Opening up windows is quite a chore... there is a lot of them on a Galaxy Class Federation Starship. I chose to open up about 40 to 50%. Most crew quarters rooms have three sometimes four windows. So I selected and cut out accordingly for regular routine of 3 watches where about half the crew would be awake in thier quarters.
Opening the window slits started with a #70 drill bit. I drill a series of holes up and down the slit right next to each other Next a small dental cuter was chucked into a Dremel that cut out the plastic between the holes. Get those kind of bits from a local dental supply store. They are really inexpensive... Just a few bucks for a tiny box of 5. A small jewelers file was then used to remove and smooth out the cut.
Tape Window Exterior
Scotch Magic mending tape is place over the opened window of the exterior. This will hold the resin while it cures. Make sure to burnish it down onto the exterior surface. Then resin will not bleed out onto the exterior.
Clear Resin
Use a clear resin to fill the windows. I use the same stuff I cast clear parts with... Smooth On’s Clearcast 220. I buy and use a lot of it so I get it by the gallon, about a hundred dolars worth at a time. Even the smallest quantity as a trial kit (2 pints) costs about $25. For you regular modelers out there I’d use some clear casting stuff called Envirotex. It is a clear coating compund used for decopage crafts. It fully cures in 24 hours and has a pot life of 30 minutes after mixed. You can find Envirtex in smaller than pint quantities at most any local craft store.
Mix up a batch of clear resin. Let the bubbles settle out for a few minutes. Then dip a toothpick into the cup and pull up some clear resin. Take it to the window slot and touch the drip forming on the end of the toothpick to one side of the window. You should work only one section at a time. As much as you can do in about 20 to 30 minutes. After it harden up go back and repeat the process.
Sometimes the resin does not quite get into the bottom corners of the window slots if your filling them in with resin from the inside. Turn the model part over and with a fresh sharp #11 blade poke a tiny hole in each air bubble you see through the tape. The tiny slit will let the air escape. The resin will move in up to the void and flush with the tape. Turn the model part back over and let the resin cure.
Check for bubbles
NEBULA CLASS Lightable Conversion for Enterprise "D" Kit
PREPARE RESIN PARTS:
Remove mold release agents: This must be stressed; You will have paint lifting problems if you don’t! Thoroughly wash all resin parts with a strong household cleaner. Mr. Clean, 409, Pine-sol, even a little Comet scrubbing powder will due. A stiff bristled paint brush or used tooth brush scrubbed into every nook and cranny. Then cool water rinsed and dried.
Avoid heat and stress near clear cast parts: The clear casting resin used is one of the best found on the market that offers water clear castings and that be pulled from the molds within 24 hours. It is allowed to cure another 48 before it reaches a full cure and ready for use. Each clear set is checked for proper shape before shipping. Here is some precautions before using this plastic.
•The clear resin pieces become flexible when exposed to temperatures above 120 Fahrenheit. Parts may become misshaped. If they do become misshaped after leaving the DLM factory you can restore it to shape by running hot tap water on the affected area. Flex it into the correct shape. Check for alignment. Then quickly immerse it into cold water to hold the shape.
•Choose a electronics lighting system that runs cool and avoids heat buildup inside the model. Incandescent lamps will build up heat inside the model. White LEDs, mini-neon, cold cathode tubes and electroluminescent materials like LightSheet runs very cool. Power supplies and converters that emit heat should be run outside the model. Keep voltages low. 6 to 9 volts DC is a ideal range and is very safe from accidental shock.
• The clear parts should also not be the contact point of support when mounting on a display stand. If you intend to have the mounting point going into the bottom of the model take this as a precaution. The full weight of the completed model including the AMT injection molded kits parts will put a lot of weight on the clear cast parts of the Engineering Hull. This weight may cause stress on the clear cast parts and distort. If a display stand is used as a conduit of wires and support, a “start hole” is present on the bottom of the clear cast Engineering Hull as the ideal entry point for power to the electronics. The support rod or tube that runs wiring into the model should be anchored and/or connected to the gray opaque resin Hull/Nacelle Pylon Assembly and only run through the clear cast hull parts.
•Use CA super glue or 5 minute epoxy on the resin parts.
•Air bubbles are kept to a minimum during the casting process and if one is apparent on an exterior surface a red spot putty is the best recommended a filler. Gap filling super glue makes a good filler too and will be clear when set.
• The clear cast hull pieces will allow light to shine through the windows: The concept is like that of the AMT Pro-Modeler USS Yamiguci that was cast in clear styrene plastic . Prior to assembly; the windows are masked with small strips of tape. Then a thin layer of white primer paint is sprayed over the exterior surface.* That will help the light spread and reflect throughout the interior . Then spray paint the exterior surfaces with a opaque coating of either black or gray primer. After assembly of the model is completed apply finish colors like an ordinary model. Remove the window mask when done and apply any markings of decals to the completed model.
*Use a fast drying sandable primer like Krylon or Dupli-Color on resin parts before applying finish colors.
Parts Layout of DLM Kit
Remove the resin Pour Sprue
Trimed
Remove Flash
Fit Check
Click on the thumnails to enlarge photos.
At Don's Light and Magic, my focus is on Sci-Fi Model Parts and Lighting. Get in touch with me today. I am in the Fargo, North Dakota area.
