Sci-Fi Wednesdays - The USS Enterprise E

Manufacture: Polar Lights
Scale: 1/1400th
Kit: # 853

Build Series: Sci-Fi Wednesdays - 1/1400 scale Enterprise E (Completed)

Background

Here is a rhetorical question for you, how iconic is the name USS Enterprise? Amongst all of the sci-fi ship names out there, there are few rivals that carry the same level of admiration or nostalgia as the name Enterprise. Whether you are talking about the TOS Enterprise or the latest TNG Enterprise, each one is iconic in their own right and they all hold a special place in my heart. For my second season of Sci-Fi Wednesdays, I opted to finally build one of these awesome ships and decided on the E variant. I have heard that it can be a challenging kit, but my focus was to build it up and try to paint my own version of azteking! Oh boy, was that an adventure. Let's get into it... 

The Kit

First off, let me just say that I had a blast with this kit. Sure, the parts didn't fit together very well, there were gaps and misalignments around the lower hull and the nacelles, I couldn't get the bussard collectors to fit, and the saucer connection was difficult at best, but there was an allure to this kit and I really wanted to build it. It turned out to be a venerable modeling adventure and since it was my very first Star Trek ship to be on my bench, it holds a very special place in my display case. 

I found that this kit required a great deal more patience and focus then my previous Sci-Fi build, the Moebius Viper Mk. 7. The kit demanded a lot more dry fitting and studying for each part and subassembly and major attention needed to be paid to each and every step of assembly. It was a lot of work and for my very basic modeling skills, it was a trail by fire.

My troubles first started with the nacelles, specifically the clear parts for the bussard collectors. I just couldn't get them to fit! I tried to flip parts around, sand and file anything and everything, but I just couldn't get them to work. Since I wasn't going to light this ship, I opted to just blank them off and paint them instead. It would have been nice if I had gotten them to fit, but more than likely, it was user error. I got it sorted eventually, so no biggie.

The fit on the hull was difficult in places. I had to use a lot of styrene strips, at multiple locations, to not only coverup areas that were terrible or inaccurate, but also to fill gaps in the plastic and to stiffen up certain connections. It was a ton of work, but I was eventually able to get everything together, especially with a good deal of Mr. Surfacer putty to fill in some of the smaller gaps.

Once the putty and styrene was sanded and prepared around the secondary hull and rear shuttle bay, it was painted with an off-white paint by Vallejo. I did this to both prime and provide a base color get for my attempt at azteking. 

Painting and finishing this beast was not easy. It required multiple layers of paint, as well as numerous layers of azteking and masking. The azteking process was basically a lot of very small rectangular strips of Tamiya tape, cut by x-acto knife and positioned by hand, in various combinations around the hull. It was not for the faint of heart, but it did work to a certain extent. I then had to alternate layers of paint and azteking masks, so that it gave the ship a general appearance of having armored plates and layered details. Like I said, it wasn't at all accurate to the movie or studio model, but it was an interesting process to work with and it gave a very different look.

After all of that was done, I added more layers of paint, detail painted the different areas of the kit, sealed it with Future, and attempted to add all of the decals. Those went on just fine and didn't have any major issues durring application. I then sealed it all with Future and got ready for weathering.

Weathering was kept at a minimum, mostly because I had no idea how to really weather a star ship. I used a sludge wash to help darken certain areas of the kit, but it didn't really come across as well as I had envisioned.

For the base, I used the kit supplied parts and added in a photograph of a sunrise over a planet, that I found online somewhere. I edited it and cut it to fit inside the Star Trek emblem and called it a day!  

Conclusion

Even with all of it's troubles, I can't say that this kit is entirely without merit. This is a great version of the Enterprise E and it is very capable of being a real showstopper. If a person can get past the fit issues and some of the lesser detailed areas, this kit will please almost any sci-fi modeler out there. If they have the skills to light the interior of a starship, this one would look fantastic! Since I am not at that level yet, I thought I would just build the model as best as I could and try my hand at painting my own versions of the iconic aztek markings. I can't say that it is accurate, but I accomplished what I set out to do and it was a HUGE learning experience for me. I absolutely love the look of the Enterprise E and this version, although not screen accurate, was a joy to build.

Feel free to checkout my completed USS Enterprise E build over on my YouTube channel!

Thanks for joining me today, stay safe, and happy modeling.

Building the Hawker Harrier Gr Mk. 7

 

Manufacture: Hasegawa
Scale: 1/48th
Kit: # PT36
Build Series: Hasegawa Hawker Harrier Gr Mk.7

Background

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love WWII aircraft. In fact, I build almost exclusively Second World War airplanes, with the occasional Cold War subject tossed in for fun. I rarely tackle the more modern jets. I just never feel much pull towards anything post 1970. That's not to say that there aren't some pretty epic looking aircraft out there, I just haven't really been actively collecting in that area. That timeframe doesn't interest me as much.

However, I feel that a modeler should be able to build a little bit of everything and since I am sorely lacking in the jet category, I decided I should try something new. I had been meaning to branch out a bit with more modern subjects, but there were so many choices available, that I couldn't decide on what I should build. It was a conundrum, for sure.

It was then that I happened to read about an upcoming group build called the 50th Anniversary Hawker Harrier Buddy Build. As the name implies, this GB focused entirely on the Hawker Harrier and I immediately took notice. The Harrier has always fascinated me and I thought that that might be a good subject to start off with. Plus, it was being hosted by the International British Modeler and I have always liked his group builds. Usually I would have pushed it aside and said "Nah, I don't build modern airplanes" but not this time. I wanted to give it a shot and I am very glad that I did.

The Kit

For my kit, I selected the 1/48th scale Hasegawa Hawker Harrier Gr Mk.7. I've always enjoyed Hasegawa products, so I thought that this kit would be a safe bet and having built it now, I can say that it did not disappoint! The boxing was very typical Hasegawa, with great looking parts, nicely printed decals, and a good assortment of inserts to build multiple versions. As for the changes in different marks, I couldn't tell you much about those parts. I am not a Harrier aficionado, but there were a few sprues that ended up being leftovers, so I can assume that these were for different versions. If you need more detail on the Harrier and its many iterations, there are way better sites out there will give you a fantastic breakdown on those details. All I can say is that it looked like a Harrier to me, so I was pretty happy to build her up.

Construction was a simple affair, nothing too crazy or challenging. It followed the traditional Hasegawa instruction layout, so if you've build one, you've built them all. I did end up painting the topcolor incorrectly, but that was my own fault. I used an Extra Dark Sea Gray instead of a Dark Sea Gray and that was very wrong. I later fixed the color issue and it was smooth sailing from there on out.

Decals went on without much fuss. As usual, Micro Set and Micro Sol did their jobs well. There were a couple of smaller decals that gave me a tiny but of hassle, but the majority were spot on. Unfortunately, I had one decal that absolutely disintegrated, while trying to apply it. It was the glass breaking design that was supposed to go on the underside of the canopy. It didn't make it out of the water. That is still a sore spot for me, as I just don't think that the canopy looks finished without that cool design. Oh well, what can you do? You can't win 'em all and this kit was still a fun project.

There were a few areas that needed some additional attention. First off, the canopy clear parts had a very annoying seam that went right down the middle of both canopy pieces. I had to sand and polish that out and coat the parts in Future, to bring back the clarity. Also, I have read that the kit seat was incorrect for this version. Not having any background on the Harrier, I wouldn't have even noticed that issue, but I ended up using some reference shots to do a bit of scratch building/detailing, and added some Tamiya masking tape to represent seatbelts. Even though the tape belts aren't as detailed as aftermarket sets, I think it is still better to have something there, than to have nothing there at all. I think it turned out passable, so I'm happy with the results.

I did have some minor fit issues around the intakes and the wing extensions, but some superglue and sanding files took care of that for me. If you wanted to really go all out on this kit, I might recommend a one-piece resin intake trunking. That would bring up the detail quite a bit. I would also recommended a weapons set for RAF aircraft. Hasegawa gives you four pylons that are just empty and I would have loved to have had some additional weapons to hang off of the wings.  

Conclusion

Overall, I have to say that this was a very enjoyable project. Sure, it was a simple build, without any real difficulties or crazy additions to contend with. But just think, normally I wouldn't have even considered a modern jet as a viable build project. Now, I've got a finished Hawker Harrier in my display case and I am even looking at expanding the stash, to include other modern jets! I think that that alone is quite an accomplishment. And to be honest, the group build gave me the perfect excuse to purchase a new kit! I may not have won any real prizes, but then again, I was never expecting to win anything. I joined purely for fun and inspiration. I still consider myself a well practiced amateur, so it was a honor to just build along side such fantastic craftsmen. I had a great time on the bench and I am so proud to have a Harrier in the display case.

Feel free to checkout my completed build over on my YouTube channel. And while you're over there, consider subscribing and maybe dropping a like or two. It lets me know what you guys might want to see in the future and really helps out the channel.

Thanks for joining me today, stay safe, and happy modeling.