AMT 1:537 Enterprise Refit

This is a slideshow of my 1:537 Refit. It was a lot more challenging than I expected, and I think it turned out reasonably well, considering the kit is filled chock full of flaws. Enjoy!

[@garthallman6318]

It’s great to see you’re back you need to be on more. Beautiful job on the 537. I am looking forward to seeing the 350 finished. Please consider doing more videos showing your skill.

[@mattsmodelshop]

Thanks! I'm workin' on it... I was actually wanting to do more on the refit, but my work area is buried. Once I dig it out, there will be more content!

[@alex_saint-matthews]

Mattsmodelshop Hey, I’m just starting a build of the AMT 1:537 1701 Refit, I was wondering if you could provide links to the people you mentioned in this video, for the Aztecing, Deflector dish, lighting and controller, etc., I know I’m not going to be satisfied with just a straight build without doing some extra work, so I’d like to try and do it right the first time if I can.

[@tugwilsond8907]

Hats off to you sir! That is a beautiful model 👏

[@bentstrider]

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who had issues with those garbage support pylons. I recently got another 1/537 with lights and sounds. I'm looking at taking the brass rods through the pylons route. Attach to a block of wood placed in the engineering hull.

[@IainHamilton]

Been following this over on SFMA - stunning job mate.

[@mattsmodelshop]

Thanks, Iain! Glad you enjoyed the build.

[@sdmproductions2949]

Wow the ship came out awesome i also have the same two kits and i am planing to build and light them. Great work.

[@mattsmodelshop]

The 350 scale is much better in every way, but I like the size of this one for a bookshelf. It can be made to look ok with perseverance, but nothing about it looks completely right. Enjoy building them!

[@Bassistking]

Looks great. I had a bunch of the ST VI Enterprise A models because the pylons always broke where it meets the secondary hull.

[@mattsmodelshop]

Yeah, I built up the pylons underneath with strip styrene and copious amounts of glue. The pylons are actually somewhat strong on this one, though I wouldn't trust it in a fall.

[@johnmoss8230]

​@@mattsmodelshopI used 15 minute 2 part epoxy on my st6 Enterprise but I fixed the nacelles to the pylons and then I had built a DVD case scaffolding to hold up nacelle and pylon combination where I wanted them while the epoxy was setting up. It was nerve racking but they came out great. Was it easier on the 350th to get the pylons and nacelles straight. I wish they'd make that joint more robust . Cool video and amazing model work.

[@mattsmodelshop]

@@johnmoss8230The 1:350 kit is engineered properly and doesn't have any of the nacelle issues that the 537 has. You do have to trim the mounting tabs a little, as they press outward making the gaps at the pylons extra large. Otherwise, it's really a ton better.

[@hobbiesnorth4440]

Looks Nice. Good Job!

[@alasdairgardiner2313]

Those nacelle pylons have been the bane of every single Enterprise-A kit I have had. They are so thin and just snap off even if you look at them the wrong way.

[@mattsmodelshop]

Yeah, the 350 scale has much better pylons. The 537 feels like they weren't really well thought out. I just glued in more strip styrene around the inside of the joint, and they feel fairly strong. A good fall would snap them, though.

[@SeansModelBuilds]

The 1000 Scale by Polar Lights has much better pylon tabs. I just finished putting all the decals on it tonight. So it is finally done.

[@SeansModelBuilds]

I started building the 537 Enterprise-A tonight. I am going to see if I can use Tamiya Putty to expand on the tabs that are there. Hopefully I can fill them in, lengthen them, and maybe even build connection lips so that when they are inside the secondary hull, they will lock in place. Then if successful, I will have a template to follow for the neck at both ends. Of course I will have to paint the parts once the putty is attached so that they are as solid as styrene plastic.

[@andyc6267]

hi what kit is this the new amt 1537 kit or old kit

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

PS, wonderful results! Keep on Trekkin'!

[@joshvellieux8693]

So it looks like you smoothed out the saucer discs on both sides, am I wrong? What about the rest of the kit was it smoothed out as well?

[@guykoppel4662]

which Tenacontrols board did you get? it looks pretty simple. i was looking at their product #1001-BB. I saw your blinking white lights at the front and rear of the saucer section. Is this included with the 1001-BB? or did you have to integrate it in. The problem is Ralph doesn't show a video of the operation of this board.

[@mattsmodelshop]

I used the 1001-B (I think...) board for the build. I didn't use any of the Tenacontrols LEDs that came with it, as I used 2mm lighthouses to light the individual lights. All of the lights are connected in parallel to the ports on the board.

[@Farlomous]

this model is the bane of my existence...tried several times, but could never even get it finished. pylons are just down right evil...ended having a lot of self destructed Enterprises.

[@mattsmodelshop]

The pylons were the cause of me having to build a second one of these things. They really are poorly engineered. What I found worked is gluing them to the secondary hull when the halves of the hull were still apart. I dry fit the inner nacelle half and lined up the nacelle with the secondary hull half and glued it down like mad. I then filled the underside of the pylon with strip styrene and tons of styrene glue. it's straight as these things can be, and it's been 5 years with no issues.

[@guykoppel4662]

How did you do the window cutouts for lighting? Did you randomly drill holes? Or was it paragrafix, because I call Paragrafix and they don't make a photetch kit for this yet

[@mattsmodelshop]

The 537 saucer has window pieces that are separate. They are also drilled incorrectly. I filled the incorrect hole and re-drilled it in the proper spot. They're the wrong size, and you can get replacements from Don's Light and Magic, but I opted not to. The windows on the hull are molded into the plastic, but all I had to do was take my Dremel and drill them out. The arboretum windows are just molded into the plastic, so those had to be cutout, and then strip styrene glued in to make the new window frames. After everything was painted/etc, I went back and put canopy glue in all the window openings. Voila! Instant windows!

[@jamesdiggs2928]

Great job! What did you use to fill the "brick" lines on your first attempt?

[@mattsmodelshop]

I used Perfect Plastic Putty. It did a decent enough job, but the kit is so rough that it required a TON of work. I found that just leaving them there and using the aztec decals made them a lot more subdued than I thought they would.

[@marcelopajaro4605]

Maravilhoso esse seu modelo...😘vida longa e próspera 🖖🖖🖖

[@paulchondo4737]

What color did you paint the base hull for this 1:537? same as the 1:350? flat white with pearl white on top? thanks

[@mattsmodelshop]

I painted it the same as the 350. White primer with pearl white over it. The aztec decals I used set it off pretty well. I may do another one and actually do a video series on it just to give people ideas about it. It's been rolling around in the back of my mind, anyway.

[@HAVOK1312]

damn good job

[@mattsmodelshop]

Thanks!

[@Jojo-rb7lx]

Where did you get the aftermarket parts? Like the blue dish etc

[@mattsmodelshop]

The after market parts were all purchased from Don's Light and Magic. Don passed away a couple of years ago, but his parts can still be purchased from CultTVMan. The deflector is actually clear resin and is lit with a blue LED.

[@guykoppel4662]

I'm losing my patience with Round 2 releasing this model. I do know someone who has one for sale. He said it comes with the original light kit. Which I will toss and also use the Tencontrols. My question is.. is this the same kit that originally came with it's own lighting kit?

[@mattsmodelshop]

Yeah, the re-release is still the same old 537 that came out in 1980. The only change they made was an alteration to the bottom so the round2 dome base could be used. It will more than likely not come with a lighting kit at all. The original lighting kit used old incandescent bulbs anyway. It's much better/easier to just get some LEDs and LED tape and put in your own lights. I hope that someday they make a new tool for the 537, as it's a great size.

[@darthjaymoonstar6]

can I ask you where you got your star trek Aztec decals shet? i have the same mold and can't find any decals for it

[@mattsmodelshop]

The aztec decals are available at hdamodelworx.com. He also has replacement marking decals. I used both sets on this kit. The decals are very well done, and really bring the kit to life. I hope this helps!

[@darthjaymoonstar6]

thank you it does, it was hard to make out what you were saying when you said HDamodelworks and youtube CC... well it did not understand you too lol so thank you again for the reply

[@ealbema]

Hello! I am about to do this model myself. I am worried about the pylons, I've seen they fit really bad. How did you do those? What glue did you use? Thanks!

[@mattsmodelshop]

I built up the pylon bases on the inside with extra strip styrene and copious amounts of styrene glue. so long as the tabs don't break, they aren't going anywhere. The big thing is to make absolutely certain they're straight when you glue them on.

[@patrickfinan4966]

turn the entire thing upside down then glue the pylons upside down to support the entire model once the saucer is attached

[@tecter100]

If a starship is traveling at near lightspeed, of what use are lights?

[@mattsmodelshop]

The idea behind the spotlights on the ship is that in space, the ship would be nearly completely dark. In order to be seen by anyone else (another ship, someone in a shuttle, etc), the ship would have to be self lit. At least, that's what I've always imagined.

[@thebipolarbear1]

Man I had at least five of those same exact models and every time the pylons Would never stay up ugh I’m thinking about getting another one being older and with more advanced glue I might have a chance lol the 1/1000 version does the pylons right they’re actually supported

[@bentstrider]

Had that same issue with the 1/537 when I first attempted it when I was 13 in '97. Apart from the copious amounts of glue and styrene reinforcing, I've read about thin brass rods being used. I might take the brass rod approach this time around.

[@thebipolarbear1]

@@bentstrider me too or something like jb weld if it can hold metal pipes together it should hold the warp engine and pylons lol or a mixture of that with brass . Me too around 97 or so I must have had three of these and never had it work out but this next time hell or high water I'll get em lol

[@dante.m19]

Where l can buy the lights from ? Please ,lf anyone knows.

[@mattsmodelshop]

I purchase all of my lighting from hdamodelworx.com. This Enterprise is built using a few LEDs and some LED tape. The lighting on it is actually pretty simple.

[@undertaker4518]

Do you do comission work on these ? Would love to purchase 2 of them . Please contact me?!!

[@mattsmodelshop]

I don't at this time. I wouldn't want to ship one of these things anyway. It would turn into a pile of parts by the time it arrived.

[@johnbockelie3899]

The US Navy during WW2 used to refit heavy cruisers, When they were done they looked like a totally different ship.

[@davidmckirdy4063]

I'd pay someone to do a model of the enterprise like that with all the lighting.

[@mattsmodelshop]

Check with TrekWorks. I know he just finished his 40th (!) classic enterprise that he built on consignment for someone.

[@stevethefishdotnet]

I figure I need more experience before attempting this kit. Too much to get wrong.

[@mattsmodelshop]

The kit is pretty plentiful, and round2 is repopping it pretty soon. I say build it and if it doesn't work out, scrap it and try again. I learned a LOT from the first one. Failure is the best teacher. :)

[@AvengerII]

Is it REALLY too expensive for Round 2 to fix all the issues this kit has? I've just heard so many semi-horror stories about this kit and the TOS version. The thing EVERYBODY mentions are the nacelles and support struts for them. It's like AMT/ERTL didn't care about quality control. Round 2/PL have barely touched the original sculpts/molds they inherited from AMT/ERTL and fixed the issues so many of these older kits had! I'm convinced that economically -- and for sanity's sake -- a lot of better off getting the 1/1000 scale kits. They're more accurate to begin with and have less build/quality qualities than the 1/537, 1/600(?) scale legacy kits Round 2 inherited. I don't have a model kit myself. The one Enterprise I have (the A) is a first-generation Art Asylum toy roughly between the 1/1000 and 1/537 in scale. For me that's fine even if there ARE issues with the paint application and the Aztecing is molded onto the surface. It's a fair representation with generally accurate proportions. The thing that gets me aside from some inaccurate details on the model kits (at times) are the proportions of the parts and misshaped. You can really tell on the Revell TOS Enterprise that there are issues with details on the saucer on that kit even thought it builds easier and better than any of the AMT/ERTL TOS/Motion Picture Enterprises.

[@robbiestephens49]

Did you have a problem my mold is way off on mine

[@mattsmodelshop]

Yeah, the kit isn't straight at all. You have to eyeball it as best you can. There isn't any other way around it. Keep in mind, the kit was designed back in 1980.

[@robbiestephens49]

@@mattsmodelshop i got the ant enterprise refit not happy the whole model off keel

[@mattsmodelshop]

@@robbiestephens49 Yeah, it really is. It's quite a challenge to make it look good. That's really the reason it took two tries to get it right.

[@robbiestephens49]

@@mattsmodelshop im learning im just use to tamiya im spoiled

[@AvengerII]

They need to reissue this kit as a "smoothie" without all the engraved tilework emulating the Aztec patterns. I think the original 1980 release of this kit was a smoothie. They added the Aztec texture in the later reissues. They have modified molds inherited from AMT/ERTL to be more accurate. Why can't they do that for arguably the most popular classic Trek era kit aside from the 1960s Enterprise? You know they're not selling that many Discovery and Picard kits. Is the Star Trek market THAT BAD now after the disastrous Bad Robot (2009-2016) and Discovery TV series? That's what I've been seeing! Star Wars has been "lucky" by comparison to Doctor Who and Star Trek. It seems like after The Mandalorian, it has the possibility of having some good shows produced even after the awful Sequel Trilogy and Solo movie.

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

Had this kit in my closet for 10 years, got it at a thrift store. Decided to build it over the Corona/holidays. The bag was torn, there was no lighting harness and no instructions! The exterior is beautifully molded....but the pieces don't fit together very well. And it's made out of the SLIPPERY-EST PLASTIC I've ever seen! Dropped it and the Starboard Nacelle broke free! Not broke OFF, the ill-fitting slot just popped out. Trying to keep it from wobbling on the base. It tips forward, I'm going to have to weight the base! (Or pour BBs into the Engineering section! Live long & prosper!

[@brasidas33]

Lights way too bright - Christmas tree effect

[@mattsmodelshop]

Yep, they are, but it's an old kit that I didn't put a lot of thought into. I built it for fun. I use Arduino boards now for the nav/strobes anyway, and with those you can minimize the brightness quite a bit. I usually go down all the way to 10% brightness on kits now.

[@francissobotka8725]

Leds are too bright

[@bluepacificrecordingstudio1120]

There is no hj model works on the web and you did not put a link

[@mattsmodelshop]

That would be hdamodelworx.com.