PURCHASED:
070804

BEGUN:
070815

CONSTRUCTION LOG



070805.18
I happened to think to look around ebay and found two of these for sale.  This one is a challenge to say the least.  The seller said it was built poorly by another person some time ago before he acquired it.  He then disassembled it with the intention of doing the rebuild himself  He never did and here it is coming into my hands.

It has no box nor decals.  It has all the parts, which from the picture, look to be in adequate shape.  Last night I went searching for other modeler's take on this kit and have come away with some good ideas.  I was only going to slap it together with a basic paint job, but that has now changed.

Some mods are:
Sidewalls should be angeld outward 20 degrees
Tail fin is too thick
Warp bussards and tail are completely wrong
Lighting

I'll be purchasing new decals from JT Ggraphics, a reputable purveryor of decals to the industry at large covering most every ship/model ever produced it seems...

The basic build is 10 minutes.  To mod it up will take some effort and I truly want to make this classic come alive.


070903.02
So how bad do I want to bring this classic to life? Not that bad. So the 10 minute build mentioned previously proved true enough as expected.

There is major seam work to do and that will be the extent of fixing this kit up. If I really like it, I will eventually get a 2nd one and do that up nice and proper.

Needs major body work to get it in basic shape. Then, it's $20 for a replacement decal from JT Graphics and this bird is done.


070923
While waiting on other kit's paint to dry, I pulled the Bird out and gave it some sanding and priming. I did a real ugly job of the putty on the top side and am paying for it.


070924.23
Wishing I got some more pictures of exactly how ugly a putty job I did on this thing...

Since yesterday it's likely that I dumped more than one full can of paint onto the hull bottom trying to smooth it out. There was lots of initial sanding going on, certainly. But since then, it's been spray, spray spray, dry, sand, spray, spray, spray, dry and sand.

It is just within the last half hour that I think I got 'all' the dents and bumps out and the bottom looks SMOOoooth! I've also been filing and heavy snading the top seams. I will be ready to start lightly spraying that tomorrow night. The morning will not be acceptable as I want to give as close to 24 hours for the bottom to cure so that I don't blemish the smoothness. Maybe I should just put it back in the cabinet in the morning and not think about it until the weekend.... This would ensure that the paint is rock hard and ready for any handling. Like I say, the paint is thick and deep. It will likely need days to harden up.

Other than this, there's final sanding and painting on the top side, some ref pix to get for basic painting, though flat gray all around is most likely, then I have to throw down for the Bird itself. As mentioned previously, JT graphics makes the Bird decals for about $20 shipped. I will look around for a better deal first, though Federation Models may be the only supplier (and it is their $7+ shipping fee that most offends me for what is no more than a piece of paper).

PS. I put the Bird away and hope not to see it until the weekend at least!!!


071014.21
Lots more paint and sand over the last weeks. Also had it put away for days at a time. 

The basic smoothness is nearly there now!!! Switched over to Tamiya putty for fixes last night and that is going much better than the Squad would have.

The Port engine is drooping.  Am debating slicing it off and regluing it.  I would have to do it before I got proper paint layers down as there would be a significant putty repair to hide. 

Still also have to buy the bird decal. There are two options. I think I will go with the classic layout. That will be some ~$25 delivered.


071104
The hull bottom is done.  I am making the upper seams nicer now than they had been.  Still contemplating chopping the engine bulbs off as they are egregiously incorrect.  but getting domes to fit over the decapitated nacelles is the kicker there.

Essentially, once I get the cash together to buy the decals from JT graphics, this ship is done. No lights, no complexities, no mind numbing mods.

An aside:  I recently found a 1/350 version of this ship.  Upon first seeing it, I thought it looked fat and ungainly, but upon further research, I see that it is the AMT kit that is so inaccurate as to be nearly another ship!    Don't know the price on the Sovereign Replicas ship, but will contemplate it over the next few months.  There are other fish to fry first.


071110.20
Pretty much done.  I need to finalzie the basic gray and buy the decal to finish it off.  Decal is about $22, so after I'm back in work again -XMas perhaps.


071223.23
There has been a rattle inside this kit for a while now. I drilled a hole in the front where the torpedo bay greeblie I have to find and mount should go. I also smoothed out some of the egregious putty lumps along the tail. A few small holes to fill otherwise. The topside needs a final paint, but the bottom is as good as it will be -perfect as is. I need to buy the decal and this one is done. Now hanging on the ceiling


080226.00
Decals arrived today! Very nice! The bird is huge!


080313.23
I need to pull it off the ceiling and give it a touch of gray. Then the decals and it is done.


080322 .
I gave a full paint coverage on the top, the bottom is fine as is. They are different grays, but it's very subtle and also fine.

I thought I centered the bird, but it was slightly off and I didn't realize until the second wing went down. When I've got another $20 to get a new one, I'll wash this one off and replace. It hangs high and nicely for now.