ST-XI Enterprise |
| By Gino Patricolo |
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I like the last Star Trek movie of 2009, and I immediately became a fan of the alternative universe's Enterprise. In late 2009 I became aware that Polar Light was working on a 1/2500 model kit, but I wasn't happy: honestly I was hoping for a 1/1000. In october 2009 I was talking to a collegue about vacuform techniques (he is a fan of RC aircrafts). We decided to build a little vacuform wood machine, just enough for A4 acetate sheets. Once the machine was built, I thought to test it by making some little parts of 1/1000 STXI Enterprise. Results were encouraging since the first printing, and so, I started my own 1/1000 STXI Enterprise's construction! In the pics you can see my scratchbuilt Enterprise 1701 STXI. The model's scale is almost 1/1000, in order to have it in the same scale of my previous TOS polar light's enterprise. Basically this is a vacuformed model. Saucer section, engineering and nacelles were made of acetate sheets, pulled from wood's shapes. Details have been made from styrene sheets or resin. For bussard collectors I've used the ones coming from the TOS Polar Lights kit for first pilot version: scratching them in order to make them very similar to the STXI's ones has been quite simple. I've lighted the model with wide angle LEDs, making positional lights blinking by 555. Projectors (especially the ones of the lower saucer) have been built using a few centimeters of optical fiber. I've painted it with a Tamiya flat white for base coat, and then using several mixing of grey and white for paneling. Saucer's divisions in circles and sectors have been done by pencil. Decals have been home printed. I've finalized it with Tamiya flat clear. If you are interested in construction steps, you can find several pics at my website |
