Over the past 8 weeks of being furloughed from my job ...while the rest of the world was catching COVID ... I
contracted Sci-Firus! Symptoms include excessive consumption of sci fi shows and hobbies. As such my model builds have
become trained on higher altitudes. Specifically Star Trek and Star Wars themed builds. That combined with a
pilgrimage binge through over 25 years of Star Trek episodes ... I have officially caught the "bug". My stash now
contains a large supply of Star Trek and Star Wars kits ...
I've been a long time fan of the Enterprise-C and have built about 5 them so far. Each build getting better and better
... still a ways to go but promising results. I have photos of 4 of them ... number 5 is still in the shipyard.
USS Enterprise NCC 1701-C v1
Model v1 was completely hand painted and wildly inaccurate in coloration but really inspired me to do more.
USS Enterprise NCC 1701-C v2
For v2 I purchased some custom decals from
Federation Models (PNT Decals: Ambassador Class - Enterprise Detailing Decals)
The decals focused primarily on the secondary hull and nacelles and provided some great Aztec detail to the overall
look. On my build I was able to add Aztec detail to the saucer section using a screen technique I figured out and it
turned out pretty good. I was excited! The only problems I had with the decals were that the colors were decidedly green
instead of the blue/grey of the studio model. Additionally they are not printed on a white-capable printer. While this
is not a big issue for most of them since the base paint color is light, it becomes a particular problem when applying
the emblems to the saucer and the red becomes more dark maroon or brown. I'll try to publish a post illustrating the
details a little better.
USS Enterprise NCC 1701-C v3
The next build I was determined to resolve the color issues with the decals so I fired up Photoshop and after scanning
in the decals from the kit, and the PNT decals Federation Models made some extensive modifications, not only to the
colors but also resolving some of sizing and layout issues. In addition to the decals, I spent a chunk of time trying to
get the correct paint mixes, always comparing them to photos of the studio models. Of course there's always a lot of
wiggle room as the model is not always representative of what appears on screen, so it becomes a matter personal
preference. Besides we never saw the Enterprise C in "new" condition, so ... Again, the saucer was hand painted but I
didn't bother with Aztec detail and since I cannot print white on my printer I used some decals I found from
JT Graphics who made some
BEAUTIFUL decals for the Ambassador class starship. These allowed the emblems and registry markings to stand out more
clearly.
USS Enterprise NCC 1701-C v4
My most recently completed version continues to refine and address details. This time the saucer includes Aztec detail,
which really makes all the difference in my mind and my custom decals have been further refined. Love this version.
While I love my Enterprise-C starships I am selling them in order to make room for more. If you are interested check out
my listings on
EBay. I'm not
in it for the money (maybe one day) but am trying to recoup the cost of the kit, decals and paint. All my effort and
hard work are for free!!
I've got lots of other things going on and you've seen my stash. I will try to produce some build logs and get them
posted here, which I hope you will find helpful. Peace out and stay safe!
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