my awesome new airbrush my brother gave me for Christmas. :)

I know I said earlier that I would be painting the hull black, but some of my research sources were in conflict (as well as other models I saw online) so I decided to keep the same paint scheme as the other models I did for this client. That way they will look good displayed together. 

Between stages of hull work I also painted a bunch of aircraft. They are all done except for the Hawkeyes and Phantoms. I admit I went a little detail crazy this time. :) I even weathered some of them a little bit. I need to see if I have any decals I can use for them too. I may have some floating around.

  

Tonight I finished assembly of the lower hull, adding the propellers and painting them. I still have a bit to do up top but the ship itself is nearly done now.  

Once the rest of the weathering and detailing was done, it was just a matter of assembly and preparing the model to ship to my client.

I am quite pleased with how this model came out. Little did I know that the next one would be an even bigger challenge!