The USS Enterprise (Refit) from Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Build Log:  Part 2

I’m beginning, as mentioned before, with the shuttle bay and arboretum, and this is a short tack-on from part 1, detailing a little bit about some of the tools and accessories I’ll use here.

The primary PE card

First off – two primary accessories for the kit are going to be photo-etch kits from Paragrafix, part # PGX111 and PGX166 from them (see photos).

Previously in my E25 build I used cyanoacrylate glue (commonly known as super-glue, or CA glue) to fix brass parts to the plastic.  I’m going to switch to canopy glue for this build for most of that, for a couple of reasons:

Secondary PE Card

Most model shops carry this stuff.

1 – CA glue sticks like hell to everything, including my fingers, and for small brass parts, that just isn’t workable.  Even for big brass parts.  I don’t want my fingerprints all over this damn thing needing to be sanded away.  Canopy glue, on the other hand, does cling, but because it sets more slowly, it’s easier to get off of things.

2 – CA glue is also very thin, and has a tendency to run exactly where you don’t want it.  Canopy glue is more viscous and has a tendency to stay where it’s put.

3 – CA glue can be rather brittle when dry, and doesn’t like to stick to itself, requiring extensive chipping out and re-application if something does go badly wrong.  Canopy glue is happier sticking to itself, and can be peeled away pretty easily if it needs to be removed.

4 – CA glue isn’t soluble in anything other than alien blood molecular acid, to my knowledge.  Canopy glue cleans up and dilutes with water.  It’s basically a really fine version of regular old school white glue, with the added bonus that it dries totally clear like glass.

Left to right – hobby chisel, saw, and two pin vices

I’ll also be using a couple of pin-vices (they’re called a pin vice because just like a normal vice clamps down to hold things, a pin vice clamps down to hold – wait for it – pins and needles and things like drill bits).  These are basically little hand-held drills.

A small hand-held saw will also be in play for cutting out sections of the plastic, as will a commonplace Xacto razor knife and a fine-point chisel.

Let’s get the necessaries over with in advance…

WARNING:
Razor knives can chop off parts of your hands and fingers that you’d rather keep.  Always cut away from your body with them.  NEVER hold them close to your eyes.  Most of the tools and glues and paints I’m going to talk about here can cause you severe distress, and in some cases permanent maiming or death (which will always be permanent) if misused.  Pin vices and chisels can punch holes in things that shouldn’t have holes in them.  Saws can cause very ragged, very painful, cuts.

And if that isn’t enough warning, your model kit will take some serious cleaning up if you get blood all over the damn thing, so be careful.

Note the eight windows in the middle

Here’s a sample of what I’ve begun – see the “Before” section of the side wall of the shuttle bay.  See those eight windows all lined up (two sets of four)?  I’ve got a photo-etch piece that’s going to go over that, and I’ll have lighting behind it to flood the bay with.  So, this plastic’s gotta go.

I’ll drill a few holes in above and below the windows (leaving some space to attach the PE part), and then will saw the rest of the way through.

I’ll shave off the various scraps, but it doesn’t have to be perfect, since it’ll be obscured by the PE part.

Here’s the after shot.

I’ll start attaching the other shuttle bay PE parts (most of which don’t require sawing or cutting) shortly, and then prime the bay.  Photos will be attached below in a future edit.

USS Enterprise build log part 1; USS Enterprise build log part 3