AMT USS Enterprise NCC-1701 refit 1:537 review
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- Опубліковано 18 кві 2019
- Quick review of the AMT Star Trek Enterprise Refit 1:537 Scale Model kit. Thanks to Round 2 for sending me spare parts that were missing. What Paint do I use to color this ship Pearl White?
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man I built this model in 1980, through out the 80’s and 90’s. the warp engines always start spreading out and goes to hell.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for explaining what those 2 little parts are for! I thought they went on the ship to stabilize it on the base! My kit came from a thrift store, with no instructions OR lighting harness! BTW, I have the 1/575? larger model, and it is made out of VERY SLIPPERY plastic! EASY to drop!! Now, if I can only figure a way to keep the base from tipping forward when the ship is on it.......the parts don't fit together very well. The price was -- $7.90 reduced to $3.90! Also the cardboard box was broken. I'm not complaining! Live long & prosper!
If you ever need instructions try the website "scalemates" or try looking through star trek model groups on facebook.. Thanks for watching!
For my build, I went with the simple color. White primer, Matt white, then did Aztec masking and sprayed model master white lightning. Then used Aztec decals to finish. I wish round 2 used the old smoothie refit enterprise from the old AMT era
If you are going for a simplistic paint job without worrying about aztec patterns or individual tiles / panels, then you can do any of the following:
- NCC-1701 Refit (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) - pearl white base coat
- NCC-1701 Refit (Star Trek II and III) - flat white base coat
- NCC-1701-A (Star Trek IV, V, and VI) - flat white base coat
Hope this helps.
That particular AMT 1:537 Enterprise refit / -A kit is notorious for its inaccuracies and shortcomings. Just take your time with it, and hopefully you'll have an interesting experience.
:)
It looks like it will com together ok. I actually found Createx Pearl White airbrush paint. So I might try a flat white base coat and then do the pearl as a top coat.
I have built about 6 of these over the last 40 years and the saucer windows have been an issue on every single one of them.
It's not one color, if you're trying to be screen-accurate.
You use whatever white you want for the base coat. Then you use various pearlescent clear colors on the individual panels.
UA-cam search "enterprise refit pearls" and you'll get a ton of videos on the subject. There are various paint manufacturers that make them for various paint systems. You can get them in water based acrylics and lacquers. I haven't been able to find them in enamel. Tamiya in a spray can is likely lacquer.
This kit was tooled in 1979 and had no panel lines; it later carried the nickname "smoothy." The panel lines were added to the tooling for the STII TWOK repop. The first kit runs included a rudimentary lighting harness with grain-of-wheat bulbs that sat behind the ill-fitting window parts.
Speaking of those, they always had gaps on both sides and never matched the curve of the edge of the Primary Hull.
I had this kit original it had lights and sound was really good
@@dennissowell472 That was an early 90s repop, it was a "-A."
The molds for this kit were made back in '79 I think and when ERTL merged with AMT those extra inaccurate lines were added. This kit has a ton of inaccuracies which with some patience can be corrected.
Or you can use them as a template to give the Enterprise-A a unique Aztec Paint Scheme. That's what I did with mine.
@@SeansModelBuilds I"ve thought of doing something like that but aint got around to it yet And this kit has other issues as well, like missing or inaccurate detailing.
@@daviddooley5361 That's why I bought different decal sets for it. One of them has nacelle fantail thrusters, another has small red circles for the running lights, two of which of which can simulate the tops of the turbolifts on the bridge module.
The holes in the hull are new. The window sections were totally off when I built mine, so long ago...before The Dark Times..That was about 1980!
Round2 models are really good people. Tamiya-Pearl, that's the only one I know.
Tamiya makes Pearl White in a rattle can. Looks great too.
A choice of top coat I would use is testors one coat lacquer called white lightning
I find it appauling they still use the saucer molds that have those grids in them. I've built 2 of these (1 with a friend FOR HIS COLLECTION) The only fix is to buy the Aztec decals from AMT then to bondo the entire saucer top and underside with a very thin layer enough to fill in all the grooves. Sand smooth then primer and paint it comes out gorgeous and the Aztec decals make everything POP! if you leave those grids on it the Aztec kit will cover them up fairly ok you'll need Micro-sol to make sure they sit right then clear coat it with a Matte not a gloss clear.
P.S That shuttle is not in scale with the ship so you can display it alone or toss it in the box (If you keep boxes) or toss it. I hear the 1/1000 scale shuttle is more close but never got 1.
When I primed the saucer black and came back to paint it in pearl white the groves had a cool panel look to them. I am going to do another one with lights so maybe I'll try to smooth out the groves.
I used the 350 scale shuttle, which is small enough to fit in the shuttle bay of this one. Then I saved the shuttle from this kit for the 350.
Hoping and hoping that Round2 will produce a new tooling for this kit- it is a great scale to work with, allowing plenty of room for lighting and detailing, and it is a great ship - the Refit. But the only way to get rid of those panel lines is to do a whole new tooling and I don't think R2 will ever be willing to go into the expense of that. Still, hoping, hoping...!
Tamiya makes pearl paints in white and various other shades so you could go nuts doing a pearl job like the TMP version. It would be a lot of work though.
Great vid! Which paint products did you use? Thanks
I used vallejo black primer, This made the grid lines stand out when I applied a pearl white from Createx, and tamiya blue
I used to build the heck out of that kit. It was the model kit from Hell. The error in the model was grossly inaccurate. I still love it. But I hate it too.
Bad model but t least affordable. Let me practice my modeling techniques
man I built that kit in 1980 as a kid, then all in the 80’s and 90’s.
How do you reinforce the engine pylons? The engines weight cause the pylons to bend downward.
That is difficult. I usually crazy glue that joint
Heya!
I Have this Vintage Ertl Model Kit From when I was a Child- that’s if you could call it Vintage? As by 1987/88 this Kit had numerous re-issues from 1979 with its Original Smooth Matchbox And Sticker Version That I’ve never seen in person to the Now Scribed Aztec Detailed Counterpart that we are all now accustomed to bar a few grumbles here and there. Anyway I digress a little- As I was saying I have this kit and She is the Star Trek the Voyage Home Version with a Rhombic Diamond Cut Out in the Bottom Of the Secondary Hull For the Stand As Opposed To the Original circular one that I personally prefer from the Motion Picture Version through to the STIII Re-Packaging And I’m still Digressing!? This Incarnation dose not come with the Shuttle. My Model is now in Her 31st Year! You Might Say That She is in Dry dock Undergoing Her Own Refit. This Kit back in 87/88 was And is the Tenth Attempt at Building And Painting the Refit Enterprise. As there was hardly any reference at this time and what there was looked awful in fuzzy reproduction photographs or black and whites that were totally misleading. I could not tell if the Enterprise was Metallic, Gold, Silver or Otherwise? And the Blue Accent Markings Throughout the Refits Paint Scheme were just as Indistinct?! Therefore with each model I could Never Get a Satisfactory Result And In Frustration I would often Initiate the Auto Destruct Sequence! Well that is apart from Number Three that I Actually Traded!
Anyway I Continue. With the Tenth Enterprise I was Determined to do as much as I could in terms of my ability as it was then. I was also as I am now- determined not to lose this Enterprise. So Using the Latest Freeze Frame Technology On the Now Virtually Extinct VHS I Gathered My Reference Between STIII/IV As they were the Clearest Close Ups with Detail Distinct Enough For Me To Copy. Also my STIII OST has a Beautiful Open Interior Still Of the Enterprise Verses The Klingon Bird Of Prey That at the time proved Invaluable Reference.
So I got my Blue Accents Down On the Primary And Secondary Hulls, Pylons And Nacelles, But Engineering or the Strong-back I Painted a ghost grey as that’s how washed out it looked!
But Having Gone Away to College In the 90’s The Then Enterprise Refit Began To Look Very Sorry For Herself. The White Styrene Had Yellowed And the Decals had began to fade. Not only this- during Her Initial Construction I was Sparing with the glue as I did not want runs and drips to scar the Detail or ruin the paintwork that was all done by hand and masking tape as I had not yet discovered the art of airbrushing. This Meant That sections like the Strong-Back Began to Separate from the Secondary Hull under the weight of the Primary Hull, which in itself had began to split. So During the Early 2020’s Having Graduated I Set up a New Home with my Wife and gathered most of my possessions the Refit amongst them and began plans as to how I should restore My Beloved Starship?
With the Internet Exploding onto the Scene it was a Trickle at First and then a Biblical Flood Of Information And Reference in Terms Of the Refit. I learned so much about Her History, How She was Conceived, Built And Lit. But Most Of All How She was Painted! I was Agog! Armed with this Information all I needed to do was find a Vendor who Produced Facsimile Decals? This is where Federation Models Came In! Oh Yes! Talk About Saving the Day on that one!
So after a long Preamble this is the Information That you Require. The Enterprise Refit- the Original Paint Scheme Before ILM Got their Paws All Over Her was a Composite of Alclad And Transitional Paints- And Pearl White. This is the Medium that I’m Applying to my Kit. You will need-
Alclad White Primer And Micro Filler
Pale Gold
Copper
Gold to Red
Gold to Green
Blue
Blue to Green
Gold
Chrome
Polished Aluminium
And Tamiya Pearl White Decated into a Pot ready to Airbrush.
Micro Sol for the Decals.
One of the Most Significant Issues With is Kit is the Exceptionally Bad Tooling. As a Child Growing Up it Confused The Hell Out Of Me! During the Original Construction I secured the the Strong- Back and the Pylons First along with the Interconnecting Dorsal Fin- Generically Known As the Neck- As with my Very First Kit I did not give this section enough time to cure and with the weight of the Primary Hull the Strong- Back Bowed! It was Ugly! But getting back to where I was- yes I secured this section to avoid such a catastrophe and then I attached the Primary Hull. Shock and Horror I made another Classic Mistake- the Primary Hull was off centre and leaning too far Starboard. So Before the glue had time to cure I tilted the Saucer Section Portside. But this left a Horrible Gap on the Dorsal Fin Contact or Platform. To I tweaked it a Little More. Then I realised that That My Pylons And Warp Nacelles were Leaning too far Portside? What on Earth was Going On? So I Stared And Stared And Looked And Looked. I had that Nauseous Feeling Of Failure Squirming in the Pit Of my Stomach when the Penny Dropped! The Interconnecting Dorsal Fin And the Secondary Hull Were all Twisted Out Of Alignment! What!?? After all these years it was not me but the kit itself?! The Secondary Hull towards the Prow is twisted slightly Portside whereas the Aft towards the Docking Bay Is Twisted Starboard!? Not only this but the Interconnecting Dorsal Fin was Warped Leaning too far Starboard!? What a Mess? With the Enterprise’s Predecessors I had always assumed it was my error and my error to correct that resulted in the Destruction of the Model! Given that I was not very skilled I had to compromise and set the Primary Hull slightly towards Portside to give the illusion of symmetry although everything was really out of kilter!
So Moving On into the Present!
As Mentioned the Enterprise was Beginning to Fall Apart under her own weight and weak contacts and decaying Styrene Glue. So the Strong- Back Had Began To Separate But the Pylons Remained Rigid And Fixed In Place so I Did Not Have to Worry About Them or the Pylons. So very carefully I removed the deteriorating glue and cleaned the surfaces resetting the Strong- Back Panels. But One Thing Really Irritated Me and that was the Interconnecting Dorsal Fin. I thought there is no way am I going to attempt a comprehensive restoration and not correct the manufacturers error?! It was Destructive and it almost broke my heart to do it but I separated the Primary Hull And Secondary Hull From the Fin And the Weapons Bay. I then cut through the Fin and the Weapons Bay Separating Them Also! I then Built an Internal Support the Base and Foundations Of which begins in the Prow Of the Secondary Hull Behind The Interplanetary Deflector Dish Housing. This Feature is Quite Solid As I had to Rebuild the Interconnecting Dorsal Fin And Weapons Bay Around it! So resetting at a 90’ Degree right-angle the Fin was not that Difficult to reconstruct Especially with the new Internal Support. It also gave me an opportunity to make the Facia or Torpedo Bay Tubes Really Accurate without Resorting To After Market Parts As I wanted everything to fit within the Original Dimensions Of the Model And I’m afraid that after market Accessories do not Necessarily do that Aesthetically as things tend to look a little stuck on? But that’s my opinion! Also I Corrected The Interplanetary Deflector Dish by Building it up to make it appear even more recessed as it looks on the Studio Production Model. There is nothing that can be done to correct the misalignment of the Secondary Hull but the Fins reconstruction compensates in Spades!
As for my build and as a general technique I construct all of my models prior to painting as this ensures a more consistent and more uniform coverage of paint. I will be posting a brief Video on the Tube Soon along with my Excelsior and Enterprise-B Builds As Well As Catching Up with the USCSS Prometheus!
Enjoying Your Videos! I Hope that I’m not too Late to Help?
Very Best!
The Color of the hull is a Light Gray Color.
I used Testors one coat lacquer "white lightning"
You will find pearl white in army painter paints
I see round2 hasn't bothered to get rid of those egregious lines
nope, same mold just different box
pearl base coat is incorrect...you can oder paul olsens ebook, who painted the 8ft model for the movie. Its just plain white but with iridescent (not pearl) coloured patterns on it.
The box says 1:537, but the title of the video says 1:650
He said it wrong, the box clearly states the scale and it is correct.
I've been saying since 1979 that if anyone believes for a minute that the "refit" is the original Enterprise at all you're crazy! There's no freakin' way they contorted the original Enterprise into that new skin. It may have been more believable if they at least left SOME of the original interiors as a reference or something...just a little bit...a wall or something. Nope. This was a completely new ship. The refit concept was just stupid. There, I've said my piece. Thanks for listening.
This past August, I bought two refit models of the Enterprise from Walmart. I made one NCC - 1701 and NCC - 1701 - A. I didn't paint it the way you did, I just left it alone. However I will tell you, that putting on the decals were a BITCH!!!
are you going to build this model?????
I did but I made a mistake by removing the attachment tabs of the part that connects the nacells to the main body. I might do a video on that. I bought another to do it right this time.
@@sci-fimodeler1701 cool ive just got this model but im gonna finish the falcon first