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Thanks for the comments guys!

Spent some time on this at lunch today...

The inner surfaces of the bussard spinners were painted with a brush using Tamiya Transparent Orange acrylic:

[ATTACH=full]46033[/ATTACH]

The spinners were set aside to dry after being stuck to some two sided foam tape to keep them upright:

[ATTACH=full]46034[/ATTACH]

I found the trick to getting an even coating using this paint was to always keep the spinners facing straight up so the paint always runs down towards the center to pool around the shaft. There is a little brush skill involved for sure. After the first coat dried I went back and gave 'em a second coat.

The fan blades for the spinners were heated on the stove until the brass turned red. This made them soft and pliable so they won't spring off the spinners when attaching them.
After they cooled I placed them on a piece of granite tile and cut them from the fret using a curved xacto knife:

[ATTACH=full]46035[/ATTACH]

The fret tabs needed to be filed off using a pair of PE pliers and a cheap Harbor Freight diamond file. The blades were very soft after heating and care had to be taken to align the edge of the blade with the edge of the plier jaws with the offending tab sticking out. This allowed precise filing without the danger of harming the blade itself. Then you just file along the edge of the plier's jaw until the tab goes bye-bye:

[ATTACH=full]46036[/ATTACH]

The cleaned up fan blades were stuck to two-way tape and painted with Testors Aluminum enamel:

[ATTACH=full]46037[/ATTACH]

Prior to spraying with black paint for light blocking, I masked off the gluing surfaces of the dorsal halves:

[ATTACH=full]46038[/ATTACH]

The black was followed by silver and white spray paint.

I have the transparent bridge included with the Polar Lights lighting kit along with ParaGrafix's PE set. The PE set includes tiny brass railings to replace the kit railings which are just undefined curved plastic curbs along the perimeter of the sunken floor. I decided it would be easier to just cut the center section of the floor out of the kit bridge (which is opaque making it easier to see what I'm doing than the clear part) and then make the modifications needed to accomodate the PE railings. I also went a step further and sliced out the captain's chair, the navigation console, and the two chairs where Sulu and Chekov sat in order to accurize them:

[ATTACH=full]46039[/ATTACH]

I actually am finding it easier to modify the existing parts than scratching entirely new ones. Once I've made the mods and glued in the railings I'll carve out the clear floor from the transparent bridge and transplant this one into it. Before that though I'll finish the PE for the bridge screens and control panels which I'll paint and decal.
I'll also be removing the rest of the chairs from the kit bridge at each station and adding a piece of brass wire to the undersides so they stand up on their bases rather than just being triangular bits attached flush to the floor. These will replace the clear "chairs" from the lighting kit bridge which I'll cut off.
One other nice touch with the PE set is the inclusion of decals for the station controls and the overhead screens; the kit includes decals for the overhead screens but not the stations. There are also tiny 1/350 scale brass figures you can paint and position how you like; I may use them but only if I can figure out a way to make them more three dimensional.

The last thing I did today was to fill in the engraved "hatches" on the rear of the B-C deck part with PPP. I think someone in another thread mentioned that the kit decals did not align with the engraved lines so I decided to go with modifying the plastic rather than the decals:

[ATTACH=full]46040[/ATTACH]

That's it for this update. More to come!

;D

<blockquote data-quote="trekriffic" data-source="post: 144473" data-attributes="member: 11008">Thanks for the comments guys!Spent some time on this at lunch today...The inner surfaces of the bussard spinners were painted with a brush using Tamiya Transparent Orange acrylic:&nbsp;[ATTACH=full]46033[/ATTACH]The spinners were set aside to dry after being stuck to some two sided foam tape to keep them upright:[ATTACH=full]46034[/ATTACH]I found the trick to getting an even coating using this paint was to always keep the spinners facing straight up so the paint always runs down towards the center to pool around the shaft. There is a little brush skill involved for sure. After the first coat dried I went back and gave &#039;em a second coat. The fan blades for the spinners were heated on the stove until the brass turned red. This made them soft and pliable so they won&#039;t spring off the spinners when attaching them. After they cooled I placed them on a piece of granite tile and cut them from the fret using a curved xacto knife:[ATTACH=full]46035[/ATTACH]The fret tabs needed to be filed off using a pair of PE pliers and a cheap Harbor Freight diamond file. The blades were very soft after heating and care had to be taken to align the edge of the blade with the edge of the plier jaws with the offending tab sticking out. This allowed precise filing without the danger of harming the blade itself. Then you just file along the edge of the plier&#039;s jaw until the tab goes bye-bye:[ATTACH=full]46036[/ATTACH]The cleaned up fan blades were stuck to two-way tape and painted with Testors Aluminum enamel:[ATTACH=full]46037[/ATTACH]Prior to spraying with black paint for light blocking, I masked off the gluing surfaces of the dorsal halves:[ATTACH=full]46038[/ATTACH]The black was followed by silver and white spray paint.I have the transparent bridge included with the Polar Lights&nbsp; lighting kit along with ParaGrafix&#039;s PE set. The PE set includes tiny brass railings to replace the kit railings which are just undefined curved plastic curbs along the perimeter of the sunken floor. I decided it would be easier to just cut the center section of the floor out of the kit bridge (which is opaque making it easier to see what I&#039;m doing than the clear part) and then make the modifications needed to accomodate the PE railings. I also went a step further and sliced out the captain&#039;s chair, the navigation console, and the two chairs where Sulu and Chekov sat in order to accurize them:&nbsp;[ATTACH=full]46039[/ATTACH]I actually am finding it easier to modify the existing parts than scratching entirely new ones. Once I&#039;ve made the mods and glued in the railings I&#039;ll carve out the clear floor from the transparent bridge and transplant this one into it. Before that though I&#039;ll finish the PE for the bridge screens and control panels which I&#039;ll paint and decal. I&#039;ll also be removing the rest of the chairs from the kit bridge at each station and adding a piece of brass wire to the undersides so they stand up on their bases rather than just being triangular bits attached flush to the floor. These will replace the clear &quot;chairs&quot; from the lighting kit bridge which I&#039;ll cut off. One other nice touch with the PE set is the inclusion of decals for the station controls and the overhead screens; the kit includes decals for the overhead screens but not the stations. There are also tiny 1/350 scale brass figures you can paint and position how you like; I may use them but only if I can figure out a way to make them more three dimensional. The last thing I did today was to fill in the engraved &quot;hatches&quot; on the&nbsp; rear of the B-C deck part with PPP. I think someone in another thread mentioned that the kit decals did not align with the engraved lines so I decided to go with modifying the plastic rather than the decals:[ATTACH=full]46040[/ATTACH]That&#039;s it for this update. More to come!&nbsp; &nbsp;;D</blockquote>

[QUOTE="trekriffic, post: 144473, member: 11008"] Thanks for the comments guys! Spent some time on this at lunch today... The inner surfaces of the bussard spinners were painted with a brush using Tamiya Transparent Orange acrylic: [ATTACH=full]46033[/ATTACH] The spinners were set aside to dry after being stuck to some two sided foam tape to keep them upright: [ATTACH=full]46034[/ATTACH] I found the trick to getting an even coating using this paint was to always keep the spinners facing straight up so the paint always runs down towards the center to pool around the shaft. There is a little brush skill involved for sure. After the first coat dried I went back and gave 'em a second coat. The fan blades for the spinners were heated on the stove until the brass turned red. This made them soft and pliable so they won't spring off the spinners when attaching them. After they cooled I placed them on a piece of granite tile and cut them from the fret using a curved xacto knife: [ATTACH=full]46035[/ATTACH] The fret tabs needed to be filed off using a pair of PE pliers and a cheap Harbor Freight diamond file. The blades were very soft after heating and care had to be taken to align the edge of the blade with the edge of the plier jaws with the offending tab sticking out. This allowed precise filing without the danger of harming the blade itself. Then you just file along the edge of the plier's jaw until the tab goes bye-bye: [ATTACH=full]46036[/ATTACH] The cleaned up fan blades were stuck to two-way tape and painted with Testors Aluminum enamel: [ATTACH=full]46037[/ATTACH] Prior to spraying with black paint for light blocking, I masked off the gluing surfaces of the dorsal halves: [ATTACH=full]46038[/ATTACH] The black was followed by silver and white spray paint. I have the transparent bridge included with the Polar Lights lighting kit along with ParaGrafix's PE set. The PE set includes tiny brass railings to replace the kit railings which are just undefined curved plastic curbs along the perimeter of the sunken floor. I decided it would be easier to just cut the center section of the floor out of the kit bridge (which is opaque making it easier to see what I'm doing than the clear part) and then make the modifications needed to accomodate the PE railings. I also went a step further and sliced out the captain's chair, the navigation console, and the two chairs where Sulu and Chekov sat in order to accurize them: [ATTACH=full]46039[/ATTACH] I actually am finding it easier to modify the existing parts than scratching entirely new ones. Once I've made the mods and glued in the railings I'll carve out the clear floor from the transparent bridge and transplant this one into it. Before that though I'll finish the PE for the bridge screens and control panels which I'll paint and decal. I'll also be removing the rest of the chairs from the kit bridge at each station and adding a piece of brass wire to the undersides so they stand up on their bases rather than just being triangular bits attached flush to the floor. These will replace the clear "chairs" from the lighting kit bridge which I'll cut off. One other nice touch with the PE set is the inclusion of decals for the station controls and the overhead screens; the kit includes decals for the overhead screens but not the stations. There are also tiny 1/350 scale brass figures you can paint and position how you like; I may use them but only if I can figure out a way to make them more three dimensional. The last thing I did today was to fill in the engraved "hatches" on the rear of the B-C deck part with PPP. I think someone in another thread mentioned that the kit decals did not align with the engraved lines so I decided to go with modifying the plastic rather than the decals: [ATTACH=full]46040[/ATTACH] That's it for this update. More to come! ;D [/QUOTE]

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