Reworking AMT/Ertl's USS Enterprise

ALANOODLE'S SCALE MODEL PORTFOLIO

AN OBSESSION IN PLASTIC

Scale Modeling tutorial by Alan Nadel

This tutorial, in a much abbreviated form originally appeared on the PCModeler website.

You can view this tutorial as intended by downloading THIS FONT and saving it to your C:\Windows\Fonts folder.
Windows 7 and Vista users, save the font to your desktop and then cut or copy and paste into the Fonts folder.

To boldly go where no modeler has gone before? Hardly! AMT-Ertl's original STAR TREK U.S.S. ENTERPRISE model kit (#6676) had been around for over 35 years and was still selling when Ertl discontinued it in the 1990s. A recent reissue by a company called Round 2 shows that despite its flaws and the current availability of more accurate Enterprise kits, this old starship kit is still popular.

Many modelers have built this kit more than once, first as a novice modeler and again years later after refining their modeling skills. I decided to treat my third attempt at building the Enterprise "seriously," that is to do research to learn what I can about the "real" Enterprise, the original 11-foot filming model and to use my modeling skills to improve on the accuracy of the kit. I would also add lights to the model for a more realistic and exciting look.

No small feat - this old starship kit has a lot of accuracy issues. Even after being retooled in the early 1970s, this kit is at best only a fair representation of the actual Enterprise filming "miniature." Although the basic shape and details are there, it's obvious that the designers of the kit were not concerned with accuracy. The kit requires some effort to make it really look like the starship that was seen on TV. My work was cut out for me.

on to chapter 1:
HISTORY

CONTENTS:

1: History

2: Research

3: Assembly and Conversion

4: Paint, Decals and Other Fun Stuff

9: Painting II: The Wrath of Acrylics

10: Finishing Up