Romulan Bird-of-Prey from TOS

trekriffic

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Jan 6, 2012
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930
I've been working on this build of the Round 2 1/1000 scale Romulan TOS Bird-of-Prey for a few months now. I'm going to give you guys sort of an abridged version if you don't mind...

Box art:

23296476992_10bf8dd2c0_o.jpgRomulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr
23296474972_aba27fee1d_o.jpgRomulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

There are also some nice dorsal , ventral, and profile view on the sides and ends of the box.

The parts:

23296473972_9f0d717297_o.jpgRomulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Instructions are pretty basic:

23404953305_75c741be8d_o.jpgRomulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

Paint and decal guide:

22777777853_c29fbc5492_o.jpgRomulan TOS BOP 1/1000 Scale by trekriffic, on Flickr

First thing I did was cut off the plastic nacelle "exhaust nozzles" and replace them with aluminum tubing:

23390823492_19b150771a_o.jpgAluminum Tube Replacement Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

I had to grind the thickness of the metal tubing down some to get things to fit:

23499335045_d18edd0911_o.jpgGrinding Down the Wall Thickness by trekriffic, on Flickr

Some thin rings were cut from the same tubing and slid over a section of some smaller diameter tubing:

23203570700_e6429f2191_o.jpgPlastic versus Aluminum Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Test fitting in the nacelle:

23203570310_be6a3dc603_o.jpgNew Nozzle Test Fit by trekriffic, on Flickr

Not bad!

22872171623_999ea62b1e_o.jpgNew Metal Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

One thing missing from the kit were the frames around the rectangular windows and round sensor ports on the bow of the ship. These were included for the windows and ports on the upper hull and command cupola but not on the front rim for some reason (probably because they would not be easily removed from the injection mold) so I decided to add them myself. I used a copy of the kit decals as a template for drilling holes for the fiber optics as this model will be lit:

23499333245_2b1f171025_o.jpgTemplates for Window Drilling by trekriffic, on Flickr

After drilling with a pinvise:

23459469261_6bb290cc8c_o.jpgWindow and Sensor Openings Drilled by trekriffic, on Flickr

Window frames made from some rectangular Evergreen stock. I used round stock for the sensor ports (not shown):

23012806043_9d18535b65_o.jpgWindow Frames for Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

Frames in place:

23011699864_59e47a81b0_o.jpgBow Window and Sensor Port Framing by trekriffic, on Flickr

I decided to include a shuttle bay so scribed some hatches behind the cupola on either side of the tail fin to get started:

23108631573_4dc07939bb_o.jpgShuttle Bay Hatches by trekriffic, on Flickr

This part deals with some metal balls I made for inserting into the ends of the nozzles. This reinforces the whole idea that this ship was a product of Romulan espionage and built from stolen Federation ship designs; a theme that was mentioned in one line of dialog in the original series "Balance of Terror" episode that was later cut from the final broadcast version. The enterprise had balls at the ends of its nacelles so why not?

First I made two grills from some leftover tin photo-etch fret:

23108630323_423de74806_o.jpgNozzle Grills Made from PE by trekriffic, on Flickr

23626922882_2aecec451c_o.jpgNozzle Grill by trekriffic, on Flickr

Piano wire was inserted thru some plastic tubing to make a shaft for inserting thru a hole in the center of each grill. The piano wire then slid into holes in the center of the metal beads I used for the balls:

23735433735_48c9210682_o.jpgMetal Balls by trekriffic, on Flickr

23439724960_a742949fbf_o.jpgNozzle Ball Assembly by trekriffic, on Flickr

The grills with balls were glued into each nozzle with 5-minute epoxy:

23653111991_c9ea7e45e2_o.jpgNozzles with Balls by trekriffic, on Flickr

The nacelles were wired up with the finished nozzles which are lit with an amber/orange LED. A blue LED at the front of each nacelle will light the bussard domes:

23709330506_3ee015157e_o.jpgNacelle Wiring by trekriffic, on Flickr

A light test of the nacelle nozzles and bussard domes:

23107291394_b64c2ca6c9_o.jpgNacelle Nozzle Light Test by trekriffic, on Flickr

23626925402_ed51451d99_o.jpgNacelle Dome Ligth test by trekriffic, on Flickr

Power for the ship is provided by a 2-wire rectangular coupler in the stern of the ship:

23107289724_b61a341b47_o.jpgWings wth Nacelles Attached by trekriffic, on Flickr

23459469721_d09c405414_o.jpgFemale Power Coupler by trekriffic, on Flickr

23246158740_6755ec3e05_o.jpgMale Power Coupler Inserted by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here's the finished stand with two slide switches-one to operate the ship lights and the other to operate a spotlight at the bottom end of the brass display arm which I made from scratch. The spotlight will illuminate the Bird-of-Prey decal on the underside of the ship when I'm done:

24345218175_5cdca2ea63_o.jpgDisplay Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Along with the rim windows and ports I drilled out all the ones on the upper hull. Talk about tedious work! I must have broken about 6 drill bits along the way:

23557461561_778da92a5f_o.jpgCupola Holes Drilled by trekriffic, on Flickr

After drilling I sprayed the interior with Tamiya black lacquer for light blocking followed by a coat of primer then a coat of Tamiya white lacquer:

23613785306_d2f6faeaf3_o.jpgEdge Masking Prior to Priming/Light Blocking by trekriffic, on Flickr

For the plasma torpedo launcher in the bow I built a box with a red wide angle LED in it and glued it into the front of the lower hull:

23367498589_b1e2897e02_o.jpgBox for Plasma Torpedo Launcher In Bow by trekriffic, on Flickr

23107287044_b21398a96f_o.jpgTest Fit of Plasma Torpedo Box by trekriffic, on Flickr

To light the windows and sensors I glued a 5000mcd ultrabright cool white LED into the center of a spool taken from a pack of Glide dental floss. The spool is translucent and helps to spread light evenly around the interior of the model, sort of like a lampshade would:

23284614444_287a144882_o.jpg7000mcd ultrabright LED by trekriffic, on Flickr

23886726426_de817db78e_o.jpgMain LED by trekriffic, on Flickr

On to the shuttle bay...

After cutting one of the shuttle bay doors out using a Tamiya photo-etch saw I installed a pushbutton switch I pirated from a Dollar Tree push-on light. The switch will control the bay lighting and the red LED at the front of the ship for the plasma torpedo launcher:

23760185710_1ac72a3810_o.jpgPushbutton by trekriffic, on Flickr

Jumping ahead a little, here's how the hangar bay door looked after I thinned it down with my dremel and needle files and glued on a piece of PE screen. The door hinge is made from two tiny pins made from piano wire inserted at the inside corners of the door:

23443909513_38b5877086_o.jpgShuttle Bay Door Revised by trekriffic, on Flickr

One wall for the bay has a rollup door for access to a shuttle maintenance shop:

23947716362_2c9898fd8f_o.jpgStarboard Bay Painted and a Screen Added by trekriffic, on Flickr

The opposite wall has some control consoles and doors for accessing other areas of the ship. The grill above the doors allows for air to be pumped into and out of the bay:

23973281941_2358aabc69_o.jpgPort Wall with PE Screening by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here's a part I found in my greebly stash. I think it was a part from an F-16 Fighting Falcon kit I got some years ago for kit bashing. Anyway, I drilled out some exhaust ports to turn it into my shuttle/two-man scout ship:

23760184130_580c4f6bed_o.jpgShuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

The walls were glued into the underside of the upper hull:

24055860245_cba853e9a8_o.jpgShuttle Bay Walls Glued In by trekriffic, on Flickr

Pins were cut off and inserted into holes drilled into the underside of the scout to make landing struts:

23973281361_c6d19ca778_o.jpgLanding Legs Installed in Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

I gave the scout a fin to match the one on the mothership:

23427624794_371601f749_o.jpgFin Added to Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Some red stripes were added to the nose using some old decal material:

23760182750_27786e049c_o.jpgDecaling the Shuttle by trekriffic, on Flickr

23688020889_7e727c7512_o.jpgShutttle with Red Stripes by trekriffic, on Flickr

The scout, referred to by the Romulans as a Talon, serves many purposes functioning as a transport, reconnaissance, and fighter craft. It measures 3/8" long which works out to 31" 3" at 1/1000 scale. Sleek and stealthy with the ability to cloak, the fighter is armed with disruptors and a single mini plasma torpedo with which it can destroy targets many times larger than itself; however, once fired it has to return to its launch bay for reloading. Its limitations are that it can only travel at sublight speeds with limited range shortened each time it is required to use fuel reserves to fire its weapons. Also, like the mothership, its cloak drains power from the engines and must be lowered to fire the plasma weapon.

Now back to the shuttle bay...

After soldering some wires a light test was performed. One end of the bay has the pushbutton switch as indicated previously; the other end has a bright white LED. Fibers will run from a purplish pink LED in the brass tube shown in the pic to holes drilled inthe walls to give the bay the same multi-hued glow seen with the bridge lighting in the Balance of Terror episode:

24029749996_ef0ee09a17_o.jpgLight Test of Bay LEDs by trekriffic, on Flickr

Parts were cut for the floor of the bay. The white styrene frame is glued to the base of the walls first, followed by the clear frame piece (which will get some edge lighting), then the photo-etch screen. Finally a piece of translucent "milk jug" plastic (not shown here) will be glued to the PE screen which will allow some light to shine thru from below the bay:

23947714612_74c61929c3_o.jpgShuttle Bay Floor Components by trekriffic, on Flickr

The completed floor installed in the bay. You can also see the fiber optic strands:

24055858865_e50d25ddd8_o.jpgFiber Optics and Floor Installed in Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Light test:

24055857565_0b2ae0c5d8_o.jpgWiring and Soldering all Done by trekriffic, on Flickr

The lit bay with the scout ship cemented in place using CA:

24029748696_c896f20af8_o.jpgShuttle in Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

24029748436_c178aebf3d_o.jpgRear of Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next up... I glue the hull together!
 
Quaralane said:
Some excellent mods made to this one

Thanks Q!

Hull light test. Eureka!

23429082963_77925394e8_c.jpgLight Test by trekriffic, on Flickr

24029748696_7a6f3fc81f_c.jpgShuttle in Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

24029748436_8886a1d3c3_c.jpgRear of Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

23947712812_3805f21f63_c.jpgBlue Pushbutton in Forward Section of Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

The hull was glued together with Testors cement and clamped to dry:

23688019179_e24ca7f790_c.jpgHull Glued Together by trekriffic, on Flickr

I think I need to straighten up my workbench pretty soon:

23688019169_aa7c939715_c.jpgMy Workbench by trekriffic, on Flickr

Got most of the hull scribed. Still need to sort out the cupola and wing panels but she's gettin' there...

I used the needle of my compass to scribe concentric circles on the upper hull:

23633770403_5a7c67cb11_b.jpgScribing Circles by trekriffic, on Flickr

The compass and a circle template worked well for the lower hull. A metal ruler served as a guide for the straight line scribing.

23892737419_71e35f5d6d_b.jpgVentral Hull Paneling Scribed by trekriffic, on Flickr

Upper hull paneling almost done. Have to sort out the cupola and the wings:

24260570245_14f80860c4_b.jpgUpper Hull Panel Lines by trekriffic, on Flickr

Finished up the scribing with the upper cupola, wings, and nacelles:

23696799693_263c34a4ef_o.jpgScribing Nacelle Panel Lines by trekriffic, on Flickr

24241111891_d8cc188f3a_o.jpgCupola Panel Lines by trekriffic, on Flickr

I decided to revise the location of one of the arcs on the underside so I filled it in with PPP and rescribed it:

24297456436_2835536871_o.jpgRevised Panel Line by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here she is after a wipe down with an alcohol wipe and her first spray of Duplicolor automotive primer:

23696799073_8f0a121c16_o.jpgAfter Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

24323629375_21eceb6f69_o.jpgAfter Primimg by trekriffic, on Flickr

23955812379_31b8fcd784_o.jpgAfter Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

24215424452_a7321ae720_o.jpgAfter Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next I'll plug her into power and see if there are any light leaks.

First I wired up the stand:

24237008582_9b69a935a8_o.jpgDisplay Stand Wiring by trekriffic, on Flickr

24345218175_5cdca2ea63_o.jpgDisplay Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Plugged the ship in, pushed the slide switch and she lit up! Niiiiiiiice...

24237008952_b2df2bdfd7_o.jpgShip on Stand Powered Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

Slid the slide switch for the spotlight on the end of the arm and... yeah... it lit up too!

23717037814_061bd3587d_o.jpgTest of Ship to Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Pushed the button in the bay and the shuttle bay lights up! Very nice!

24237009132_0b3850db22_o.jpgShip on Stand with Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Whew! Now that the stand works I'll tackle the paint scheme.
 
Here she is after a wipe down with an alcohol wipe and her first spray of Duplicolor automotive primer:

23696799073_8f0a121c16_o.jpgAfter Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

24323629375_21eceb6f69_o.jpgAfter Primimg by trekriffic, on Flickr

23955812379_31b8fcd784_o.jpgAfter Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

24215424452_a7321ae720_o.jpgAfter Priming by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next I'll plug her into power and see if there are any light leaks.

First I wired up the stand:

24237008582_9b69a935a8_o.jpgDisplay Stand Wiring by trekriffic, on Flickr

24345218175_5cdca2ea63_o.jpgDisplay Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Plugged the ship in, pushed the slide switch and she lit up! Niiiiiiiice...

24237008952_b2df2bdfd7_o.jpgShip on Stand Powered Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

Slid the slide switch for the spotlight on the end of the arm and... yeah... it lit up too!

23717037814_061bd3587d_o.jpgTest of Ship to Stand by trekriffic, on Flickr

Pushed the button in the bay and the shuttle bay lights up! Very nice!

24237009132_0b3850db22_o.jpgShip on Stand with Lit Bay by trekriffic, on Flickr

Whew! Now that the stand works I'll tackle the paint scheme.

Before that I tested once again for light leaks with the room lights off and ... she failed the test. I decided to give her an overspray of Tamiya black lacquer follwoed by a second coat odf grey primer.

You guys don't know how tempted I was to leave her as a black ship:

24398947235_5b85d42534_o.jpgThe Black Ship by trekriffic, on Flickr

Oh well... In the end I decided not to.

Here she is right now with her second coat of primer. She has successfully passed the light leak test and I can now move on to airbrushing the base coat followed by some paneling:

23772158023_0907352655_o.jpgSecond Primer Coat by trekriffic, on Flickr

After spraying the primered hull with Tamiya Ghost Grey and allowing a day to cure I started in on the paneling. I gave up trying to airbrush using frisket paper as it was too messy and labor intensive. I found I could do the job just as well with thinned paint and a fine tipped brush. Once I got rolling I was able to go faster than I could have with an airbrush. Any rough edges are cleaned up easily using a white mircobrush dipped in thinner. Painting enamel over lacquer works well because the tired thinner I use won't affect the Ghost Grey Tamiya lacquer :

24337444232_e269a75f4a_c.jpgPanel Painting by trekriffic, on Flickr

The first panels are metallic silver:

23817539994_746ed0fcf3_c.jpgSilver Panels Brushed On by trekriffic, on Flickr

This is not a true aztec as I am pursuing a completely randomized (albeit balanced) panel pattern; much like the underpainting I did on the Enterprise B some years ago.
Once I'm done with this color I'll paint steel panels. Then brass or gold.
Then I'll do a custom mix for the final hull color, take some and add a lighter color, then take some more and add a darker color, to make paint for two more layers of grey panels.
Then the whole thing wil get oversprayed with more of the thinned down hull color.
Once that all cures she'll get lightly sanded/polished to knock down any paint ridges; although I may leave some to give the impression of raised panels.
Then I may give her a shot of gloss transparent pearl metallic to impart a metallic finish. Then apply some masking tape randomly (perhaps over the metallic panels just visible under the hull color).
Then shoot her with Dullcote, remove the masks, leaving the glossy metallic panels glinting visibly in the light when viewed at an angle.

Or not...
 
Here's the latest update...

I went ahead and roughed in the silver panels on the rest of the upper hull:

23880942563_75577c30fc_c.jpgUpper Silver Panels in Progress by trekriffic, on Flickr

Then I went back in with implements of construction (microbrushes and pointed cotton swabs and weakened thinner) and neatened up each panel so the edges are a little straighter and cleaner:

24399452432_aaccc6a0a1_c.jpgUpper Hull Silver Panels Touched Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

Now working on the underside. This time I cut some shapes into pieces of Tamiya tape to use as templates. Later I'll go back and augment them adding and subtracting so as to preserve the random asymmetrical aztec pattern appropriate to this model's idiom:

24507744535_14e7350a38_c.jpgLower Hull Silver Panels in Progress by trekriffic, on Flickr
 
That is beautiful tedious work there trek! I wish I had your dedication. Its going to be gorgeous when your done.
 
Wow! That is an incredible amount of work and care you have put into this. It is paying off with a beautiful build of this classic.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone!

Here are some new pics. Pretty boring stuff I'm afraid. Just painting lots of little aztec panels...

Finished painting the metallic silver panels on the main hull and moved on to the wings and nacelles.
I took a shortcut and cut panels out of one large piece of Tamiya tape for the upper and lower wing surfaces. The pattern is the same for the port upper and lower starboard wing surfaces as I just flipped the tape over and around to do the opposite side. So not sure if this violates the assymetry rule or not as far as the wings are concerned:

24324202939_aa63b20477_o.jpgWing Masking for Silver Panels by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here's the upper hull, wings, and nacelles all done as far as the silver paneling:

24691877455_569928b911_o.jpgDorsal Silver Paneling Complete by trekriffic, on Flickr

And the lower surfaces:

24324202239_a44b394b43_o.jpgVentral Silver Paneling Complete by trekriffic, on Flickr

Working on the next layer of steel/gunmetal panels:

24574108442_d702b12743_o.jpgStarting on Steel/Gunmetal Panels by trekriffic, on Flickr

I mixed in some gunmetal to darken the panels a bit and provide more contrast with the metallic silver panels.

Almost done with the upper hull steel/gunmetal panels. Need to work on the cupola next. She has a very flat finish now as I found the silver panels were rubbing off onto my fingers while I gripped the bird whilst brush painting. So I sprayed her with Testors Dullcote to seal the enamel paint layer after I went back in and fixed the rubbed off areas. That seems to have fixed the problem thankfully:

24063710554_41c7b04e96_o.jpgUpper Hull Steel/Gunmetal Panels Almost Done by trekriffic, on Flickr

After I finish this layer of panels top and bottom I'll proceed to painting of the brass panels.

Thanks for following along!
 
You would be hard pressed to notice what you did with the tape pattern on the wings without mention of it. There are enough differences in position and extent of the pattern, even being able to look at pictures of both the top and bottom at the same time, that I vote asymmetry maintained. ;D

Looking good!
 
Thanks for the comments guys!

Here are a few more pics of current progress with the "aztec" paneling.

Masking tape template in use. I probably have about 8 or 10 different patterns I use:

24599679089_a755d59119_o.jpgMasking Tape Template by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here I finished all the lower surfaces with the second layer of steel/gunmetal panels:

24849313232_b2d70080ab_o.jpg2 Color Aztec Done by trekriffic, on Flickr

And here's the lower hull after the third layer of gold panels:

24940992376_6f0036106c_o.jpg3 Colors Done-Underside of Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

And the upper hull after gold panels:

24340451823_3948c43b38_o.jpg3 Colro Aztec Done-Upper Hull by trekriffic, on Flickr

I still need to finish the gold panels on the nacelles and the sides of the ship. Also the fin has no paneling done yet so there's that to do too.

When I'm done the paneling will be much more subtle than it appears right now. The paneling serves mostly as underpainting to break up the surface and make the hull more interesting.

Thanks for your patience folks!
 
Looking good. That is a lot of hand painted paneling, masking not withstanding.

Question on technique and anticipated result. For stuff like this were so many layers are being applied that will later be muted down is it just experience from past projects that keeps you on a set path for the desired results or do you take a test piece and do a complete run of the paint up process to confirm the result you want first?
 
Hagoth said:
Looking good. That is a lot of hand painted paneling, masking not withstanding.

Question on technique and anticipated result. For stuff like this were so many layers are being applied that will later be muted down is it just experience from past projects that keeps you on a set path for the desired results or do you take a test piece and do a complete run of the paint up process to confirm the result you want first?

It's a little of both. This technique has been used before on my builds of the Enterprise B, Leif Ericsson, and the NX-01 Refit. For this build, I've also painted four test areas on thin styrene sheet with the base of Light Ghost Grey lacquer and the three layers of paneling. I'll try different mixes of the final grey enamel mixed with other colors to give a slightly overall greenish tint to the ship. The enamel will need to be thinned so as not to totally obscure the paneling hence the four "zones" I'll be using to test different formulas and thicknesses of paint.
 
Started in on the gold paneling for the nacelles. Before that I masked off the rest of the ship so as not to rub away any existing hull paneling. Then I used some thin stripe masking tape prior to hand brushing the stripes/panels:

24914960472_c20f125de3_o.jpgNacelle Masking by trekriffic, on Flickr

After removing the masking tape:

24939706951_376e73e069_o.jpgNacelle Unmasked by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here, as mentioned in my previous post, I have added the gold panels to the four test zones for trying out different layering effects prior to airbrushing the model:

24402393524_1178b9c879_o.jpgTest Patches by trekriffic, on Flickr

Tomorrow I should finish the other nacelle then the fin....
 
Thank you for the explanation and illustration of your technique. I've been very impressed by your previous work and this gives me a lot of insight to the work behind it.
 

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