Building Rawen and Legal01's 400-scale U.S.S. Reliant

CrimsonLine

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Aug 14, 2014
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Having finished my first paper model, Martin Saenger's Buck Rogers Thunderfighter, my all-time favorite small sci-fi ship, I have been itching to build a Star Trek vessel. Above all other fan-type-things, I am a Trekker. I love the Refit Enterprise with a holy love, but I don't feel that my skills are up to the task of building her quite yet. The Reliant seems like a good foray into building these refit models. So, off I go!

I have to say, I have been super-impressed with the builds I have seen of @Rawen and @legal01 's 400 and 200-scale Starfleet ships. My biggest fear is in the fact that the Reliant build has no instructions with it, though I notice that @av8r402 offered to create a set of instructions about a year and a half ago. Anything come of that? Otherwise, I will use the instructions for the 400-scale Enterprise build as an initial guide, and try to figure out the rest, with an eye on @legal01's build thread over at PaperModelers.com.

A couple of snags right out of the gate: the printer I have access to doesn't want to print the pages at full size. My best bet turns out to be 88% of the full size, so that's how I print them all. My second snag? Cannot find 2mm card anywhere nearby. Instead, I bought 1.5mm art board, and will try using that for both the parts that should be on 2mm AND the parts that should be on 1mm card. I am not experienced enough to know what problems that will cause down the line. I guess ignorance is bliss, huh?

This shot is midway through laying out the sticker pages on the 1.5mm art board, trying to make the best use of space before starting to cut. I'm underway!

2015-01-10 19.18.50.jpg
 

Revell-Fan

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Good choice of the model! I'd like to build one of them, too. thumbsup

Regarding the instructions, it seems that you will be the one spearheading that group of instruction makers! :rolleyes:

At 88 % the model will still be very impressive. :)

As for the difference in the thickness, you might compensate it by adding another layer of regular thin paper to achieve a thicker piece and by scraping off a small amount of the card which is supposed to be thinner. I'm unfamiliar with the structure of your material but I guess that you could cut into the side and peel off a thin layer.
 
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vulcan8630

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They call it..."The Rock".......
" This shot is midway through laying out the sticker pages on the 1.5mm art board, trying to make the best use of space before starting to cut. I'm underway!"

I've been saving desk calendar cardboard backs....they seem to be around 2mm in thickness....Also because I work in an office environment people I can get them for free!!
 
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mcusanelli

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Feb 26, 2008
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Hey Crimson!
Nice choice for your next model! Can't wait to see your build, good luck with it! Also, cereal boxes are a great source of cheap cardboard....I don't mean cheap quality, cheap 'cause you already paid for it. One thing to be aware of is if your model is white, like a ST ship, you might just want to sand a bit of the printed surface where it meets the surface you glue. i didn't remove the printed colors once on an airliner, and a few days after I built a section of it, I noticed the red printing bled through the surface and ruined the model. But it hasn't happened since I started sanding it off.
 

zathros

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I love the Reliant. To me, it is a ship that makes the most sense. It just seems right, solid, and configured properly. :)
 

CrimsonLine

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Aug 14, 2014
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Still plugging away. For a week, I was in Palm Springs, California - a nice change from wintry upstate New York - so I had a hiatus of sorts. But I have finished sticking all the stickers to my 1.5 mm card, and have begun cutting out the internal support pieces. Man, that yardstick wears down the Xacto blades quickly!