Re: Enterprise NX-01 Refit
Thank you fellow addicts!
Finally! We have reached the decal stage!
Here's my decaling station. I got this square votive candle holder at Michaels to hold my bottles of Micro SOl and SET. They wedge in nice and tight. Yaaaay! No more tipped over bottles spilling the precious fluid all over my workbench!
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IMG_6502 by trekriffic, on Flickr
I use these special flat-tipped tweezers to dip the declas:
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IMG_6503 by trekriffic, on Flickr
I poked holes in the largest decals using my exacto knife to let any trapped air escape so as to avoid the dreaded silvering:
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IMG_6504 by trekriffic, on Flickr
Upper saucer just about done. I added a few extra decals left over from the PL 1/1000 TOS Enterprise kit around the flashing formation lights:
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IMG_6505 by trekriffic, on Flickr
The toughest spot to decal was under the back of the saucer where there are two shuttle bay doors-only the aftmost doors because the other two are covered by the back of the connecting dorsal. I decided it would be easiest to cut the decals that frame the doors into sections:
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IMG_6506 by trekriffic, on Flickr
I placed the decals using fine tipped tweezers then used my dental tool to fine tune their positions. Once in place I gave them a gentle splash of MicroSOL using a microbrush:
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IMG_6510 by trekriffic, on Flickr
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IMG_6513 by trekriffic, on Flickr
I added numbers to the cargo bay doors at the aft end of the saucer using some leftover decals from another model kit:
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IMG_6518 by trekriffic, on Flickr
For the observation dome windows top and bottom I cut tiny rectangles of white decal film so they look illuminated. And when I say tiny I mean tiny!
Here are some pics I took just after finishing up the decals. I'll let her dry overnight before sealing everything with another shot of Glosscote. Then she'll get a few coats of Dullcote. After that I'll go back with a fine tipped brush and hit all the windows, engines, domes and such with Future to differentiate them from the matte finish of the hull:
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IMG_6519 by trekriffic, on Flickr
I added a tiny "Ion Pod" to the lower sensor dome. Yet anotherm upgrade linking this Year 7 Refit to the NCC-1701 Grey Lady some 90 years later:
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IMG_6521 by trekriffic, on Flickr
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IMG_6522 by trekriffic, on Flickr
It's interesting how she takes on a steel gunmetal look with the lights down:
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IMG_6525 by trekriffic, on Flickr
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IMG_6527 by trekriffic, on Flickr
Next weekend I'll set the camerra and lights up for some final pics!
