Prior to repainting, there were a couple of minor changes that would be
added to further improve the accuracy of the model. The piece on the forward
secondary hull which was missing from the studio model when I first photographed
it was made with Evergreen scribed sheet styrene. (Below, left) This piece
was originally represented on this model by a striped decal. Probably the
most obvious change was that the Rear Engine Caps were given balls! The
new domes were from leftover vacuforms for the inner diffusers from the
engine lights. (Below, right) The inset shows the end caps before modifications.
These domes on the studio model appear to be bare translucent plastic with
no illumination. They would be the same on my model.
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Repainting the Enterprise turned out to be a more difficult job
than anticipated. The evil concoction of acrylic paints with incompatible
overcoat had a lasting effect on the plastic beneath. Every coat of automotive
primer I sprayed on cracked as it dried. I tried to spray several mist
coats but that didn't work either. When the third or fourth coat was misted
on, the primer would crack again. This happened even when spraying onto
bare plastic.
It was obvious that the automotive primer I was using was too "hot," that its solvent base was reacting too aggressively with whatever the original paint left behind. Something in the original coat may have left some kind of residual by-product which penetrated the plastic and two years later, was reacting with the new layer of paint. Even Tamiya acrylic, lightly sprayed on reacted. A "milder" primer was needed. What did work was Tamiya paint mixed with their Flat Base, a paste used to "flatten" the color, thinned with a 50/50 mixture of denatured alcohol and water. There was enough alcohol in the mix for the paint to adhere to the plastic and the water mellowed it out enough that it wouldn't react with whatever was lurking in the plastic underneath. I used the color, "Light Sea Gray" (XF25) which would also be used for the darker colored details on the model. |
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When it was time to once again match the color of the Enterprise,
I was much more prepared than I was the first time around. I had the good
fortune to meet Ed Miarecki in his shop shortly after he completed the
restoration of the big model. One little "souvenir" I left with was a color
chip of the paint Mr. Miarecki used to re-paint the big one. He confirmed
that the paint
he used was DuPont "Ford Truck Grey" automotive primer
(which, by the way, closely matches the Federal Standard color #36492).
Having learned from experience, I managed to get a very close match with
a 4:1 mix of Tamiya White (X2) and Light Sea Gray.
I thinned the main color with the mix of alcohol and water and added a little Flat Base, like I did the primer coat. The model was given several very light coats of the color with a Badger 250 spray gun. All of the darker grey details, the illuminated domes and the main sensor were masked off prior to re-spraying. |
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It was then time to decide if I wanted to give my model the heavy gridwork
that Mr. Miarecki added to the studio model. Those grid-lines look very
interesting on the big model but is that the Enterprise I remember?
I decided that if there were grid lines, they were really faint and weren't
very visible on camera. I would give my model a subdued gridwork.
Once the final base coat was fully dry, new grid lines were drawn using a #2H drafting pencil. On the saucer top and bottom they were drawn radially at 15 degree intervals and concentrically at half-inch intervals. Lines were also drawn on the secondary hull, engines and pylons. Post-it tape made a steady straight-edge. |
Saucer grid lines before they were toned down with another coat of the base color. |
The grid lines are barely visible in this shot, taken after the last color coat |
The base color was lightly sprayed on again with a Badger 200 airbrush
to tone down the grid lines and to protect them from smudging. Clear Blue
and Clear Green were mixed 2:1 and airbrushed on to highlight the saucer.
100% Light Sea Gray highlighted the dorsal connector and the warp engines.
Post-it tape was used again, this time as a secure, low-tack mask.
The model was then weathered with shades of blue, gray and reddish brown to simulate the effects of warp speed on a spaceship hull. The grids on the inboard engine slots were covered with Bare Metal Foil. Tamiya clear was then sprayed on to provide a glossy surface for decals. |
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10:
FINISHING
UP
The History of Space Exploration
Figures: People, Creatures and Dinosaurs
