LSP_Kevin Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 I'm sure there are great sci-fi kits out there, but I haven't come across one yet that wasn't a bit agricultural. And to be fair, this one is one of the newest I own (along with the Galaxy Quest Protector from Pegasus, and the Moebius 2001 Space Clipper). So my perceptions come from a motley collection of old kits. Both the Revell B5 kits I built were decidedly average, and they were a bit newer than my AMT Star Wars kits. I'd love to see mainstream injection-moulded kits of popular sci-fi and fantasy subjects that rival Tamiya for detail and fit, but I suspect the mainstream market will mostly not focus on the hardcore modeller. I'm hearing that some of the new Bandai Star Wars kits even come pre-painted! I'd love to see Tamiya do a 1/72 Millennium Falcon. But then, perhaps the Fine Molds kit is already at that level. I've never seen one, and couldn't afford them when they were available, and even less so now (there's one on eBay at the moment with a Buy It Now price north of $1k). Anyway, I don't think this is a bad kit at all, but it definitely lacks finesse in the moulding department. Fit so far has been OK, and I'm really impressed with the simplicity and clarity of the instructions. And the decal sheet is comprehensive and seemingly quite accurate - all of which tells me that Polar Lights did indeed put a lot of effort into this kit, but kept it simple so all could enjoy it. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessus Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Actually, lots of Revell of Germany sci fi kits come prepainted, it's not that uncommon. Even Bandai made prepainted kits of the Enterprise 1701 A and D. I agree, sci fi is a relatively small market in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't mean the passion doesn't run as deep ( and absurdly so at times) not unlike the mainstream. After all, sci fi modellers are only striving to reproduce an accurate scale representation of something that doesn't actually exist. It's not like they have it easy or anything LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 The Fine Miles Falcon kit has approximately 900 parts in it. You literally put parts over parts much as ILM did when they made the original filming model. There is talk that Revell has obtained the moulds for the kit from Fine Molds so it could be seeing a reissue soon. Zoukei Mura has recently released a pair of sci-fi tank kits and I can't see them not being up to the standards of their aircraft kits. Carl LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I have similar issues with an AMT box trailer I'm working on, Kev; generally decent surface detailing, but clunky and out of scale details, ejector pin marks all over the place, and average to poor fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggTim Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I have a half finished Klingon Cruiser from the ST VI movie (my favorite one) that I need to finish, was thinking the same thing. Maybe this should be a group build? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 There is talk that Revell has obtained the moulds for the kit from Fine Molds so it could be seeing a reissue soon. That's interesting, as I'd heard that Fine Molds were going to destroy the moulds, as they were no longer licensed to produce or sell them. Even if Revell bought the moulds, they don't have a license to produce kits from them, so I can't see them re-releasing it, unless Disney makes some special arrangement with them. But I'm sure Bandai wouldn't be happy about that. Would be nice if the moulds survived to live another day though. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CATCplSlade Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 All I have is a set of the five ships from the old Star Trek Technical manual, designed by Franz Joseph. They are just snap-together miniatures meant for a tabletop strategy game but do require some painting and decaling at 1/3900 scale. The width of the saucer-shaped primary hulls on these is 33mm. The set is a heavy cruiser, destroyer, scout, tug, and dreadnought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnycrash Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 That's interesting, as I'd heard that Fine Molds were going to destroy the moulds, as they were no longer licensed to produce or sell them. Even if Revell bought the moulds, they don't have a license to produce kits from them, so I can't see them re-releasing it, unless Disney makes some special arrangement with them. But I'm sure Bandai wouldn't be happy about that. Would be nice if the moulds survived to live another day though. Fine Molds reported the destruction of the molds to stop fans from bugging them about a re-issue. As far as those molds go, FM can do whatever they please with them, as they belong to FM. Well, except release Star Wars model kits, of course, since they no longer have the license to do so. Revell DOES have a license to produce Star Wars kits, and they will be using the FM molds. Actually, looks like FM will pop the kits for Revell, Revell will box and sell them. As for the quality of Sci-Fi kits: Hit and miss just like any other genre. The FM 1/72 Millennium Falcon, and the rest of their line are up to the aircraft kits from Tamiya and Hasagawa. And as you pointed out, the Polar Lights kits you have are a little less sophisticated. But the target market is a little younger. You don't want a 9 year-old trying to assemble the FM Falcon. And we still get re-issues of the old Lindberg line. Yikes. Some interesting subjects, but with flash you need power tools to get through. Besides, the design and quality of the sprue is completely irrelevant, as it's the parts that count. LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Hmm, looks like I touched a raw nerve here! I wasn't aware that Revell had a license for Star Wars kits; I'd have thought the Bandai license was exclusive - otherwise Fine Molds would still be producing their own kits. Perhaps I'll get a chance to acquire the FM Falcon after all. Anyway, my intention was not to slag off this kit, or sci-fi kits in general, and we seem to be getting away from the point of this thread a bit. I've glued a few parts together, and will post some photos once progress is substantial enough to warrant it. I don't think I have anything suitable in my paint stocks to paint it though, so I may have to order some. Kev BiggTim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 OK, some actual modelling progress at last! A bit of work on the saucer section, which mainly involved removing the copyright statement from the lower half, and gluing the small transverse piece on to the top half: I've been re-watching the Trekworks video series on building this kit, and will follow Boyd's advice in painting the two sections separately, so that I can insert the clear navigation lights from the inside afterwards, without worrying about getting paint on them. Then I can clean up the seam at the side and paint it in a separate operation. Here are the two warp engine nacelles, glued, sanded and polished, ready for primer: The plastic in this kit is so thick that you can happily sand it for hours, so I've had to use almost no filler on the nacelles, and what I did use consisted of a quick brush on of some thin CA here and there. The nacelles are not a particularly good fit over their pylons however, so I'm still mulling that one over. In his Trekworks video, Boyd opened up the locating slots in the nacelles a little, so they would slide a little further down the pylons, so that's one option I guess. Unmodified, I'm not even convinced the angle they'll sit at is correct. Here's the main hull (or whatever it's called in Enterprise parlance): Much more of a seam showing here, but it's mostly been filled with CA already. I've read that if you remove the 'snap tite' pins from the interior, any latent fit issues go away. I just left them all in place, as they form a very strong bond, as you'd expect. Here it is from the top, mounted to the cute little stand: Without the saucer, it reminds me of a Minbari ship from Babylon 5. A question for the treksperts however! In the photo below, the section of the pylon assembly that mates with, and forms part of, the rear of the main hull, is raised with respect to the rest of the hull: I'm assuming that's not accurate (so to speak), and will need sanding down and blending in, but just wanted it confirmed. Racing towards the painting stage already! Kev EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CATCplSlade Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Yeah, sand that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I'm glad you're doing this, Kev. New frontiers, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Yeah, sand that. Yeah, I figured that would be the case. I was just hoping for an easy out! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CATCplSlade Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 There are no easy ways out; sequestration ended all funding for easy ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnycrash Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I'm assuming that's not accurate (so to speak), and will need sanding down and blending in, but just wanted it confirmed. There should be NO seams anywhere. The whole ship, smooth as a baby's bottom. That raised Copyright info is a pain. Took me three tries to get rid of it. Sanded, primered, it popped right back up. Repeat. Ugh!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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