Star Trek USS Ptolemy Conversion Part 1

[@antonylaing2499]

I'd use a machinists scribe to mark out the edges of the windows using the template, then a pin vise to drill out the centres and finally a needle file with a square cross section to file out to the edges that I'd scribbed. I've made similar square / rectangular holes when scratch building and it's slow work. I also use an LED ring light with magnifyer in the middle as well wearing reading glasses; prior to that set up, it was very hit and miss.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thanks Antony

[@lutonian7918]

Hi Interstellar modeller I'm not commenting on the Ptolemy hope you don't mind but I've just watched you Hasbro xwing conversion and it was brilliant I'm a modeller myself and stubbled across it and noticed it was a few years ago now but it was excellent 👍👍 we have the best hobby in the world , from the UK

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you so much for your kind words. And yes our hobby is awesome!

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Cool. I remember this ship from the TOS Technical Manual.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Yeah it was one of my favorites from the tech manual

[@HobbyLinkInternational]

Coming along very nicely O! Nice working your way through the trouble spots so far. Definitely like your second mix of color for the ship. And, thanks for pointing people in our direction :)

[@InterstellarModeler]

Your welcome, thanks for the compliments. I meabt to post the link to the board too, will do so. Thanks Kenny

[@Tim-57]

Hey Oggie🙂 I hope this finds you well. Enjoyed this half of your build and look forward to the next. Happy Weekend Take care

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you Tim. Doing fine here and hope you're doing well. Glad you enjoyed this part, completion should be up by next weekend.

[@Tim-57]

@@InterstellarModeler You are welcome. I am doing pretty well. Hope you and Family have a great Sunday.

[@schuhmansmodelshop8657]

She is looking good. I'm enjoying the build

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you Marc

[@blasantoniopappaterracarri5416]

Excellent progress and great video. Very helpful 👍👍👍

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thanks 👍

[@MiketakesaHike]

Get yourself one of those Tamiya drill kits, I have 3, and I used one to put 6500 holes into my Zvezda SD, they turn at a decent speed for styrene, won't burn it, and can take any Dremel collet for bits.

[@MiketakesaHike]

also look into dental resin for clear to translucent resin

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thanks. I actually have one. Just don't have the right collets to hold small enough drill bits

[@SpaceNazi62]

I miss model masters paint too. I used 50/50 flat white and light gray, I called it federation base👍🏻🖖🏻

[@InterstellarModeler]

Yeah I really liked the light gray shade

[@michaelhintzmikesminiature1812]

This is a Cool conversion. I like you showing exactly how your doing it. Nice Work!!! I'll be watching

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you

[@petermerz2704]

When I made my 1/1000 scale enterprise, I made rotating bussard by putting 6 402 SMD’s on a round piece of styrene and hooked them up to an arduino board to give the rotating effect. Looks cool, but my lenses are painted, not airbrushed, so they are an uneven colour. Also hooked the 2 3mm leds to the board to flash the navigation lights on the main hull!

[@InterstellarModeler]

Impressive. The HLI circuit board will work great for the nav lights. Appreciate you watching, thanks

[@MediocreModeler]

Looking great so far Sir. I've had the same issue with some tiny drill bits. Just makes me wonder how the dentist do it. LOL I'm gonna have to try that UV resin. Keep up the great work.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you

[@GloopTrekker]

One way to slow down a Dremel is to run the power cord through a sewing machine foot pedal to adjust your speed. Not sure if it would have helped here, but it's a thought.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Really….hmm interesting tip thanks

[@acterene1]

Good to see your face! Love your videos!

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you

[@SkyrayModels]

It's always tricky lighting these small scale kits, I think I would have been tempted to use the window templates on the neck ,by cutting out the whole section as it's a fairly flat shape and epoxying the template in place ,then you would have superb precision ready made windows. That's if you do get both sides in the photo etch kit.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Interesting suggestion thanks.

[@hangerbird]

At 10:38 you talk about using a clear coat to make things easier. Not fully understanding... are you saying to apply the clear coat prior to the bondo, thus making the cleaning process easier or are you applying the clear coat after the bondo?

[@InterstellarModeler]

Sorry about the confusion. In hindsight it would’ve been better to leave out that comment. Typically i address any seams first then apply the base color followed by a gloss clear. What goofed up the sequence with the saucer was the filling in of the rectangular panels with the UV resin. To avoid having to mask them, I thought it would’ve been easier to apply the base color then fill in with the resin.Turns out the rectangular panels were not hard to mask with liquid masking fluid, something I had to end up doing when I changed the base color. At 10:38, I was just pointing out that it was helpful to have coated the saucer because the red residue from the bondo easily brushed right off. I have no doubt it would have left streaks on a flat unprotected surface. I hope that clarifies this.

[@outsider238]

So is Model Masters and Testors paints no longer? I haven't been to the hobby shop in a while. Last time I was there, the employee told me that Rustoleum bought out those two companies and that they weren't very interested in making the model paints lines.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Yep....that's my understanding. Last time I checked there were no bottles left on the shelf at my nearby model store either

[@outsider238]

@@InterstellarModeler Wow! They've been around for a long time too. I'm going to have to break down and buy an airbrush so I can just use paints designed for those I guess.

[@sdmproductions2949]

Looking good.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thank you

[@travisweeks7819]

👍

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thanks Travis

[@terrywindsor1310]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thanks Terry

[@shirtguyj]

Those tiny holes are a bear!

[@InterstellarModeler]

Yes for sure

[@paulm.newitt3246]

Nice work. Although I'd like to suggest much safer "Liquitex Modeling Paste" over the use of Auto Body Putty, since it's toxic.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Will look into that. Thanks

[@curtiscarlson2864]

Would a reflective paint inside the saucer help with light dispersion?

[@InterstellarModeler]

I doubt it would in this case. The light is at least coming through the lower windows and the area around the bridge.

[@GPGPapercraftTX]

I tripped over a gold mine at Harbor Freight. It is a tiny rotary tool. I bought an open box for 6 bucks. I think I have seen the new one for $20. It runs on a wall wart. The down side is speed. Something like a million RPM. (well not really but way faster than a Dremel.) It does not adjust. The up side is the set of tiny diamond tipped cut heads. I even use the cone shaped one to cut near perfect holes in paper. I poke a pilot hole then drill to size. There are also several tiny heads that would make fine work of styrene windows. Now that I think on it, I'll bet that since it has a weird jack in the middle of the cord, a DC bench power supply or a power potentiometer would make that booger speed adjustable. DC out of the wall wart is fairly easy to divide or regulate.

[@InterstellarModeler]

Thanks Tim. Looks like you found a good deal on that drill

[@GPGPapercraftTX]

I've been hacking away at my "Moon Bath" back splash. I had to hold down the Unobtainium gauge and the battery packs. Turns out Auto Zone and Wally-World have JB Weld UV glue. It's cheap too! It seems to cure clear. There is this little UV pen light attached to each bottle. I'll bet that would not only have made the Saucer ports but filed the windows. There is not much in the bottle but it has this long skinny snoot to apply glue. You put this stuff in and hit it with the little flashlight. It is exothermic ( I think that's right). It makes a wisp of vapor and locks up tighter than a 2-year-old on a cheese binge. The cure takes about as long as it took to type the last sentence. I can't detect any shrinkage either. Don't bother trying to bond metal with it. I tried to bond a quarter-twenty nut to the bottom of one of my Blink cameras so I could spy on the LASER cutter. No joy, cracked right off. I had to fall back to good old grey JB for that application.

[@InterstellarModeler]

interesting tip there, thanks

[@madtrucker3757]

I’m currently building a Saladin class destroyer in honor of my father and a family friend who were involved in the Japan bombings. Her name is the USS Enola Gay (NCC 1945) and broke the main saucer dish post I was gonna use. What did u use for this post? I was gonna use a board game piece.

[@InterstellarModeler]

It’s a resin piece that comes with the conversion kit from PNT, found on Federationmodels. There’s no direct link. Go to their homepage then to model kits then PNT

[@robertjensen1438]

Just a comment for the algorithm

[@Joepacker]

Things would have gone much better I think if you had used the AMT 1:650 scale Enterprise. It's a much nicer scale. The 1:1000 scale is just too small IMO

[@InterstellarModeler]

Actually the ship is almost completed and I think it’s gonna turn pretty well.