AMT 1/537 USS Reliant Review

nicholassagan

sippin on gin + juice
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Dec 28, 2011
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Hey-o! So I wrote this article for Round 2 last February before the kit was released. It was supposed to go on their website but JH just hasn't gotten around to it yet. Anyway, for your viewing and reading pleasure:


In the past I never really took the time to track down the original release of this kit and am now glad for that. Round 2’s re-release is a welcome addition to my growing fleet! (figure 1) However, not having the older and newer releases in front of me at the same time I am unable to do an accurate comparison. Then again, there is really no need to. Round 2 has publicized the upgrades well enough to understand what this new release means compared to the old; it is another chance to build a great subject in a solid scale with some key updates to make the final product more enjoyable!

To be honest, 1/537 is a completely new scale to me, excluding a Klingon Battlecruiser from when I was a kid. As I opened the box a “wow” moment came on as I held the hull pieces in my hands. This ain’t no Weefit. (figure 2) Looking at the sprues in their baggies as a standard practice revealed parts that made sense together. Basically nothing was confusing as to what parts connect to one another and none of the pieces were oddly out of shape or had any significant flash. Beyond that, underneath all the baggies, there was the new standard: the dome base. (figure 3) I like the fact that Round 2 decided to make this style their standard but I was surprised to see that it was molded in the same color as the rest of the kit. Turns out it wasn’t a big deal because I was able to experiment a little on the color for it. (figure 4)

As for the rest of the pieces, they all look like pretty good castings. The level of detail remains the same from the previous incarnation of the ship, save for the updates: the window sections along the top and the some detail on the bridge cap. (figure 5) Any flash was practically non-existent. From the look of all the pieces it is a pretty straightforward build: top, bottom, sides and some smaller detail parts. The clear parts are a nice touch, too, allowing a builder to light the lower sensor array, main shuttle bay doors, impulse vents and crystals and a few lights along the backside. (figure 6)

Included in the basic kit is a smaller sheet of decals that include the name and registry markings for the U.S.S. Reliant, as well as the main red striping and smaller details. This piece of paper is important! The supplemental decal sheet does not the red striping. However, it does have windows, the lateral sensor band (the one that goes across the edge of the saucer), RCS thrusters, phaser banks and of course all the necessary Aztec paneling! (figure 7) The set is not surprisingly similar to the 1/1000 Refit kit set, except there are more panels of blue then compared to the Enterprise sets.

Once I finally got over my fascination with the decal sheets, I started to dry fit the major pieces together. For the most part they liked each other…for the most part. There were a couple of spots along the saucer, more towards the rear where the nacelle pylons attach, that were a bit of a problem. The notches where the pylons attach were aligned on one side and not the other. (figure 8) Additionally, there was a small lip on the rim of the saucer. (figure 9) Both issues were easily solved with a little bit of putty and sanding. The nacelles went together pretty tightly and only needed putty along one or two spots on the seams.

Moving along the way I decided to see how she fits on the nice new stand. (figure 10) Turns out the new plug for the stand is just a little too wide for the mounting hole on the hull, so rather than open the hold larger, I just trimmed the plug to match. All of the clear parts got a little bit of paint prior to final assembly because there really is no way to go back and paint a piece once it is sealed in.

After that it came time for some of the minor assemblies such as the torpedo “roll-bar” and the shuttle bay pieces. The rear assembly was easy enough as the pieces just fit right into it; until it had to go onto the saucer assembly (after mounting the impulse crystals, of course). (figure 11) It just did not want to fit right so once more of that putty came along to the rescue. Once it dried and was sanding the whole main kit looked pretty stellar. (figure 12) The roll bar had a few seam issues as well, but again, an easy remedy. (figure 13)

Beyond the nacelles, the pylons themselves were quite tricky. Since the height of the saucer was raised a touch, the pylons didn’t quite attach as easily as you would expect. (figure 14) A dry fitting left a few gaps as well as a misalignment of the nacelles. A little sanding here, a little scraping there and they fit. Once again, the seams were an issue to putty came to the rescue. That left nothing but the attachment of the roll bar to the pylons…and the end caps did not fit right. (figure 15) I ended up adding a small piece of styrene in between the roll bar and pylon assemblies to make the piece fit well enough to accept the end caps. (figure 16)

There were a few little things that I knew would make the decal process go a bit more smoothly so the navigation beacons and RCS thrusters were shaved down substantially. (figure 17) Since the thrusters were included on the decal sheet, it made sense to trim the area off because the shapes were different. As for the hoards of navigation beacons, I shaved them down because rather than using clear paint to give the illusion of being ‘lit’, I used sequence jewels. When the light hits them just right, you can’t even tell the difference between them and an LED! (figure 18)

Throughout the process each minor assembly got it standard coat of primer. But rather than a gray primer, a white one was used. (figure 19) This made it a little bit easier to apply the base coat of pearl white. It at least looked more consistent than would have been the case with the gray. The base coat wasn’t applied until all the sub-assemblies were united and the seams filled and sanded…once again. After which a few touch-up spurts of primer were executed. Once everything was together and smooth, the pearl white was applied in multiple thin coats to get a nice even look. It may not exactly be what the directions call for, but pearl white is my standard for TMP-era Federation ships. (figure 20)

Many of the smaller detail areas that needed to be painted were a cinch. Looking at all the reference material I decided to go with some slight variations on the colors suggested in the instructions. The main exposed component strips were masked off and a mixture of intermediate blue with a touch of gunmetal was airbrushed on. (figure 21) The torpedo launcher sections got the same treatment just with a little bit more gunmetal mixed in. Dry brushing came in handy on those areas, too; a little bit of silver and steel go a long way. As for the tubes themselves, I just dripped in some candy apple red. (figure 22) The most difficult areas were the tips of the nacelles. There are just so many angles to that pattern! Although those sections might be the only true duck egg blue, the effect is nice when it turns out.

Applying decals can be the most labor-intensive point in any model build. It takes quite a bit of patience and focus, not to mention the ability to pull yourself away for a break every now and again. Of course, the folks at Round 2 have done another amazing job with their decals. They are colorful, they have good resolution, they are thick and strong and they generally adhere well to curved surfaces. As I mentioned earlier, they are quite similar to the 1/1000 scale Refit set. The main difference, aside from size, is that there is more blue coloration, as it should be with the Reliant. One of the few things that seem to left out are the yellow rectangles that go at the roll bar/pylon contact area and the registry markings for the sides of the pylons (I used the Reliant ones just to have something). (figure 23)

I’ve gained a bit of experience since the first time I started with wallpaper style decals and even without that, these decals would have been easy to apply. Once they are properly soaked they slide right into place and they are a heavy enough film stock to not bunch up or fold over during the application process. The smaller decals were even more of a breeze. I especially like the silver in the Starfleet insignia’s!

Naturally there were some trimming issues with the larger pieces, as the film extends a millimeter or two beyond the actual printed image decal. It really does help to trim the decals as closely to the image as possible. It also helps to dry fit the pieces prior to soaking them. I found that some pieces really to need to be carefully trimmed in order to fit properly. (figure 24) The gray stripe markings that go along the edge of the thicker part of the hull need special attention because of the rounded edges and placement of the nacelle pylon.

One other issue that was corrected easily by acute trimming and other cuts were those little nubs on the phaser banks. (figure 25) They are a nice touch for the mold, but wreak havoc on the decals. My solution was to cut tiny X’s centered on where the nub was. That way they poked out a little bit and I was able to trim the access decal to reveal them. The gray and red stripes that go around the bridge also need some attention on the cut lines. I found that it doesn’t quite fit right when trimming normally. (figure 26) Towards the ends you will need to put slits between each red and gray stripe, each about 1” long. That way, when applied, the decal will wrap around the bridge dome nicely.

The Aztec panels could be considered a double-edged sword. While they were the easiest to slide into place, some of them needed special trimming to fit around the phaser banks and other raised details. (figure 27) Nothing a sharp blade can’t fix. What a proper tool wouldn’t fix was the curvature of the sensor bands that wrap around the leading edge of the saucer. The radius is just too small. I ended up cutting the strips every few inches and overlapping them slightly just to get the pieces to fit the entire section. (figure 28) The effect works from a few feet away but up close it’s an eyesore. (figure 29)

Overall, this is a solid set of products from Round 2. I always expect issues with just about any kit I open, but part of the fun of modeling is figuring out how to solve them! Besides, what I expect to be issues are most of the time not and that makes way for more surprises, food and bad. Whether this is your first experience with this scale or if you are a fan of the 1/537 scale this is a great project and a must for your fleet! I am tempted to go out and buy some more bookshelves to make room!

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That was a very informative review. Thanks for sharing your experiences building this model.
She turned out really nice!
 

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