[Commander Dan]

The title says it. I’m looking for pointers on the best way to paint the inboard warp nacelle grills, whilst leaving the grooves clear for lighting. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[GT350R_Modeler]

Best results for me are to paint the entire clear piece with Model Masters Clear Blue on the backside of said piece and fill the grooves in on the other side with flat black using a toothpick. Worked great for me. This is a salvaged piece from my last kit though, so I will probably change it up a bit for this new build, but still came out pretty good imho.

 

[bigjimslade]

The title says it. I’m looking for pointers on the best way to paint the inboard warp nacelle grills, whilst leaving the grooves clear for lighting. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

My solution was to create etched brass grills, paint them, then glue them over the raised areas.

 

[lizzybus]

Best results for me are to paint the entire clear piece with Model Masters Clear Blue on the backside of said piece and fill the grooves in on the other side with flat black using a toothpick. Worked great for me. This is a salvaged piece from my last kit though, so I will probably change it up a bit for this new build, but still came out pretty good imho.

...But it's the grooves that are illuminated...NOT the raised strips.....

 

[razorwyre1]

solution 1: mask off the recessed areas with pinstriping tape (auto suppliers) or layout line tape (graphics suppliers), leaving the raised strips unmasked, then paint it.

solition 2: for really fine lines i use acrylic ink in a technical pen, then i seal it with a clear sealer coat.

solution 3 (probably the best): purchase some of the aftermarket brass etched pieces and attach them to the parts.

good luck!

 

[MartinHatfield]

I have applied thin strips of a graphic artists tape called "Linotype" to the inner grooves, then masked off the entire inside surface. I then painted the raised grills with a mixture of flat black and gunmetal.

If you watch the shot of Enterprise leaving drydock in TMP, the ribbing appears to be slightly metallic.

 

[Fozzie]

I filled the recesses with Elmer's white glue (a liquid mask), carefully wiping away any that got onto the raised portions with my fingers. Once I was confident I had glue only in the recesses I let it dry, then spray painted it. Once that was dry, I used a toothpick to lift the glue out (Elmer's white glue does not stick to plastic very strongly). The channels looked wonderful! Then I sprayed the backside with a couple of coats of clear blue paint from Tamiya. I thought it came out very well...!

 

[starlifter]

I filled the recesses with Elmer's white glue (a liquid mask), carefully wiping away any that got onto the raised portions with my fingers. Once I was confident I had glue only in the recesses I let it dry, then spray painted it. Once that was dry, I used a toothpick to lift the glue out (Elmer's white glue does not stick to plastic very strongly). The channels looked wonderful! Then I sprayed the backside with a couple of coats of clear blue paint from Tamiya. I thought it came out very well...!

that sounds like a good technique. any pics of your results?

 

[Fozzie]

that sounds like a good technique. any pics of your results?

Took this as I was peeling off one of the glue strips. Once you got them started, you could just pull them pretty much in one long string.