u/IronEnder17

Painting this is extremely fun, and even more fun to deconstruct how the original miniature was painted. The entire miniature was painted using Earth Spacedock friskets. Once those were found, it's pretty easy to see what ones were used where. The lower saucer is painted with layers of blue, grey, silver, and white. The white always covers the other colors to create the effect.

1: the finished product. The registry will be a waterslide decal.

2: Some, but not all, of the friskets used on the lower saucer.

3-5: the crucial base layer. It's all the Refit "trident" or "space invader" shapes with alternating colors instead of alternating the pattern. This being under earth everything is exactly what gives the lower saucer it's look.

6: One of the Spacedock Aztec friskets I cut on my Cameo 4, drawn by u/baldthumbtack for his build and initial research of the paintwork on this ship. A lot of these friskets were partially cut off or masked to fit exactly within the Excelsior saucer wedges. I'm doing the same here with this pattern.

7: some more layering of patterns with one layer of silver and multiple of white, almost trying to bury the underlying colors but with thin passes.

8-10: The finished Aztec pattern. I'd have to say I only did 2 or 3 passes of thin white through a frisket over everything. Everything else underneath is stuff I know I could see on the studio model and recreate.

11-12: My paintwork compared to the Studio Model. Is it exact? No. But it's recognizable and pretty damn close if I say so myself.

13: The blue ring. Very easy to do. Just misted white through a frisket over the blue.

14: Very simple planetary sensor.

15-16: painted phaser emitters!

17-20: The original studio model. Fun fact! The Excelsior Refit (Enterprise B) studio model retains the original lower saucer and paint job of the Excelsior, despite the upper saucer being recast and replaced. The only difference is the blue ring, which was painted over with that minty teal blue, almost covering the Aztec pattern that was there.

Please let me know what you think about recreating this paint pattern or if you have any more clarifying questions!

Painting this is extremely fun, and even more fun to deconstruct how the original miniature was painted. The entire miniature was painted using Earth Spacedock friskets. Once those were found, it's pretty easy to see what ones were used where. The lower saucer is painted with layers of blue, grey, silver, and white. The white always covers the other colors to create the effect.

1: the finished product. The registry will be a waterslide decal.

2: Some, but not all, of the friskets used on the lower saucer.

3-5: the crucial base layer. It's all the Refit "trident" or "space invader" shapes with alternating colors instead of alternating the pattern. This being under earth everything is exactly what gives the lower saucer it's look.

6: One of the Spacedock Aztec friskets I cut on my Cameo 4, drawn by u/baldthumbtack for his build and initial research of the paintwork on this ship. A lot of these friskets were partially cut off or masked to fit exactly within the Excelsior saucer wedges. I'm doing the same here with this pattern.

7: some more layering of patterns with one layer of silver and multiple of white, almost trying to bury the underlying colors but with thin passes.

8-10: The finished Aztec pattern. I'd have to say I only did 2 or 3 passes of thin white through a frisket over everything. Everything else underneath is stuff I know I could see on the studio model and recreate.

11-12: My paintwork compared to the Studio Model. Is it exact? No. But it's recognizable and pretty damn close if I say so myself.

13: The blue ring. Very easy to do. Just misted white through a frisket over the blue.

14: Very simple planetary sensor.

15-16: painted phaser emitters!

17-20: The original studio model. Fun fact! The Excelsior Refit (Enterprise B) studio model retains the original lower saucer and paint job of the Excelsior, despite the upper saucer being recast and replaced. The only difference is the blue ring, which was painted over with that minty teal blue, almost covering the Aztec pattern that was there.

Please let me know what you think about recreating this paint pattern or if you have any more clarifying questions!

Cascade Starships

Finally received the support structure for my 1/650 scale Enterprise C!

The structure itself is unstable all alone but assembled together with the kit, it holds together very securely. The only caveat is that the port and starboard secondary hull halves have to be glued very securely together. They hold everything stable.

The horizontal belly plate holds up the dorsal half of the pylons. It's going to be tricky to figure out how to best mount a display rod to this. The ship is extremely front heavy so everything will need to be tight and strong.

There is some play between the saucer structure and the neck structure which means I won't be able to make the saucer removable for transport like I had originally hoped. You might see about adding shims to the neck tabs to remove that play when you epoxy everything together.

Otherwise, very cool that this is included with the kit and I'm happy both the kit and structure were designed to work so well together.

WIP 1/650 scale Excelsior for comparison.

Cascade Starships

Finally received the support structure for my 1/650 scale Enterprise C!

The structure itself is unstable all alone but assembled together with the kit, it holds together very securely. The only caveat is that the port and starboard secondary hull halves have to be glued very securely together. They hold everything stable.

The horizontal belly plate holds up the dorsal half of the pylons. It's going to be tricky to figure out how to best mount a display rod to this. The ship is extremely front heavy so everything will need to be tight and strong.

There is some play between the saucer structure and the neck structure which means I won't be able to make the saucer removable for transport like I had originally hoped. You might see about adding shims to the neck tabs to remove that play when you epoxy everything together.

Otherwise, very cool that this is included with the kit and I'm happy both the kit and structure were designed to work so well together.

WIP 1/650 scale Excelsior for comparison.

Cascade Starships

This was a fun quick build, completed within a day.

Paints are custom mixed. Blue grey base, Alclad gloss black primer for the radiators, dark grey details, and a light tan for dusting. Weapons are clear orange over white. Alclad Aqua Gloss protects the paint from Tamiya dark grey panel liner and everything is topped off with Tamiya TS flat clear.

This was a fun quick build, completed within a day.

Paints are custom mixed. Blue grey base, Alclad gloss black primer for the radiators, dark grey details, and a light tan for dusting. Weapons are clear orange over white. Alclad Aqua Gloss protects the paint from Tamiya dark grey panel liner and everything is topped off with Tamiya TS flat clear.

The "strongback" is silver patterning over a very very lightened Tamiya Field Blue. The same "railroad tracks" pattern as the ventral side is used to busy up the area. Due to limitations in my vinyl cutter, the pattern can only be cut so small before there is quality loss. The Alclad white aluminum allows for a nice color shifting effect. It's dark or very bright depending on the light.

The dorsal shuttlebay hood is almost exactly done like the nacelles were. A basecoat of misted Alclad white aluminum is first. Apply some grey and lightened red in random spots with friskets, and layer a bunch of white over top. This is the only part of the ship with red in it's Aztec.

The "strongback" is silver patterning over a very very lightened Tamiya Field Blue. The same "railroad tracks" pattern as the ventral side is used to busy up the area. Due to limitations in my vinyl cutter, the pattern can only be cut so small before there is quality loss. The Alclad white aluminum allows for a nice color shifting effect. It's dark or very bright depending on the light.

The dorsal shuttlebay hood is almost exactly done like the nacelles were. A basecoat of misted Alclad white aluminum is first. Apply some grey and lightened red in random spots with friskets, and layer a bunch of white over top. This is the only part of the ship with red in it's Aztec.

Cascade Starships

Almost all masking is done by hand. Aztec panelling was created with machine cut vinyl friskets, and some complex or tiny shapes are made with vinyl. All patterns researched and designed by my friend u/baldthumbtack specifically for this kit.

Silvers are Alclad White Aluminum. White is Alclad White Primer (just for ensuring good adhesion for multiple paint layers). All other colors are custom mixed Tamiya acrylics.

1-6: Finished paint job. Any details you might notice missing, assume will be coming as decals.

7-10: Model on the stand and some shots with power turned on.

11-12: Patterns used as azteccing on this model. Save for the secondary hull side walls, which were another pattern straightened.

13-14: That curved pattern being used around the cargo bay opening.

15: The other pattern is primarily used on the secondary hull cutout here. Even in the blue areas. The blue centerline has that pattern in white, and the big flat blue area has the pattern in white and dark grey, but only small portions of the pattern are painted at a time

16-17: Fantail striping

18-19: The deflector housing was painted with the help of a vinyl pattern cut on my Cameo cutter. Painted in Alclad White Aluminum.

20: Overhead shot during WIP.

Almost all masking is done by hand. Aztec panelling was created with machine cut vinyl friskets, and some complex or tiny shapes are made with vinyl. All patterns researched and designed by my friend u/baldthumbtack specifically for this kit.

Silvers are Alclad White Aluminum. White is Alclad White Primer (just for ensuring good adhesion for multiple paint layers). All other colors are custom mixed Tamiya acrylics.

1-6: Finished paint job. Any details you might notice missing, assume will be coming as decals.

7-10: Model on the stand and some shots with power turned on.

11-12: Patterns used as azteccing on this model. Save for the secondary hull side walls, which were another pattern straightened.

13-14: That curved pattern being used around the cargo bay opening.

15: The other pattern is primarily used on the secondary hull cutout here. Even in the blue areas. The blue centerline has that pattern in white, and the big flat blue area has the pattern in white and dark grey, but only small portions of the pattern are painted at a time

16-17: Fantail striping

18-19: The deflector housing was painted with the help of a vinyl pattern cut on my Cameo cutter. Painted in Alclad White Aluminum.

20: Overhead shot during WIP.

Cascade Starships