AMT Defiant Class - First Build!!

[Quaralane]

Definitely get a coat of sealer over those decals, then I'd try the dullcoat.
She's looking good, though

 

[schweinhund227]

It looks like a fair size model!

Nice job in the paint and decals.

You have learned lots since you have started this build! Way to go!

The people here will always be there to offer a hand....

Keep up the good work!

 

[Grendels]

I agree with Quaralane, sealer coat over the decals. A sealer coat is always a good idea. It will protect the finish.

 

[punkpigpen]

Hey, since you've had practice masking then airbrushing, next time try masking and painting the thin red lines. i'm not big on decals unless is a real insignia but stripes and colored markings always get painted in my studio. YEHH! But looking really really nice so far.

 

[JohnSimmons]

This looks great well done mate! ;D

 

[Igard]

She's all done! Thankyou very much everyone here who provided help and thankyou for all the posts of support. I couldn't have done this kind of job without all your guidance and, of course, the youtube videos helped alot too!

I put another couple of coats of UK Future on her, then I attached the base with some strong epoxy resin. This stuff's really is potent and, unfortunately, it had a nasty effect on the blue paint inside the base. It's sort of noticeable from the outside. I'll probably find something to cover it, or I'll just do another base.

And now, the pics!

Since this is the Spitfire, some joker at Utopia Planetia, decided to stick a couple of RAF logos on!

The baffled impulse engines. I put a frosted piece of thick clear plastic in front of the LED, but it's still really bright.

With only running lights active.

Full power.

The Bussard collectors. If I were to do this again, I would have cut out the braces. This would've made it easier to put the resin in. The resin wasn't very good either, with lots of air bubbles and an unsmooth surface. Also notice the puttying is a bit ugly here. The other one's not quite as bad as this one.

It doesn't look as bad with the lights on though. Again, the braces look crap here. You can see the uneven edges around them. The light leak is gone though!

You can see some of the aluminium foil panels I put inside the warp nacells. It looks quite good when you move it about. Just gives us something to see inside instead of darkness. The mesh should be black for canon accuracy, but I think it looks better like this.

You can see a couple of the LEDs from an angle. I could've done a better job hiding them.

The cabin windows. I should've left these until last. I had to mask them for painting, and it didn't work out too well. Some paint around the edges. Some were not flush with the hull, so I had to put some more clear epoxy on here anyway.

The plasma vents. I'm happy with the light levels, but some are not aligned very well. The area that looks like a bunch of 'ladders', should have a clear bottom, with a sort of faint red glow, but I never realised this from looking at some source material.

The deflector dish. I put the brass mesh on the outside and I think it gave it a nice classic look. Canon would be for a clear, textured material, and I just couldn't find one, so this is what I did.

Once the lights are on, it looks about right. I've just noticed looking at this photo, that I missed a bit with the paint (just at the bottom there). I'll have to touch that up sometime.

I think that's about it. Hope you all enjoyed. If anyone wants photos of any other part of the ship, just let me know, I might've missed something.

 

[Igard]

Hey, since you've had practice masking then airbrushing, next time try masking and painting the thin red lines. i'm not big on decals unless is a real insignia but stripes and colored markings always get painted in my studio. YEHH! But looking really really nice so far.

I did paint the yellow life pods on using just masking. I got one a bit larger than it's opposite, but it was good practice. I think if I did a bit more scribing, I could've done a better job, as it helps to line things up.

 

[Quaralane]

Beautiful work on this. And your lighting is definitely a good job

 

[punkpigpen]

congrats my friend!

 

[Grendels]

Nicely done!!

 

[Igard]

Thanks guys. I've already made a start on my next build.

I can see why you all call yourselves, 'addicts'. I'm fast becoming one!

 

[ShutterAce]

Nice!The lighting is well done and I like the control panel/base.

 

[ModelMakerMike]

I like it, very good work. I am hoping to get some knowledge on how to light/wire model kits.

 

[Igard]

Thanks Jim and Mike.

The videos that really got me into this hobby a couple of months ago were ThePaintngClinics (or AKE as he's known on this forum) Romulan Bird of Prey build. Seeing him learn how to light for the very first time inspired me to try it myself.

Here's a link to part 1. I think he did an earlier vid where he solders some wires, but this is a good start to learning what you need to do.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePaintingClinic#p/u/30/P4ngQxaeKiY

I've seen one of Grendels vids, where he wires up a blinker circuit or something like that. But that's a bit more advanced and I've yet to get into that.

What I'd recommend for your first lighting kit :-

• -Thin wire. I bought something called Bell wire, but there is thinner wire out there if you look. Buy a couple of metres, depending on how big a project you have.
  
• -LEDs of course. You can get 5mm or 3mm. I live in the UK and the best place to buy them is online. Street shops simply don't stock enough. Use google to find a good online retailer and order a couple more than you need just in case.
  
• -A soldering iron. Not too powerful, about 30-60 Watts I think is recommended for small electronics such as this.
  
• -Solder wire. Obviously.
  
• -Resistors. You can buy packs of them. You'll need resistors between 50 ohms and 200 ohms. Don't quote me on this, but I don't think you'd need any more powerful than this. I bought a pack of resistors and some of them go up to 100,000,000 Ohms! I'll never need these.
  
• -A switch. A toggle switch is adequate. I used a DPDT switch for this build, which has 3 settings (hard to figure out how to wire), but you can get an SPDT switch which only has on/off.
  
• -A crimp tool. For cutting the wires to the right length. This is essential, but it's not easy to get one that cuts very small wire like you'll be using, so check first before you buy.
  
• -Helping hands. Not essential, but useful for holding the wires together before you solder them. It's nearly impossible to use just your hands, and of course, it can be hazardous.
  
• -Some light blocking paint. When working with thin plastic, you'll need to paint some thick paint on the inside of the model so as to prevent light leak.
  
• -Tin foil/Aluminium foil/kitchen foil. Better than any high reflection paint for putting inside the model where it will reflect the light and spread it out. Note: This will probably only stick to the plastic with white glue.
  
• -Shrink tube. This is a rubber tube that shrinks when you heat it. Put this around your soldered connections to protect them. I always use the soldering iron held under it to shrink it. You can also use electronic tape, but that's not as neat and tidy.

Think that's about it. Hope this helps someone.