Return to the BUILD

“This short stage adds another section of the saucer rim, joining its upper and lower deck panels together.“

NOTE: I will be presenting TWO different paths to build this Enterprise D partwork model. This is because after Stage 58, I completely tore my own model down and started on my Model Remodel journey. However, I have access to a second Enterprise D partwork that is being built in stock form, so I can show both methods here.

• The normal BUILD section below will show the ‘stock’ way of installing the parts with any tips and tricks I find along the way.
• The new MODEL REMODEL section will describe the changes I made during this stage including any painting, lighting, electronics, wiring, etc.

Contents

Parts

Materials: The Deck Panel L3-12 is metal and the rest of the non-electrical parts in this stage are plastic.

Build

Assembling Deck Panel L3-13

Step A

Carefully remove ten (10) Escape Pod Covers from their sprues and fit them into the back of Deck Panel L3-13, as shown.

As in Stage 61 with these outer lower panels, I shaved off the two tiny bumps on the top and bottom with my hobby knife. This allows them to seat a bit deeper and more uniformly. While not shown here, I still recommend using pieces of black electrical tape or aluminum tape to seal in these Escape Pod Cover to prevent light leak:

Fit the Escape Pod Cover to the back of Deck Panel L3-13 as shown, then secure the Bracket into place with two (2) AM screws.

This is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:

Fit the Outer Frame L4-12 to Deck Panel L3-13 aligning the pins and posts to the matching holes as shown, then secure it into place with two (2) IM screws:

Fitting Deck Panel L3-13

Step B

Retrieve your Saucer assembly from the previous stage and place it upside down on a soft surface. Fit this Deck Panel L3-13 assembly to the Lower Skeleton, as shown.

As before, there is a groove along the inside of the Outer Panel that needs to ‘pop’ onto the rim of the matching upper Deck Panel here:

Secure this Deck Panel to the Lower Skeleton with two (2) FM screws, as shown:

If this Panel fitment is satisfactory, press the two pins of the Escape Pod Screw Cover into the matching holes at this location of the Panel.

This Screw Cover should be installed so the red line is closer to the edge of the saucer. However, you may want to wait until you are happy with the fitment of all of the lower saucer panels before hiding these screws. It may be difficult to remove these Screw Covers once installed:

That step ends this stage of the stock build. Below you will find the details on what I changed in this stage as part of my Model Remodel.

Model Remodel

Assembling Deck Panel L3-13

I processed this Deck Panel in the same way as I have been with my Model Remodel:

• The Escape Pod Covers were sealed in from behind with aluminum tape
• The gap to the Outer Panel was sealed in with adhesive putty

Battle Section Middle Panel

While we did not use the Battle Section Middle Panel in this stage, I did process it in the same way as my other hull panels:

• The windows were replaced with Solarez Thin-Hard UV resin
• The ‘dark’ windows were painted black according to my Window Pattern Guide

Here is the result of our Model Remodel changes in this stage:

Thoughts

While the stock build did not have us do anything the Battle Section Middle Panel supplied in this stage, I did add resin windows to it for my Remodel build. Either way, keep it nearby for the next stages.

Next Up

Stage 81 – Lower Skeleton 2, Window Panel/Reflector, LED Bracket, Panel Lights