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PracticalU.S.S. Trieste (DS9 Kitbash)

BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
edited November 2021 in Work in Progress #1
Since I finally accumulated all the necessary bits and bobs for this build, I figured I’d take a break from the Antares/Litvyak build, and work on this - the Trieste-Class ship from DS9 (and presumably TNG). I found some surprises regarding the Miranda-Class ships seen during the Dominion War fleet battles, and I will be drawing upon those when it comes time to detail the underside of the Trieste. I will post those new Miranda references when the time comes. Here’s the first WIP image. All the major conical bits and the Voyager shuttlebays glued onto the saucer surface. There are two more conical bits which support the forward ends of the TNG nacelles, but I’ll wait until nacelle time comes to glue those, as I want to get the positioning right. I’m using a saucer from the most current release of the 1/537 Reliant, and I noticed that this saucer deletes the windows on the forward edge/slope of the saucer extension, which is actually better for the Trieste, since I don’t have to worry about filling in any remaining windows that are left peeking around the Voyager shuttlebays.

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Post edited by Guerrilla on
Lizzy777
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  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Testing the location of more bits. The Saturn V engine bits won’t be permanently installed until those machinery areas on the Reliant saucer are painted.

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    Lizzy777
  • srspicersrspicer390 Posts: 335Member
    Good luck with the build. It is one of the oddest looking kit bashes I have seen!!
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Thanks. It’s an odd duck, but I love the uniqueness of it.
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    So, I decided to paint the clear bits for the TNG warp nacelles and the bottom impulse crystal. I used Tamiya Bright Red for the ramscoops, and Tamiya Brilliant Blue for the warp grilles and bottom impulse crystal.

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    Next step will be to primer the saucer and TNG nacelle bodies. For this I will use black primer, as I have a plan for the windows… I will primer the saucer in black, then make window masks using masking tape, lay those down, then apply the base coat. Then, I’ll remove the masks to reveal black windows.

    Lizzy777Bridger
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    edited December 2021 #6
    Okay… primed the saucer and other bits. Now the fun begins… I gotta make many small window masks out of masking tape, and apply them to the saucer. Fun fact… I don’t know of any pictures of the model showing the underside, so I have no way of knowing if the Art Department bothered to add any windows there. Since the top does have them, I’m gonna follow the formula, and apply some to the bottom as well, but the placement will be all guesswork, and most likely not accurate to the studio model.

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    EDIT: The primer IS black… the sunlight makes it look dark gray.





    Post edited by BolianAdmiral on
    Lizzy777Bridger
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Welp, masking tape wasn’t a good choice for window masks that small. The edges become frayed too easily. But, since I already used black primer, I’m getting a roll of white electrical tape for the masks, which should work better.
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9712 Posts: 5,302Member
    See if you can get sheet vinyl instead. Should find it at Michaels joeannes or similar crafting shops. Sometimes they call it sign tape/sticker. It likely will be with all the housewife scrapbook crap. It'll cut better and not leave residue or deform as easily as electrical tape. Might cost less too as a 8X11 sheet is likely 2usd vs 5~8usd for electchickens snot roll. I wouldnt want to have to try to cut those all by hand though exp at that size.

    I have seen people do what you did and then just scratch the top coat off with a stumped down toothpick to reveal the black underneath. I think they used an etching gloss paint though.

    Another way in the future is to do like a lot of the war model guys do is paint the kit fully then use a artists acrylic and paint the black into the recess then wipe it away. It works best if your into the paint with gloss only then use a matte overcoat to dull things down as the gloss is easier to get the window paint off. Some will drybrush the hull color over the windows after to get an even sharper edge.

    If you plan to do a tonne of these I might consider getting at least a cheap single action airbrush and a small compressor with a long airhose to absorb the pulse. It drastically cut down on paint thickness and paint usage for me before I had to give up painting.

    Oh and I would shoot the inside of those kits with the light plastic with a coat of black or dark gray. It helps give them a more solid feel. It does add a step of scraping all glue surfaces. It really helps on models that use lighter paint colors or ones known for not covering well like yellow.
    BolianAdmiral
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll go over to Michael’s tomorrow to see about that vinyl tape. A good friend of mine has asked me to make one of these for him after I’m done with this one, but beyond that, I doubt I’ll do another Trieste… UNLESS I can learn how to cast my own parts, because the 1/144 Saturn V kit isn’t that cheap, and I don’t want to have to buy a whole kit just for a few sacrificial parts. At least with the Saturn V, the parts I don’t use here on the Trieste will be used when I build the Bradford, another DS9 war bash.
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9712 Posts: 5,302Member
    Well, I refer to any of the light plastic models for the back spraying. Well anything hollow where you can paint it. Some guys I know will hang the entire sprue and paint every object black no matter the final color or style of build EG lit unlit etc.

    The vinyl is more of a sheet than a tape. So look for sheets of it. It should be in one of those racks like they sell fancy paper in.
    Here is a quick google result.
    https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Vinyl-Sheets-Permanent-Silhouette/dp/B077GSPBQS
    Go for the thinner stuff if there is an option.

    Casting isn't too bad I used to do it as well. Most of what I have seen those parts would all be super easy to cast as they all have no overhangs.

    I suggest some of Steve Neil's videos as he has some practical tutorials on making molds and casting. That is if the videos are still up.
    BolianAdmiral
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • srspicersrspicer390 Posts: 335Member
    For those pesky/expensive kit parts, you may be able to find, or have 3d printed, the ones you need for future builds. There are a million designers out there to create the parts for an stl file.
    For ventral windows, I would guess the there were none on the model, aside from the ones on the kit. Unless it was a ship that required lots of beauty shots, there would not be a lot of effort in un-seen details.
    To show windows on the hull, it may be easier for you to mask off around the windows and paint them in after the hull color is done. There may also be a masking kit for the Miranda in the scale you have there.
    Looking forward to more progress.
    BolianAdmiral
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    There actually are at least a couple ventral windows that I can see on it, but a lot of what I can’t see will be guesswork, especially the bottom saucer.

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  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    And so, it begins…

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    Lizzy777
  • srspicersrspicer390 Posts: 335Member
    edited December 2021 #14
    Before you get too far on the window masks, I have another suggestion for you.
    Instead of cutting a thin width of tape the the length you want for the window height, use a tape width that will be you window height. That way all of the windows will be the same height and not vary as I see in your photo. It is easier to look past varying window widths than it is to look past windows that are not the same height. It is too distracting from the rest of the paint work.
    I would also suggest to invest in some Tamiya masking tape. It works great for this application because that is what it was designed for. I use it exclusively for detailed masking.
    If you look at my builds in the 'finished' section of this site, you can see all of the masking I have done, using Tamiya masking tapes.
    Post edited by srspicer on
    BolianAdmiral
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Thanks. I might end up redoing the masks, IDK. Here’s where I am now. The sizes of the masks are definitely not perfect, but at least the edges will be clean, unlike the original model. But I AM thinking of redoing them, and just using what I have now as a positioning guide. I’m trying my best to match the locations to the original. Try as I might, I can’t seem to cut all the windows the exact same dimensions.

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    Lizzy777
  • srspicersrspicer390 Posts: 335Member
    It looks like you have a nice smooth surface to mask over, that is half the battle.

    Looking at the filming model image you posted, the windows do look uneven.

    Looking forward to more progress.
    BolianAdmiral
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    I’ve taken your suggestion, and started fresh with the windows. A friend pointed out that I’ve already spent way more time on this than the actual studio model builders, and I don’t want to half-arse it. Plus the uneven windows were messing with my OCD, lol. The new ones are as even and consistent as I can get them.
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Okay… masking this way in a pain in the arse, but the top saucer is done… for anyone interested, or who might want to make one of these themselves (not bloody likely), here’s the window placement. I’ve tried to match the positions of the studio model as best I could.

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    Lizzy777srspicer
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    So, small update… I’m waiting for my base coat color to arrive, and I have window masked the bottom saucer. HOWEVER… the bottom saucer MIGHT be redone, because someone on a FB group has said they have scans of Polaroid pics of the bottom and side of the studio model, and if he can find them, he’ll send them to me. So, I’m awaiting those references before I commit any base coat to the bottom.
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Welp… looks like I’ve got a LOT more work to do… lol. Here are the pics of the studio model my friend sent me. He has given me permission to post and share them freely.

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  • srspicersrspicer390 Posts: 335Member
    edited December 2021 #21
    Its nice to have such good reference pics! ( boy its an awkward design )
    Post edited by srspicer on
    BolianAdmiral
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    So, the unanimous consensus is that those long guns on the bottom are from this kit, so I’m gonna get one.

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  • ashleytingerashleytinger1998 Central OhioPosts: 1,232Member
    Any idea what the pink and blue would have photographed for the show like? It's just an odd color to me
    BolianAdmiral
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Not really sure… the windows are green, so I’m assuming maybe it’s akin to a negative photo film image?
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9712 Posts: 5,302Member
    It would be desaturated from the composite. If you look at any late 80s or 90s sfx anything with a lot of efx going on you'll see how everything gains contrast and the color drabs out. Early on they used video composite which really sapped the saturation of color. But I think by ds9 they moved back to a optical printer (ILM style) stuff.

    The high contrast on a lot of these was just do you had something more than a white blob on the crummy tvs back then as well.

    I do suspect those windows are UV reactive decals or paint. I am sure the nacelles have something like that on them too. I think in one of the dvd specials or some HBO one they showed how either reflective decals or UV paints can be used to mask off light passes or to cheat and do in camera fake lights via a off screen fill light.
    BolianAdmiralpubliusrashleytinger
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Warp nacelles done.

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    Lizzy777
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    I REALLY hope and pray my window masks work…

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    Lizzy777
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    It worked!

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    ashleytingerLizzy777srspicer
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Small update.

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    ashleytingerMustang13Camaro68Lizzy777srspicer
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Another small update before work.

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    ashleytingerLizzy777srspicer
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1998 Central OhioPosts: 1,232Member
    I love the work you're doing on this but it is such a weird ship design
    BolianAdmiral
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