USS Enterprise Model Build – Part 5 – Small bits and pieces…

Apart from the main hull parts and all the windows I focused on the other small bits during the last couple of days.

Some of those included:

• Preparing and painting the clear nacelle parts
• Painting the bronze deflector shield bits
• Painting and masking all the little other bits and pieces

Nacelle covers

I sanded the outer nacelle covers on the inside and then painted them with the proposed clear read paint. Here you see the sanded nacelle outer cover on the left and the original on the right.

And then the final result with the outer nacelle covers painted in clear red and the inner nacelle covers painted in orange and silver.

• 

• 

Painting the clear colors with the airbrush was a real challenge for me. I had to start over two or three times as the paint was either too thick (airbrush would start to stutter) or too thin (paint would run to the “bottom” of the rounded nacelle covers) which looked really bad.

I ended up sanding the insides of the inner nacelle covers as well. This helped with painting them as it made the color stick better.

Bronze deflector shield bits

This was quite easy as the bronze color went on really smooth using the airbrush. I used a wooden stick to properly paint one of the pieces

Other smaller bits

There are many other smaller pieces such as the diagonal “arms” that connect the nacelles to the main hull. These had to be painted and then masked as well. The same goes for the smaller pieces that go on the sides of the nacelles.