![\"Shuttle](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0166-Resized.jpg\")
<\/a>Shuttle bay wall, all PE attached, rear wall connected and primed up<\/p><\/div>\n
I then primed the parts with Tamiya fine white primer (three light coats); once this was completely dry I masked off the lower sections and re-primed using Revell light grey.\u00a0 The film used a green-grey color on the walls and railings, which I thought just looked ugly.\u00a0 Light grey is very neutral, and very appropriate for a navy vessel (particularly one that had as many brushed-steel highlights as the interior of the Enterprise).\u00a0 I painted the control room window a darker grey to give it some contrast, and later I\u2019ll do some other color highlights on some spots.\u00a0 The cargo bay hatches will get decals and some paint highlights as well, but I\u2019ll cover that later.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The control room window area in darker grey, canopy glue applied from behind is drying<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The exterior wall, light box walls, and one of the figures (I had it backwards, flipped it shortly after). I didn’t include a wall closer to the main door end, as that wouldn’t be visible when looking in.<\/p><\/div>\n
Behind the control room windows on each side I created a small light box using styrene sheeting, and colored the sections visible through the windows using some extra decals from another kit and a few spots of paint.\u00a0 I also added one of the PE persons behind one window to provide a proper silhouette.\u00a0 The light box will be illuminated from beneath (since the floor won\u2019t be visible) using LED tape, and I\u2019m debating opening one or more of the lower side ports\/doors to let some light in from the floor level there as well using the same light strip.<\/p>\n
I covered the windows using canopy glue (un-diluted, same consistency as out of the bottle) applied with a medium brush from behind so there wouldn\u2019t be residue on the interior walls.<\/p>\n
Most of the rest of the work for this entry was done on the arboretum.<\/p>\n
The Arboretum<\/h3>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0172-resized-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>The base paint coats are applied<\/p><\/div>\n
I began with a coat of London Grey on the walkway, and a black-brown color for the ground where growing things would be.\u00a0\u00a0 A bit of sky grey covered the floor beneath where the water would be.\u00a0 I did not use the trees on trunks that were supplied with the kit, but I left the conical ones in place, and gave those a coat of beige brown.\u00a0 Benches got a little slap of light ghost grey.<\/p>\n
I then applied the water with a double-fill of Woodland Scenics blue water effects (it\u2019s a clear blue fluid that dries to look just like water).\u00a0 This worked just fine, but I\u2019m sure other brands would be fine too.<\/p>\n
![\"Decals](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0182-Resized-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Decals fore and aft are similar, but of different widths, don’t get them mixed up. Also note the larger “rocks” are glued in place.<\/p><\/div>\n
I gave the water a day to cure, and then applied the fore and aft wall decals from HDA Modelworks, which gave a nice dose of detail over the PE parts. \u00a0The HDA decal\u00a0did have some trouble fitting over a bulge on the aft wall, I had to cut it free and apply it to the face of the part (you can see it on the left side of the image above). \u00a0The PE texture is still there, but it gets lost a bit behind the decals.\u00a0 Based on my experience, if I were to do this again, I\u2019d do one or the other, but not both.\u00a0 I\u2019d probably skip the HDA decals and paint the PE part while it\u2019s not attached, then paint a back color on the wall before applying the PE part.<\/p>\n
![\"Decal](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0176-Resized1-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Decal Softeners from Micro-Scale – note I penned in “1” and “2” on the caps to remind me the order in which they are supposed to go on.<\/p><\/div>\n
When applying decals, I first gloss-coat the surface to make it good and slippery (a matte finish will grip your decals and potentially tear them \u2013 with HDA\u2019s stuff that\u2019s not a big risk since they use a good, durable film), and I also use a couple of solutions from Microscale Industries, \u201cMicro Sol\u201d and \u201cMicro Set\u201d.\u00a0 Both are very handy in avoiding silvering and achieving the \u201cpainted on\u201d look.\u00a0 Micro Set goes on first, before the decal, to soften it up and have it adhere to the surface really well; Micro Sol goes on after the decal is securely in place, and it further softens the film and really gets it to settle in very well.\u00a0 Often this results in a temporary \u201cwrinkly\u201d look for the decal, but as it dries it will tighten up.\u00a0 Just be careful to get it in exactly the right place before letting it dry, or you may never get it up without destroying it.<\/p>\n
I then took some fake rocks made from fragments of cork (these came from a terrain set for WW2 1:100 scale models, but you can chew up a wine cork just as well, or cat litter works perfectly too) and glued them in some random spots away from the holes where the trees would go.<\/p>\n
![\"Flock](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0184-Resized-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Flock and Gravel<\/p><\/div>\n
Once the glue was dry, I brushed white glue over the ground previously painted brown, took some fake grass (again from WW2 infantry models, it\u2019s called \u201cflock\u201d) and applied it in small sections so I could catch it before it dried.\u00a0 To apply it, take a small spoon (I saved a few from my daughter\u2019s ice creams) and put some flock on it, sprinkle it over the glued area.\u00a0 You can be messy as you want here, the key is to cover the glue area well.\u00a0 Tap the arboretum firmly several times on the wall to get the stuff to settle onto the glue solidly.\u00a0 After this, overturn the piece and let the excess fall onto a piece of paper or into the canister, and again tap firmly from above to shake the loose bits out.\u00a0 Repeat until all the ground is covered.<\/p>\n
After the ground was covered, I picked a few more spots and applied glue over the grass, then some fake gravel (just smaller bits of cork that look like rocks).\u00a0 After this, the conical trees got glue applied and some very fine forest-green and evergreen colored dust on them.<\/p>\n
After the glue dried, the brown of the ground and the beige of the trees showed through a little (this was intentional) and gave an added depth to the features.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the grass also extended over the edge of the ground, over the walkways.\u00a0 Looked a lot like it needed a lawn mowing, really.<\/p>\n
A knife would be a little too hazardous for trimming the verge here, so I took a sewing needle in some spring-loaded tweezers, and used a tea light candle to heat it up.\u00a0 Dragging the needle gently along the edge and re-heating the needle when it cooled too much removed the excess grass without too much damage, and I touched up the walkway with fresh paint when I was done.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0187-Resized1-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>The tree…any HO or other scale tree that looks like what you want will work.<\/p><\/div>\n
Next came the trees \u2013 I used a single Woodland Scenics tree from a terrain package I had (really any scenery tree will work if the colors and texture are what you are looking for) been using for a 1:35th<\/sup> scale tank model and cut some of its branches off, and got the ends down into points to fit the holes in the floor for the kit-supplied trees.\u00a0 White glue in somewhat generous proportions was used to fix them in place.<\/p>\nI added two figures from the PE sheet (one painted with red and a light flesh tone, the other white with a darker tone), one to each side.\u00a0 Once those were in place and standing properly, I attached the clear ceiling part and glued it down with canopy glue.\u00a0 I\u2019ll later add two short strips of LED tape in warm white to provide illumination into the room, so looking into the windows it\u2019ll be nicely lit.<\/p>\n
![\"Everything](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0188-Resized1-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Everything is in – time to add the roof<\/p><\/div>\n
Admittedly a lot of this detail will not be visible from the windows, but it gives me a lot of satisfaction to know it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n
![\"Roof,](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0190-Resized-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Roof, attached and glue drying. Felt a little sad to cover all that up. \u00a0Glad I didn’t do it upside down.<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"But](\"http:\/\/borkedcode.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/DSC_0194-Resized-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>But it’s all going to look great looking in the windows when it’s done.<\/p><\/div>\n
I’ll add the wiring later, once I’m ready to fit this into the secondary hull. \u00a0Until then, I’ll pop this into a ziplock bag and store it somewhere safe. \u00a0Hopefully I won’t forget where.<\/p>\n
USS Enterprise Build Log – Part 3<\/a><\/p>\nUSS Enterprise Build Log – Part 5<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Build Log: Part 4 The Shuttle Bay, continued Finished up the photo etch applications to the shuttle bay, which included a few extra of the tiny little people (surprisingly hard to get loose without warping).\u00a0 To get the rear wall … Continue reading
<\/a>The base paint coats are applied<\/p><\/div>\n
I began with a coat of London Grey on the walkway, and a black-brown color for the ground where growing things would be.\u00a0\u00a0 A bit of sky grey covered the floor beneath where the water would be.\u00a0 I did not use the trees on trunks that were supplied with the kit, but I left the conical ones in place, and gave those a coat of beige brown.\u00a0 Benches got a little slap of light ghost grey.<\/p>\n
I then applied the water with a double-fill of Woodland Scenics blue water effects (it\u2019s a clear blue fluid that dries to look just like water).\u00a0 This worked just fine, but I\u2019m sure other brands would be fine too.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Decals fore and aft are similar, but of different widths, don’t get them mixed up. Also note the larger “rocks” are glued in place.<\/p><\/div>\n
I gave the water a day to cure, and then applied the fore and aft wall decals from HDA Modelworks, which gave a nice dose of detail over the PE parts. \u00a0The HDA decal\u00a0did have some trouble fitting over a bulge on the aft wall, I had to cut it free and apply it to the face of the part (you can see it on the left side of the image above). \u00a0The PE texture is still there, but it gets lost a bit behind the decals.\u00a0 Based on my experience, if I were to do this again, I\u2019d do one or the other, but not both.\u00a0 I\u2019d probably skip the HDA decals and paint the PE part while it\u2019s not attached, then paint a back color on the wall before applying the PE part.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Decal Softeners from Micro-Scale – note I penned in “1” and “2” on the caps to remind me the order in which they are supposed to go on.<\/p><\/div>\n
When applying decals, I first gloss-coat the surface to make it good and slippery (a matte finish will grip your decals and potentially tear them \u2013 with HDA\u2019s stuff that\u2019s not a big risk since they use a good, durable film), and I also use a couple of solutions from Microscale Industries, \u201cMicro Sol\u201d and \u201cMicro Set\u201d.\u00a0 Both are very handy in avoiding silvering and achieving the \u201cpainted on\u201d look.\u00a0 Micro Set goes on first, before the decal, to soften it up and have it adhere to the surface really well; Micro Sol goes on after the decal is securely in place, and it further softens the film and really gets it to settle in very well.\u00a0 Often this results in a temporary \u201cwrinkly\u201d look for the decal, but as it dries it will tighten up.\u00a0 Just be careful to get it in exactly the right place before letting it dry, or you may never get it up without destroying it.<\/p>\n
I then took some fake rocks made from fragments of cork (these came from a terrain set for WW2 1:100 scale models, but you can chew up a wine cork just as well, or cat litter works perfectly too) and glued them in some random spots away from the holes where the trees would go.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Flock and Gravel<\/p><\/div>\n
Once the glue was dry, I brushed white glue over the ground previously painted brown, took some fake grass (again from WW2 infantry models, it\u2019s called \u201cflock\u201d) and applied it in small sections so I could catch it before it dried.\u00a0 To apply it, take a small spoon (I saved a few from my daughter\u2019s ice creams) and put some flock on it, sprinkle it over the glued area.\u00a0 You can be messy as you want here, the key is to cover the glue area well.\u00a0 Tap the arboretum firmly several times on the wall to get the stuff to settle onto the glue solidly.\u00a0 After this, overturn the piece and let the excess fall onto a piece of paper or into the canister, and again tap firmly from above to shake the loose bits out.\u00a0 Repeat until all the ground is covered.<\/p>\n
After the ground was covered, I picked a few more spots and applied glue over the grass, then some fake gravel (just smaller bits of cork that look like rocks).\u00a0 After this, the conical trees got glue applied and some very fine forest-green and evergreen colored dust on them.<\/p>\n
After the glue dried, the brown of the ground and the beige of the trees showed through a little (this was intentional) and gave an added depth to the features.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the grass also extended over the edge of the ground, over the walkways.\u00a0 Looked a lot like it needed a lawn mowing, really.<\/p>\n
A knife would be a little too hazardous for trimming the verge here, so I took a sewing needle in some spring-loaded tweezers, and used a tea light candle to heat it up.\u00a0 Dragging the needle gently along the edge and re-heating the needle when it cooled too much removed the excess grass without too much damage, and I touched up the walkway with fresh paint when I was done.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The tree…any HO or other scale tree that looks like what you want will work.<\/p><\/div>\n
Next came the trees \u2013 I used a single Woodland Scenics tree from a terrain package I had (really any scenery tree will work if the colors and texture are what you are looking for) been using for a 1:35th<\/sup> scale tank model and cut some of its branches off, and got the ends down into points to fit the holes in the floor for the kit-supplied trees.\u00a0 White glue in somewhat generous proportions was used to fix them in place.<\/p>\n I added two figures from the PE sheet (one painted with red and a light flesh tone, the other white with a darker tone), one to each side.\u00a0 Once those were in place and standing properly, I attached the clear ceiling part and glued it down with canopy glue.\u00a0 I\u2019ll later add two short strips of LED tape in warm white to provide illumination into the room, so looking into the windows it\u2019ll be nicely lit.<\/p>\n Everything is in – time to add the roof<\/p><\/div>\n Admittedly a lot of this detail will not be visible from the windows, but it gives me a lot of satisfaction to know it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n Roof, attached and glue drying. Felt a little sad to cover all that up. \u00a0Glad I didn’t do it upside down.<\/p><\/div>\n But it’s all going to look great looking in the windows when it’s done.<\/p><\/div>\n I’ll add the wiring later, once I’m ready to fit this into the secondary hull. \u00a0Until then, I’ll pop this into a ziplock bag and store it somewhere safe. \u00a0Hopefully I won’t forget where.<\/p>\n USS Enterprise Build Log – Part 3<\/a><\/p>\n USS Enterprise Build Log – Part 5<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Build Log: Part 4 The Shuttle Bay, continued Finished up the photo etch applications to the shuttle bay, which included a few extra of the tiny little people (surprisingly hard to get loose without warping).\u00a0 To get the rear wall … Continue reading <\/a><\/a><\/a>